‘Magnum P.I.’: Will Tom Selleck Appear in the New CBS Reboot

Tom Selleck has given CBS’ new Magnum P.I. reboot his seal of approval, but it is not likely that his famous mustache will grace the series with his presence any time soon.

In an interview with Parade Magazine last week, Selleck said he did not have any power in CBS’ decision to remake his famous ’80s series, but they did ask him to attend a meeting early on.

“I don’t really have any say. CBS was nice enough to include me in a meeting,” Selleck said. “They said, ‘We won’t do this if you really have a problem with it.’ I said, ‘I did my own show and I’m very proud of it. I wish you well.’”

Selleck also told TVInsider in June he did not have any plans to be on Magnum P.I.

“They asked and I said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m busy with Blue Bloods,’” Selleck said. “It will never be what in my fantasy world, I would make it to be.”

Selleck also said he has no intent on making even a small guest cameo.

“I told them that I won’t do some cameo guest spot to let the audience know I approve,” Selleck said of his fans. “I’m sure they’d like it, but I have an obligation to my version. And [executive producer Peter M. Lenkov is] going to do his take on what a Magnum under some similar circumstances should be about.”

The beloved actor explained to TVInsider that he felt his Magnum, P.I. had a strong ending. He understood how important the show was in his career, and he did not want to keep another actor from a similar opportunity.

“We went off with our final episode as the number one show on all of television,” he said. “We’re in the Smithsonian for recognizing Vietnam veterans in a positive light, the first show to really do that. And it led to countless other opportunities. I just felt success is so hard to come by in this business, why do I want to root for somebody to fail. I just stepped back, and said, ‘I won’t get in your way.’”

While viewers will not see Selleck on Magnum P.I., he will still be on CBS. He still plays New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods, which starts its ninth season this fall. That job has also kept him from making another Jesse Stone movie.

“I haven’t been able to switch gears and write it. Blue Bloods is pretty consuming,” he told Parade. “I’m not in Jesse Stone for the payday; I want to do a Jesse Stone that’s up to the rest of the book series [by Robert B. Parker], because he’s a character I love.”

New episodes of Magnum P.I., which stars Jay Hernandez in the title role, air on CBS Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. Blue Bloods resumes on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: CBS