‘Magnum P.I.’ Canceled at NBC After Rescue for Fifth Season

Magnum P.I. is ending after its one-season revival on NBC. The network has canceled the show after not ordering additional episodes beyond the 20-episode fifth season picked up last year. The final 10 episodes will be marketed as the series’ final chapter, per Deadline. Jay Hernandez starred in the reboot. Season 5 was split into two halves, with 10 episodes airing separately. The first half aired during the mid-season, and the second half is scheduled to air for mid-season 2024. But with contracts up on the cast, NBC was forced to make a decision on another season. NBC had three scenarios to choose from: renew for a sixth season, extend the options on the cast, or release the actors and end the series. With the writer’s strike in effect, and things up in the air, NBC chose the latter. 

The Paramount-owned CBS canceled the reboot last year in 2022, and the program later found a home at NBC. Another reboot is reportedly unlikely unless a streaming platform opts to pick it up. But that may be an issue as well. Magnum P.I. is available to watch in-season on NBCUniversal’s Peacock. But previous seasons from the show are available for streaming on Paramount+, Paramount’s platform. 

Magnum P.I. was a reboot of the 1980s series of the same title. The original series starred Tom Selleck in the title role. In the reboot, decorated former Navy Seal Thomas Magnum (Hernandez) returns home from Afghanistan. Per a Variety logline: “Magnum repurposed his military skills to become a private investigator, supplementing his business by working as a security consultant on a luxurious estate called Robin’s Nest, where he lived in a guest cottage.” The show also starred Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Amy Hill and Tim Kang.