Magnum Mania!

Has anyone noticed that most of Donald Bellisario's primary protagonists lost their fathers at an early age?

Thomas Magnum lost his father to the Korean war when the former was 5 years old.

Harmon Rabb Jr. lost his father to the Vietnam war when the former was 5 years old.

Stringfellow Hawke lost both his parents when the former was 12.

Dr. Sam Beckett lost his father when the former was approximately 18 (heart). He displays a great sense of loss throughout the series and in the episode "The Leap Home", attempts to change his father's diet in an effort to improve his cardiovascular health.

Special Agent Gibbs is the only primary protagonist whose father is still alive.

Interesting ...

I think that a lot of writers find a "formula" (for the lack of a better word) and stick with it. More often than not, they are autobiographical. One of my favorite authors, John Irving, writes this way...all his books are products of meticulous research, somewhat autobiographical, and the running theme is redemption. They are laugh-out-loud funny, and he always has some horribly tragic thing happen in the middle of the book. I would highly recommend his work of fiction titled, Until I Find You.

I think you're right about "formulas", SelleckLover. There are discussions on this site about similarities between Magnum and some of the other series that Bellisario was connected with...Baa Baa Black Sheep...Airwolf.

And also discussions about similarities in style between Bellisario's and Selleck's in the Jesse Stone movies.

I think of an episode as a tapestry...and the writers "weave" things like ensemble casts, individual character traits, humor, friendship, etc. in to the plot. Bellisario found a "pattern" that the public identified with and enjoyed so he kept weaving different versions of it. Selleck learned his craft from Bellisario so he, too, "weaves" his stories in a similar way.

Interesting...

I never thought about it, but it's true.
Ol' Bellisario certainly had a 'formula', but in fairness so do many of TV's big writers.

The only other protagonist of his who didn't lose their parents at an early ago is Jake Cutter from 'Tales of the Gold Monkey'.