About the Show |
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| Title Card |
Magnum P.I. is an American television show that follows the exciting adventures of private investigator
Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV (
Tom Selleck) and his three close friends as they live their lives on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii. Thomas Magnum (often referred to as simply "Magnum") is an ex-
U.S. Navy SEAL and
ONI officer. His friends are
Theodore "T.C." Calvin (
Roger E. Mosley), an ex-U.S. Marine helicopter pilot and small business owner,
Orville Wilbur "Rick" Wright III (
Larry Manetti), an ex-U.S. Marine door gunner and private beach club manager, and British socialite and majordomo
Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (
John Hillerman), an ex-British Army Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) and
MI6 intelligence officer.
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| Higgins & Magnum |
The show also features a well-rounded, eclectic mix of secondary recurring characters. There is the affable English socialite Agatha Chumley (local resident
Gillian Dobb), the quirky, baseball-loving police detective Yoshi Tanaka (former local lawyer
Kwan Hi Lim), the good-natured Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Carol Baldwin (
Kathleen Lloyd), the doughnut-munching Naval officer "Mac" MacReynolds (
Jeff MacKay), the grizzled Marine Colonel veteran Buck Greene (
Lance LeGault), the hardworking, idealistic Naval Lieutenant Maggie Poole (
Jean Bruce Scott), the beautiful, mysterious undercover operative Michelle Hue (
Marta DuBois), the light-hearted con man Jim Bonnick (also played by Jeff MacKay), the old-school Private Dick Luther H. Gillis (played perfectly by
Eugene Roche), the friendly M.D. Doc Ibold (UH Theatre professor
Glenn Cannon), and the elder underworld boss "Icepick" (
Elisha Cook). The show even occasionally had the legendary
Orson Welles providing voice-over work for the never-seen millionaire novelist Robin Masters!
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| T.C. & Rick |
Magnum P.I. was created by
Donald P. Bellisario (with the Pilot co-written by
Glen A. Larson) and was produced by
Universal Studios. The show aired on
CBS for eight seasons, from December 1980 to May 1988, producing an impressive 162 syndicated episodes (148 one-hour episodes, 7 two-hour episodes) and two "crossover" episodes (with
Simon & Simon and
Murder, She Wrote). For the first six seasons it aired on Thursday's at 8:00PM. During the last two seasons it jumped around to five different time slots. It was ranked in the Top 20 (Nielsen) for the first five seasons, reaching a high of #3 during the third season (1982-1983). Don Bellisario was the main executive producer, with
Charles Johnson,
Rueben Leder,
Rick Weaver,
Chris Abbott, and
Jay Huguely heading a strong list of producers and writers. Tom Selleck also produced several episodes during the last two seasons.
The show won 7 awards (2 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes) and recieved 39 nominations (17 Emmys, 13 Golden Globes) total. Tom Selleck and John Hillerman both won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for their acting. The full list of awards and nominations can be seen
here. The show has also been enshrined in the
National Museum of American History and is one of only a small number of television shows, voted by an overwhelming majority, to have never
"jumped the shark", according to the definitive source on the subject
jumptheshark.com. In 1986, largely because of his work in
Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
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| Magnum Crew |
Magnum P.I. was shot almost entirely on location in
Oahu, mostly on the southeast side of the island (
Kahala,
Hawaii Kai,
Waikiki, the
Honolulu metro area), although many other parts of the island were used as well. Most episodes featured a large contingent of local, Oahu-based actors. All of the indoor set scenes (Magnum's quarters, the main house at
Robin's Nest, Rick & T.C.'s offices) were filmed on soundstages at the
Hawaii Film Studio (then known as "Diamond Head Studio"), which is located at the corner of 22nd Avenue and Diamond Head Road (at the foot of Diamond Head crater, next to Kapiolani Community College). The film studio was originally built for
Hawaii Five-O in the 1970s. One of the soundstages is affectionately known as "
Five-O Stage", even though the soundstage was only used for the last three seasons of
HFO (1976-1979). Many of the original
Hawaii Five-O crew members went on to work for
Magnum P.I.. Episodes for each season were filmed from August to late March or early April. Each episode was usually filmed in 7 or 8 days. Many crew members worked 16-hour days.
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| Magnum Soundstage |
Set in the cultural melting pot of 1980s Oahu,
Magnum P.I. was primarily a character driven show about friendship which managed to successfully blend together action, drama, comedy and mystery elements, often incorporating all four in the same episode. The show was also groundbreaking in its use of unconventional storytelling devices, such as retrospectives, "fantasy" elements (dream sequence episodes), shared story lines that crossed over to other shows (
Simon & Simon, Murder She Wrote), and breaking the
fourth wall (by Magnum looking or smiling at the camera), which were seldom used in TV at the time.
The show moved beyond the simpler "who-done-it" plot lines of the traditional hard-boiled detective series and focused on building complex characterizations through a cumulative text. Most episodes were "stand alone" and could be viewed without understanding previous plots, but previous events would continually pop up in dialog creating a rich, comprehensive layer to the show. Backstories were also an important element of the show, often developed slowly as the series unfolded and with excellent attention to detail.
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| Guesthouse Set |
The Vietnam War was an important recurring theme in the show. Magnum, T.C. and Rick were all Vietnam Veterans. The show featured many flashback scenes to the war and dealt with many of the issues Vietnam Vets faced post-war. The show is unique in its positive portrayal of the American Vietnam Vet - indeed, it was the first show to take this stance. All three characters are upstanding citizens with laudable character traits, who look back on their military careers with pride, and seek no one's sympathy.
Typical of the time and genre, testosterone-fueled, suspension of disbelief action scenes were featured semi-regularly in the show, and to great effect. Car chases, chopper chases, fisticuffs (with little blood), explosive pyrotechnics, they were all there, and usually very well done. And the good guys didn't always win!
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| Robin's Nest |
Because of its non-linear story lines, guest stars were an important element of show and several big names of the industry have made appearances. Some of the more famous guest stars to grace the show are
Frank Sinatra,
Angela Lansbury,
Carol Burnett (twice),
Sharon Stone,
Cesar Romero,
Ernest Borgnine,
Jose Ferrer,
Ted Danson,
Pat Morita,
Eileen Brennan,
Ian McShane,
Tyne Daly, and
Mako, among many others. Several well-known local Hawaiian actors, singers, and entertainers have made appearances as well, including
Kam Fong,
Herman Wedemeyer,
Tommy Fujiwara,
Zulu,
Dick Jensen,
Sol K. Bright,
James Grant Benton,
Moe Keale, and
Marlene Sai.
The show is also famous for its many iconic images, which will forever be assoiciated with it - the Hawaiian setting, the red
Ferrari 308 GTS, the Hawaiian shirts, the sprawling oceanside estate known as
Robin's Nest, T.C.'s helicopter, the "team ring", and Magnum's mustache and baseball caps. The red parrot Hawaiian shirt, the Detroit Tigers baseball cap and the
Team Ring can be found at the
National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C..
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| Ferrari 308 GTS |
But without question the heart and soul of the show lies with the two central characters, Thomas Magnum and Jonathan Higgins, and their ever evolving relationship. Higgins is a deceivingly complex character with a richly detailed
personal history. Higgins' fascinating past, revealed slowly through "boring" orations, was one of the highlights of the show. Magnum, at the urging of Selleck, is a refreshingly fallible, self-effacing, sentimental, non-macho protagonist. Sure, he is a hunk of epic magnitude, but he doesn't always get the girl, he often screws something up, and he owes everybody money. And yet is also extremely likable, for both men and woman. He possesses high morals, is extremely loyal to his friends, has a good sense of humor and will bend over backwards to help people in need. Despite the differences in personality, age and background, and the neverending, lighthearted arguments and bickering, Magnum and Higgins develop a strong, unique friendship. Higgins, in a way, acts a quasi father figure to Magnum (who lost his real father when he was five). A large majority of the most memorable scenes from the show involve Magnum and Higgins together. Selleck and Hillerman are both superb in bringing these most interesting characters to life.
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| T.C.'s Chopper |
The final episode of the show aired on May 1st 1988 as a two-hour movie and was the highest rated show of the week. Magnum re-activated his Naval commission as a Commander and he became a full-time father to his daughter Lily Catherine. Rick finally sowed his oats and married an ex-prostitute named Cleo Mitchell, although we never actually hear him say "I Do". T.C. continues to run
Island Hoppers and coach little league baseball. Higgins remains at Robin's Nest and is presumably still working on his memoirs. The issue of Robin Masters identity was intentionally left ambiguous. Higgins at first says he really is Robin Masters, but then, later, slyly says
"I lied about being Robin Masters". By "lie", does he mean "I pretended to be Robin Masters all this time", or "I lied when I said I was Robin Masters"? You decide. After the closing credits, Tom Selleck, from the guest house set, gives a short "farewell/thank you" speech to the fans of the show. After his final "goodbye", Selleck points a TV remote at the camera and pushes a button - the screen goes blank, end of the series.
After its original run, the show found much success in syndication markets all over the world, particularly in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain and Italy where it has almost never gone off the air. In 2004,
Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the
The Complete First Season DVD. As of mid 2007, the first six seasons have been released on DVD. Season Seven is expected to be released in late 2007. For an older show, the DVD's have sold very well and has spurred a revival of interest in the show.
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| The Team Ring |
Rumors of a
Magnum P.I. movie have been swirling for years. There were several failed attempts at making a made-for-television movie. Selleck & Co. were offered several opportunities to make one, but instead they (mostly Selleck) decided to lobby for a major motion picture release, which ultimately never happened. "The powers that be" have now decided that the original cast is now just too old to make a movie, any movie. In January of 2006, it was announced that
Rawson Marshall Thurber would write and direct the major motion picture adaptation of the show. As of January 2007, the movie is still in pre-production with no casting announcements, although it
has been confirmed that none of the original cast (including Selleck) will be in the movie.
According to Thurber, the movie will be similiar to
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) in tone, mixing action elements with comedy. The movie will also cover a long timeline, from Magnum's pre-P.I. days up to retirement.
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| Zeus & Apollo |
In October 2007, Larry Manetti and Roger E. Mosley guest starred in the
Las Vegas episode "
When Life Gives You Lemon Bars" with regular cast member Tom Selleck for a "mini
MPI reunion". The episode featured several sly references to
Magnum P.I. - Roger's character has a Hawaii drivers license and owns an aviation company that started with one helicopter, Larry's character wore the
MPI "Team Ring" and owns clubs, there was mention of a British friend who couldn't make it to the poker game, and a red Ferrari was briefly seen in the background. This was the first time all three had appeared together since
MPI ended twenty years earlier. Rumor has it that both will return for more episodes in the future.
It's been almost twenty years since the series finale and the show is as popular as ever. It's in almost constant syndication runs in numerous countries. DVD sales are strong. The movie buzz and rumors are almost never ending. Hopefully a cast reunion of some sort is on the horizon!
If you are a fan of the show, you simply MUST check out
Rick Romer's Blog! Rick was the lead set decorator on
MPI for Seasons 4-6 and was involved in many other aspects of the show. His blog provides a unique "behind the scenes" look at the making of
Magnum P.I.!
For a scholarly analysis of the show, check out Christopher Anderson's excellent 1985 essay
Reflections on Magnum P.I. (
PDF) which originally appeared in the 1987 book
Television: The Critical View. It's a most interesting and insightful read!
Viva Magnum!
The "Soundstage" and "Guesthouse Set" photos were generously provided by former Magnum P.I. set decorator Rick Romer. Thanks Rick!
