Watch Closely: Hawaii Five-0 And Magnum P.I.'s Crossover Is Filled With Easter Eggs

Alex O'Loughlin Steve McGarrett Katrina Law Quinn Liu Jay Hernandez Thomas Magnum Perdita Weeks Juli

(Image credit: Karen Neal / CBS)

The time is almost here! Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.’s highly-anticipated crossover is about to hit the airwaves, and you will want to watch it closely. There are even more reasons to be excited beyond the characters from the two shows hanging out. Why? Because the crossover is filled with Easter eggs.

In the crossover happening Friday, January 3, the two reboots will collide for an event that will provide ample inside winks to fans. Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.’s showrunner, Peter M. Lenkov, teased the abundance of Easter eggs for both shows during the crossover. On paying close attention to what unfolds, Lenkov told TV Insider:

There are a lot of Easter eggs that are nods to the shows. We're playing into the fact that the audience knows the shows well and these characters are discovering each other for the first time. It's very fun.

Prepare for Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.’s characters to learn a lot about each other! While viewers of both series are familiar with their backstories, it should all be new intel for the shows’ characters. So, sit back and watch the fun flow of information!

Whether you only watch Hawaii Five-0 or Magnum P.I., you will still want to stick around for both installments! Hawaii Five-0’s devoted fan base has had ten seasons to develop a keen understanding of it, while Magnum P.I. is currently in its second season.

Can you imagine the amount of Easter eggs that could have been worked in if MacGyver was also part of the crossover? Or if Tom Selleck or Donnie Wahlberg’s Blue Bloods character shared the screen? That would be quite a frenzied playground for CBS characters. There is certainly a lot for Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. to draw from without needing that extra infusion.

Speaking of references, Hawaii Five-0 already created a bit of a pickle for itself having previously referenced Tom Selleck’s Magnum P.I. as existing in its universe. The problem? Hawaii Five-0 referenced it as a show. Yep. The two series’ showrunner jokingly responded to the situation, which has taken on new meaning in light of the upcoming crossover.

The crossover should be a party! It all starts on Hawaii Five-0 as McGarrett and company end up pursuing a suspect in the theft of a classified list that contains the identity of undercover CIA agents. Cue Magnum P.I.’s Magnum and Juliet Higgins, who are after the same guy for a totally different reason. He is a husband suspected of cheating.

In a surprising development, McGarrett and Magnum will not instantly hit it off. Peter M. Lenkov teases that “conflict” will take root between the hopefully soon-to-be buddies when the crossover begins. Do not worry, though. Team Hawaii Five-0 and Team Magnum P.I. will still work together to resolve this whole situation. Shows that cross over together, stay together!

Excitement has been building for this crossover for more than a month. Originally announced back in November, it is about to make its way on-screen. Television has been going big on the crossover action between series lately. It will be interesting to see what Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.’s yields, as well as if the imminently returning MacGyver could someday take part in a sequel crossover of sorts.

See McGarrett and Magnum go toe-to-toe when the crossover event occurs as one of this winter’s premieres. Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.’s Easter egg-filled crossover happens on Friday, January 3 at 8 p.m. on CBS. New episodes of Hawaii Five-0 air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET and are directly followed by Magnum P.I. at 9 p.m. ET.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.