Magnum P.I. made its triumphant return to primetime in the 2023 TV premiere schedule thanks to NBC, less than a year after the show was cancelled at the end of Season 4 by CBS. After rescuing the hit show, NBC brought the full main cast back, and they picked up where they left off. That includes Kumu serving as what actress Amy Hill describes as “the voice of reason” to the characters… especially the men.
Amy Hill – who also opened up about feeling more connected to fans after the NBC renewal – has played Kumu going back to the first season. When she spoke with CinemaBlend for the fifth season, I noted that her character has been an anchor on the show, and she commented:
Oh, absolutely! I think, in many ways, I'm the solid one, the voice of reason. [laughs] I love them all, but especially the boys can go off on tangents. They get very distracted easily. So, even though they're really smart and talented, and if they focus, they can solve cases and they can do a lot of stuff, but at the heart of it, they're still like big boys. So there's a part of me that feels like I'm the house mother, as well. I take care of everyone.
I think it’s safe to say that sometimes the boys of Magnum P.I. definitely need a “house mother” of sorts! At least, I’d say that applies to Magnum (Jay Hernandez), Rick (Zachary Knighton), and T.C. (Stephen Hill) at certain points. Gordon (Tim Kang) doesn’t necessarily get distracted as easily as the other three! Even though Kumu isn’t the one most likely to find herself in a firefight or hostage situation or car chase, she’s pretty essential to those who do.
And that’s saying a lot for somebody whose job description is “cultural curator” in the opening narration! Amy Hill explained that Kumu runs tours of Robin Masters’ estate, including trying to “make sure that everything is accurate in terms of depiction.” That’s definitely not all that Kumu does on Magnum P.I., however, as the actress said:
She also, through the course of these seasons, has been sort of an extra help in solving cases. Like, I know a lot of people on the island. I also know a lot of information about flora and fauna that maybe they don't know. So if they find a twig in a certain location, I can say, 'Oh, well, that's not from that location, it comes from somewhere else.' That kind of stuff, those cultural little things that can help them solve a case. But I also know about laptops and I know how to make a cocktail and I know how to sing a Hawaiian lullaby to a baby, I know how to run heavy equipment. I know how to shoot an Uzi. It's a weird, weird, lovely character that surprises me when they write stuff in.
Even if Kumu is not exactly picking up an Uzi on a weekly basis, she has a lot of skills that have come in very handy over the years. When I noted to Amy Hill that her character is a woman of many talents, the actress agreed and then shared something else that she loves about Kumu:
I love it, at this age, too! I love that she's older, but she's not afraid to try new things or do new things or move ahead. She says yes to every challenge.
Magnum P.I. is rarely short on challenges for any of the main characters, and they can range from the deadly to the domestic. That has been a recipe for success for a lot of viewers, but the show was cancelled by CBS back in May 2022. It was reportedly a tough decision for the network and definitely rough news for fans. Luckily, after a couple of months, fans rallying for a rescue, and even a Times Square billboard, Magnum P.I. was saved and renewed for not one, but two seasons at NBC!
Four episodes of Season 5 have aired at the time of writing (and all so far are available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription), with new Magnum P.I. episodes airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Even if the show can’t last forever (per Jay Hernandez’s funny take, anyway), there’s a lot to look forward to for the foreseeable future!
