Magnum, P.I. Wiki
Register
Advertisement


Magnum P.I. is an American action-crime drama television series developed by Peter M. Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim which was aired on CBS on four seasons from September 24, 2018, to May 6, 2022, and then on NBC has premiered on February 19, 2023, and has concluded on January 3, 2024. The series is a reboot of the original series, which was aired from 1980 to 1988.

In May 2022, the series was cancelled by CBS after four seasons. On June 30, 2022, the series was rescued by NBC with a two-season, twenty-episode order. In June 2023, the series would conclude after five seasons.

Magnum P.I. takes place in the same fictional universe as two other series, both also developed by Lenkov and both also reboots of earlier police shows: Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver. The three shows have been collectively referred to as the "Lenkov-verse".

Summary[]

As in the original series, the reboot follows Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator who occupies the guest house on the Hawaiian estate owned by famous author Robin Masters. He lives with Juliet Higgins, a former MI6 agent assigned by Masters to protect the estate, and native Hawaiian Kumu Tuileta, who is the estate's cultural curator. (Juliet Higgins replaces the male character Jonathan Higgins from the original series.) Juliet often assists Thomas with his cases and becomes a full partner in the agency during Season 2. Magnum is also frequently assisted by two former U.S. Marines, Rick Wright and TC Calvin. Rick is now a bar owner, while TC is a pilot whose main business is running helicopter tours of the islands. Magnum tends to butt heads with HPD Detective Gordon Katsumoto, but the two also help each other when needed.

Cast[]

Main article: Cast

Episodes[]

Main article: Episode List
Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale Network
1 20 September 24, 2018 April 1, 2019 CBS
2 20 10 September 27, 2019 January 31, 2020
10 April 10, 2020 May 8, 2020
3 16 December 4, 2020 May 7, 2021
4 20 October 1, 2021 May 6, 2022
5 20 10 February 19, 2023 April 23, 2023 NBC
10 October 4, 2023 January 3, 2024

Production[]

Development[]

On October 20, 2017, it was announced that CBS was developing a reboot of the original series from Peter M. Lenkov who also developed the 2010 reboot of Hawaii Five-O and the 2016 reboot of MacGyver. At the time CBS ordered a pilot production commitment for the series while Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim, a Hawaii Five-0 writer and co-showrunner, were announced developers. John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment were reported as additional executive producers. CBS Television Studios and Universal Television co-produced the series. Danielle Woodrow was also later announced to be serving as an executive producer. The series was initially picked up by CBS for thirteen episodes and an additional seven episodes were later ordered.[1] On January 25, 2019, Magnum P.I. was renewed for a second season along with two other CBS freshman series.[2] Peter M. Lenkov returned for the second season as an executive producer and co-showrunner after signing a three-year deal with CBS Television Studios in 2018. Eric Guggenheim also returned as executive producer and co-showrunner. It was later revealed that the second season would consist of twenty-episodes.

On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a third season, along with eighteen other television shows.[3] On July 7, 2020, it was revealed that co-showrunner, executive producer, and co-developer Peter M. Lenkov would not have any involvement in the third season after being fired from CBS over toxic work environment allegations.[4] Lenkov was originally expected to continue work on the series throughout the season as part of the previously signed deal. Lucas Till who portrays the title character of Angus MacGyver on MacGyver stated that Lenkov made him suicidal and constantly body shamed him. Lenkov's lawyers initially denied all allegations. Lenkov later responded to the situation by stating "It's difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better." Lenkov still received writing credits for various episodes throughout the season written prior to his termination. Gene Hong replaced Lenkov as co-showrunner joining other co-showrunner Eric Guggenheim who also co-developed and executive-produces for the series. On October 27, 2020, it was reported that the third season would have a reduced episode order of sixteen episodes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] On April 15, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on October 1, 2021.[6][7]

Cancellation and revival[]

On May 12, 2022, CBS announced that the series has been cancelled after four seasons.[8] However, on May 23, 2022, it was reported by TVLine that Universal Television was trying to shop the series around. Ten days later, Deadline Hollywood reported that talks were underway for the series to potentially be carried by NBC and/or USA. Such a move would require a deal with CBS Studios by June 30, 2022, when the cast members' options on their contracts end.[9] On June 30, 2022, NBC officially picked up the series for 20 episodes, expected to be split over two seasons.[10] The fifth season has premiered on February 19, 2023.[11]

On June 23, 2023, it was announced that the fifth season is going to be the final season.[12]

Casting[]

Mpi jay stephen mustache

Jay said on The Late Show that his first question was whether he would have to sport a mustache, but the producers and creative team said no.

In February 20, 2018, Jay Hernandez was announced as the new Magnum[13], also March 2, 2018, Perdita Weeks would play as Juliet Higgins, Magnum's best friend from U.S. army[14], alongside with Zachary Knighton, who played as Rick Wright on May 16 and another Magnum's friend named Theodore "T.C." Calvin portrayed by Stephen Hill on March 21, 2018.[15][16] On July 20, 2018, it was announced that Tim Kang would join the cast as Honolulu PD detective Gordon Katsumoto, who would develop a friendly rivalry with Magnum as they work cases.[17] On July 25, 2018, it was announced Amy Hill had been cast in a recurring role.[18] Both Kang and Hill are debuted in their regular series in this third episode.

Former NFL and CFL football player, Carl Weathers, MLB baseball player, Christian Yelich, and NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney all appeared as guest stars. Roger E. Mosley who starred as Theodore Calvin in the original Magnum, P.I. guest starred in one episode. Selleck stated in an interview that he would never appear in the series even though he was asked as not to take away from the original Magnum, P.I. and due to conflicting filming of Blue Bloods which also airs on CBS. Thornton continued to recur throughout the second and third seasons. Bobby Lee was introduced as a new recurring character in the season and also returned for a guest appearance in the third. Numerous professional athletes appeared in guest roles throughout the season including Deontay Wilder, a World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, Aaron Donald and Andre Reed, National Football League players, Hans Hedemann, a competitive surfer, and Cowboy Cerrone, an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artist. Patrick Monahan, Skyler Grey, Jerry Becker, and Luis Carlos Maldonado appeared as themselves and performed as their real-world band Train. Betsy Phillips, series star Zachary Knighton's wife, appeared in the first seasons final episode. Balmilero, Wily, and Chun also made appearances throughout the second season as their Hawaii Five-0 characters. Other Hawaii Five-0 actors new to the second season include series regulars Meaghan Rath, Katrina Law, Beulah Koale, and Ian Anthony Dale all who appeared as their Hawaii Five-0 characters. In addition, guest stars from Hawaii Five-0 including Larry Manetti, Willaim Forsythe, Shawn Mokuahi Garnett, Willie Garson all appeared as the same characters from Hawaii Five-0 as well. Manetti previously starred on the original Magnum, P.I. as Rick Wright. On October 16, 2020, it was announced that Jay Ali had been cast in a recurring role for the third season as Dr. Ethan Shah. It was later revealed that Lance Lim would also recur in the third season. Mosley again returned as a guest star in the third season. Balmilero, Chun, and Garnett from Hawaii Five-0 continued appearances in the third season despite Hawaii Five-0's cancellation. On August 27, 2021, it was reported that Chantal Thuy joined the cast in an undisclosed capacity for the fourth season.

Filming[]

Following production of the pilot earlier in the year, filming for the first season began on July 23, 2018, with a traditional Hawaiian blessing.

A central theme of the original series was Magnum's constant, if not always approved, use of Mr. Master's vehicles. Then Magnum almost exclusively favored his Ferrari 308 GTS. The 308GTS has become a cultural icon, inextricably linked to the series, such that it was briefly shown in the pilot episode. In 2018, the production team updated his favored vehicle to a Ferrari 488 Spider. Both cars are a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat, roadster variant of the current V8 Ferrari.

Filming for the second season also began with a traditional Hawaiian blessing on July 8, 2019. A new filming location in the second season is the La Mariana Restaurant, an operating Tiki Bar in Hawaii. On July 1, 2020, it was revealed that the series was eyeing a delayed mid-August start date to begin filming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. September 14 was later stated as a tentative start date. Filming for the season began two days later on September 16, 2020, with a traditional Hawaiian blessing.[19][20] COVID-19 protocols were required on set including the wearing of masks, social distancing, COVID testing, and reduced cast and crew on set.

Streaming[]

Magnum P.I. was added to Amazon Freevee on September 1, 2023.[21]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On review aggregation Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 53% with an average rating of 5.88/10, based on fifteen reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The rebooted Magnum P.I. may not be quite distinctive enough to hold up to comparisons with its source material, but a charismatic star, slickly staged action, and a handful of modern twists hint at greater potential." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 47 out of 100 based on sixteen critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

Ratings[]

Season Timeslot (ET) No. of
episodes
Premiered Ended TV season Rank Avg. viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions)
Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1 Monday 9:00 PM 20 September 24, 2018 8.12 April 1, 2019 5.54 2018–19 #37 8.36
2 Friday 9:00 PM 20 September 27, 2019 6.40 May 8, 2020 6.09 2019–20 #27 8.91
3 16 December 4, 2020 5.49 May 7, 2021 5.00 2020–21 #24 7.48
4 20 October 1, 2021 5.23 May 6, 2022 5.06 2021–22 #28 7.34
5 Sunday 9:00PM (1, 3–10)/10:00PM (2)
Wednesday 9:00PM (11–20)
20 February 19, 2023 3.87 January 3, 2024 2022–23
2023–24
#

DVD Release[]

All seasons are being released for DVD owned and partnered with CBS/Paramount.

Image DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Magnum PI (2018, Season 1) DVD
Magnum P.I. - Season 1 20 June 11, 2019
Magnum PI (2018, Season 2) DVD
Magnum P.I. - Season 2 20 September 1, 2020
Magnum PI (2018, Season 3) DVD
Magnum P.I. - Season 3 16 September 14, 2021
Magnum PI (2018, Season 4) DVD
Magnum P.I. - Season 4 20 ‎September 13, 2022

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 'The Neighborhood', 'Magnum P.I.' & 'God Friended Me' Get CBS Full-Season Orders
  2. ‘The Neighborhood’, ‘Magnum P.I.’, & ‘FBI’ Renewed For Second Seasons By CBS
  3. CBS Renews 18 Series, Including Freshmen 'FBI: Most Wanted', 'Bob ♥ Abishola', 'All Rise' & 'The Unicorn'
  4. 'MacGyver' & 'Magnum P.I.' EP Peter Lenkov Fired By CBS
  5. CBS Trims Episode Orders As Broadcast Series On All Nets Face Abbreviated Runs In COVID Impacted 2020-21 Season
  6. 'NCIS', 'Blue Bloods', 'Bull' 'Magnum P.I.' & 'S.W.A.T.' Renewed By CBS, Mark Harmon Expected To Return
  7. CBS Fall 2021-22 Schedule: 'NCIS', 'Bull' & 'S.W.A.T.' On the Move, 'FBI' Tuesday, Reality Expansion
  8. 'Magnum P.I.' Cancelled by CBS After 4 Seasons
  9. 'Magnum P.I.' May Be Rescued By NBC & USA Network Following CBS Cancellation
  10. 'Magnum P.I.' Rescued By NBC With 2-Season, 20-Episode Order
  11. 'Magnum, P.I' Return & 'Night Court' Update Lead NBC's Midseason Schedule
  12. 'Magnum, P.I' To End With Season 5 Part 2 On NBC
  13. ‘Magnum P.I.’: Jay Hernandez Cast As Thomas Magnum In CBS’ Reboot Pilot
  14. ‘Magnum P.I.’: Perdita Weeks To Star As Juliet Higgins In CBS Reboot Pilot
  15. ‘Magnum P.I.’: Zachary Knighton To Play Rick In CBS Reboot Pilot
  16. ‘Magnum P.I.’ Casts Stephen Hill; ‘Dead Inside’ Adds Myles Bullock
  17. ‘Magnum P.I’ Adds ‘The Mentalist’ Alum Tim Kang
  18. ‘Magnum P.I.’: Amy Hill To Recur In CBS Reboot
  19. https://deadline.com/2020/07/magnum-p-i-august-season-3-production-start-in-hawaii-1202975564/
  20. https://deadline.com/2020/08/ncis-new-orleans-bull-the-neighborhood-magnum-pi-the-unicorn-tentative-production-start-dates-cbs-1203025862/
  21. How to Watch Magnum P.I. Reboot on Amazon Freevee
Advertisement