Now, That's Dedication!
Have you seen "Death in Paradise," the British-French detective series? It is set in the fictitious town of Honore, Saint Marie, although filming actually takes place on Guadaloupe in the Caribbean. The show is filming its 11th season, yet each British season is only eight one-hour episodes in length. So far, after ten seasons, the show has had four detective-inspectors. That's right! Four actors have played the equivalent of Jack's role in ten seasons, each one-third the length of one of Hawaii Five-0's seasons of 24 episodes.
The first three -- Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, and Ardal O'Hanlon -- all gave the same reason for leaving: the high pressure of appearing in almost every scene and having their families 4,000 miles away, in England. Miller appeared for two seasons, while Marshall and O'Hanlon each appeared for three seasons. Little has appeared for two seasons, so far, is in the process of filming his third season, and has a contract for a fourth season. Miller, Marshall, and O'Hanlon have returned home to England and have become involved in other acting ventures.
As it has gone with the detective-inspectors, so it has gone with the actresses who have portrayed the second-in-command. Sara Martins portrayed Detective-Sergeant Camille Borday for 3-1/2 seasons, while Josephine Jobert has portrayed Detective-Sergeant Florence Cassell for six seasons, so far. The same holds true for the actors who have portrayed the police officers. All have cited the same reasons for the need to leave the series.
It should be noted that none of these actors holds any other role in the production than that of actor. None has been a behind-the-scenes executive producer. None has had to rework scripts to make them usable. None has had to bring items from home to serve as props in productions. None has had to keep communications open between the island and the homeland. None has had to help promote tourism on the island. They've simply had to memorize their lines and make their characters come to life -- and that is a big job, by itself.
Is it any doubt that Jack aged so drastically during the twelve seasons of Hawaii Five-0? Most assuredly not! Is there any reason to doubt that his return to private life was anything more than a need to retire from the rat race? No! These thoughts bring Marie's words to mind:
In the old days, Jack and I would dream about someday reaching this point.
Back then, we were convinced that if things went well all our problems would
suddenly disappear. Well, let me assure you, it never quite happens that way.
The hardest thing to be is a success! ...the truth is, when success comes, the
irritations don’t go away–they multiply. The higher you go the bigger the
problems become ... and, along the way, you acquire a whole new set of
problems as well. (Rand, Flora. “Being With Jack is Like Having All the
Diamonds in the World.” TV Radio Mirror. March 1974.)
Rest in peace, dear Jack and Marie. Your efforts are very greatly appreciated. You will live in our hearts forever.