The Magnum PI The reboot is scheduled to officially conclude on NBC with the release of Season 5, Part 2 in 2024.
How broken meeting, NBC has decided not to order any more episodes of Magnum PI beyond the 20-episode fifth season, which taped last year. The outlet reports that NBC is expected to launch an “extensive campaign” for the series’ marketed final chapter, which consists of the remaining 10 episodes.
Magnum PI is based on the 1980-1988 series of the same name and first premiered on CBS in 2018. The series stars Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a role carried over from Tom Selleck in the original ’80s incarnation. Due to disagreements over royalties with Universal, CBS canceled the 2022 reboot of Magnum PI after four seasons. Shortly thereafter, NBC resumed the series for a 20-episode fifth season, which would be split into two parts.
Why did NBC just cancel Magnum PI?
The 10 episodes that make up Magnum PI Season 5 Part 1 aired on NBC from February 2023 to April 2023. Season 5, Part 2 is currently scheduled to air as part of the 2024 mid-season. However, Deadline reports that the new episodes could potentially arrive earlier depending on the impact of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
While Magnum PI Season 5, Part 2 is not expected to air until next year, cast options will expire in just a few days on June 30th. According to Deadline, this has “forced the issue now.” Apparently, NBC had three options: renew the show early for Season 6, expand cast options, or release the cast and end the show.
An early renewal of Season 6 was unlikely due to broadcasters’ reluctance to hand out pickups during the aforementioned WGA strike. Meanwhile, expanding options would have meant a lengthy suspension for the cast, since NBC would not have to make a decision about extending Season 6 for another year in this scenario. So the network ultimately chose option number three.