15 years afterHawaii Five-0, Daniel Dae Kim is having a moment again.Prime Video’s exceptionalButterflywith a strong Rotten Tomatoes scorehas put him back at the center of a taut thriller, balancing espionage with deeply personal stakes. It’s a reminder of how magnetic Kim can be when he’s locked into the right material.
ButButterflyisn’t Kim’s first time carrying a crime show on his shoulders. For fans hooked by his latest performance, it’s worth rewinding toHawaii Five-0, one of his defining TV roles from over a decade ago. Before streaming dominance, before every network wanted its own prestige thriller, Kim was anchoring an ambitious reboot that became one of CBS’s signature dramas.
Across seven seasons, Kim’s Chin Ho Kelly brought emotional stakes to the procedural format, givingHawaii Five-0a layer of weight that fans ofButterflywill immediately recognize. If you loveDaniel Dae Kim’s recent return to action inButterfly, you’ll love what he did then.
If You Love Daniel Dae Kim’s Butterfly, Watch Him In Hawaii Five-0
On paper,Hawaii Five-0looked like another network procedural: flashy car chases, gunfights by the beach, and case-of-the-week villains. But what gave it staying power was the ensemble, and Daniel Dae Kim was one of its anchors. His Chin Ho,Hawaii Five-0’s hands-down best character, was a cop marked by the same institutional failures he was sworn to fight.
Kim had already built genre credibility fromLost(Jin-Soo Kwon), butFive-0showed off a different range. Instead of sprawling mysteries, he leaned into street-level tension and character-driven cases. Chin carried the weight of betrayal — accused of corruption before the series even began — making every moment of loyalty he gave to his team feel earned rather than assumed.
Much like inButterfly, Kim’s performance inFive-0thrived on duality. He could be an unstoppable force in a takedown, but he was just as compelling in moments of reflection, especially when family or morality came into play.
Kim also delivered thebestHawaii Five-0episodesworth remembering. Storylines involving his late wife, his adopted niece, and his willingness to sacrifice himself for others revealed a depth that most procedurals rarely bother with. IfButterflyfeels like a fresh showcase for Kim,Five-0proves he’s been this good for a long time.
Hawaii Five-0 Is A Different Type Of Thriller Than Butterfly, But Still Gripping
Of course,Hawaii Five-0isn’t built likeButterfly. Where the Prime Video series is a coiled spring of suspense, layered with geopolitical intrigue,Five-0was a network workhorse — 22 episodes a season, case-of-the-week comfort food. But that’s exactly what makes it worth revisiting now.
The contrast highlights Kim’s versatility. Inthe Korea-setButterfly, he’s navigating psychological warfare, spies, and international stakes. InFive-0, he’s fighting drug cartels, kidnappers, and local corruption. Different scale, different rhythm, but both shows rely on his ability to anchor chaos with credibility.
And whileButterflythrives on tension that builds across episodes,Five-0excelled at giving viewers resolution without losing momentum. You could tune in midseason and still be hooked, yet the ongoing arcs — like Chin’s redemption and loyalty to his fallen mentor — kept longtime fans invested.
DespiteDaniel Dae Kim suddenly quitting the massively popularHawaii Five-0after seven seasons (and for valid reason), he proved himself as more than a supporting player. He carried emotional storylines with the same strength and nuance he brought to high-stakes action. Watching him inButterflytoday shows the evolution of a craft he honed inHawaii Five-0.
Hawaii Five-0
Cast
A modern imagining of the classic series that was released during the 1960s, Hawaii Five-0 is an action series that follows a special task force that handles various crimes in Hawaii. Acting outside their normal jurisdiction and given free rein across the state from the Governor himself, the twosome of Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams deal with terrorist plots, kidnappings, and other serious crimes.
