'Hawaii Five-0': A new team member and more Season 2 teases from EP Peter Lenkov

"Hawaii Five-0's" writers started work on Season 2 this week, so there's not a lot that executive producer Peter Lenkov can tell us about it.

Except: "I'm really excited because there are some major surprises -- there's one in the first episode of the season."

And also: "We wanted to explore the other islands. ... We're going to do that this year." And: "There is a resolution at the end of [episode] 201, but we still keep a big part of it open."

OK -- so maybe there are a few things to tell. Zap2it spoke with Lenkov Thursday (June 9) at PitchCon, an event for independent content producers sponsored by industry group NATPE, about new characters and where Season 2 will begin. He already knows that because he and Paul Zbyszewski, who co-wrote the team-splintering, McGarrett-in-handcuffs Season 1 finale, did so with the season premiere in mind.

"When we broke the story, we also broke the resolution. ... So we were writing the finale, and also writing the first episode of Season 2 at almost the same time," he says. "In order to put [characters] in those kinds of situations, you have to know the endgame. You can't just put it in and then paint yourself into a corner and think, How do I get them out? But we had all these really strong ideas of what we wanted to do in Season 2, and a lot of it is based on how we leave them at the end of Season 1."

So what does that mean? More highlights from our conversation with Lenkov:

On the resolution to the season-ending cliffhanger: "There is a resolution at the end of 201, but we still keep a big part of it open. So the team is sort of back together, not really. There are some dynamics that have changed in how they're going to move forward. There's also a new governor who's not going to be as lenient as the last governor [Jean Smart], because the last governor had an agenda. ...

"We're adding another character to the task force. Nobody knows that yet, but I'm telling you -- we're adding another [member] to this task force. And I'm really excited because there are some major surprises -- there's one in the first episode of the season that I'm hoping is as shocking as the governor being bad. We think it is, but we're hoping [the audience thinks] it's amazing, oh my god, I can't believe they did that. So I'm looking forward to that. And there's a domino effect to those kinds of things. Those things end up paying off. There's going to be a love interest for one of our characters. And actually we have a really great arc for Kono [Grace Park] that starts at the beginning of the year, which we're excited about because it really gives her a lot of meat."

On the new governor: "The last governor gave them full immunity and means, but that was just because she wanted to make McGarrett [Alex O'Loughlin] happy, and she was keeping an eye on him. I think the new governor is sort of more realistic and is going to draw the line -- he may give them jurisdiction, but maybe not the immunity and means they had last season. The idea is maybe he's going to be a little more strict with them."

Casting the new governor: "We're just sort of making lists of people. Ideally for us ... we'd want to cast somebody local from the island."

Island-hopping: "I think we wanted to explore the other islands, and I think we just never got the chance [in Season 1]. We're going to do that this year. ... We have these little ambitions, and that's one of them. Because it's Hawaii Five-0 and not Oahu Five-0, they can go to the other islands. And ultimately we want to explore off the islands. It's a task force, and the idea is there are no real boundaries for them."

"Hawaii Five-0" is scheduled to begin filming its second season in early July and will be back on CBS in the fall.