Magnum Mania!

Oh, I soooo want to feel excited about this, but I'm already feeling suspicious about the show. I like what Conch says concerning the "Juliet Higgins" pitch. Old Jonathan Quayle Higgins was really so central to the original Magnum, to me anyway. That character continues to pull me back, and back, and back to the show. Higgins was in the background with all this hidden context about him that gave the show heart. I don't like hearing the new folks are changing that character, makes me think they really don't get it.

But if they make, I will give an episode or two a watch. Who knows? I still think we need a show like Magnum these days. I'm hoping they remember to get the substance into the series. I guess we'll see.

As to the Magnum PI cast we all know, each has experience that in my mind aided their portrayal of their character. John Hillerman is a veteran, serving in the United States Air Force. No doubt, his military service aided his portrayal of SGM Jonathan Higgins. Tom Selleck is a veteran serving in the Army National Guard during Vietnam. I'm sure this too, aided his portrayal of Magnum. Roger Mosley is a helicopter pilot, who flew chartered aircraft out of Burbank Airport, when Magnum PI ended. There is no doubt, that his actual flight hours, greatly aided his portrayal of TC. Unfortunately, I have no idea as to Larry Manetti's experience prior to acting.

BWheelz54 us absolutely correct as to the necessity of SGM Higgins character to the success of Magnum PI. SGM Higgins provided the wisdom, and sounding board for both Magnum, TC, and Rick, acting as both substitute father and leader for them all. From my own military service, I cannot tell you how many times the wisdom of these grizzled veterans, kept me from "reinventing the wheel". There is a reason why almost every leadership position in the ground services (Army, Marine Corps), is duplicative with both officer and NCO, balancing the youth and vigor of a young officer, with the steady, experienced hand of his sergeant. So, in a nutshell, I'm not so sure about a Juliet Higgins.

I have no doubt it will suck. Looking on the bright side, it might stir up some interest in the old show. We may even get a few new members here. Another benefit is that it might increase our chances of getting a high quality BR release.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-f ... bs-1050888 I just can't see it!

Wasn't a big part of the Higgins/Magnum relationship a father/son thing? Magnum's real father died when TM was young. I've always thought that Higgy-baby acted as sort of a surrogate father for Magnum's his "I woke up one day, age 33, and realized I'd never been 23" phase. What are the chances "Juliet Higgins" is really really hot?

Other things I don't think a modern remake can recapture:

Afghanistan is not Vietnam. 2020 is not 1980. Higgins English Empire origins are long in the past so the characters change in gender won't be the only issue. Modern tech sucks out all of the fun of traditional detective shows. And finally, what are the odds that the creators and cast will catch lightening in a bottle and be able to pull off the breakneck changes between comedy, action, and drama that the original excelled at?

marlboro wrote: Modern tech sucks out all of the fun of traditional detective shows.

I have to agree with this statement completely. It one of the main reasons why I don't watch things like McGyver and Hawaii Five-0. That and other shows like NCIS New Orleans and Los Angeles which have too much emphasis on terrorism and international drug smuggling. I started a thread some time ago about newer private detective shows and there really haven't been any since the late eighties that were pure private detective/gumshoe type shows. One show I missed that I would love to see in reruns is Veronica Mars. I heard it was fun to watch.

Why is Magnum always the show that gets tossed around for re-making? Why do we never hear about possible reboots or sequels to The Rockford Files or Columbo or Mannix?

MagnumsLeftShoulder wrote:Why is Magnum always the show that gets tossed around for re-making? Why do we never hear about possible reboots or sequels to The Rockford Files or Columbo or Mannix?

If you click on the earlier comment I made, the Hollywood Reporter article lists several other shows they might reboot!

MagnumILWU wrote:

MagnumsLeftShoulder wrote:Why is Magnum always the show that gets tossed around for re-making? Why do we never hear about possible reboots or sequels to The Rockford Files or Columbo or Mannix?

If you click on the earlier comment I made, the Hollywood Reporter article lists several other shows they might reboot!

The only one of those shows mentioned in the article that's even a little bit close to the ones I mentioned is Starsky & Hutch. I chose those 3 to compare to Magnum because those three have the character's name as the title. The point I'm making is that it is much more difficult to remake a show where the actor is the character and the character is the actor. It would be like trying to remake The Andy Griffith Show or The Cosby Show. It won't work.

I'm having trouble figuring out the new vision of the Higgins/Magnum relationship too. If she's young and hot and there's a sexual tension between the two while living together on the estate, it would be a completely different sort of show. If, however, she's much older character - say, similar to the reimagined M played by Judi Dench in the newer Bond movies - it could work. I'm not putting too much energy into this one though. Like the other seemingly sure thing reboots over the past several years, this one could just as easily fizzle. Whether I like it or not, it'll be interesting to see what, if anything, they come up with.

"JULIET Higgins"????

NO, just NO!

NO NO NO NO NO!

This article from The Guardian nails it pretty good.

Magnum PI, for crying out loud. Is nothing sacred? Sure, on the surface, the original Magnum PI was just one of a glut of post-Vietnam shows about vigilante justice with a charismatic male lead and storylines that wrapped up neatly at the top of the hour. But it was special. Everyone knows it was special. By some absurd alchemy Magnum PI ended up perfectly written, perfectly cast and perfectly soundtracked, managing to be both of its time and utterly timeless. You don’t mess with Magnum PI.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... eboot-hell

MagnumsGMTMaster wrote:This article from The Guardian nails it pretty good.

Magnum PI, for crying out loud. Is nothing sacred? Sure, on the surface, the original Magnum PI was just one of a glut of post-Vietnam shows about vigilante justice with a charismatic male lead and storylines that wrapped up neatly at the top of the hour. But it was special. Everyone knows it was special. By some absurd alchemy Magnum PI ended up perfectly written, perfectly cast and perfectly soundtracked, managing to be both of its time and utterly timeless. You don’t mess with Magnum PI.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... eboot-hell

Well, that 's a pretty interesting article from a British newspaper. Funny he mentioned the two (Columbo & Rockford) I mentioned earlier! Can we forward it to Les Moonves?

Everybody keeps saying Lenkov is producing it, but he's not; he's only writing the pilot.

I'm not sure how I feel about the remake. Would love to have TS be a part of it. Maybe he gave his blessing because he will be a part of it? Either in front or behind the camera? Not sure I'll watch. Will be hard to not compare everything to the original.