'Hawaii Five-0' season 7 spoilers, casting news: guest spot from Lou Diamond Phillips; Masi Oka explains departure
Lou Diamond Philips has been confirmed to guest star on the hit CBS procedural drama "Hawaii Five-0" season 7.
According to reports, the "Longmire" vet has been tapped to play Lincoln, the straightforward and overbearing U.S. Deputy Marshal who has been tasked to lead a tactical team from the Special Operation Group. Phillips will make his appearance on the 14th episode of season 7, which airs sometime early 2017.
The actor also shared the casting news through his Twitter account, along with a behind-the-scene photo of him and fellow "Longmire" alum Peter Weller who directed the episode. "When are they gonna get me out of these dumps?! Thrilled to work with my dear friend #PeterWeller again! #Aloha #HawaiiFive0," his post reads.
The recent casting announcement comes on the heels of the departure of longtime series regular Masi Oka. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the actor explained that his seven years in the show was a great experience, but most of his business is in Japan and Los Angeles—making it "increasingly difficult" to travel to Hawaii.
"I'm probably the only one who really commutes to Hawaii, maybe 18 times a year round trip," he said. "It got to the point where the producers were very gracious enough to—like we talked about it and we thought Max was entering his journey and they allowed me, kind of like for my health as well, to be able to take a reprieve from being on the show."
As for the upcoming episode that will feature his character Max's send-off, Oka teased that it will be "little bit of the greatest hits." Viewers will see his relationship with his work mates, and an unexpected character will influence him to take an emotional journey as he says goodbye to everyone in the force.
"Hawaii Five-0" season 7 airs every Friday night at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
