Break out the Hawaiian shirts: CBS is developing a reboot of the ’80s action drama Magnum, P.I.
Peter Lenkov — who’s proven he has the golden touch with TV reboots as showrunner of CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver — is onboard to write the pilot, along with his fellow Five-0 writer Eric Guggenheim, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The network has already given the new-look Magnum a significant pilot-production commitment, with CBS Television Studios co-producing with original Magnum producers Universal Television.
The original Magnum ran from 1980 to 1988 and starred Tom Selleck as Hawaiian private eye Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who used his military expertise to solve cases. CBS’ reboot would be a straightforward update, with a new Magnum solving cases — and also exploring the aftermath of war and the effect it has on veterans coming home.
If this all sounds a bit familiar, it should: ABC announced a reboot of Magnum P.I. just last year, but that series would have followed Magnum’s daughter “Tommy,” now grown-up and reviving her dad’s private-eye business. That was scrapped, though, and now CBS is aiming for a more conventional reboot. This time around, however, the central quartet will consist of three men and a woman, with Jonathan Higgins now Juliet Higgins.
And hey, Selleck is still starring in Blue Bloods, so he’s already in the CBS family. If this makes it to air, maybe we’ll see a cameo from the original Magnum himself?
Who should play the new Magnum, P.I.? Play casting director in the comments.
