I watched it and it was OK. Might be a fine show if it was completely different characters as someone else said I can't get past the fact that it isn't Tom Selleck and Higgings just isn't Higgins. I may watch another episode.
CBS repeated the first episode last night, and I tried to watch it with an open mind. I was only able to watch 15 or 20 minutes before I had to turn it off- I found the show absolutely horrible. They should have never tried to reboot this show- without Tom Selleck and John Hillerman, the new Magnum P.I. is basically a very hollow shell of the original.
I enjoyed the first episode. I didn't watch the original series until about the sixth season. I refused to watch it because I thought the premise was kinda lame. But after watching a couple of episodes I realized that it was a very good show and watched it fairly regularly afterwards, including reruns. So I was curious enough to catch the debut of this new series. Sure, it's only the first episode, but I have few quibbles. The Higgins character just doesn't seem right. In the original series his identity was somewhat ambiguous, although hinted as separate from Robin Masters. In this new series the distinction is made right from the start. More peculiar is casting the role to a much younger woman, which I think will greatly affect the traditional relationship between the Higgins character and Magnum. Smashing up the Ferraris was a silly plot point. I can see how the first car leads towards the second traditional model, but why destroy that one? It makes no sense, although the next episode will probably deal with that. I think that the success of the original series had a lot to do with Tom Selleck. His approach to the character made him likable and believable. I really seems odd to try a reboot without him (not that I would have expected that to happen), but I'm not quite sure...yet...if Hernandez is the right guy to take on such a classic, well defined role. Anyway, I liked the debut of the new show because I think it was a pretty good story and I thought the general vibe of the show was reminiscent of the original. But I think it might need to few more episodes or so to establish its own style.
The possibility that Higgins was Robin Masters was something that was brought up later in the original series too. There are first season episodes where Robin is shown, from the neck down, talking to Higgins on the phone. He was voiced by Orson Welles.
I thought it was horrible. But it will probably have a huge audience considering how much I also dislike the MacGyver and Hawaii Five-O reboots.
Yes, John passed in 2017 (if memory serves). Personally, I always felt that any reboot was pointless since the relationship between Magnum and Higgins were primarily what made the show special.
I think an off shoot of the original characters would be best, like Hawaii 5-0. I may check the new magnum out tonight
Yes, this is what I was vaguely referring to. I just thought it curious that Higgins’ identity was so clearly defined from the onset.
I watched tonight's episode (I have the premier episode DVR'd but have yet to watch it) and thought that it was ok. I am a fan of the original series and I think it set such a high standard for a detective series that the reboot will have a high time to match. I don't mind the new actors or that the character of Higgins is now a woman. It's still early in the series, so I hope viewers will give the show some time to develop into the complex show like the original. I will continue to watch.
Meh. I'd rather listen to music. More explosions and special effects as are most of the 'action' reboots.
Well, after watching Episode #2 last night, I have a slightly different perspective on this new series. It’s not the old Magnum P.I. dressed up in some new configuration, but more of a new take inspired by the original series. For me at least it clears up some arbitrary reservations, so I’m willing to wait out a few more episodes before offering up a general assessment. Again, I enjoyed the show; I was drawn in and entertained. At least the show has this going for it so far. The Higgins/Magnum relationship is going to be different. O.K. I get that. And there is some potential to expand how they work together, so it could get interesting, but it has the potential to fall flat too. It seems that there is a stable of Ferraris to access. Fine. Inelegant if you ask me, but fine. I’m not quite sold on Hernandez yet, but if the show is well written, he may be able to hold his own. Bottom line: Comparing this new series to the original I think is a bit of a mistake because that doesn’t seem to be the underlying point of this new show. The basic characters and parameters of the show are set and inspired by the original series, but the dynamics are different and don’t restrictively rely on the old show, making the possibility of a different and more varied series. I’m liking this new series...so far...and yeah, I know, it’s only a couple of episodes. But man, does it ever make me wish I could live in Hawaii and drive around in a Ferrari.
Did anyone else notice that the modern Ferrari that was crashed in the first episode was a 458 Spider, but the repaired car in the second episode is a 488 Spider? He must have sent it to Modena for the repair.
Where's the Kate and Allie reboot, where they would be a couple? How about a Small Wonder reboot where the parents are robots and the kids were real? A Bosom Buddies reboot where it's two women disguising themselves as men?
After experiencing the high quality production and writing and cinematic style of TV series such as Breaking Bad, Mr. Robot and Walking Dead, it makes every network drama/detective production seem like it was made by the same folks that made Blue Bloods and NCIS. If they could just shake that tone and look out of reboots, I might watch them. But they all have the same pacing, acting style and polished look with no real fresh and original situations. Heck, I'm beginning to appreciate old reruns of Mannix just for the photography and unique situations I'm now seeing for the first time because as a kid when it originally aired I just didn't want to see another drama and hear the by line "A Quinn Martin Production" which I know didn't produce Mannix, but detective shows didn't interest me back then. Right now as it is, given a choice between Magnum PI reboot vs a Mannix rerun, I'll watch Mannix. I'm finding some really interesting writing and plots in that show.
Magnum P.I. premiered this week in the UK. Looked good, though felt laboured and lacked the easy charm of the original. In fact, I’d say Tom Selleck would make a better Magnum now than the guy who played him in the reboot.
Been a while since i posted in this thread so I'll comment on the reboot. I like it! In fact, my whole family enjoys it. Much better than I expected but it is different than the original show. My 9 year old daughter says it is her favorite show. We haven't missed an episode yet and the series has been picked up for a second season. Also, Roger Mosley (TC) made an appearance on the show as the new TC's barber: I said outloud to my kids "Hey, there's TC!".... "Yeah dad, we know he's getting a hair cut"... "No, that is BOTH TC's together! The original actor from the original series and the current TC from this series". I didn't like the idea of a female Higgins at first but I think Perdita Weeks does a good job in this role. While the show isn't for everyone it is something we enjoy as a family. And anyone wondering about the 'stache -- he does have one but shaves it off:
