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Magnum P.I. reboot

Tiki Tom

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Maybe this should be posted under “you know you are getting old when…”

Are you ready for the Magnum P.I. remake?

Looks like they have set up shop in Hawaii and will start filming soon.
  • First and foremost, it was the chemistry between Selleck and the other characters that made the original work. I hope they can recapture that.
  • As with Five-0, I hope they keep the original theme music.
  • The red Ferrari is an absolute must.
  • Not to sound like a Neanderthal from the middle of the last century, but I’m a bit concerned about the Higgins role going to an attractive woman. Not because I think a woman cannot play the character but because I dread the inevitable romantic tension that will develop between Higgins and Magnum. (Never thought I’d see myself typing those words!) Enough said.
  • I think the idea of Vietnam vets ending up in Hawaii together is a bit more natural/plausible than Iraq veterans all ending up together in Hawaii.
  • I’d like to see them bring back Tom Selleck for cameos, playing the role of Robin Masters. And, of course, Robin Masters will have to be a social media/IT whiz and not anything as old fashioned as a famous novelist.
  • Is there room for another crime/espionage drama set on Oahu? Hawaii Five-0 seems to have that locked up right now. And, please, no cross-over episodes where the two shows become indistinguishable.
  • I like the Hollywood fiction that Hawaii is some kind of hotbed of international intrigue, but really it is a bit of a sleepy backwater. Just sayin.
All that said, I wish them luck and success. Magnum P.I. was a formative part of my young-adult years.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37761041/magnum-pi-reboot-gets-traditional-hawaiian-blessing

https://screenrant.com/magnum-pi-reboot-zachary-knighton-cast/

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/cbs-magnum-p-i-reboot-higgins-perdita-weeks-1202715781/
 

Skyhawk

Vendor
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Portland, OR
Maybe this should be posted under “you know you are getting old when…”

Are you ready for the Magnum P.I. remake?

  • I’d like to see them bring back Tom Selleck for cameos, playing the role of Robin Masters. And, of course, Robin Masters will have to be a social media/IT whiz and not anything as old fashioned as a famous novelist.
In the original it was eventually revealed that Higgins was Robin Masters.
 

Tiki Tom

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Oahu, North Polynesia
Magnum put a human face on the Vietnam veteran and helped erase a societal ugliness surrounding the war.:)

Very good point. I should have added that to my bullets. My older brother, who flew UH-1s in Vietnam, liked to point out inaccuracies about the show, but he basically liked that it gave a sympathetic human face to vets.

I wonder if Magnum is going to be an Iraq war veteran ?

My understanding is that, yes, they will plug-in the Iraq war where the Vietnam war used to be. Although I was initially skeptical about this, it has since been pointed out to me that there are several military bases on Oahu which could have served as final assignments before Magnum and his friends return to civilian life. There is a large military community on Oahu and the presence of Iraq vets probably isn't unusual at all. I concede the point.

In the original it was eventually revealed that Higgins was Robin Masters.

My recollection is that, in the final episode, Higgins almost admits to being Robin Master's (or maybe he does admit it) but then, at the last minute ---at Rick's wedding--- he recants, thus leaving the question up in the air. I might be wrong. It's been a decade since I watched the final episode. Hey! maybe I'll watch it again this weekend. That would be fun. Also, as I recall, Orson Welles was the telephone voice of Robin Masters in Season 1 (?) (maybe while Higgins was in the room, but I don't recall.) After Welles died, the plot slowly migrated to Thomas suspecting that Higgins was Robin Masters. But originally, Robin did indeed exist and that was not part of the story-line. Personally I think the mystery of Robin's identity added a little more depth to Higgins' character and if it were true, it would have been "perfect". But I also like the fact that I am still wondering.

IMHO, Jonathan Quayle Higgins III was one of the greatest characters of the era. I loved hearing his windy tales of his past exploits.
 

Lean'n'mean

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Nobody has mentioned the dogs, goddammit....Zeus & Apollo. Dobermanns are no longer in fashion so bring on the pitbulls, Tyson & Barrack.
And the Ferrari's gotta be electric though he should really be driving an American made automobile, no ?
 

Lean'n'mean

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Cloud-cuckoo-land
  • I’d like to see them bring back Tom Selleck for cameos, playing the role of Robin Masters. And, of course, Robin Masters will have to be a social media/IT whiz and not anything as old fashioned as a famous novelist.
Selleck as a computer nerd might push the bounds of credulity a little too far, however, it is rumoured that Mark Zuckerberg may have some free time on his hands soon & he'll likely be grateful for any lessons in acting he can get.
 

Harp

I'll Lock Up
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8,508
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Chicago, IL US
My understanding is that, yes, they will plug-in the Iraq war where the Vietnam war used to be. Although I was initially skeptical about this, it has since been pointed out to me that there are several military bases on Oahu which could have served as final assignments before Magnum and his friends return to civilian life. There is a large military community on Oahu and the presence of Iraq vets probably isn't unusual at all. I concede the point..

Best surfing in Hawaii is the Marine beach at Kaneohe, Oahu.:D Kaneohe Beach is preferable to Waikiki-too many GIs and Military Police, Shore Patrol at W.:eek:
Ditto Hotel Street.;)
 

Edward

Bartender
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London, UK
I wonder if Magnum is going to be an Iraq war veteran ?

Plausibly. That's what they did with the big screen version of The A Team. It maps on quite well, in that both conflicts involved considerable controversy and in both instances there are many stories of returning combatants struggling to settle back into 'normal' life, and feeling the need of some new challenge.

TBH, I liked the show at the time - I was six when it was first on and fourteen or so when it ended. I haven't retained the affection for it that I have for Th A Team (which I much preferred even then). It's fun a a period piece of the time, but tbh I'd much rather see something original now, even if similar, than a retread of Magnum.

As did The A-Team. :rolleyes:

Apparently so; one of two 'Da Nang 1970' A2s worn by Dwight Schulz in The A Team was on display in a US military museum somewhere for some years for that very reason.
 
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Hmmm...Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum...

wfOCjMP.jpg


Meh. He looks like a hot dog vendor at Comerica Park.
 

Seb Lucas

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Australia
I enjoyed Magnum back in the day but it was no masterpiece. Ultimately it was a Network series, a bit vanilla, with the odd cute idea. In theory they could do it justice but the female Higgins idea does sound inevitable and bad for the reasons Tom articulated. Let's hope they don't try to play it safe.
 
Messages
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I enjoyed Magnum back in the day but it was no masterpiece. Ultimately it was a Network series, a bit vanilla, with the odd cute idea...
I liked it well enough, but I think the show really survived because of the chemistry between Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger Mosley, and sometimes Larry Manetti, and the way they played with that through the characters. Like a lot of successful televisions shows over the years, it was both a product of it's era and a case of the right elements coming together at the right time. This reboot show might work, but they have to find a way to make it their own and not just a pale imitation of the original. That being said...

...In theory they could do it justice but the female Higgins idea does sound inevitable and bad for the reasons Tom articulated. Let's hope they don't try to play it safe.
I really hope they're not going to play the "sexual tension" card as has been mentioned. Even worse, they could follow the current "Let's revive this old show, but now it'll be a comedy!" trend. At least they didn't cast someone like Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, or Zach Galifianakis as Magnum; that would have been a sure sign of disaster.
 

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