Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 16 of Magnum P.I. Season 5, called "Run With the Devil."
Magnum P.I. returned from a brief break for an episode that put Magnum and Higgins on the case of an Amish teenage girl who had come to Hawaii, only to go missing. Over the course of the investigation, they learned that young Hannah was not entirely who her younger brother Saul thought. Magnum and Higgins ultimately ran afoul of Sam Bedrosian, played by Better Call Saul's Patrick Fabian. He wasn't the main character of "Run With the Devil," but he was featured enough that I suspect Bedrosian is the character that Jay Hernandez previewed months ago... and I'm sad all over again that Magnum P.I. was cancelled.
Bedrosian was introduced as the boss of a "private equity group," but Magnum and Higgins quickly made it clear that they believed he had a very, very, very dark side. While they said they didn't care if he was involved in the murders of a bunch of criminals because they just wanted to find Hannah, he wasn't the way to find her. Ultimately, Bedrosian's men kidnapped Saul to try and get Magnum and Higgins to get back the $250,000 that was stolen for him, but they managed to kidnap Bedrosian instead to make a trade for Saul. In a parting shot, Bedrosian told them they'd "have to answer this," to which Magnum said that they'd be seeing him.
The episode ended without any closure for Bedrosian clearly developing a grudge against our heroes, but I still might not have thought that he'd have a recurring role on Magnum P.I. if not for what Jay Hernandez told CinemaBlend back in the spring. I spoke with the star about the midseason finale in April, and at the time, he previewed a character who was going to cause problems in the second half of Season 5. He said:
Some of these serialized aspects of the show are what I enjoy the most, and there's going to be – I'm trying to phrase it in the right way, so I don't spoil too much. There will be a character that comes into Magnum's life that is going to be causing him a lot of problems for a number of episodes, and even further into the show as a whole if we get picked up for the sixth season
If you've been reading CinemaBlend's Magnum P.I. coverage over the past few months, you may know that I've been wondering since before the fall premiere when this new character would be introduced. I certainly expected it to be sooner than when there were only four full episodes remaining of the entire series, but getting Patrick Fabian to play the character makes his debut worth the wait.
Jay Hernandez's comment that the character could be part of the show in the long run if NBC renewed for a sixth season just makes me wish all over again that the show could be saved for the second time. That seems unlikely at this point, particularly in light of what showrunner Eric Guggenheim said about a future beyond Season 5.
But how could I not wish that there would be time for Bedrosian to return and potentially become a full-fledged big bad beyond the few remaining episodes? Even the Magnum P.I. writers account on X was hyping Patrick Fabian's arrival:
New @magnumpi tonight! It’s got one of our favorite cold opens in some time. This ep also has the amazing @PatrickFabian and the lovely @maliamanuel #WatchLiveNovember 15, 2023
For now, I'll just hold out hope to see a bit more of Patrick Fabian as Bedrosian before the final credits roll on Magnum P.I. with Episode 20 of Season 5, and be happy that I finally know who Jay Hernandez was teasing all those months ago. The showrunner has already previewed that the finale won't end on a painful cliffhanger, but my money is on some stories still having very open endings. Fans can also revisit the full fifth season so far streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription and the first four seasons via Freevee.
