Magnum P.I. (2018 TV series)

Premise

The series follows Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who lives in the guest house on Robin's Nest, a Hawaiian estate owned by author Robin Masters. In exchange for his lodging, Magnum works as a security consultant and is the subject of Masters' fictional book series, though Masters never appears. Also residing on the estate are Juliet Higgins, an ex-MI6 agent and estate majordomo, and Kumu Tuileta, the cultural curator. Magnum has access to the guest house and Masters' Ferrari 488 Spider but receives no salary, so he works as a private investigator.

Higgins officially becomes his partner in the second season. Honolulu Police Department detective Gordon Katsumoto often clashes with Magnum's methods but respects his skills. Sexual tension between Magnum and Higgins builds over four seasons and is addressed in the fourth season finale. Rick enters a serious relationship that leads to fatherhood, while Katsumoto deals with his son and T.C. becomes a father figure to a homeless teenager.

The show shares a fictional universe with Hawaii Five-0, and the main characters have allies within the Five-0 Task Force.

Production

In October 2017, CBS announced development of a Magnum P.I. reboot from Peter M. Lenkov, who had also developed the 2010 Hawaii Five-0 and 2016 MacGyver reboots. Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim, a Hawaii Five-0 writer and co-showrunner, were developers, with John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment as executive producers. CBS Television Studios and Universal Television co-produced. Danielle Woodrow later became an executive producer.

The series initially received a thirteen-episode order, later expanded by seven episodes. It was renewed for a second season on January 25, 2019, with Lenkov and Guggenheim returning as co-showrunners; the second season consisted of twenty episodes. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a third season. In July 2020, Lenkov was fired over toxic work environment allegations; Lucas Till, star of MacGyver, stated Lenkov made him suicidal and body shamed him.

Lenkov initially denied the allegations but later apologized. Gene Hong replaced Lenkov as co-showrunner alongside Guggenheim. The third season had a reduced order of sixteen episodes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth season premiered on October 1, 2021.

Reception

The first season received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 57% approval rating with an average rating of 6.35/10, based on 21 reviews. The critical consensus notes that while the reboot may not match the original, a charismatic star and modern twists show potential. Metacritic assigned a score of 48 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews.