RAFU STAFF REPORT
CBS has announced that it is not renewing “Magnum, P.I.” for a fifth season, meaning that the season finale was also the series finale.
Set in Hawaii, the show included two AAPI actors as regulars, Amy Hill (Kumu) and Tim Kang (Detective Katsumoto).
A reboot of the 1980-1988 show of the same name starring Tom Selleck, the new “Magnum” starred Jay Hernandez in the title role, Perdita Weeks as Higgins, Zachary Knighton as Rick, and Stephen Hill as T.C. Cast members from the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot were also featured.
Hawaii News Now anchor Stephanie Lum posted on Facebook on May 13, “A big shock for fans of ‘Magnum, P.I.’ and even the cast and crew. The CBS hit TV show is canceled just days after the Season 4 finale (on May 6). As Ben Gutierrez reports, ‘Magnum, P.I.’ wasn’t renewed because CBS didn’t want to pay the licensing fee to Universal Television studios, which produces the show.”
According to Deadline, “Magnum, P.I.” had better audience numbers than CBS dramas that were renewed, such as “S.W.A.T.” and “CSI: Vegas,” and was one of the 25 most watched shows on network television. However, when looking at the numbers among the 18-to-49 demographic (the key demo for advertisers), the show was in worse shape, ranking 16 out of 21.
Deadline reported that the cancellation came after a series of talks between CBS and Universal Television over how much the former was willing to pay the latter to license the show. Universal shows “The Equalizer” and the “FBI” franchise got renewed, but the lowest-performing of the batch got axed.
A fan of the show has launched a petition on Change.org with the following introduction: “Since its release in 2018, it has gathered millions of views every week. ‘Magnum, P.I.’ ranks 13th out of the 21 CBS scripted shows, which is better than a few other shows that have gotten renewed. We have a passionate fanbase determined to make change and give ‘Magnum, P.I.’ a well-deserved final season. There are so many more storylines left to explore and so many fans desperate for more.”
As of Wednesday, the goal of 10,000 signatures had been reached and the new goal was 15,000.
Hill, who appeared in 74 episodes of “Magnum,” posted on Facebook, “It’s been a dream to work with this cast, crew, writing and production staff for four seasons! The fans always kept us afloat. We love you all for your support!! Although shocked, we will move forward to other projects and have great memories to look back on.”
Hill recently announced that she will be providing the voice of Pei Pei in “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,” a new series starring Jack Black and coming to Netflix this summer. She was the voice of Grandma in “Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny” (2018-2019) and various characters in “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness” (2011-2016).
Her other recent TV credits include “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” “Just Add Magic” (47 episodes), “3 Year Plan” (10 episodes), “Black-ish” (2 episodes), “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (8 episodes), “Mom” (8 episodes), “Preacher” (6 episodes), “The Great Indoors” (4 episodes), and “UnREAL” (14 episodes),
Kang played Kimball Cho in 151 episodes of “The Mentalist” (2008-2015). His recent TV credits include “Cloak and Dagger,” “Madam Secretary,” “Lethal Weapon,” “American Horror Story,” “Chicago Justice,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Criminal Minds.”