Magnum P.I. (1980) - General Discussion

[Raja]

I see they digitally repaired the mistake from the trailer where TC was a Staff Sergeant Naval Aviator and put a Major's oak leaves on him.

[kassygreene]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

I see they digitally repaired the mistake from the trailer where TC was a Staff Sergeant Naval Aviator and put a Major's oak leaves on him.

Yes yes yes!  Military pilots are officers. and TC being a staff sergeant in the First Look et. al. really jarred.

[Davey1]

I have grown tired of the sarcastic bantering between Magnum and Higgins. It's gets on my nerves. Especially the way Higgins blames Magnum and criticizes him constantly, resulting in "Come on, Hiiiiigggginnns!" Plus, it's a bit annoying the way Tom Selleck presents as a teenager in a huge body.......and of course the fact that he is a private investigator without an office, without a secretary, who never engages in actual examination of clues and evidence. He never even gets to the level of Barnaby Jones or Frank Cannon even for a minute!

[Rose Quartz]

I guess this is the best thread to put this in - iTunes currently has the complete series of the original Magnum, p.i. on sale for $29.99 if you need a last minute gift for the Magnum fan in your life.  😀

[maggiemae]

I am so thrilled this show is now on Hallmark  - I am binging out after all these years missing it.

I love the photography, the characters, the loyalty and angst among them. 

I've tried the new one - Magnum is not Magnum. Higgins is assuredly not Higgins.

TC and Rick are not themselves.

 

 

 

[Electricmastro]

Am on Season 7. Favorite episode would have to be Did You See the Sun Rise? at this point.

[roamyn]

On 3/10/2020 at 12:40 AM, Electricmastro said:

Am on Season 7. Favorite episode would have to be Did You See the Sun Rise? at this point.

They just replayed that this week.  I remember Mac getting blown up, but I didn’t remember that last scene with Magnum shooting Ivan.

[friendperidot]

I just discovered today that Prime has all 8 seasons available. I am still on season 1. Tom Selleck was so darn cute in his short shorts. I'll probably still be watching this a week from now. I had forgotten just how much I love this show.

[Kohola3]

On 3/10/2020 at 12:40 AM, Electricmastro said:

Am on Season 7. Favorite episode would have to be Did You See the Sun Rise? at this point.

That and the final episode are my favorites.

Dang, that Magnum sure rocks a Navy uniform.  Makes me drool.

[VCRTracking]

ETA:

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by VCRTracking

[ketose]

For those with an antenna, CHARGE! is airing Magnum, P.I.

A lot.

[friendperidot]

I decided to watch Roku tonight and they have Magnum! 6 seasons is what the banner said, I haven't checked yet. Hope so. I got about halfway through season 4 when Amazon had it. I really want to see the last season. Have to see Rick's wedding again to see if it's as awful as I remember it being.

[friendperidot]

Apparently I'm the only one watching Magnum, still slowly working my way through it, almost finished with Season 7. 

But, I am either really, really slow on the uptake or I just never paid attention until tonight. I knew Rick's last name was Wright and I knew his real first name was Orville, but I never put those two names together until tonight. I feel rather dumb. I had gotten the play on Rick's Place, I cannot remember when he had that, I think maybe the first season, but I'll just go back to watching.

[Ceindreadh]

8 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Apparently I'm the only one watching Magnum, still slowly working my way through it, almost finished with Season 7. 

But, I am either really, really slow on the uptake or I just never paid attention until tonight. I knew Rick's last name was Wright and I knew his real first name was Orville, but I never put those two names together until tonight. I feel rather dumb. I had gotten the play on Rick's Place, I cannot remember when he had that, I think maybe the first season, but I'll just go back to watching.

IIRC, ‘Ricks place’ was only in the pilot episode.  After that he was always the club manager. 

[Rose Quartz]

5 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

IIRC, ‘Ricks place’ was only in the pilot episode.  After that he was always the club manager. 

Yep, "The Ice Palace" was only in the pilot.  When the first season started Rick had already become manager of the KKC.  I've read an interview with DPB about what he was trying to do with his original approach, but IMO it didn't work so I'm glad the network made him drop it.  Even by the time I first saw the pilot in syndication in the mid-80s Rick's club was really dated and cheesy looking.

@friendperidot, I'll be curious to hear your opinion once you've finished the entire series.  I'm one of the few people who actually prefers the earlier seasons because they did a better job of showing the camaraderie between Magnum, TC, and Rick.  I didn't care so much for later season Magnum where he was frequently off solving stuff on his own and you'd maybe see the guys for one scene per episode.

[friendperidot]

I finished the series this weekend. It took me over a year because I started watching on Prime and then they dropped it and it was several months before Roku started showing it. I can't really compare the beginning and the end because my memory isn't that long any more. I skipped a lot of episodes, mostly what I considered the stupid ones, the ones with Luthor Gillis or others where either Thomas or the gang were imagining themselves as a legendary dectective and other nonsense. I liked the serious episodes better. I skipped a couple of the middle seasons. I love Thomas Magnum, but I could only take 2-5 episodes at a sitting. 

I have so many thoughts about the finale. I'll start with the silly ones, how did they get matching outfits that fit so well so quickly? I sew, it doesn't happen that way, I know, they were rented, but still. Why was a assistant D.A. a bridesmaid for a former hooker? I know, they needed the actress who was the only female recurring member of the cast to be in the finale. How did they fit in, at the last minute, an unexpected flower girl? Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I know that re-enlisting was a responsible, adult thing to do and he had done it before Lily was brought to him, but who's going to raise her? He has no home, few belongings, he could probably get base housing, but he has no furniture. Who's going to be with the child every day? Is he going to send her to his mother in Virginia? Hire a full time nanny? She doesn't speak English, she's a bright child, and she's young, she'll learn quickly. But she's had so many upheavals in her life, she's going to need a steady adult in her life and counseling for years! He's going to be deployed and may be on a ship for a year at a time, he can't be there for her. And what is Jonathan Higgins or Robin Masters going to do about security? Is he Robin, I think it would have been a good solution, but I watched most of the series in a short time and there were too many inconsistencies. I don't think the idea at the beginning was to make Higgins Robin. And Robin has to be one heck of a writer to make enough money to have homes all over the world and never spend much time in any. But if Higgins is Robin, all those other homes could be imaginary. What will Rick and TC do now that Magnum isn't occupying so much of their time. I know, Rick's going to settle down with his new wife and TC is going to settle down with his old one. But it was a sweet ride for Magnum to have such qualified, unpaid staff for his detective agency. Even though they bitched and complained, they usually dropped everything to help him at a moment's notice. They are going to miss the excitement and adrenaline rush. Thomas is going to have some sticker shock when he has to buy his own vehicle and it won't be a Ferrari, I know he bought an old beater in an episode, but he went back to the Ferrari. And a Ferrari is not a practical auto for a young child. He also won't have all of Robin Masters' fun toys at his disposal any more. He may have to become responsible and take care of his stuff. It was a nice ending to the series, but not very realistic. I know, I'm not just living in the moment.

It would have been nice if the reboot had been about Lily and her being a Private Investigator instead of just trying to move Thomas into modern times and retelling his story. I admit, I haven't watched the new version and I probably won't.

But, those are my thoughts on the series.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by friendperidot

[Raja]

On 10/12/2018 at 1:04 PM, Davey1 said:

I have grown tired of the sarcastic bantering between Magnum and Higgins. It's gets on my nerves. Especially the way Higgins blames Magnum and criticizes him constantly, resulting in "Come on, Hiiiiigggginnns!" Plus, it's a bit annoying the way Tom Selleck presents as a teenager in a huge body.......and of course the fact that he is a private investigator without an office, without a secretary, who never engages in actual examination of clues and evidence. He never even gets to the level of Barnaby Jones or Frank Cannon even for a minute!

I think old teenager since Thomas spent his actual late teen years in the academy and then straight off to war was the point of the character arc. So he spent his 30s having a youthful good time on Robin Masters only to reemerge as a father and adult as he neared 40.

[Fool to cry]

 

 

 

[Maverick]

It seems like CBS cancels one show a season that's seemingly doing well lately.  A few seasons ago it was Scorpion.  I thought it was doing well and a lock to return yet it was cancelled on a cliffhanger.   Last year it was MacGyver.  I knew it wasn't a ratings bonanza but I thought it did well for Fridays, which is a tough slot.  In both cases, I thought they had been popular enough to deserve official final seasons, even if they were abbreviated ones.  This year it was Magnum.  It's like one show has to take the brunt of CBS' axe every year.