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Magnum, P.I.

 
TV Series:

Magnum, P.I.

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  • AMG Rating: starstarstar
  • Genre: Mystery
  • Movie Type: Detective Show, Prime-Time Drama
  • Themes: Murder Investigations, Private Eyes
  • Release Year: 1980
  • Country: US
  • Run Time: 60 minutes

Plot

With the cancellation of the long-running Hawaii Five-O, CBS was stuck with two valuable commodities: the series' choice Thursday-night time slot, and the series' filming facilities on the island of Oahu. The solution? Commission another Hawaii-based detective show and schedule it in the old Thursday-evening berth. And that, boys and girls, was how Magnum, P.I. came to be. Tom Selleck starred as Thomas Magnum, a Vietnam veteran formerly with the Naval Intelligence service. Now a private eye with very rarefied tastes, Magnum was hired to handle security for a reclusive mystery writer named Robin Masters, who maintained a lavish estate on the "gold coast" of Oahu. Magnum was not only given full run of the estate, but was also allowed to drive around in an extremely expensive Ferrari -- and to take whatever "outside" jobs that happened to come his way. Since Masters was never actually on the estate (in fact he and the detective had never met), Magnum took his marching orders from the author's prim, stuffy, and very frugal manservant Jonathan Quayle Higgins II (John Hillerman), a former military man who preferred doing things "by the book," and who backed up his authority with a pair of fearsome Doberman pinschers, Zeus and Apollo. Though Magnum and Higgins were always bickering, it was clear that the two men liked and respected one another. Determined that his Vietnam buddies share in his good fortune, Magnum frequently called upon the services of his two best friends from his Navy days, charter helicopter pilot T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and nightclub owner-turned-beach club manager Orville "Rick" Wright (Larry Manetti). Another of Magnum's old service chums was Mac Reynolds (Jeff MacKay), who was killed early in the series' run, only to be "reincarnated" in the form of a con artist lookalike, also named Mac (also Jeff MacKay).

The series' episodes ran the gamut from lighthearted caper to deadly serious vendetta; indeed, on one occasion, Magnum made TV history by being the first detective-show protagonist to kill a man in cold blood (the victim, of course, had it coming!). There were also a couple of well-publicized "surrealistic" episodes; in one, Magnum's entire life flashes before him as he sloshes around in the middle of the ocean; and in the climactic episode of season seven, Magnum is actually killed, whereupon he ascends to heaven. This episode was meant to be the series finale, but when Magnum, P.I. was renewed for its eighth and final season, some hasty rewriting was in order! Debuting December 11, 1980, Magnum, P.I. ran until September 12, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Credit

Donald P. Bellisario - Executive Producer, Jesse Wayne - Stunts, Donald P. Bellisario - Show Creator, Glen A. Larson - Show Creator

Episodes

Magnum, P.I.: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Novel Connection
Magnum, P.I.: A Sense of Debt
Magnum, P.I.: Murder 101
Magnum, P.I.: Thank Heaven for Little Girls, and Big Ones Too
Magnum, P.I.: Season 01
Magnum, P.I.: Season 02
Magnum, P.I.: Season 03
Magnum, P.I.: Season 04
Magnum, P.I.: Season 05
Magnum, P.I.: Season 06
Magnum, P.I.: Season 07
Magnum, P.I.: Season 08
Magnum, P.I.: A Girl Named Sue
Magnum, P.I.: A Little Bit of Luck, A Little Bit of Grief
Magnum, P.I.: A Pretty Good Dancing Chicken
Magnum, P.I.: A.A.P.I.
Magnum, P.I.: Adelaide
Magnum, P.I.: All for One, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: All for One, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: All Roads Lead to Floyd
Magnum, P.I.: All Thieves on Deck
Magnum, P.I.: Almost Home
Magnum, P.I.: Autumn Warrior
Magnum, P.I.: Basket Case
Magnum, P.I.: Beauty Knows No Pain
Magnum, P.I.: Billy Joe Bob
Magnum, P.I.: Birdman of Budapest
Magnum, P.I.: Black On White
Magnum, P.I.: Blind Justice
Magnum, P.I.: Blood and Honor
Magnum, P.I.: By Its Cover
Magnum, P.I.: China Doll
Magnum, P.I.: Compulsion
Magnum, P.I.: Computer Date
Magnum, P.I.: Dead Man's Channel
Magnum, P.I.: Death and Taxes
Magnum, P.I.: Death of the Flowers
Magnum, P.I.: Deja Vu, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Deja Vu, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Did You See the Sunrise?, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Did You See the Sunrise?, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Distant Relative
Magnum, P.I.: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Don't Say Goodbye
Magnum, P.I.: Double Jeopardy
Magnum, P.I.: Dream a Little Dream
Magnum, P.I.: Echoes of the Mind, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Echoes of the Mind, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Faith and Begorrah
Magnum, P.I.: Find Me a Rainbow
Magnum, P.I.: Flashback
Magnum, P.I.: Foiled Again
Magnum, P.I.: Forever in Time
Magnum, P.I.: Forty
Magnum, P.I.: Forty Years From Sand Island
Magnum, P.I.: Fragments
Magnum, P.I.: From Moscow to Maui
Magnum, P.I.: Ghost Writer
Magnum, P.I.: Going Home
Magnum, P.I.: Heal Thyself
Magnum, P.I.: Holmes is Where the Heart Is
Magnum, P.I.: Home From the Sea
Magnum, P.I.: I Do?
Magnum, P.I.: I Never Wanted to Go to France, Anyway
Magnum, P.I.: I Witness
Magnum, P.I.: Infinity and Jelly Doughuts
Magnum, P.I.: Innocence...A Broad
Magnum, P.I.: Italian Ice
Magnum, P.I.: J. "Digger" Doyal
Magnum, P.I.: Jororo Farewell
Magnum, P.I.: Kapu
Magnum, P.I.: Ki'i's Don't Lie
Magnum, P.I.: Kiss of the Sabre
Magnum, P.I.: L.A., Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: L.A., Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Laura
Magnum, P.I.: Legacy From a Friend
Magnum, P.I.: Legend of the Lost Art
Magnum, P.I.: Lest We Forget
Magnum, P.I.: Let Me Hear the Music
Magnum, P.I.: Let the Punishment Fit the Crime
Magnum, P.I.: Letter to a Duchess
Magnum, P.I.: Limbo
Magnum, P.I.: Limited Engagement
Magnum, P.I.: Little Games
Magnum, P.I.: Little Girl Who
Magnum, P.I.: Luther Gillis - File #521
Magnum, P.I.: Luther Gills - File #001
Magnum, P.I.: Mac's Back
Magnum, P.I.: Mad Buck Gibson
Magnum, P.I.: Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Magnum, P.I.: Memories Are Forever, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Memories Are Forever, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Missing in Action
Magnum, P.I.: Missing Melody
Magnum, P.I.: Mixed Doubles
Magnum, P.I.: Mr. White Death
Magnum, P.I.: Mrs. Jones
Magnum, P.I.: Murder by Night
Magnum, P.I.: Never Again... Never Again
Magnum, P.I.: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Magnum, P.I.: No Need to Know
Magnum, P.I.: Of Sound Mind
Magnum, P.I.: Old Acquaintance
Magnum, P.I.: On Face Value
Magnum, P.I.: On the Fly
Magnum, P.I.: One More Summer
Magnum, P.I.: One Picture Is Worth
Magnum, P.I.: Operation - Silent Night
Magnum, P.I.: Out of Sync
Magnum, P.I.: Paniolo
Magnum, P.I.: Paper War
Magnum, P.I.: Paradise Blues
Magnum, P.I.: Past Tense
Magnum, P.I.: Photo Play
Magnum, P.I.: Pleasure Principle
Magnum, P.I.: Professor Jonathan Higgins
Magnum, P.I.: Rapture
Magnum, P.I.: Rembrandt's Girl
Magnum, P.I.: Resolutions, Part 1
Magnum, P.I.: Resolutions, Part 2
Magnum, P.I.: Round and Around
Magnum, P.I.: Skin Deep
Magnum, P.I.: Smaller Than Life
Magnum, P.I.: Solo Flight
Magnum, P.I.: Squeeze Play
Magnum, P.I.: Straight and Narrow
Magnum, P.I.: Summer School
Magnum, P.I.: Texas Lightning
Magnum, P.I.: The Arrow That is Not Aimed
Magnum, P.I.: The Aunt Who Came to Dinner
Magnum, P.I.: The Big Blow
Magnum, P.I.: The Black Orchid
Magnum, P.I.: The Case of the Red Faced Thespian
Magnum, P.I.: The Curse of the King Kameameha Club
Magnum, P.I.: The Eighth Part of the Village
Magnum, P.I.: The Elmo Ziller Story
Magnum, P.I.: The Great Hawaiian Adventure Co.
Magnum, P.I.: The Hotel Dick
Magnum, P.I.: The Jorro Kill
Magnum, P.I.: The Kona Winds
Magnum, P.I.: The Last Page
Magnum, P.I.: The Legacy of Garwood Huddle
Magnum, P.I.: The Look
Magnum, P.I.: The Love That Lies
Magnum, P.I.: The Love-For-Sale Boat
Magnum, P.I.: The Man From Marseilles
Magnum, P.I.: The People vs. Orville Wright
Magnum, P.I.: The Return of Luther Gillis
Magnum, P.I.: The Sixth Position
Magnum, P.I.: The Taking of Dick McWilliams
Magnum, P.I.: The Treasure of Kalaniopu'u
Magnum, P.I.: The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii
Magnum, P.I.: The Woman on the Beach
Magnum, P.I.: Thicker Than Blood
Magnum, P.I.: This Island Isn't Big Enough
Magnum, P.I.: Three Minus Two
Magnum, P.I.: Tigers Fan
Magnum, P.I.: Torah, Torah, Torah
Magnum, P.I.: Tran Quoc Jones
Magnum, P.I.: Transitions
Magnum, P.I.: Tropical Madness
Magnum, P.I.: Try to Remember
Magnum, P.I.: Two Birds of a Feather
Magnum, P.I.: Under World
Magnum, P.I.: Unfinished Business
Magnum, P.I.: Wave Goodbye
Magnum, P.I.: Way of the Stalking Horse
Magnum, P.I.: Who is Don Luis Higgins, and Why is He Doing These Terrible Things to Me?
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Wikipedia: Magnum, P.I.
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum P.I..jpg
Title card (seasons 3-8)
Genre Drama, Crime
Created by Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Written by Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Chris Abbott
Directed by Ray Austin
Michael Vejar
Ivan Dixon
Starring Tom Selleck
John Hillerman
Roger E. Mosley
Larry Manetti
Narrated by Tom Selleck
Theme music composer Mike Post
Ian Freebairn-Smith (season 1)
Composer(s) Pete Carpenter
Mike Post
Ian Freebairn-Smith (season 1)
Country of origin  United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 162 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Donald P. Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Tom Selleck
Producer(s) Tom Greene
Location(s) United States Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Running time 48 min. (excluding commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Audio format Monaural
Original run December 11, 1980 – February 24, 1988

Magnum, P.I. is an American television show starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network.

According to the Nielsen Ratings, Magnum, P.I. consistently ranked in the top twenty U.S. television programs during the first five years that the series was originally telecast in the United States.[1] Originally appearing in a prime time American network timeslot of 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursdays, Magnum, P.I. was one of the highest-rated shows on U.S. television.

Contents

Premise

Tom Selleck, filming a scene for the episode Echoes of the Mind in April 1984 at the Kahala Hilton Hotel in Hawaii. The woman standing to his left is Sharon Stone, who guest-starred in this episode

Thomas Sullivan Magnum lives and resides in the 'guest house' of a posh, 200-acre (0.81 km2) beachfront estate, known as Robin's Nest, in Hawaii, at the invitation of its owner, Robin Masters, the celebrated-but-never-seen author of several dozen lurid novels. Ostensibly this is quid pro quo for Magnum's services based upon Magnum's claimed expertise in security; the pilot suggests Magnum also did Masters a favor of some kind.

In addition, Robin’s Nest is guarded by two highly-trained Doberman Pinschers, Zeus and Apollo, and all other aspects of the estate are managed by Englishman Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (played by Texas-born veteran actor John Hillerman), an ex-British Army Sergeant Major with whom, often as a humorous aside during various episodes of the series, Magnum must barter for use of estate amenities other than the guest house and the Ferrari 308 GTS (e.g., tennis courts, wine cellar, expensive cameras, etc.). During early seasons of Magnum, P.I., the voice of Robin Masters, heard only a few times per season, was voiced by Orson Welles.

A recurrent theme throughout the last two seasons involves Magnum's suspicion that Higgins is actually Robin Masters. This possibility is contradictory to numerous references throughout the series' run that make it clear they are different people. In spite of this, Higgins' dual identity remains an open question until the final episode, where he first admits he is Robin Masters, but later suggests what he had said about Robin Masters was a lie.

Magnum seemingly lives a dream lifestyle: he comes and goes as he pleases, works only when he wants to, has the almost unlimited use of a Ferrari 308 GTS as well as many other of Robin Masters’ luxuries. He keeps a mini-fridge with a seemingly endless supply of fictional Coops beer, wears his father's treasured Rolex GMT Master wristwatch,[2] is seemingly surrounded by countless beautiful women (who are often his clients or victims in the cases he solves) and enjoys adventures with his buddies Rick and T.C., both former Marines he served with in the Vietnam War.[3]

Interestingly, Magnum and Higgins often break the fourth wall by "locking eyes" with the audience; other characters do this, though less frequently.

At the end of the seventh season, Magnum was killed off, and this was intended to be the end of the series. However, there was outcry from fans, and an eighth, final season was produced, to bring Magnum 'back to life', and to round the series off.

Cast

  • Tom Selleck as Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV: Magnum character's back-story includes a previous career as a former U.S. Navy SEAL. Growing up in Tidewater, Virginia, he's a Detroit-born third generation naval officer, the son of a deceased naval aviator killed during the Korean War. He is also a 1967 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and Vietnam veteran, where he served as a Sea-Air-Land Force (SEAL) commando. Magnum's specialized training includes acquiring appropriate expertise as a counter-insurgency expert, and also demonstrating additional expertise in lock picking and safe-cracking. Magnum played the field position of quarterback for the United States Naval Academy football team. The Magnum character is depicted to have resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy in disillusionment after approximately eleven years of service, including three tours of service during the U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. Magnum takes his Private Investigator job quite seriously and does not appreciate abbreviations for his profession such as P.I. and private eye — whenever referred to in such a manner he corrects the person and remarks that he is a "private investigator." It is also not clear what his age or place of birth is. In the season-two episode "Try To Remember," Magnum reports his date of birth (to an examining doctor) as August 8, 1944, his place of birth as Virginia, and his mother's name as Martha. These answers seem to satisfy the doctor (who, of course, has access to Magnum's medical records), though Magnum had sustained an injury to the head following a car accident. In the scene, his head is bandaged, and he has difficulty remembering the accident. Yet both the date and the year conflict with information in several other episodes. Tom Selleck's mother's name is, in fact, Martha, but Magnum's is Katherine in later episodes.
  • Roger E. Mosley as Theodore "T.C." Calvin: a helicopter pilot who operates a tourist charter business called Island Hoppers, wherein he pilots a Hughes 500D helicopter, decked out with distinctive livery. A former Marine Corps helicopter pilot in Vietnam, T.C.'s combat-trained flight skills are often solicited and put to good use by Magnum during the course of an investigation. T.C. is also powerfully built, a trait which Magnum often benefits from when he expects to, and often does, run into physical trouble. With the exception of some early season 1 episodes, T.C. avoids alcohol, instead preferring milk, soda, or juice, but mostly coffee. Often called Higgins "Higgy Baby".
  • Larry Manetti as Orville Wilbur Richard “Rick” Wright[4]: a suave playboy who is manager of the King Kamehameha Club, an exclusive beachfront members-only club. In the pilot, Rick owned a disco themed Rick’s Cafe Americaine (a.k.a. "The Snow Palace"). Rick also maintains a number of underworld contacts (one of whom is gangland figure Francis “Icepick” Hofstetler, q.v.) and is an expert in weaponry. He was T.C.’s door gunner during the war in Vietnam.
  • John Hillerman as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III: The Major Domo of "Robin's Nest" a mansion in Hawaii. Higgins has a storied military background in the British Army and loves order above all else. An inveterate "old war story" teller.

Recurring characters

  • Lt. Yoshi Tanaka — Homicide-division police lieutenant with the Honolulu police department (played by Kwan Hi Lim), characterized by his casual dress and ironic sense of humor. Seasons 2–8
  • Agatha Chumley — Higgins' quintessentially English friend (played by Gillian Dobb). Seasons 1-8
  • Colonel “Buck” Greene — Marine Corps intelligence officer (played by Lance LeGault), often Magnum's nemesis. Seasons 2–8
  • Carol Baldwin — assistant district attorney (played in all but the first appearance by Kathleen Lloyd). Seasons 3–8 (Before playing Carol Baldwin, Lloyd guest starred in the episode "Almost Home" as Bridget Archer.)[5]
  • Lieutenant “Mac” MacReynolds — doughnut-munching Navy Intelligence lieutenant (played by Jeff MacKay), killed off in the series, and later brought back as a ghost for one episode ("Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts") and then as a look-alike character (see below). Seasons 1–3 and 7–8
  • Jim Bonick — con man (played by Jeff MacKay) who was MacReynolds’ look-alike. In at least one episode ("Mac's Back") MacKay appeared in both roles. Seasons 5–8.
  • Francis “Icepick” Hofstetler — loan-shark dabbling in the Hawaiian underworld—and Rick Wright’s father figure (played by veteran actor Elisha Cook, Jr
  • Doc Ibold — minor character (played by Glenn Cannon) who appeared in many episodes whenever a physician was needed in the script. First referred to as "Script Writer #1", he was known for writing prescriptions for opiates for any and all ailments. Seasons 2–8.
  • Michelle Hue — the love of Magnum’s life (played by Marta DuBois); they married in Vietnam but the marriage was erased legally and in Michelle's eyes when her presumed-dead husband, a North Vietnamese general, resurfaced); Magnum believed Michelle to have died during the 1975 evacuation of Saigon until her character was introduced in season 2's "Memories Are Forever." Seasons 2–8
  • Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Commander) Maggie Poole — successor of the deceased MacReynolds (played by Jean Bruce Scott). Seasons 3–8
  • Luther H. Gillis — mock-film noir private eye from St. Louis (played by Eugene Roche), and narrator of the five episodes in which he appeared. Seasons 4–8
  • Moki - bartender of the King Kamehameha Club in Season 1. He was later replaced with Keoki. Seasons 1-?
  • Keoki - bartender / server of the King Kamehameha Club starting in Season 2. Seasons 2-4
  • Mike Scholl - nightclub manager often jealous of Magnum's mustache. Season 4

Guest Stars

The Cast of Magnum, P.I.:
(Top) Larry Manetti as Orville "Rick" Wright and Roger E. Mosley as Theodore "T.C." Calvin, (Bottom) Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum and John Hillerman as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III.

Former Five-O cast members Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer, Harry Endo and Zulu have guest-starred on Magnum, P.I.

Vehicles

Cars

Robin Masters' cars

Others

Aircraft

Development

Wiki letter w.svg
 Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (September 2008)

Selleck's contract commitment to the Magnum, P.I. series famously cost him the role of Indiana Jones in the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which went to Harrison Ford.[9] Selleck was unable to take the part of Indy as Magnum was due to start filming in March 1980. However, due to a writer's strike, the start of production on Magnum was delayed until December 1980, which would have allowed Selleck to play Indy. In Magnum, P.I.'s final season, the producers gave a nod to his sacrifice with the episode “Legend of the Lost Art”, which parodied the film.

List of episodes

Main article: List of Magnum, P.I. episodes

DVD releases

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released all eight seasons of Magnum P.I. on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4.

DVD name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2* Region 4
The Complete First Season 18 September 7, 2004 [10][11] September 13, 2004 December 1, 2004
The Complete Second Season 22 April 12, 2005 July 4, 2005 September 19, 2005
The Complete Third Season* 23 January 31, 2006 January 30, 2006 July 12, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season 21 April 4, 2006 June 26, 2006 September 20, 2006
The Complete Fifth Season 22 October 10, 2006 February 12, 2007 March 21, 2007
The Complete Sixth Season 21 February 27, 2007 May 7, 2007 July 4, 2007
The Complete Seventh Season** 22 October 30, 2007 March 31, 2008 June 4, 2008
The Complete Eighth Season*** 13 March 4, 2008 May 19, 2008 September 3, 2008
Seasons One, Two, Three & Four 84 N/A November 20, 2006 N/A
Seasons One - Eight Box Set[12] TBC TBA October 15, 2009 TBA

* Includes the crossover Season 2 episode from Simon & Simon titled "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend".
** Includes the crossover Season 3 episode from Murder She Wrote titled "Magnum On Ice".
*** Includes the bonus Season 5 episode from The Rockford Files titled "White on White and Nearly Perfect" featuring Tom Selleck.

Ratings

  • Season 1 - #14, 16.77 million viewers[13]
  • Season 2 - #17, 17.03 million viewers[13]
  • Season 3 - #04, 18.80 million viewers[13]
  • Season 4 - #06, 18.77 million viewers[13]

Awards

Selleck won an Emmy in 1984 for his portrayal of the title character; three years later costar John Hillerman also won an Emmy.[14] In 1981, series creators and writers Glen A. Larson and Donald P. Bellisario received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Episode in a TV Series.[14][15]

In popular culture

  • In a episode of the The Rugrats Angelica watches a program called Cynthia P.I.
  • In the movie The Big Chill (film), Sam Weber, played by Tom Berenger, is a Hollywood star in a television series similar to Magnum, P.I.. Berenger has a mustache and bears a close resemblance to Tom Selleck.
  • In the movie National Lampoon's Vacation (film), Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) uses a BB gun to take a theme park security guard (played by John Candy) hostage. When the guard points out that the brandished weapon is a fake, Clark replies, "Are you kidding? This is a Magnum P.I."
  • In the series finale episode of Will & Grace, the recurring character Beverly Leslie (portrayed by Leslie Jordan) refers to putting on an episode of Magnum, P.I. to "get in the mood!"
  • The Family Guy episode "Stuck Together Torn Apart" mocked Magnum, P.I., with Magnum repeatedly referring to Higgins as "Tattoo." When Higgins tries timidly to correct him repeatedly, he steps out of the Ferrari, slaps him to the ground, and asks his name. Higgins, even more timidly, says "Tattoo."
  • In episode #149 (7.22) "Limbo," the song that plays off and on during the entire episode and as Magnum walks off is "Looking for Space" by John Denver. This episode, where Magnum was to be shot dead by mobsters, was to be the CBS series finale on 15 April 1987. When the show's fans heard this, there was a huge public outcry and the "shot dead" plotline was nixed by the producers. Magnum was indeed shot by mobsters in this episode, though he survived and returned for an unprecedented 8th season on CBS, filming 12 more episodes.
  • In an episode of The Simpsons, Carl gives Homer a DVD player and the first season of Magnum, P.I. as a Christmas gift.
  • The video Hard to Explain by The Strokes, begins with a scene from Magnum, P.I., where the Red Ferrari is accelerating from the dirt.
  • The television show NCIS, also produced by Belisario, has numerous references to Magnum, P.I. In one episode, Magnum, P.I. is referred to by Tony DiNozzo, after finding some "Magnum's style" Hawaiian shirts. In the episode "Frame-Up", DiNozzo is interrogated and asked what he was doing the previous night, to which he responds that he was watching Magnum, P.I.
  • One of the teaser movies for the game World in Conflict is a parody of Magnum, P.I.'s opening.
  • Larry Manetti and Roger E. Mosley both appear in an episode of Las Vegas alongside Tom Selleck, playing characters named "Larry" and "Roger", respectively. Their characters are essentially older, multi-millionaire versions of their Magnum characters ("Larry" is a wealthy nightclub owner and "Roger" owns fleets of helicopters). It was stated there was a third "british" guy (possibly referring to Higgins) that was supposed to be there too.
  • On My Name Is Earl, Earl dresses up as Magnum for Halloween.
  • In 2008, a promo on the USA Network for the upcoming season of Monk parodies the show, with Adrian Monk starring in "Monk, P.I."
  • The show was parodied in the 2009 Chick-fil-A calendar where the show in April was referred to as Angus, P.I..
  • Haha the Moose, a side project of the band moe., regularly incorporate the theme song from Magnum, P.I. into their setlist.
  • In the show "Still Standing," Bill tells his son's high school friends that he is a private detective who lives in Hawaii. Bill then goes on to describe Thomas Magnum. Then one of the kids, who had seen the show "Magnum P.I." calls Bill out on his fib.

Film adaptation

In January 2006, it was announced that a feature film is again in the planning stages (after several false starts, most recently in 2005). Rawson Marshall Thurber, whose filmmaking credits notably include Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, will direct and write the screenplay.[citation needed]

In January 2007, it was reported that Matthew McConaughey will play Magnum, with Steve Zahn as Rick, Tyrese Gibson as T.C., and William H. Macy as Higgins.[16]

Broadcasters

References

  1. ^ Entry for Magnum, P.I from the Museum of Broadcast Communications website
  2. ^ http://www.melrosejewelers.com/rolex-watch-blog/tom-selleck%E2%80%99s-rolex-gmt-master-as-magnum-p-i
  3. ^ The three buddies wear a gold Team Ring, which bears a Croix de Lorraine on a black field, as a bond of wartime camaraderie.
  4. ^ In the last episode, "Resolutions 2", where Rick gets married, the priest announces Rick's full name as being Orville Wilbur Richard Wright(he actually hated being named after both of the Wright brothers, hence the more appropriate nickname. The series ended in a cliffhanger, as the audience never sees whether or not Manetti's character said the legally-operative phrase "I do". The name may be a discontinuity, as early on in the series Roger E. Mosley's character had referred to him as "Elliot," though in the first episode he is in fact identified as Orville.
  5. ^ "Almost Home" - Season Three, Episode 10
  6. ^ a b Magnum, P.I., TV Series, 1980-1988, Internet Movie Car Database, http://imcdb.org/movie_80240-Magnum,-PI.html
  7. ^ Mercedes-Benz SL [R107], Internet Movie Car Database, http://imcdb.org/vehicle_32875-Mercedes-Benz-SL-R107.html
  8. ^ T.C.'s Chopper, Magnum Mania!, http://magnum-mania.com/Articles/The_Chopper.html
  9. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20031207015023/http://www.indianajones.com/raiders/bts/news/news20030923.html
  10. ^ The Region 1 version of the Season 1 DVD release comes with an extra disk, featuring extra episodes from later in the series.
  11. ^ The Season 1 release (both Regions 1 and 2) has an error in the episode "China Doll": the musical cues are about 30 seconds off throughout much of the episode.
  12. ^ http://www.universalpictures-dvd.nl/magnumpiseries18set.html
  13. ^ a b c d http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1980.htm
  14. ^ a b Magnum, P.I. (series) at the Internet Movie Database
  15. ^ The 1981 Edgar Award was won for an episode entitled "China Doll."
  16. ^ Magnum at BitsofNews.com

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