It was ordered to series in May 2018, and premiered on September 24, 2018, onCBS. On October 19, 2018, it was announced that the series had received a full season order from CBS.[1] In April 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season,[2] which premiered on October 1, 2021.[3] Despite being a Top 25 show in viewers,[4] in May 2022, the series was canceled after four seasons, following CBS's failure to reach a new agreement with rights holdersCBS Studios andUniversal Television. On June 30, 2022, the series was picked up byNBC with a two-season, twenty-episode order,[5] later clarified to be produced and broadcast as a two-part fifth season. Thefifth season premiered on February 19, 2023.[6] In June 2023, it was announced that the fifth season would be the final season.[7] The series ended on January 3, 2024.[8]
Magnum P.I. takes place in the samefictional universe as two other series, both also developed by Lenkov and both also reboots of earlier crime shows:Hawaii Five-0 andMacGyver. The three shows have been collectively referred to as the "Lenkov-verse".[9] Initially, the series aired on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m., but aired its latter three CBS seasons on Friday nights in the same timeslot, immediately followed byBlue Bloods starringTom Selleck, who portrayed the title character from the original series.
Similar to theoriginal series,Magnum P.I. revolves around the titular ex-United States Navy SEAL,Thomas Magnum, who occupies the guest house on Robin's Nest, the Hawaiian Estate owned by famous author Robin Masters. In exchange for allowing Magnum to live in his guest house, Masters writes a fictional book series about a "white knight" centered around Magnum's time in the military. In addition, Magnum works for Masters as a security consultant; despite this, Masters never appears in the series. Also living on the estate are Juliet Higgins, an ex-MI6 agent who serves as the estate'smajordomo, andnative Hawaiian Kumu Tuileta, who is the estate's cultural curator. Magnum's living arrangement gives him access to the guest house and Masters'Ferrari 488 Spider but does not come with a salary, so he solves crimes as aprivate investigator. His investigations often include Higgins, who officially joins him as his partner in the second season. The two are frequently assisted by ex-United States Marines, Orville "Rick" Wright and Theodore "T.C." Calvin. Rick is now a bar owner, while T.C. is a pilot whose main business is running helicopter tours of the islands. Gordon Katsumoto is a detective for theHonolulu Police Department (HPD) who frequently disagrees with Magnum's investigative methods, but nonetheless respects his crime-solving expertise.
Despite both having serious relationships throughout the first four seasons, Magnum and Higgins often share sexual tension with each other, which is finally addressed in the fourth season finale. Rick also finds himself in a serious relationship in the latter half of the series, leading to his girlfriend giving birth to their child. Meanwhile, the divorced Katsumoto often faces trouble with his son, and T.C. becomes a father figure to a homeless teenager in the fourth season.
The show shares a direct fictional universe withHawaii Five-0. The six main characters ofMagnum P.I. share many allies with the Five-0 Task Force, including further law enforcement professionals, confidential informants, and city employees.
The cast from left to right: Rick Wright (Zachary Knighton), Kumu Tuileta (Amy Hill), Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks), Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), Gordon Katsumoto (Tim Kang), and T.C. Calvin (Stephen Hill).
In October 2017, CBS announced development of a reboot ofMagnum, P.I. fromPeter M. Lenkov, who also developed the2010 reboot ofHawaii Five-O and the2016 reboot ofMacGyver. The network ordered a pilot production commitment for the series with Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim, aHawaii Five-0 writer and co-showrunner, as developers.[11]John Davis and John Fox ofDavis Entertainment were reported as additional executive producers.[12]CBS Television Studios andUniversal Television co-produced the series.[11] Danielle Woodrow was also later announced to be serving as an executive producer.[13] The series was initially picked up by CBS for thirteen episodes,[14] and an additional seven episodes were later ordered.[15][16] On January 25, 2019,Magnum P.I. was renewed for a second season along with two otherCBS freshman series.[17] 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.[18][19] Guggenheim also returned as executive producer and co-showrunner.[20] It was later revealed that the second season would consist of twenty episodes.[21]
On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a third season, along with eighteen other television shows.[22] In July 2020, it was revealed that Lenkov would not have any involvement in the third season after being fired from CBS over toxic work environment allegations.[23] He was originally expected to continue work on the series throughout the season as part of the previously signed deal.[24][25]Lucas Till who portrays thetitle character ofAngus MacGyver onMacGyver stated that Lenkov made him suicidal and constantlybody shamed him.[26] Lenkov's lawyers initially denied all allegations.[27] 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."[28] Lenkov still received writing credits for various episodes throughout the season written prior to his termination.[29]Gene Hong replaced Lenkov as co-showrunner joining Guggenheim who continued working on the series.[30] In October 2020 it was reported that the third season would have a reduced episode order of sixteen episodes as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[31] On April 15, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season,[2] which premiered on October 1, 2021.[3]
On February 20, 2018, it was announced thatJay Hernandez had been cast as Thomas Magnum, who was portrayed byTom Selleck in the original series.[32]Perdita Weeks was cast as Juliet Higgins on March 2, 2018.[33] The character of Higgins wasgenderswapped, from their 1980 counterpart Jonathan Higgins.[34] Lenkov and Guggenheim stated that while they wanted to honour the original show it was important for the reboot to "stand on its own" and genderswapping allowed for differentiation.[35]Zachary Knighton and Stephen Hill were later cast as Orville "Rick" Wright and Theodore "T.C." Calvin, respectively.[36][37]Tim Kang andAmy Hill were the last two to be cast in the series, as Detective Gordon Katsumoto and Kumu, respectively.[38][39]
Balmilero, Wily, and Chun also made appearances throughout the second season as theirHawaii Five-0 characters.[57] OtherHawaii Five-0 actors new to the second season include series regularsMeaghan Rath,Katrina Law,Beulah Koale, andIan Anthony Dale, all of whom appeared as theirHawaii Five-0 characters.[57][58][59]
Larry Manetti andRoger E. Mosley, who co-starred in the originalMagnum, P.I., made guest appearances on the reboot.[60][41][61][62] However,Tom Selleck stated in an interview that he would never appear in the series, even though he was asked, so as not to take away from the originalMagnum, P.I. and due to conflicting filming ofBlue Bloods, which also airs on CBS.[63]
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.[64][65] It was later revealed thatLance Lim would also recur in the third season.[66] Mosley again returned as a guest star in the third season.[67] Balmilero, Chun, and Garnett fromHawaii Five-0 continued appearances in the third season despiteHawaii Five-0's cancellation.[68][69]
Chantal Thuy joined the cast in a recurring capacity for the fourth season.[70] Thuy portrayed Lia Kaleo, an HPD detective and partner to Katsumoto, as well as a love interest to Magnum.[71] Martin Martinez also joined the recurring cast for the fourth season portraying Cade Jensen, a trouble teenager searching for a job.[72][73] Chun appeared once more in the fourth season.[74] Ahead of the fifth seasonMichael Rady was cast in a recurring role to portray Detective Chris Childs.[75]
The pilot episode filmed in March and April 2018 atHawaii Film Studio.[76][77] It was directed byJustin Lin, who also directed other CBS pilots.[13] The rest of the first season began filming on July 23, 2018, with a traditional Hawaiian blessing.[13][78] Filming for the series takes place in the state of Hawaii on the island ofO'ahu at Kalaeloa Studio.[79] The fictional Robin's Nest Estate where Magnum and Higgins lives is located at Kualoa Ranch, a location whichJurassic World also used as a filming location.[79] Other filming locations include numerous beaches, such as Maili,Waikiki, and Kapolei.[80] A central theme of the original series was Magnum's constant use of a Ferrari, which has become a cultural icon inextricably linked to the series.[81] Then Magnum almost exclusively favored the Ferrari308 GTS, such that it was briefly shown in the pilot episode.[82] The production team, however, updated his favored vehicle to a Ferrari488 Spider.[83] Both cars are amid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-seat,roadster variant of the current V8Ferrari.
Filming for the second season also began with a traditional Hawaiian blessing on July 8, 2019.[84] A new filming location in the second season is the La Mariana Restaurant, an operatingTiki Bar in Hawaii.[80] Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, filming for the third season began on September 16, 2020.[85] COVID-19 protocols were required on set including masks, social distancing, COVID testing, and reduced cast and crew on set.[86] Fourth season filming commenced on July 20, 2021, with many COVID-19 precautions still in place.[87] The fourth season also introduced new crew members to production after a number of those who worked on previous seasons transferred to work onNCIS: Hawaiʻi.[87]
On May 12, 2022, CBS canceled the series after four seasons.[4] Cancellation of the series had negative effects on Hawaii's film industry, leaving 350–400 people without employment.[88] However, on May 23, 2022, it was reported byTVLine that Universal Television was trying to shop the series around.[89] Ten days later,Deadline Hollywood reported that talks were underway for Universal to carry the series in-house viaNBC and/orUSA. Such a move would have required a deal with CBS Studios by June 30, 2022, when the cast members' options on their contracts ended.[90] Although not officially renewed,Production Weekly reported a fifth season to be in "active development", though with no network attached to the listing.[91] On June 30, 2022, NBC officially picked up the series for 20 episodes, initially to be split over two 10-episode seasons, with the option for more episodes. At the time, it was reported that all six cast members were expected to return, along with the executive producers, and CBS Studios and Universal TV would continue to co-produce the series.[5] On July 4, 2022, it was reported byTVLine that production on the fifth season would begin in late 2022, with the season not likely to premiere until January 2023 at the earliest.[92] Filming for the fifth season began on September 19, 2022.[93] The fifth season premiered on February 19, 2023.[6] It was later clarified that the twenty episodes would be split as a two-part fifth season rather than into two separate seasons.[94] On June 23, 2023, it was announced that the fifth season would be the final season.[7] On December 15, 2023, it was revealed that the fifth season would finish with a two-hour series finale on January 3, 2024.[8]
Magnum P.I. has been met with mixed reviews. On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 57% with an average rating of 6.35/10, based on 21 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The rebootedMagnum 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."[96]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 48 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[97]
For the first season, see"Magnum PI: Season One Ratings".TVSeriesFinale. April 16, 2019.Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. RetrievedNovember 12, 2020.
For the second season, see"Magnum PI: Season Two Ratings".TVSeriesFinale. May 11, 2020.Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. RetrievedNovember 12, 2020.
For the third season, see"Magnum PI: Season Three Ratings".TVSeriesFinale. December 7, 2020.Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. RetrievedDecember 9, 2020.
For the fourth season, see"Magnum PI: Season Four Ratings".TVSeriesFinale. November 8, 2021.Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. RetrievedNovember 8, 2021.
For the fifth season, see"Magnum PI: Season Five Ratings".TVSeriesFinale. March 21, 2023.Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. RetrievedMarch 22, 2023.
