My wife, Andrea, and I have accumulated plenty of inside jokes after 22 years together.
I often tease her about her tendency to bump her head into things, or her amusing habit of confusing celebrity names. She’s mixed up JK Simmons with JK Rowling, Jesse Eisenberg with Andy Samberg, Hugh Hefner with Howard Hughes, and even calls Hugh Jackman “Jack Wolfman”—a blend of his name and Wolverine.
In return, she mocks me for my refusal to peel oranges (I can’t stand the feel of rind under my fingernails), my Hobbit-like feet, the fact that I still dress like a teenage boy, and my penchant for “playing with plastic toys” (Legos). But the thing that really baffles her is my affection for Magnum, P.I.. To her, the show feels kitschy and outdated, and to be honest, she’s right.
I’m talking about the original Magnum, P.I., of course, the one starring Tom Selleck. I grew up watching it. My family was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii just before the show premiered, and it was always fun to recognize the places we visited. And honestly, Magnum, P.I. was just plain fun.
Thomas Sullivan Magnum lived a modern-day Peter Pan life. He drove a red Ferrari that wasn’t his, stayed in a beautiful estate that wasn’t his, and lived a life filled with adventure, humor, and action, all set against the backdrop of a tropical paradise. What’s not to love?
But as a child, there was one aspect of the show I never fully grasped: how it authentically portrayed the impact of war on veterans. In 1980, when Magnum, P.I. first aired, the Vietnam War was still fresh in the American consciousness. The war had a profound and lasting effect on the United States.
In the 1970s, the public’s view of Vietnam veterans was far different from today. Many veterans faced public hostility and were often seen as symbols of a highly unpopular war, sometimes even by their own families. On television, they were often depicted as drunks or deranged killers. Magnum, P.I. was one of the first shows to push back against that stereotype.
The series helped humanize veterans and was one of the earliest to address PTSD, long before it became commonly known. Magnum, along with his war buddies T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti), wrestled with their war experiences throughout the series. Through various guest stars, it didn’t shy away from depicting the struggles faced by Vietnam veterans, including traumatic brain injuries, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, and suicidal thoughts.
Watching Magnum, P.I. as an adult, and as a veteran of the Gulf War, gives me a different perspective than when I was a carefree kid in Hawaii.
Magnum, P.I. still carries a wave of nostalgia for me but like many shows from the 1980s, it hasn’t aged particularly well. The storylines are simplistic, the pacing is glacial, strong female characters are rare, and the fight scenes are comically bad. As Billy Joel once sang, “the good old days weren’t always good,” and when I watch reruns of shows from 45 years ago, I think he was right.
So, when I first heard that a Magnum, P.I. reboot was coming in 2018, I was thrilled. A fresh look at the beloved franchise was something I had been yearning for.
The new Magnum, P.I. kept some familiar elements: Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is still a private investigator, lives rent-free on Robin Masters’ estate, and often enlists the help of his friends T.C. (Stephen Hill) and Rick (Zachary Knighton), who all served together in Afghanistan. The Ferrari got a serious upgrade, and though the gender-swapping of Higgins (now Juliet Higgins, played by Perdita Weeks) was jarring, some big changes are to be expected in a reboot.
Despite the beautiful Hawaiian setting, thrilling action sequences, and lighthearted tone, the reboot only had moderate success. After four seasons on CBS, it was canceled, and then picked up by NBC for a final season. The series ended in January 2024 with an ambiguous finale regarding Magnum and Higgins’ future. But to be honest, the show’s uneven run wasn’t surprising.
While the reboot has some dedicated fans, it lacks the heart of the original. The new Magnum feels more like a Fast & Furious spin-off set in Hawaii than a series about a lovable, sometimes troubled, beach bum detective who mooches off his friends. But what’s most glaring is how the reboot handles its veterans.
Sure, we see flashbacks to Magnum and his friends’ time as POWs, and military service is shown in various storylines. But these references feel more like plot devices than sincere explorations of the impact of war. The emotional toll of captivity, loss, or the deep bonds forged in battle are never truly explored. Given that the series centers around veterans, this could have been fertile ground for compelling storytelling.
This is a topic that has been done well in recent years with shows like Homeland, Band of Brothers, Generation Kill, and World on Fire. So it’s disappointing that Peter Lenkov, the now-disgraced showrunner behind the Magnum, P.I. reboot (and reboots of Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver), didn’t take a more modern approach when it came to the portrayal of veterans. Instead, the show focuses more on car chases and explosions than on depth, leaving the veteran characters without substance.
Make no mistake, telling stories about veterans can take a show to dark, emotional places, and Magnum, P.I. did this in several intense episodes. Not exactly fun content. But even 45 years later, the original Magnum, P.I. outperforms the reboot by miles.
The original Magnum, P.I. was one of the few shows I regularly watched with my dad, a Vietnam vet. We both enjoyed the setting and action, but what resonated most was how it humanized veterans like himself. In the reboot, Magnum’s military background is barely relevant. He could have been a former FBI agent or a cop, and it wouldn’t have changed the story one bit. The shallow relationships and well-choreographed fight scenes could’ve been happening to anyone.
But in the original, Magnum’s service mattered. It wasn’t just a flimsy backstory. It was central to who he was, to his identity, and to his relationships. The reboot had an opportunity to continue that tradition, to explore the lifelong cost of service to one’s country. Instead, it became Magnum, P.I. in name only, missing the essence of the original’s powerful tribute to veterans.
Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not dreaming of being on Survivor or The Summit, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.
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