Magnum P.I. a favourite among viewers, is returning.
After four seasons, CBS announced last month that the Magnum P.I. revival would be canceled. Following this unexpected news, it was said that NBC was in talks to salvage the show, and it now looks that those conversations were successful.
NBC has finally closed on a contract to revive Magnum P.I., according to Deadline(opens in new tab). The action-packed series is scheduled to run for 20 more episodes spread across two seasons. The revived program will now have 96 episodes overall, with NBC having the option to buy more. This is a welcome resurrection.
Additionally, it has been claimed that CBS Studios, which co-produced the program with Universal TV, let the cast’s contracts lapse rather than exercising their option to extend them. This frees up NBC to negotiate contracts with the show’s key actors, which shouldn’t cause any issues.
Magnum P.I. is a revival of the renowned series of the same name from the 1980s. In it, Jay Hernandez assumes the eponymous role made famous by Tom Selleck. The action-drama series, like the previous series, chronicles the exploits of Thomas Magnum (Hernandez), a former Navy SEAL turned private eye. He uses his military experience to investigate murders across Hawaii in each episode.
Although the show’s first season only received a dismal 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes(opens in new tab), it was a hit with fans as shown by its 74 percent audience score. Even with the show’s high ratings, CBS’ decision to terminate it back in May was rather perplexing; nonetheless, it’s possible that it had to do with the show’s high production costs. Magnum P.I. is shot on location in Hawaii, which undoubtedly increased the cost of the production.
It’s not typical for a show to be revived after being cancelled, despite showrunners and important cast members frequently pitch recently canceled shows to other networks. Brooklyn Nine-Nine moving to NBC after being canceled by Fox and mystery drama Manifest being picked up by Netflix after being canceled at NBC are two recent examples of successful crossovers.
Magnum P.I. has now joined the select group of programs that successfully found a new home after being initially canceled. The cast of the show and the production team will be thrilled, but the devoted viewers of the show who will now get to see Magnum solve at least 20 more cases will come out on top.