Magnum PI has been canceled yet again, with the final ten episodes of the fifth season expected to air next year.
Deadline reports that Magnum PI has been canceled by NBC, which actually marks the second cancellation for the reboot series.
Magnum PI originally aired on CBS for four seasons before it was canceled, but NBC came to the rescue and renewed the series for a fifth season. The first ten episodes of the fifth season already aired this midseason, with the second half expected to be slated for a midseason 2024 premiere. Deadline notes that NBC is “expected to mount a sizeable campaign for the remaining 10 episodes, marketing them as the series’ final chapter.“
The options on the cast are set to expire at the end of the month, so NBC elected to release the actors and end the series rather than pick up a sixth season or extend the options. With the WGA strike still ongoing, the network may not have been willing to pull the trigger on another season when it’s still unclear when they could go back into production. Could another network (or streamer) come to the rescue yet again? Once the second half of the fifth and final season airs, it will bring the total episode count to nearly 100 episodes; a nice little bundle for syndication and streaming deals.
The reboot of the classic 1980s series starring Tom Selleck follows Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, re-purposes his military skills to become a private investigator. With help from fellow vets Theodore “TC” Calvin (Stephen Hill) and Orville “Rick” Wright (Zachary Knighton), as well as that of disavowed former MI:6 agent Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks), Magnum takes on the cases no one else will, helping those who have no one else to turn to.
Are you sad to see Magnum PI get canceled or has the series run its course?