'Magnum P.I.': Why Season 5 Might Return Sooner Than Expected

While the Writers Guild of America's strike may result in shows returning later than expected during the fall, one show might return earlier because of it. NBC might end up airing the second half of Magnum P.I. Season 5 earlier than planned if other shows aren't ready. Magnum P.I. Season 5, Part 1, finished airing in April, but the rest of the season has already been filmed.

If the strike means shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or Chicago Fire will not be ready to go in September, NBC could "pull in" shows like Magnum P.I., Transplant, or La Brea, Jeff Bader, President of Entertainment Program Planning Strategy for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, told TVLine over the weekend. "And we have our unscripted [programs that don't use writers]. So, we feel like we're in good shape," he added.

NBC is confident their schedule would not be greatly impacted if the strike continues. "We feel very good about where we are with our fall schedule relative to what could happen if there's a prolonged strike," Bader explained. "Night Court, Extended Family, Quantum Leap, Found, Irrational... those are all scripted shows that will all be on in the fall."

NBC released its fall 2023 schedule on May 12, with plans to hold Magnum P.I. back for midseason. That likely means their initial plan was to handle the rest of Season 5 in the same way they did with the first half. The episodes aired between February and April, airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. Magnum P.I. struggled to retain the audience it built up after four seasons on CBS, with viewership dropping 30%. CBS aired the show on Fridays as the lead-in to Blue Bloods. NBC has Sunday Night Football in the fall, so if Magnum P.I. is called in early, it would definitely get a slot during the week.

La Brea's final season was ordered early to give the show a head start, as the writers' strike was expected. NBC plans to hold the science fiction series to midseason as well. Law & Order: Organized Crime, Lopez vs. Lopez, Transplant, and the Tom Hanks-narrated event series The Americans will also debut later in the 2023-2024 season.

The Magnum P.I. reboot launched on CBS in 2018 and was canceled after four seasons. Since the series is co-produced by NBC's sister studio Universal Television, the peacock swooped in to save it. NBC ordered 20 episodes produced as a single season but chose to split the season over two television years. The entire main cast returned, including Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks. Only Season 5 is streaming on Peacock.