Another classic TV series is set to be rebooted, this time courtesy of CBS, as the network has paid a large pilot-production commitment for a reboot of Magnum P.I., the 80s cop drama which starred Tom Selleck as a private investigator living in Oahu, Hawaii.
The rebooted new show is being penned by Peter Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim, who, you’ll be totally shocked to hear, are the duo behind the rebooted incarnations of Hawaii Five-O and MacGyver, which also air on CBS.
The reboot is being described as an update of the original series, following Thomas Magnum, a decorated ex-Navy SEAL having returned from Afghanistan who now repurposes his military skills into a private investigator gig.
The synopsis adds that “the new Magnum P.I. series will also explore a brotherhood forged by the trauma of combat, what it means to return home an ex-soldier, and a commitment to continuing to serve while in the private sector”.
Considering the more light-hearted, easily consumable nature of Lenkov and Guggenheim’s other two reboots, it’s hard to imagine their Magnum P.I. reboot will be heavily focused on the trauma of combat or anything similar, but you never know.
Former star Selleck is currently not attached to the series, and naturally won’t be back to play the lead role, but there’s a possibility he could make a cameo in the series considering he stars in another CBS show, Blue Bloods.
Does the world need any more reboots of 80s TV shows? Probably not, but that is the nature of television and entertainment in general. If CBS think enough people are watching other 80s reboots, they’ll keep commissioning them until the ratings drop dramatically.
#Peace.Love.MagnumPI
