‘Magnum PI’ Reboot Gets The SDCC Treatment And We’ve Got News!

CBS is bringing back Magnum PI, taking the cast to SDCC where we got some news for fans. Everyone came to the stage for the Magnum panel: show creator Peter Lenkov, showrunner Eric Guggenheim, Jay Hernandez (Magnum), Perdita Weeks (Juliet Higgins), Zachary Knighton (Rick Wright), and Stephen Hill (TC Calvin). The gangs all here and we’re ready to share what we know so far about what this private investigator is up to now, most importantly, he’ll be gracing your screens on September 24th.

According to the panel, the show begins with a scene in space modernizing the 80s show up right away. CBS chose to keep the same characters, obviously recast with young and more diverse actors, but adding some elements to fit the time period that this Magnum exists in. What have learned about the show?

Much like Magnum of the 80s, this one also exists in the same universe as other shows from Lenkov which means crossovers like we once had. Remember when Magnum helped  Angela Lansbury on Murder She Wrote? Lenkov shared that he would love to see Tom Selleck make a cameo, but knows that he’s busy and it may not be possible. The show will have to make it past season 1 for that to happen, that’s our thought. Selleck’s cameo wouldn’t make much sense in this scenario since it’s his character, but it have worked well if they’d gone with a show about his daughter instead. Plus, Selleck, Larry Manetti (Rick Wright), and Roger E. Mosley (TC) had a great reunion on Las Vegas.

Another similarity with the original is that the main three will be veterans once again. Selleck’s Magnum fought in the Vietnam War while Hernandez, and his two friends, fought in Afghanistan continuing the show’s tradition of bringing attention to vets. We are behind this choice because some of the original’s best stories were based on, not only Magnum, Rick, and TC’s war experiences, but also Higgins’. It shed a great light on the real issues facing those who come back from war.

The biggest change, if you don’t think about the opening scene featuring space too much, is the character of Higgins. You must have noticed, above, that Higgins first name is Juliet and not Jonathan. We have to be honest, and admit, that this is the one aspect of this reboot that has us the least excited. This isn’t an issue of not wanting a woman to play a role that a man played, but the issue of the dynamics between Magnum and Higgins. Also, John Hillerman, who played the original Higgins, recently passed away making his recasting all the more painful. Higgins and Magnum but heads constantly, always at each other’s throats. We know, as the viewers, that they have a deep respect for each other, but they don’t show it. Our fear with Higgins being female is the track record Magnum has with ladies, he gets around. Magnum PI should not become a will they won’t they between Higgins and Magnum. Not to mention, the ship names that will forever taint the original characters just because they have the same names.

We remain, as open minded as we can be, about this reboot. We really do wish they would have chosen to continue the story with Magnum’s daughter, or another tie in, because Magnum PI is one of our favorite shows with Higgy Baby in our top 5 TV characters. What do you guys think of all of this? Are we over thinking it too much?