(Photo: Zack Dougan/CBS)
Thomas Magnum is off the case. CBS has cancelled the Magnum PI TV series so it won’t be returning for a fifth year and the 2022-23 TV season.
An action-drama series, Magnum PI stars Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang, and Amy Hill. Recurring performers include Lance Kim, Chantal Thuy, and Martin Martinez. This reboot of the 1980s TV show follows Thomas Magnum (Hernandez), a decorated former Navy SEAL who repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. He lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business. The “majordomo” of the property is Juliet Higgins (Weeks), a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent who keeps Magnum in line. When Magnum needs back-up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors, chopper pilot Theodore “TC” Calvin (Hill) and Orville “Rick” Wright (Knighton), a former Marine door-gunner who now runs a nightclub. Magnum frequently has run-ins with police detective Gordon Katsumoto (Kang) and the two are more alike than either cares to admit. The unofficial “House Mom” and cultural curator of Robin’s Nest, Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta (Hill) is also one of Magnum’s biggest fans.
Airing on Friday nights, the fourth season of Magnum PI averaged a 0.42 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.24 million viewers. Compared to season three, that’s down by 20% in the demo and down by 6% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (including DVR playback through 3:00 AM). In the live+7 day ratings, the reboot averaged a 0.70 demo and 7.38 million with delayed viewing added in. It is likely the most-watched broadcast series to be cancelled this season.
Deadline reports that the cancellation comes after CBS and the show’s studio, Universal Television, couldn’t come to an agreement for a fifth year. As traditional viewing has been dropping, networks are less willing to spend as much on shows that they don’t own. There’s no word yet on the potential of Universal TV shopping the series elsewhere.
In the past 24 hours, CBS has also cancelled B Positive, How We Roll, Good Sam, and United States of Al.
What do you think? Have you been keeping up with the Magnum PI TV series on CBS? Are you sorry to hear that it’s been cancelled and won’t have a fifth season?
One of the highest quality, classiest shows on TV. Cast chemistry was amazing. They felt like family that viewers were part of. Our family will miss theirs terribly. This show stood out from the crowd, for me.
It should end the way we saw it, it was all building up to the romance between them.
Really disappointed that Magnum was cancelled. I would love to see it shown elsewhere. The plot and the characters have really developed over the past four seasons.
I hope Universal shops Magnum PI somewhere else. I won’t be watching CBS without Magnum PI, a great show.
Buongiorno , direi che la CBS e le emittenti americane fanno fatica a far andare avanti le stagioni come NCIS da non so più quante stagioni e tanti altri telefilm , ma quelli che escono bene dopo un remake come con quello svolto dall’atttore Tom Sellek lo tagliano per mancanza di fondi ,come knight rider 2008 facendo un remake che sembrava piu i Trasformer , li si che il denaro è sprecato e sperperato , ma tanto dopo tutte queste parole i vertici della CBS hanno gia deciso , chi ci rimette siamo sempre noi coloro che sono obbligati a… Read more »
Magnum has been a great show with interesting plots and great characters. I’ve been impressed with their development of deep side stories that provide depth to the characters and enrich the overall storyline. I watch it by streaming and expect that the traditional ratings system may not capture viewers like me. Let’s hope that it’s picked up by another service.