It appears that Christmas in July doesn’t necessarily have to be a mythical idea partially geared by consumerism, because there are millions of people out there who woke up on July 1 to some amazing news. I speak specifically about Magnum P.I. fans, as the crime CBS drama has survived its cancellation from CBS with an official renewal order from the good folks at NBC. And even though the deal was officially announced after the witching hour came and went, Jay Hernandez and some of Magnum P.I.’s other stars were right there on social media celebrating the news with fans.
Specifically, NBC put in for a two-season renewal for Magnum P.I., with 20 more episodes ordered at the moment. The goal will be to split that order up into a pair of ten-episode seasons, and while that order is technically closer to a single season of episodes on CBS, beggars certainly can’t be choosers when it comes to non-guaranteed TV revivals. Even if the network had thrown its hat in for just a single wrap-up TV movie, the fandom would have still gone bananas, and rightfully so.
Magnum P.I. star Jay Hernandez, who was especially bummed when the cancellation first came down, hopped on Twitter to spread love and appreciation and all the other good vibes available, sharing this message:
It was a bit circuitous but we did it!Your love & support helped get us over the finish line, thank you & thanks to NBC for stepping up!Time to dust off the Aloha shirt! #ohana ❣️🍾😎🏝🌈🏎
Circuitous is probably putting it lightly, even though from an outsider’s perspective, it really didn’t take all that long for NBC to go public with its Magnum P.I. news. Especially not long enough for dust to have built up on any of Thomas Magnum’s spiffy shirts. Immediately after the cancellation, it wasn’t clear that any kind of future return was in the works, but the vocal and vibrant fandom’s efforts drew the attention of NBCUniversal at some point, though it wasn’t clear if the studio would decide to return the crime drama to broadcast primetime or shift it over to USA or even the Peacock streaming service. Now we know it's going back to linear television, and with the option for more seasons should these prove successful, according to Deadline.
The fans really stepped it up by renting out billboard space in Times Square in NYC, with the core #SaveMagnumPI message on display across a two-day stretch. Magnum star Stephen Hill was especially appreciative for that billboard, and recently shared a story about how that area of the city was where he worked in restaurants before making the dedicated leap into acting as a career. And it’s no surprise he was one of the stars celebrating the renewal news on Twitter with love for the fans.
aloha nui loa a hui hou 🙏🏿💪🏿✊🏿🌺❤
Co-star Zach Knighton, who has also been vocal during the fan campaign to get the show renewed, chimed in on Twitter with the following:
This one is for the FANS. You guys are AMAZING! ❤️ 🌈 🏝
Not that any of the cast and crew is likely pouting about NBC ordering up two more seasons of Magnum P.I., but co-star Tim Kang took to social media to reiterate how much the show relies on the support of the fandom, with this being a huge victory.
As I stated in a previous post, we couldn’t do #magnumpi without you all. Literally. Thank you. ❤️
Given that the Fall TV season isn't so far away, and that the networks already have their schedules being cemented, we're definitely not going to see anything from Magnum P.I. throughout the rest of 2022. But here's hoping NBC can quickly work out the filming logistics so that production can begin anew as soon as possible. I'd think fans can look forward to a summer premiere for Season 5, though it could happen earlier in the midseason if everything goes extremely smoothly.
While waiting to hear more about Magnum P.I.'s big return, you can check out the previous four seasons with a Paramount+ subscription.
