Reboots and remakes have been some of the most popular and talked-about TV shows of recent years, and CBS is bringing back another series for another go with Magnum P.I. The show originally starred Tom Selleck (and his mustache) during its eight years on the air, but Selleck sadly won't reprise the role for the reboot. The good news is that an actor with the potential to reinvent the character in some exciting ways has landed the role: Jay Hernandez of Scandal and Suicide Squad will play the new Magnum.
In the Magnum P.I. reboot, Jay Hernandez will play the titular Thomas Magnum. The revamped take on the premise will present Magnum as a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who has left the Navy behind. Unable to let his SEAL training go to waste just because he's back from Afghanistan, Variety reports that Magnum decides to use his military skills and knowledge to become a private investigator. There's no confirmation at this point whether or not we can expect Magnum 2.0 to have a mustache, but my money is on no. There's no way any actor could pull off the Magnum mustache like Tom Selleck did, and Hernandez deserves the chance to make the role entirely his own with minimal comparisons to the original actor.
We've known that a Magnum P.I. reboot is in the works since back in October 2017. The minds behind CBS' Hawaii 5-0 and MacGyver (both of which are successful reboots) began developing a Magnum reboot, with The Blacklist producers on board as executive producers. The new team promised to update the show for the 21st century, which meant changing Magnum from a Vietnam veteran to an Afghanistan veteran. It was quite clear that the CBS reboot would go in a very different direction than the reboot/sequel ABC tried to cook up back in 2016.
The Magnum P.I. reboot got a pilot order from CBS back in late January; the casting of Jay Hernandez is a clear sign that the show is moving forward at a quick pace. Hernandez could be a solid choice for the leading role. He's different enough from Tom Selleck that viewers might not automatically begin comparing their performances, and he has plenty of experience on the small screen. Since 2012, Hernandez scored multiple episodes of Last Resort, Nashville, Gang Related, The Expanse, and (most recently) Scandal on ABC. He's clearly a versatile actor; it should be interesting to see how he works as the new Magnum, assuming the reboot gets a series order from CBS.
All things considered, the prospects of a series order are pretty good. CBS has had success with reboots from the team behind the reboot. Magnum P.I. has enough name recognition to guarantee that some will check it out no matter what, and it could be a lot of fun. We'll have to wait and see. For what you can watch now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to swing by our midseason TV premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule.
