Tayyaba
In 2018, CBS ordered a reboot of the original 1980’s ‘Magnum P.I.’ with Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum. An American crime drama TV series, the show followed the adventures of Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who now works as a private investigator in Hawaii. The reboot was also a ratings success, and it ran for four seasons on CBS. In 2022, the reboot was cancelled by CBS, but it was later picked up by NBC for a fifth season. Now, it has been cancelled (again) and won’t be renewed for another season after season 5 part 2 airs, much to the disappointment of – well everyone.
Why did ‘Magnum P.I.’ get axed despite being such a popular show?
According to Deadline, ‘Magnum P.I.’ averaged 7.3 million viewers per episode during its fifth season. However, the show’s production costs were reportedly high, and NBC was not willing to pay the licensing fees that were required to keep the show on the air hence resulting in this crime drama getting the axe. The cancellation of ‘Magnum P.I.’ is just the latest in a string of recent cancellations of popular TV shows. In recent months, NBC has also cancelled ‘The Blacklist’, ‘New Amsterdam’, and ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ which is definitely a sign of the changing landscape of television, as networks become increasingly focused on streaming content.
“It’s been a terrific run but, sadly, all things must end. We can’t wait for you to see the last ten episodes. We’re enormously proud of them. Thank you to the fans for all the support you’ve given our show over the past five years. Thanks also to NBC, UTV, CBS-TV and of course the great state of Hawaii.”
The writers of Magnum P.I.
How did the cast of Magnum P.I react to it’s cancellation?
Magnum P.I.’s incredible cast was extremely disappointed to learn that their show had been cancelled again, ultimately taking to social media to express their sadness and gratitude to their fans. Some of the actors are even hoping that some other streamer will pick up ‘Magnum P.I.’ like NBC did when CBS cancelled this critically acclaimed show. “Damn. Can #MagnumPI be saved again?!? I just wanted to say thank you to the entire team for having me as part of this Ohana, I’ve gotten so many messages on how Cades’ storyline has resonated with so many,” tweeted Martin Martinez who played Cade Jensen in the show, “Grateful to the cast and crew for the journey. And the LOVE from the fans.”
Perdita Weeks who played Juliet Higgins posted a picture on Instagram with the backdrop of a sunset captioned: “After one hell of an encore it’s time for us at Magnum PI to ride off into the sunset. Thank you so much for all the support and huge thanks to the whole cast and crew for half a decade of fun. Mahalo nui loa.” Amy Hill (Kumu) and Stephen Hill (TC) both wrote heartfelt messages sending love to the crew, their co-stars and their fans. Zachary Knighton, who played Rick in the show, also commented on the cancellation saying that it’s “been a helluva ride! Thanks to all the fans for 5 incredible years. Love you all. excited for what’s next!”