Why CBS Canceled Magnum P.I. Reboot After Five Seasons

A reboot of 1980s hit "Magnum P.I." might not have seemed like a sure thing in the 2010s, but the show proved successful enough for CBS throughout its run. Why, then, did the network cancel it after five seasons?

Back in the early '80s, Tom Selleck was cast as Indiana Jones, only to exit "Raiders of the Lost Ark" prior to filming. In truth, Selleck didn't have a choice, as CBS refused to let him out of his contract for a new series the network was planning to debut in December of 1980. Thankfully, that series was "Magnum, P.I." which turned out to be a big hit, launching Selleck's career and making him a household name in the process (though just missing out on playing Indiana Jones still had to hurt a little). The series ran for eight seasons and 162 episodes between 1980 and 1988, and its syndication run only further cemented it and Selleck's standing as a quintessential piece of 1980s pop culture.

30 years later, after Eva Longoria's bold idea for a "Magnum, P.I." sequel series never went anywhere, CBS thought it might try its luck again, rebooting "Magnum, P.I." for a whole new generation in 2018. This time, however, nobody had to disrupt a Steven Spielberg classic and we got a slick new comma-less title, too.

"Magnum P.I." starred Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a Navy SEAL turned private investigator and security consultant who, like his 1980s predecessor, lived in the guest house of a Hawaiian Estate named Robin's Nest. The estate belonged to author Robin Masters, who allowed Magnum to live in his guest house in exchange for the ability to mine his military past for novel ideas and his services as a security consultant. In his spare time, in order to make a salary, Magnum worked as a private investigator. It was all very similar to the original series, and much like that Selleck-led hit, it proved a success, running for 96 episodes over five seasons. In that time, however, CBS pulled the plug, only for NBC to step in and give the show a new home before once again cancelling it outright. For the full details of what exactly happened to the "Magnum P.I." reboot, we'll have to do some investigating of our own.

When the "Magnum P.I." reboot first debuted on CBS in September 2018, it was a modest start for the series, which premiered to a solid 8.12 million viewers before viewership figures dropped with each new episode that aired. The first season was averaging somewhere in the 5 million range but that ratings drop-off didn't seem to matter to CBS, which gave the show a full season order after initially ordering just 13 episodes. Things improved from there, with the network renewing the show for a second, third, and fourth season, all of which averaged a viewership of around 5 million (though season 2 saw a slight bump to the six million range).

Clearly, then, CBS was happy for "Magnum P.I." to chug along at the 5 million average mark, but by the end of the fourth season something changed. In May 2022, the same month the season 4 finale aired, "Magnum P.I." was one of several shows axed by CBS. At the time, Deadline reported that the show had been canceled as the result of a "business decision." Specifically, it seems CBS was struggling to agree the show's licensing fee with production company Universal Television in the wake of reduced ratings across the board for network series. According to the outlet, "Magnum P.I." was in an even more precarious position simply because it was produced by an outside studio, which worked against it at a time when CBS was looking to cut back on costs. 

CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl spoke to TVLine at the time, confirming the lack of agreement on licensing fees was a big factor in the decision to cancel "Magnum P.I." Kahl told the outlet, "You have some tough decisions to make and you have lots of factors — and I'm not going to rule [the licensing fee] out as one of them. It was a great team to work with, and one of the tougher decisions we had to make."Also working against the show, as noted by Deadline, was the fact that CBS was gearing up to debut a strong slate of drama pilots, including "Fire Country," "East New York," and "So Help Me Todd." 

The following month, however, NBC came to rescue, ordering 20 episodes of the show that would constitute a fifth season. The reprieve was short-lived however, as in June 2023 Deadline once again reported that the series would be coming to an end. This time, NBC opted not to renew the show amid the 2023 writers' strike, which lasted 146 days before coming to an end in September 2023. NBC was forced to consider its options in June due to the fact the actors' options were set to expire at the end of the month. Amid the uncertainty created by the strike, the network chose not to renew and the fifth and final season wrapped up on January 3, 2024.

After CBS canceled "Magnum P.I." in 2022, Jay Hernandez responded with a since deleted tweet that included a picture of the cast and a message that read, "All good things must come to an end. We made memories I'll be forever grateful for and thanks to each & every one of you for going on this wild ride with us. It's all love. Until next time." ​​Meanwhile, Hernandez's co-star Perdita Weeks shared a photo of the pair on her Instagram along with the caption, "That's Aloha from us at 'Magnum PI.' Huge thanks to everyone who made the wheels go round for four years on the wildest ride of my life. Ohana forever. And cheers to the best investigative partner a gal could have asked for."

After the show was rescued by NBC then canceled a year later, Hernandez once again took to X (formerly Twitter) where he not only revealed his idea for a "Magnum P.I." movie to tie up the loose ends, but spoke in negative terms about how the series ended. "I actually floated the idea of a standalone film," he wrote. "I suppose it's still possible. If I'm being totally honest I didn't love the show ending how it did. That being said, to all the #magnum #ohana thank you for always supporting us!"

Many other members of the cast and crew posted farewells to the show, including Weeks, T.C. actor Stephen Hill, and the "Magnum P.I." writing team X account which posted a message from showrunner Eric Guggenheim thanking the networks and the state of Hawaii. While Hernandez might not have been too happy with the way the show ended, then, it can at least enjoy its legacy as one of the best remakes of a TV show from the 80s.