The first couple of years the show had too work the glitches out. Once they got the formula right this was an entertaining show. There were some memorable stories, I like the one with his quarterback friend Darcy. This show had a budget that todays producers would salivate at. A Ferri, a chopper, a mansion, and great locations. Tom Selick grew as an actor in this series, and the 80's over the style is missed with todays shows. Who care's who gets voted off the island, or people making out in the bathroom on the show Friends, I rather watch a show with production vaule, professional actors, directing, and some fun. Time well spent on A&E
77 Reviews
I've Always Believed That Happiness Was All About Watching "Magnum" Continually Without Commercials !
elshikh430 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes I review lists of the greatest 10, 20, or 25 American TV shows in history, and when I don't find (Magnum P. I.) in one, I say maybe the makers of this list are: so poor to not watch it, or so pathetically fool to forget it, or watched it and refused to include it (folks I don't want to know at all!)
(Magnum P. I.) is the best of its kind. Simply the action, the comedy, and the drama. It had completely what made it the standard to measure any other similar work: good characters, fresh atmosphere, touching moments, big production, great writing, sensitive cinematography, genius music, top notch acting, cinematic direction, and memorable 162 episodes that were never bad, and just perfect all the way (Maybe one concerning Higgins's twin, and a few else, but HEY, they're humans after all).
(Magnum) for me means 2 eras in my life. The first when I was a kid at the 1980s and (Magnum) was the assured ride of fun. The second one was after I've studied cinema and scriptwriting, when I discovered how this show had it all, so every episode of the reruns was such a lesson about how to make a classic work and a great amount of entertainment too. The thing about it is that it embodied cleverly what I believe in as the ultimate formula: some fun + some seriousness. It's not wholly a show about nice detective in Hawaii who punches the bad guys, hangs out by the beach, and plays the saxophone badly in between; actually he is that, yet with more.
It was a lovely book of wisdom with catchy thoughtful lines, instruction about friendship, manifesto about deformed generation that could overstep its tribulation anyway, a chance to be a down to earth hero, learning that life is invaluable that despite anything you must solemnize it, and how living careless and well is the best revenge out of anything! See, whether it shows a rainy night or shinny day, it can represent the beauty of both with contemplating also.
I liked the main formula of the characters: a brain (Higgins), some muscles (TC), a heart (Rick), and one who got all of that temperately (Magnum). Not to mention the distinct relationship between (Higgins) and (Magnum) which develops from English gentleman vs. Straight American, to severe father and rebel son, to friends, very different friends yet resemble each other and learn from each other, with keeping all the previous symptoms running on and under the surface. That was unique and creative as nearly the whole thing.
(Tom Selleck) was like the show itself: funny but can masterly be serious. For instance, I'll never forget his performance in (Memories Are Forever)'s 2 parts where he assured how strong actor he is, and how deep (Magnum) can be as a character and as a show.
I just hated the (James Bond) effect on the title character. Aside from serving in the Navy, speaking many languages, enjoying certain wine, living - somehow - in luxury, exactly like 007, what did bother me was the idea of (Magnum) being a widower, who lost his love early, and now he has many girls in his life, without any new everlasting love as well, which I believe fitted the show in terms of providing tons of eye candies! Plus, it was uncomfortable, rather unacceptable, to watch (Magnum) turning into a ruthless killer in the name of cold war!
Anyhow, at the advertisement for it as DVD, you'll hear a voice saying: "It's the 1980s". I think it can define not merely the era, but the best of it. Its secret was that it didn't satisfy with being only a funny entertaining show, and wanted to present something better with every step ahead. In one word; I love (Magnum), as a child's memory, and as a grown-up's mania. I've always believed that happiness was all about watching it continually without commercials, and I still do. Because this show is never dated. So, when I made a list of the best 10 TV shows ever, I found no competitor on the first rank but (Magnum, P. I.). It's an immortal moment of ecstasy which gets a certain mode to put you in the mood. It equals a "Magnum opus" for me. If only every show has something from it, we would have better ones that could last after watching, in our hearts as well as our brains.
PS: I wrote elaborately a review about this show's magical elements through one of its most important episodes (4 # 1: Home From The Sea), which you can find on its own page.
(Magnum P. I.) is the best of its kind. Simply the action, the comedy, and the drama. It had completely what made it the standard to measure any other similar work: good characters, fresh atmosphere, touching moments, big production, great writing, sensitive cinematography, genius music, top notch acting, cinematic direction, and memorable 162 episodes that were never bad, and just perfect all the way (Maybe one concerning Higgins's twin, and a few else, but HEY, they're humans after all).
(Magnum) for me means 2 eras in my life. The first when I was a kid at the 1980s and (Magnum) was the assured ride of fun. The second one was after I've studied cinema and scriptwriting, when I discovered how this show had it all, so every episode of the reruns was such a lesson about how to make a classic work and a great amount of entertainment too. The thing about it is that it embodied cleverly what I believe in as the ultimate formula: some fun + some seriousness. It's not wholly a show about nice detective in Hawaii who punches the bad guys, hangs out by the beach, and plays the saxophone badly in between; actually he is that, yet with more.
It was a lovely book of wisdom with catchy thoughtful lines, instruction about friendship, manifesto about deformed generation that could overstep its tribulation anyway, a chance to be a down to earth hero, learning that life is invaluable that despite anything you must solemnize it, and how living careless and well is the best revenge out of anything! See, whether it shows a rainy night or shinny day, it can represent the beauty of both with contemplating also.
I liked the main formula of the characters: a brain (Higgins), some muscles (TC), a heart (Rick), and one who got all of that temperately (Magnum). Not to mention the distinct relationship between (Higgins) and (Magnum) which develops from English gentleman vs. Straight American, to severe father and rebel son, to friends, very different friends yet resemble each other and learn from each other, with keeping all the previous symptoms running on and under the surface. That was unique and creative as nearly the whole thing.
(Tom Selleck) was like the show itself: funny but can masterly be serious. For instance, I'll never forget his performance in (Memories Are Forever)'s 2 parts where he assured how strong actor he is, and how deep (Magnum) can be as a character and as a show.
I just hated the (James Bond) effect on the title character. Aside from serving in the Navy, speaking many languages, enjoying certain wine, living - somehow - in luxury, exactly like 007, what did bother me was the idea of (Magnum) being a widower, who lost his love early, and now he has many girls in his life, without any new everlasting love as well, which I believe fitted the show in terms of providing tons of eye candies! Plus, it was uncomfortable, rather unacceptable, to watch (Magnum) turning into a ruthless killer in the name of cold war!
Anyhow, at the advertisement for it as DVD, you'll hear a voice saying: "It's the 1980s". I think it can define not merely the era, but the best of it. Its secret was that it didn't satisfy with being only a funny entertaining show, and wanted to present something better with every step ahead. In one word; I love (Magnum), as a child's memory, and as a grown-up's mania. I've always believed that happiness was all about watching it continually without commercials, and I still do. Because this show is never dated. So, when I made a list of the best 10 TV shows ever, I found no competitor on the first rank but (Magnum, P. I.). It's an immortal moment of ecstasy which gets a certain mode to put you in the mood. It equals a "Magnum opus" for me. If only every show has something from it, we would have better ones that could last after watching, in our hearts as well as our brains.
PS: I wrote elaborately a review about this show's magical elements through one of its most important episodes (4 # 1: Home From The Sea), which you can find on its own page.
Best series of the early eighties
Alex-37219 November 2002
Magnum P.I. was the best series of the early eighties. Sometimes the stories were weak (too often, especially in the 2nd season), and the acting hokey, and in the first season the production values were laughable.
However, if it had even an ok storyline, the performances of TC, Rick, Higgins and especially Tom Selleck would emanate with charm, humor, and often believable action.
However, what was most memorable (especially for me, stuck on a horrifyingly dreary school routine), were the open seas, the open skies and general tropical landscape. And of course most importantly, every week a crime or mystery would be solved.
However, if it had even an ok storyline, the performances of TC, Rick, Higgins and especially Tom Selleck would emanate with charm, humor, and often believable action.
However, what was most memorable (especially for me, stuck on a horrifyingly dreary school routine), were the open seas, the open skies and general tropical landscape. And of course most importantly, every week a crime or mystery would be solved.
Tom Selleck's Finest Hour
Big Movie Fan27 May 2002
Boy, do I love 80's shows. They had everything-action, women in bikinis, bad guys, cool cars, they had the lot.
In my opinion, this series was Tom Selleck's finest hour. Magnum P.I. lived in a mansion in Hawaii where he had to put up with Higgins who was looking after the house for Mr. Masters. Both had respect for each other obviously but they were always getting on each other's nerves and Magnum also had to put up with two dogs-Zeus and Apollo if my memory serves me correctly-who didn't like him at all.
Of course, like most 80's heroes Magnum had a cool car which he used to parade around Hawaii solving all types of cases involving crooks both small-time and big time. Magnum used to investigate the cases and then engage in a good old fight at the end.
All in all, a good show. And who can forget Magnum's shirts?
In my opinion, this series was Tom Selleck's finest hour. Magnum P.I. lived in a mansion in Hawaii where he had to put up with Higgins who was looking after the house for Mr. Masters. Both had respect for each other obviously but they were always getting on each other's nerves and Magnum also had to put up with two dogs-Zeus and Apollo if my memory serves me correctly-who didn't like him at all.
Of course, like most 80's heroes Magnum had a cool car which he used to parade around Hawaii solving all types of cases involving crooks both small-time and big time. Magnum used to investigate the cases and then engage in a good old fight at the end.
All in all, a good show. And who can forget Magnum's shirts?
Such a part of my existence
BandSAboutMovies6 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Magnum P. I. was a constant in my life through a tumultuous time, starting when I was just 8 and ending when I was 16, seeing me through the most chaotic years of young life. Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV's (Tom Selleck) adventures in Hawaii were a center, a Thursday night oasis - Wednesday from series 7 onward - that always knew would be there.
Magnum lives in the guest house of an opulent 200-acre beachfront estate known as Robin's Nest. At some point, he provided services for its owner, world-famous novelist Robin Masters (voiced by Orson Welles for all but the final time when Red Crandell spoke for the character) and he's been allowed full run of the estate and use of the author's Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS in exchange for some nebulous security detail. In between, he takes on cases that rarely pay and often put his life in danger.
His archnemisis is Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (John Hillerman). Like Magnum, he's also ex-army, but he's by the book while our hero is laid back. He's in charge of Robin's estate, patrolling it with his twin Doberman, Zeus and Apollo. The relationship grows and changes as the series progresses, going from antagonistic to near friendship by the close, as well as the suspicion that Higgins is Robin Masters.
Magnum has a near-perfect storytelling engine as it has the perfect setting (all manner of people come to Hawaii for vacation or to escape), the perfect characters (Magnum can be just as much a film noir hero as he can be a military man or a romantic leading man; he's a comedic figure without losing his coolness) and the perfect job (being a detective is a reliable TV profession for this reason). Add in his friends Theodore "T. C." Calvin (Roger E. Mosley) - whose Island Hoppers helicopter can take Magnum anywhere - and Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright (Larry Manetti), whose King Kamehameha Club can be the origin for all manner of intrigue - and you can see why this series ran for so many years.
While T. C. and Rick are former Marines and Magnum is a former Navy SEAL - all served in Vietnam - none of them are shell-shocked zombies. They're normal human beings who deal with their war experiences in their own way, which was a refreshing change for audiences - especially veterans - when the show started.
Magnum was such a big show that even other big shows crossed over with it, establishing a CBS detective show universe. In the episode "Ki'is Don't Lie," Magnum works with Simon & Simon to recover a cursed artifact, a mystery which had its conclusion in their show with the episode "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend." Yet most famously, in "Novel Connection," novelist Jessica Fletcher came to Hawaii - along with Jessica Walter and Dorothy Loudon - and then solved the case on her show, Murder, She Wrote, in the episode "Magnum on Ice."
Speaking of guest stars, all manner of genre favorites appeared on this show, including Jenny Agutter, Talia Balsam, Ernest Borgnine, Candy Clark, Samantha Eggar, Robert Forster, Pat Hingle, Mako, Patrick Macness, Cameron Mitchell, Vic Morrow, John Saxon and many more.
Another reason why this show is so beloved is due to Selleck. He told producers, "I'm tired of playing what I look like." His suggestion? He remembered having fun with James Garner on The Rockford Files and suggested making Magnum more of blue collar guy. This made him more identifiable with men, not just women.
One of the things that struck me as I caught up on the series was that the theme is different at the start! The original theme was written by Ian Freebairn-Smith and only lasted eleven episodes before being replaced with the iconic Mike Post and Pete Carpenter song that I hum all of the time.
At the end of the seventh season, Magnum died in a shoot out. I can't even explain how upset everyone was. The letters page in TV Guide was aghast. Imagine if Twitter existed in the late 80s! Luckily, he came back for one shorter season.
Series creator Donald P. Bellisario - who created this show with Glen A. Larson - was born in North Charleroi, PA. I can probably see his house from mine. After fifteen years in advertising, he went to Hollywood, where he worked on the series Black Sheep Squadron and Battlestar Galactica before creating series like Tales of the Golden Monkey, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG and NCIS. He was joined by writers like Richard Yalem (who made Delirium), Reuben A. Leder (A*P*E*, Badlands 2005), Jay Huguely (Jason Goes to Hell), Andrew Schneider (the "Stop Susan Williams" and "Ther Secret Empire" chapters of Cliffhangers!), Stephen A. Miller (My Bloody Valentine), J. Miyoko Hensley (who wrote the Remo Williams: The Prophecy pilot) and even notorious celebrity fixer and detective Anthony Pellicano, as well as directors like David Hemmings (yes, from Deep Red), John Llewellyn Moxey, Jackie Cooper and Robert Loggia, amongst so many others.
Magnum lives in the guest house of an opulent 200-acre beachfront estate known as Robin's Nest. At some point, he provided services for its owner, world-famous novelist Robin Masters (voiced by Orson Welles for all but the final time when Red Crandell spoke for the character) and he's been allowed full run of the estate and use of the author's Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS in exchange for some nebulous security detail. In between, he takes on cases that rarely pay and often put his life in danger.
His archnemisis is Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (John Hillerman). Like Magnum, he's also ex-army, but he's by the book while our hero is laid back. He's in charge of Robin's estate, patrolling it with his twin Doberman, Zeus and Apollo. The relationship grows and changes as the series progresses, going from antagonistic to near friendship by the close, as well as the suspicion that Higgins is Robin Masters.
Magnum has a near-perfect storytelling engine as it has the perfect setting (all manner of people come to Hawaii for vacation or to escape), the perfect characters (Magnum can be just as much a film noir hero as he can be a military man or a romantic leading man; he's a comedic figure without losing his coolness) and the perfect job (being a detective is a reliable TV profession for this reason). Add in his friends Theodore "T. C." Calvin (Roger E. Mosley) - whose Island Hoppers helicopter can take Magnum anywhere - and Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright (Larry Manetti), whose King Kamehameha Club can be the origin for all manner of intrigue - and you can see why this series ran for so many years.
While T. C. and Rick are former Marines and Magnum is a former Navy SEAL - all served in Vietnam - none of them are shell-shocked zombies. They're normal human beings who deal with their war experiences in their own way, which was a refreshing change for audiences - especially veterans - when the show started.
Magnum was such a big show that even other big shows crossed over with it, establishing a CBS detective show universe. In the episode "Ki'is Don't Lie," Magnum works with Simon & Simon to recover a cursed artifact, a mystery which had its conclusion in their show with the episode "Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend." Yet most famously, in "Novel Connection," novelist Jessica Fletcher came to Hawaii - along with Jessica Walter and Dorothy Loudon - and then solved the case on her show, Murder, She Wrote, in the episode "Magnum on Ice."
Speaking of guest stars, all manner of genre favorites appeared on this show, including Jenny Agutter, Talia Balsam, Ernest Borgnine, Candy Clark, Samantha Eggar, Robert Forster, Pat Hingle, Mako, Patrick Macness, Cameron Mitchell, Vic Morrow, John Saxon and many more.
Another reason why this show is so beloved is due to Selleck. He told producers, "I'm tired of playing what I look like." His suggestion? He remembered having fun with James Garner on The Rockford Files and suggested making Magnum more of blue collar guy. This made him more identifiable with men, not just women.
One of the things that struck me as I caught up on the series was that the theme is different at the start! The original theme was written by Ian Freebairn-Smith and only lasted eleven episodes before being replaced with the iconic Mike Post and Pete Carpenter song that I hum all of the time.
At the end of the seventh season, Magnum died in a shoot out. I can't even explain how upset everyone was. The letters page in TV Guide was aghast. Imagine if Twitter existed in the late 80s! Luckily, he came back for one shorter season.
Series creator Donald P. Bellisario - who created this show with Glen A. Larson - was born in North Charleroi, PA. I can probably see his house from mine. After fifteen years in advertising, he went to Hollywood, where he worked on the series Black Sheep Squadron and Battlestar Galactica before creating series like Tales of the Golden Monkey, Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG and NCIS. He was joined by writers like Richard Yalem (who made Delirium), Reuben A. Leder (A*P*E*, Badlands 2005), Jay Huguely (Jason Goes to Hell), Andrew Schneider (the "Stop Susan Williams" and "Ther Secret Empire" chapters of Cliffhangers!), Stephen A. Miller (My Bloody Valentine), J. Miyoko Hensley (who wrote the Remo Williams: The Prophecy pilot) and even notorious celebrity fixer and detective Anthony Pellicano, as well as directors like David Hemmings (yes, from Deep Red), John Llewellyn Moxey, Jackie Cooper and Robert Loggia, amongst so many others.
I want to be Magnum!!
dataconflossmoor7 July 2007
I think everyone wanted to be Magnum!! Tom Selleck was hilarious as Magnum PI!! He drove around the coolest car, all the women loved him, and he was a master of dodging in and out of precarious criminal situations in an effortless and likable way! Picturesque Hawaii was another positive aspect to this series!! I visited Hawaii when I was a senior in high school!! In my opinion, it is the most beautiful state in the union!!! Tom Selleck is a fabulously famous movie star now, but I always associated him with being "Magnum" the totally cool detective!! "Magnum" is one of my favorite shows in all of television!! Tom Selleck is a friendly type of actor who has a huge following!! "Magnum P.I." was so popular because your average guy had a definite identifiability with Magnum!! The helicopter scenes were classic, and the athletic interludes of Magnum being the ultimate man, left a very favorable impression on the television audience!! Let's face it, Tom Selleck was the best part of "Magnum P.I." without question... beyond a shadow of a doubt!! I give this show an extremely high rating!! 10 out of 10 is the least of it!
Scenic & Well Produced, Written, & Acted
DKosty1233 January 2007
John Hillerman & Tom Selleck are a perfect balance to each other to anchor this series. They play off each other very well & even though Sellick used this as a springboard for his entire career, Hillerman is most often remembered for this show. The island setting for this show & the photography are top notch.
Glen Larsen & Donald Bellisario both have done great work in many series with varying degrees of success. Both have had hit shows besides this one, & sometimes not so successful. You don't think of Ba Ba Black Sheep & Battlestar Gallactica when you think of Bellsario/ Larsen, but of Quantum Leap, Knight Rider, Qunicy & Jag among others. Both men were born in the mid 1930's which puts them in the same class.
They have nothing to be shamed of in their work on this series which ran a very successful 164 episodes in the 1980's. The shows hold up pretty well even after all these years. This show was no small part of a successful CBS group in the 1980's. Catch it when you can, as I recently caught the pilot 2 hour premiere on a rerun.
The first show introduces Hillerman & Sellecks characters & the motivation behind the feud they always have during the series run. There is always plenty of eye candy for the guys, to go with the other natural great scenery. Always plenty of action for the detective fan in this show too.
Glen Larsen & Donald Bellisario both have done great work in many series with varying degrees of success. Both have had hit shows besides this one, & sometimes not so successful. You don't think of Ba Ba Black Sheep & Battlestar Gallactica when you think of Bellsario/ Larsen, but of Quantum Leap, Knight Rider, Qunicy & Jag among others. Both men were born in the mid 1930's which puts them in the same class.
They have nothing to be shamed of in their work on this series which ran a very successful 164 episodes in the 1980's. The shows hold up pretty well even after all these years. This show was no small part of a successful CBS group in the 1980's. Catch it when you can, as I recently caught the pilot 2 hour premiere on a rerun.
The first show introduces Hillerman & Sellecks characters & the motivation behind the feud they always have during the series run. There is always plenty of eye candy for the guys, to go with the other natural great scenery. Always plenty of action for the detective fan in this show too.
Meet Mr Detective 80's Friendly!!
edwinalarren7 July 2007
Everyone loved Tom Selleck as the mischief making private investigator Thomas Magnum... This cavalier Casanova who always had teenage boy intuitions via his tiny little voice was the ideal guy, he got to drive a Ferrari, the women thought he was so good looking and athletic, and the male T.V Viewers had an overt admiration of Thomas Magnum's innocent chicanery! Always thwarting Higgins, he was the type of guy everyone wanted to be just like!! This was Tom Selleck's big break, he was a soap opera star before "Magnum" and even a contestant on "The Dating Game" ... "Magnum" is what put Tom Selleck on the superstar map, and since "Magnum" he has been tremendously successful as a big box office movie star!! People identify "Magnum" with Tom Selleck, and love the show because of him!! So did I!!
This show will make you want to grow a thick mustache.
ThunderKing67 July 2019
Classic.
Good show. Its another gem that doesn't need to take its self seriously or be PC.
Its not a police or a detective show. The show is basically about solving personal or other peoples problems.
Higgins and Magnum actor does a splendid job.
Good show. Its another gem that doesn't need to take its self seriously or be PC.
Its not a police or a detective show. The show is basically about solving personal or other peoples problems.
Higgins and Magnum actor does a splendid job.
The Original is the Original
shelbythuylinh14 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It made Tom Selleck a star. And that it helped over in where Vietnam Vets were in the adjusting to after life from the war that was not popular and controversial put a positive spin.
As a Navy SEAL and wanting to retire and enjoy life and yes try to escape from Higgins dogs there. Like in the revamped version.
He is aided by his buddies and ex-military colleagues Rick and TC. Question is Higgins possibly that of multi-millionaire Robin Masters?!
As a Navy SEAL and wanting to retire and enjoy life and yes try to escape from Higgins dogs there. Like in the revamped version.
He is aided by his buddies and ex-military colleagues Rick and TC. Question is Higgins possibly that of multi-millionaire Robin Masters?!
I know what you're thinking: Decent Entertainment That Unfortunately Seems Dated -- Hillerman Steals the Show
classicalsteve17 March 2009
In the mid 1970's until the mid 1980's, television offered a vast assortment of action-adventure-mystery thrillers, such as Charlie's Angels, Simon & Simon, and the Rockford Files. And in the middle of the pack was Magnum P.I. Funny how in some ways it doesn't seem that long ago but Magnum P.I. was from another age. All those shows had a certain stylized "look" that is very identifiable and different from today. And at the time, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the World Wide Web was just a germ of an idea in Switzerland, IBM's new PC had only two floppy drives (no hardisk), and only rich people had answering machines. Most televisions were color but the sound was only mono. Can you believe it was almost 30 years ago at this writing that Magnum P.I. first aired which seemed so fresh and original at the time?
If you were a young American in the early 1980's (I was in Junior High at the time), you were probably familiar with the electric guitar riff that accompanied the slick red Ferrari streaking through the back streets of Oahu in Hawii at 8:00pm on Thursday nights. Magnum was the coolest of the cool. In addition to the Ferrari, he has the best job in the world: he provides security at the estate of a wealthy and faceless mystery-romance writer named Robin Masters who is never seen throughout the run of the show, a bit like Charlie of Charlie's Angels. Although, we never hear him either. His wishes are relayed through his most loyal British right-hand man, Jonathan Higgins, played to the hilt by the incomparable Tony Hillerman. Higgins seems a cross between General Montgomery (of WWII fame) and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. So Magnum has free lodgings which allows him to be a private investigator. His only hindrance is Higgins. And of course Magnum's voice-over adds a bit of the noir investigator flair of the 1940's.
Except for a few episodes dealing with Vietnam (which are some of the best), Magnum rarely rose above the straight-forward pure entertainment TV action sequence. Aside from a couple of excellent actors like Tony Hillerman as Higgins and Jeff McKay as Mac Reynolds, it's entertainment that rarely transcends itself. In the wake of more recent drama series like Law and Order and The West Wing, Magnum's plots seem rather linear and predictable. He is always hired by gorgeous women who probably just finished their stint with Vogue Magazine. And then Magnum drafts his two best friends, Rick and TC, to help him with the case. Unfortunately, both the acting and the writing of Magnum's friends were marginal at best and down-right poor at worst. Sometime during the episode, the woman who hired Magnum might be a potential love interest.
Of course, you always knew who the bad guys were from beginning until the end. They were always in sport coat and polyester shirt without a tie. You know the look, with the shirt collar pulled over the plaid lapels. I guess they never wear ties in Hawii. And there were usually five or six of them working for the head guy, often a drug ring or some kind of political corruption. And of course the bad guys got it in the end, usually being run over by garbage cans in some god-forsaken hideout in the last few minutes of the show.
If you look closely at the show today, in some ways the real talent is Tony Hillerman. Hillerman, a bona fide Texan, plays Higgins with just the right amount of upper-lip (but not too much) to convince you that he is a Brit formerly of the English aristocracy. He has two Doberman Pinschers, Zeus and Apollo, whom Hillerman is always sicking at Magnum, again some of the best moments of the show. The writing for Hillerman along with his acting are some of the most memorable of Magnum, rather than the throw-away characters Rick and TC who seem more like caricatures than people. Strangely, a weird chemistry evolved between Hillerman and Selleck which saves the show from being a total cliché. Somehow the fact they are nearly opposite in every way made for an interesting dynamism which kept the show together. Which holds to my theory that some of the best actors are in fact of the supporting variety rather than the "stars", who are there more for charisma and presence than character-acting ability. Hillerman, in my judgment, is the real star of the show.
All things considered Magnum P.I. is not a bad show, but it is not a great show either. Aside from the Higgins/Hillerman character, it is very much entrenched with the style and vogue of the era which still relied on the tried-and-true formula of good versus bad in a singular storyline, unlike the West Wing and other shows whose writers recognized the need for overlapping non-linear stories which may or may not be resolved by the end. Maybe if Magnum had had a little bit less resolution it would stand up better today. Or maybe the bad guys should have won a few times. To the show's credit, Selleck didn't always get the girl. But she still wanted him regardless, and maybe that's why the show is a little bit dated today.
If you were a young American in the early 1980's (I was in Junior High at the time), you were probably familiar with the electric guitar riff that accompanied the slick red Ferrari streaking through the back streets of Oahu in Hawii at 8:00pm on Thursday nights. Magnum was the coolest of the cool. In addition to the Ferrari, he has the best job in the world: he provides security at the estate of a wealthy and faceless mystery-romance writer named Robin Masters who is never seen throughout the run of the show, a bit like Charlie of Charlie's Angels. Although, we never hear him either. His wishes are relayed through his most loyal British right-hand man, Jonathan Higgins, played to the hilt by the incomparable Tony Hillerman. Higgins seems a cross between General Montgomery (of WWII fame) and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. So Magnum has free lodgings which allows him to be a private investigator. His only hindrance is Higgins. And of course Magnum's voice-over adds a bit of the noir investigator flair of the 1940's.
Except for a few episodes dealing with Vietnam (which are some of the best), Magnum rarely rose above the straight-forward pure entertainment TV action sequence. Aside from a couple of excellent actors like Tony Hillerman as Higgins and Jeff McKay as Mac Reynolds, it's entertainment that rarely transcends itself. In the wake of more recent drama series like Law and Order and The West Wing, Magnum's plots seem rather linear and predictable. He is always hired by gorgeous women who probably just finished their stint with Vogue Magazine. And then Magnum drafts his two best friends, Rick and TC, to help him with the case. Unfortunately, both the acting and the writing of Magnum's friends were marginal at best and down-right poor at worst. Sometime during the episode, the woman who hired Magnum might be a potential love interest.
Of course, you always knew who the bad guys were from beginning until the end. They were always in sport coat and polyester shirt without a tie. You know the look, with the shirt collar pulled over the plaid lapels. I guess they never wear ties in Hawii. And there were usually five or six of them working for the head guy, often a drug ring or some kind of political corruption. And of course the bad guys got it in the end, usually being run over by garbage cans in some god-forsaken hideout in the last few minutes of the show.
If you look closely at the show today, in some ways the real talent is Tony Hillerman. Hillerman, a bona fide Texan, plays Higgins with just the right amount of upper-lip (but not too much) to convince you that he is a Brit formerly of the English aristocracy. He has two Doberman Pinschers, Zeus and Apollo, whom Hillerman is always sicking at Magnum, again some of the best moments of the show. The writing for Hillerman along with his acting are some of the most memorable of Magnum, rather than the throw-away characters Rick and TC who seem more like caricatures than people. Strangely, a weird chemistry evolved between Hillerman and Selleck which saves the show from being a total cliché. Somehow the fact they are nearly opposite in every way made for an interesting dynamism which kept the show together. Which holds to my theory that some of the best actors are in fact of the supporting variety rather than the "stars", who are there more for charisma and presence than character-acting ability. Hillerman, in my judgment, is the real star of the show.
All things considered Magnum P.I. is not a bad show, but it is not a great show either. Aside from the Higgins/Hillerman character, it is very much entrenched with the style and vogue of the era which still relied on the tried-and-true formula of good versus bad in a singular storyline, unlike the West Wing and other shows whose writers recognized the need for overlapping non-linear stories which may or may not be resolved by the end. Maybe if Magnum had had a little bit less resolution it would stand up better today. Or maybe the bad guys should have won a few times. To the show's credit, Selleck didn't always get the girl. But she still wanted him regardless, and maybe that's why the show is a little bit dated today.
A great TV show then and now.
newhavencoliseum1 July 2008
I actually happened into the first airing of the pilot episode by pure chance of changing the channels. I was in 10th grade at the time. I faithfully watched Magnum P.I. through its eight season run, and completely enjoyed everything about the program. When a teacher at High School couldn't get his door unlocked, we used to say to him "work the lock, Magnum. Don't look at the dogs" and he would throw the whole class out to "the bullpen" as he called "study hall". Anyway, I remember at one time CBS had "Wednesday's Heroes" Mike Hammer at 8pm, MAGNUM P.I. at 9pm and The Equalizer at 10pm. Anyway, after Magnum P.I. ended after season eight, I did not faithfully follow any TV show every week until "The Shield" premiered on FX! I have purchased Magnum P.I. DVD Sets for season's 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8. I enjoy watching the show as much now as I did when it originally aired. It is something to see that there were no cell phones and no internet information superhighway while the show was on. This is an excellent TV show from the 1980's that has aged fairly gracefully.
I love Magnum, but
Rdkimmins25 January 2021
I have several problems with Magnum. First, Magnum too often reads the dialogue, but I suspect it's a way for Tom Selleck to keep from memorizing his lines. Also, there is too much time watching the car doing ordinary things like pulling out of the driveway and same goes for the helicopter. Last, I get tied with the constant bickering between Magnum and Higgins.
Did You See the Sunrise?
stormy_daze12 December 2005
I admit it: I didn't watch this show when it first aired. I was an 80's kid, so I was far more concerned with shows like Ducktails and Tailspin than any dumb show about a P.I.
But, luckily, reruns have managed to re-introduce me to the world of the 80's shows. I've since become rather obsessed with my "three 80's M's" -- Matlock, M*A*S*H and Magnum.
All I can say is, this ain't no Macguyver. Tom Magnum is NOT a PC guy left-wing activist who makes speeches at the end of the episode on the environment, or who can build a nuclear reactor from a piece of gum and a shoestring. Magnum is, as his name suggests, the kind of guy who shoots first and asks questions later. He always manages to get himself in trouble, and sort of mooches off his friends. He doesn't always know who is the bad guy, and he has been known to kill a few people in cold blood. He doesn't always say or do the right thing. He has some serious baggage, from his wife and daughter being killed (or were they??) and Vietnam. Some times-- well, quite often, he screwed up. His closest friends are usually in danger-- or killed-- because of him.
This makes it sound bad, I know, but you know, these are the things I love about Magnum. He's got baggage, he's not all together, he's a bit messed up. Not seriously psychotic, you understand, but not all together. I love Magnum: the play between him and Higgins is just delightful, and his poor mooched off friends just can't say no to him, hard as they try. And, you know he's like that, but you love him anyway. Silly loud Hawaiian shirts and all. You can almost always count on at least one bar fight or car chase, He's sort of a gun-slinger of the 1980's America.
Magnum is first and foremost, Fun. Tom Selleck and cast are utterly delightful, and I think this show is quite underrated, because when you take away the car chases there are still first and foremost good story lines and good writing.
They have serious episodes, and they have silly ones. I tended not to like the sillier episodes: those episodes usually ranked as the best in the series stand up very well. They had good episodes and better episodes, I can only think of one or two eps in the entire series I just didn't like, but they aren't horrible, just not my taste. If you get a chance to see Did You See the SunRise parts 1 and 2, Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (I don't know if that's the real title) or any of them, really, you watch about 3 of them and you'll be hooked. Especially Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts, I think it's one of the best episodes ever. And the series finale was brilliant, really most of them were just fun but they had some utterly brilliant episodes. You really feel like you know Magnum, and I think it's because he's just a little messed up that makes him feel real to you. That and he talks to you: often he says things like, "I know what you're thinking, and you're right, I shouldn't have..." or "I know what you're thinking, but this time, you're wrong. Higgins is the one who..." I really wish I'd gotten into this series when it was on, and that I appreciated it for what it was, but alas, I did not. I'm just glad I had a second chance to appreciate what a brilliant and fun show this was. I hope someone else out there has the chance to watch this show and enjoy it-- or re-enjoy it, for the great show it was.
But, luckily, reruns have managed to re-introduce me to the world of the 80's shows. I've since become rather obsessed with my "three 80's M's" -- Matlock, M*A*S*H and Magnum.
All I can say is, this ain't no Macguyver. Tom Magnum is NOT a PC guy left-wing activist who makes speeches at the end of the episode on the environment, or who can build a nuclear reactor from a piece of gum and a shoestring. Magnum is, as his name suggests, the kind of guy who shoots first and asks questions later. He always manages to get himself in trouble, and sort of mooches off his friends. He doesn't always know who is the bad guy, and he has been known to kill a few people in cold blood. He doesn't always say or do the right thing. He has some serious baggage, from his wife and daughter being killed (or were they??) and Vietnam. Some times-- well, quite often, he screwed up. His closest friends are usually in danger-- or killed-- because of him.
This makes it sound bad, I know, but you know, these are the things I love about Magnum. He's got baggage, he's not all together, he's a bit messed up. Not seriously psychotic, you understand, but not all together. I love Magnum: the play between him and Higgins is just delightful, and his poor mooched off friends just can't say no to him, hard as they try. And, you know he's like that, but you love him anyway. Silly loud Hawaiian shirts and all. You can almost always count on at least one bar fight or car chase, He's sort of a gun-slinger of the 1980's America.
Magnum is first and foremost, Fun. Tom Selleck and cast are utterly delightful, and I think this show is quite underrated, because when you take away the car chases there are still first and foremost good story lines and good writing.
They have serious episodes, and they have silly ones. I tended not to like the sillier episodes: those episodes usually ranked as the best in the series stand up very well. They had good episodes and better episodes, I can only think of one or two eps in the entire series I just didn't like, but they aren't horrible, just not my taste. If you get a chance to see Did You See the SunRise parts 1 and 2, Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (I don't know if that's the real title) or any of them, really, you watch about 3 of them and you'll be hooked. Especially Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts, I think it's one of the best episodes ever. And the series finale was brilliant, really most of them were just fun but they had some utterly brilliant episodes. You really feel like you know Magnum, and I think it's because he's just a little messed up that makes him feel real to you. That and he talks to you: often he says things like, "I know what you're thinking, and you're right, I shouldn't have..." or "I know what you're thinking, but this time, you're wrong. Higgins is the one who..." I really wish I'd gotten into this series when it was on, and that I appreciated it for what it was, but alas, I did not. I'm just glad I had a second chance to appreciate what a brilliant and fun show this was. I hope someone else out there has the chance to watch this show and enjoy it-- or re-enjoy it, for the great show it was.
The very best on TV - ever.
marcos242 October 2002
Magnum,P.I. was and will remain the best TV series ever. It had it all: action, humour, tragedy and characters you believe in. No TV series will ever reach Magnum,P.I.'s quality. To all who have been involved in the creation of this fabolous icon of the 80s: Thank you!
One of the best defining series of the 80s
cjonesas22 March 2020
Magnum P.I. Was one of the best defining series of the 80s, if not the best.
The wonderful and powerful theme, the awesome sceneries, cinematography and ladies, the amazing cast, especially, Tom Selleck and John Hillerman, the awe-inducing, beautiful and most intelligent Dobermans, the nice and entertaining episodes with their various and constantly interesting adventures and happenings, the super-cute and funny narrative by Tom Selleck himself, among much much other things, were the reasons why this series was so successful, so unique and so amazingly entertaining.
His lively mustache, which the ladies died for, his towering height, his twitching of eyebrows and his most charming smile all up to his eyes were unique in this whole world and still are.
Never again, a series like that was created and never again will be.
The charming and charismatic Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck will forever live in our hearts and anchored in our memories and nobody will ever outdo his prowesses of that time.
Hawaii and the red Ferrari were enough to watch this series and enjoy it tremendously. He was the king of Hawaii.
Mr. Selleck my utmost congratulations to you. I, forever, will stay a fan of yours.
The wonderful and powerful theme, the awesome sceneries, cinematography and ladies, the amazing cast, especially, Tom Selleck and John Hillerman, the awe-inducing, beautiful and most intelligent Dobermans, the nice and entertaining episodes with their various and constantly interesting adventures and happenings, the super-cute and funny narrative by Tom Selleck himself, among much much other things, were the reasons why this series was so successful, so unique and so amazingly entertaining.
His lively mustache, which the ladies died for, his towering height, his twitching of eyebrows and his most charming smile all up to his eyes were unique in this whole world and still are.
Never again, a series like that was created and never again will be.
The charming and charismatic Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck will forever live in our hearts and anchored in our memories and nobody will ever outdo his prowesses of that time.
Hawaii and the red Ferrari were enough to watch this series and enjoy it tremendously. He was the king of Hawaii.
Mr. Selleck my utmost congratulations to you. I, forever, will stay a fan of yours.
As Time Goes By . . .
P_Cornelius16 April 2004
Hard to believe that Thirty-something Tom "Magnum" Selleck will soon be 60 years old. While Magnum was an entertaining series and a great post-Vietnam twist on the disillusioned P.I. of post World War II America, Selleck's best P.I. role, for my money, actually came as the anti-Jim Rockford, Lance White, on The Rockford Files. THAT should have been a series--in fact, I think it was originally intended to be one. Still, a decade long run as Magnum is hard to beat. Magnum was quality TV--far and above the likes of the A-Team, an unfortunate comparison I've seen made by other viewers in this commentary. Needless to say, today's dreck on TV can't touch Magnum.
The great Thomas Sullivan Magnum.
saculnamron2 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
*may contain spoilers*
I vaguely remember watching Magnum as a child and liking it then.
Recently I bought all four available season sets and fell in love with it all over again. What is there not to like? The cast gel together so well Larry Manneti (Orville "rick" wright) is brilliant. Roger E Mosley is TC and John Hillerman is Higgins. Higgins always pretends to be irritated to death by Our Thomas but he does care (honestly) The stories are engaging and I just love tom Sellecks narration. I like the dark overtones of the fact that these Vietnam Vets are still coming to terms with their experiences.
Favourite episode? the season 4 opener "Home from the sea " Magnum is thrown off his surf ski in an accident and forced to endure hours in the water. Cue heartbreaking childhood flashbacks. Will Higgins, TC and Rick get to him in time?. speaking of which all three are getting a funny feeling that something has happened to Magnum.How long can a person tread water for?
"I've got to do this for Dad"
This show had action, Tragedy, Romance, one hunky guy, beautiful scenery,a great cast , humour and a lot of touching moments. One of my favourite shows ever.
I vaguely remember watching Magnum as a child and liking it then.
Recently I bought all four available season sets and fell in love with it all over again. What is there not to like? The cast gel together so well Larry Manneti (Orville "rick" wright) is brilliant. Roger E Mosley is TC and John Hillerman is Higgins. Higgins always pretends to be irritated to death by Our Thomas but he does care (honestly) The stories are engaging and I just love tom Sellecks narration. I like the dark overtones of the fact that these Vietnam Vets are still coming to terms with their experiences.
Favourite episode? the season 4 opener "Home from the sea " Magnum is thrown off his surf ski in an accident and forced to endure hours in the water. Cue heartbreaking childhood flashbacks. Will Higgins, TC and Rick get to him in time?. speaking of which all three are getting a funny feeling that something has happened to Magnum.How long can a person tread water for?
"I've got to do this for Dad"
This show had action, Tragedy, Romance, one hunky guy, beautiful scenery,a great cast , humour and a lot of touching moments. One of my favourite shows ever.
They should have quit while they were still ahead
mts434 November 2023
The series was for years entertaining, with scripts that didn't take themselves too seriously and developed an interesting cast of characters. But, as with the great majority of series, the writing began to decline, whether it was due to turnover in the writing staff or loss of inspiration, to the point that it was a relief to see the final season come to a close. The series began taking itself too seriously, with plots involving trips to Vietnam to fight the bad guys, Magnum's love life in Vietnam that resulted in the birth of a child, and culminating with the absolutely ridiculous finale where Magnum --who had been out of the Navy for eight years/seasons-- rejoins the Navy. It was a terrible conclusion for a series that had been so much fun at one time.
Coolest P.I. Ever
SnoopyStyle2 September 2013
A man, his mustache, a Ferrarri, loyal friends, beautiful Hawaii .... What more could you want? Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) is employed on the Hawaiian estate of a wealthy absentee owner name Robin Masters. The estate is run by Jonathan Higgins (John Hillerman) who mostly tolerates Magnum's presence as head of security on the estate. Helicopter pilot TC (Roger E. Mosley) and club owner Orville 'Rick' Wright (Larry Manetti) are war buddies from Vietnam.
This is classic 80s Television. He is not only cool but very personable. Women love him and guys want to be him. He is eminently recognizable as an iconic TV detective. It does get a bit convoluted in the later years but overall, this is one of the best of the genre.
This is classic 80s Television. He is not only cool but very personable. Women love him and guys want to be him. He is eminently recognizable as an iconic TV detective. It does get a bit convoluted in the later years but overall, this is one of the best of the genre.
This was the show I wasn't going to watch!
hondo55116 June 2006
It's happened over the years at least a few times. Something becomes so popular that I decide it just can't be anything worthwhile, and then I find myself doing a complete 180. This guy Selleck was too good looking in an old Hollywood way (Clark Gable), his voice seemed an octave too high for a man of his size and looks, so damn many women were positively orgasmic when they talked about him and women are notorious for going after some really shallow males, and the few times I caught a scene or two flipping through channels, he seemed smug, or at least that's how I perceived him. And then one Thursday evening there was nothing on the network channels and nothing on any cable channel and I flipped on CBS just as Magnum P.I. started. It was the first two hour episode that introduced Michelle and had a spectacular gunfight at the end on the streets of Little Saigon. My two favorite movies have always been Rio Bravo and Casablanca, and this episode seemed to be an updated melding of the two. Like Duke in Rio Bravo, Magnum had loyal friends to back his play as he tries to set things right when no one else will help him, and like Bogie in Casablanca, Magnum has an ill-fated love affair he is going to have to give up to a higher duty. And then there was the gunfight at the end. After years and years of so-called do-gooders trying to get violence off the TV, and somewhat succeeding, there was a real hero like Duke or Bogie, who wasn't going to apologize for putting a few well deserved .45 slugs into a few bad guys. Women liked Magnum because he was so charming and good looking and mischievous like a little boy. I liked him because, like Duke and Bogie and Gable, for all of his faults, he was a man!
The show seemed too good to be true, a good looking old Hollywood sort of guy who carried my favorite pistol and wasn't adverse to using it, a show at times filled with humor, sometimes filled with drama, and Magnum, like Selleck, was just the sort of guy you always wanted for a friend in good times and bad. And then the next season or so there was the two hour episode that introduced Magnum's and T.C.'s old Soviet torturer and nemesis from Vietnam, Ivan, who just happened to be on the islands for a long weekend to "look up some old friends" and assassinate a world leader. Magnum and friends have to relive their haunted unresolved past in Vietnam, prevent an assassination, not only in Hawaii but also in other areas of the world, and seek justice and retribution when the powers that be can not put Ivan in jail. In the final 30 seconds of the show, Magnum with his .45 became as powerful an image on screen as Clint and his big .44, even it was only a curved 23" TV set!
I remember reading an article that discussed the types of TV shows popular during certain Presidential administrations. There was the straight forward, safe, family values sort of programs that reflected Eisenhower's quiet dignity in the '50s. In the early '60s during the Kennedy administration, Jack and Bobby's determination to right wrongs over missiles in Cuba or in mob-controlled unions gave us The F.B.I. and Robert Stack as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. Later, having shamefully abandoned Vietnam for purely political reasons, our Presidents like Nixon and Ford and Carter seemed rather impotent, like the always wimpy Alan Alda (Hawkeye) in M.A.S.H., and the always intimidated and beat up James Garner in The Rockford Files. Reagan got into the White House and suddenly his no nonsense, straight shooting philosophies, his search for right and wrong and black and white, and his jovial sense of humor was reflected in Thomas Sullivan Magnum or Magnum P.I. And just as suddenly TV had, in Selleck and Magnum, as good a character, if not better, as anything Hollywood had come up with for the larger screen in the previous 20 years.
Today I have four seasons of Magnum P.I. on DVD, and whenever I want something to watch and can not decide on something from my library, I pull out the private investigator in Hawaii and go back to a time not all that long ago, when life seemed somewhat more clear and safe, and certainly younger, and a tall man in a Tiger baseball hat and Hawaiian shirt, with a red Ferrari and a Colt .45 auto, went out to do the decent thing and right the wrongs of the day.
George Clooney or Vince Vaughn as Magnum P.I.??? You've got to be kidding!
The show seemed too good to be true, a good looking old Hollywood sort of guy who carried my favorite pistol and wasn't adverse to using it, a show at times filled with humor, sometimes filled with drama, and Magnum, like Selleck, was just the sort of guy you always wanted for a friend in good times and bad. And then the next season or so there was the two hour episode that introduced Magnum's and T.C.'s old Soviet torturer and nemesis from Vietnam, Ivan, who just happened to be on the islands for a long weekend to "look up some old friends" and assassinate a world leader. Magnum and friends have to relive their haunted unresolved past in Vietnam, prevent an assassination, not only in Hawaii but also in other areas of the world, and seek justice and retribution when the powers that be can not put Ivan in jail. In the final 30 seconds of the show, Magnum with his .45 became as powerful an image on screen as Clint and his big .44, even it was only a curved 23" TV set!
I remember reading an article that discussed the types of TV shows popular during certain Presidential administrations. There was the straight forward, safe, family values sort of programs that reflected Eisenhower's quiet dignity in the '50s. In the early '60s during the Kennedy administration, Jack and Bobby's determination to right wrongs over missiles in Cuba or in mob-controlled unions gave us The F.B.I. and Robert Stack as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. Later, having shamefully abandoned Vietnam for purely political reasons, our Presidents like Nixon and Ford and Carter seemed rather impotent, like the always wimpy Alan Alda (Hawkeye) in M.A.S.H., and the always intimidated and beat up James Garner in The Rockford Files. Reagan got into the White House and suddenly his no nonsense, straight shooting philosophies, his search for right and wrong and black and white, and his jovial sense of humor was reflected in Thomas Sullivan Magnum or Magnum P.I. And just as suddenly TV had, in Selleck and Magnum, as good a character, if not better, as anything Hollywood had come up with for the larger screen in the previous 20 years.
Today I have four seasons of Magnum P.I. on DVD, and whenever I want something to watch and can not decide on something from my library, I pull out the private investigator in Hawaii and go back to a time not all that long ago, when life seemed somewhat more clear and safe, and certainly younger, and a tall man in a Tiger baseball hat and Hawaiian shirt, with a red Ferrari and a Colt .45 auto, went out to do the decent thing and right the wrongs of the day.
George Clooney or Vince Vaughn as Magnum P.I.??? You've got to be kidding!
Laughable
Christopher37012 October 2023
I like the classic detective shows but this one just makes me laugh because the lead character played by Tom Selleck seems to bed a different woman in every single episode. I don't know why they had the character do that because it was obvious he was good looking, so what did he have to prove to viewers by bedding the woman guest star of each episode? You never saw Jim Rockford do that in every episode, or Hunter or Starsky & Hutch. I don't mind once in a while having the star detective fall for the client, it happens, but when he's bedding one in each freaking episode it becomes absurd, unbelievable and detracts heavily from the show.
It's like Tom Selleck was trying so hard to appear irresistible to viewers when all I kept thinking was how many STD's did that character rack up by the end of the series? I'm sure there are plots going on somewhere when he's not romantically nuzzling with his female client of the week, but i'm too busy laughing to notice. I have to rate it 2 stars because even with Magnum's unbelievable Lothario ways aside, the acting in this show is atrocious and 4 decades after it's airing, the show just doesn't hold up well and appears dated. The location shots of Hawaii are pretty though, hence the 2 stars, but i'll take the classic and timeless Jim Rockford any day over this underwhelming series.
And what was with that tiny little car he drove? Magnum was well over 6 feet tall and looked laughable squeezed into that little toy car. You could tell he'd never be able to fit into it with the roof attached, so I gather he just stayed home on rainy days? You'd think he'd get himself a more practical car...but I guess it helped to attract his female conquest of the week.
It's like Tom Selleck was trying so hard to appear irresistible to viewers when all I kept thinking was how many STD's did that character rack up by the end of the series? I'm sure there are plots going on somewhere when he's not romantically nuzzling with his female client of the week, but i'm too busy laughing to notice. I have to rate it 2 stars because even with Magnum's unbelievable Lothario ways aside, the acting in this show is atrocious and 4 decades after it's airing, the show just doesn't hold up well and appears dated. The location shots of Hawaii are pretty though, hence the 2 stars, but i'll take the classic and timeless Jim Rockford any day over this underwhelming series.
And what was with that tiny little car he drove? Magnum was well over 6 feet tall and looked laughable squeezed into that little toy car. You could tell he'd never be able to fit into it with the roof attached, so I gather he just stayed home on rainy days? You'd think he'd get himself a more practical car...but I guess it helped to attract his female conquest of the week.
The Heir to Rockford
Sargebri14 May 2004
Magnum to me is pretty much the logical heir to Jim Rockford in the fact that many of the same themes that were so prevalent on Rockford were on this show. Magnum to me was an ordinary guy who got caught up in extraordinary situations just like Rockford, but unlike Rockford Magnum still had many of the trappings of glamor that were associated with other detective series (ironically, Tom Selleck made several guest appearances on "The Rockford Files" playing the too good to be true Lance White). The other thing that I think made him endearing is the fact that he pretty much had a regular guy persona even though he was living in the lap of luxury and even though I wasn't as big a fan of this show as I was "Rockford" I can still see why this show was a classic.
And another thing, it wasn't just Selleck. This show could also be seen as an ensemble with Roger Moseley as T.C., Larry Manetti as Rick and, of course, John Hillerman as the stuffy Higgins all giving wonderful supporting performances.
And another thing, it wasn't just Selleck. This show could also be seen as an ensemble with Roger Moseley as T.C., Larry Manetti as Rick and, of course, John Hillerman as the stuffy Higgins all giving wonderful supporting performances.
Great show
ronbell-2398410 November 2022
One of the best of the 80's, this is a classic show, nothing to dislike here.
Tom Selleck was born to play Magnum, as was John Hillerman to play Higgins.
Excellent character, good stories and a lovely balance of seriousness, action and comedy.
This is a great show, I would recommend giving it a chance. It's easily as much fun as other well known shows from the 80's such as A Team or Knight rider, the list obviously goes on.
If you have watched the reboot I wouldn't bother trying to draw a comparison, as that is a reimagining of this original. From an enjoyability perspective, personally I prefer the original to the reimagined version.
Tom Selleck was born to play Magnum, as was John Hillerman to play Higgins.
Excellent character, good stories and a lovely balance of seriousness, action and comedy.
This is a great show, I would recommend giving it a chance. It's easily as much fun as other well known shows from the 80's such as A Team or Knight rider, the list obviously goes on.
If you have watched the reboot I wouldn't bother trying to draw a comparison, as that is a reimagining of this original. From an enjoyability perspective, personally I prefer the original to the reimagined version.
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