NBC Exec Addresses Shaky 'Magnum P.I.' Ratings

Magnum P.I. came back better than ever following its CBS cancellation, this time on NBC. The reboot quickly settled into its new home earlier this year, but unfortunately, ratings haven't been as good, averaging just about 5 million viewers with delayed viewing. This may not always be good news for a show that was saved, but fans shouldn't have to worry about the network having second thoughts just because of some shaky ratings. Jeff Bader, President of Entertainment Program Planning Strategy for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, told TVLine that the series was pulling "a good number" on Sundays.

While the series was down for both ratings and demos, Bader did say that CBS has a broader audience "because of the older audience that they get." It could also be due to the timeslot change, as it aired on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET when it was on CBS, while it's been airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. Things could always change for midseason, where Magnum P.I. will finish off the remaining episodes of Season 5, as Bader says, "We have not yet locked in our midseason schedule… but we would love to grow that show. We're with you that the show should be bigger than it is. It's a great asset for us."

When Magnum P.I. was initially canceled, fans were quick to hop on the campaign trail, as well as the cast. It took some time, but NBC finally nabbed it, and it seems not even decreasing ratings will make the network change its mind. It's possible that fans just have to get used to the series on a different network and on a different night. Since the audiences are different on NBC as compared to CBS, not everyone will want to move over. However, since there's still a lot of time until midseason, NBC could look at different ways in making Magnum P.I. grow, whether that's unique storylines, adding more characters, or switching the timeslot.

Magnum P.I. aired its midseason finale just less than a month ago, and according to the NBC fall schedule, the back half of the season won't be premiering until midseason again. Though Magnum could return sooner than expected, fans will be waiting a long time to be reunited with Thomas Magnum and co. but the wait will surely be worth it. Plus, they will also be able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the series isn't going anywhere, no matter what the ratings say, at least for now.