Blue Bloods is in something of a unique spot at CBS, where it sits as one of the few remaining marquee dramas in the network’s primetime slate that is yet to be renewed for the 2023-2024 TV season. The chances are good that viewers will get to see Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan chowing down during the weekly family dinners for at least one more season, if not more. But we don’t have to wait very long to see star Tom Selleck enjoying a big reunion with his former Magnum P.I. co-star Larry Manetti, who was revealed to be popping up as a Blue Bloods guest star in an upcoming episode.
Donnie Wahlberg, who is known to light up social media with smile-filled posts about his NYOTB touring and the Blue Bloods fandom, shared an excellent pic on Instagram revealing the big Magnum P.I. reunion that’s on the way. Check it out!
Maybe it’s just me, but I think both O.G. Thomas Magnum and O.G. Rick Wright would be proud to still be kicking it and looking as dapper as Tom Selleck and Larry Manetti do 30+ years down the line. Shockingly, even though we’re currently in the midst of Blue Bloods’ 13th season, this will be the first time that Manetti has graced the NYC-set drama with his presence.
Wahlberg confirms that Manetti is indeed serving in a guest-star capacity, and didn’t just pop by the set for anecdote-sharing purposes. And he shared the same thought that I’d assume most Magnum P.I. fans had as soon as they saw the picture: it’d be amazing to see the duo joined by former co-stars Roger E. Mosley and John Hillerman. Sadly, the latter passed away back in 2017 after being retired for nearly 20 years, while Mosley died more recently, in August 2022.
Tom Selleck has reunited with other past co-stars over the years (such as fellow Jesse Stone TV movie vet Gloria Reuben), but I can only hope that this top-notch Magnum get-together didn’t come together as a final hoorah before the network drama bids viewers farewell. That might just be pessimism sinking in due to the seemingly endless glut of TV cancellations being announced.
Regular CBS viewers likely recognize Larry Manetti for projects other than the old school Magnum P.I., too, considering he popped up in Jay Hernandez’s Hawaii-set reboot on two occasions as Nicky “The Kid” DeMarco, a role he originated on Hawaii Five-0 back in 2013, and last portrayed in 2019. It’d be wild if he’s returning as Nicky within Blue Bloods’ universe, but we’ll have to wait on character info.
Considering Tom Selleck will never pop by the now-on-NBC Magnum P.I., Manetti’s upcoming guest spot is probably the best outcome possible for fans of the original run. Now if we could just get Courteney Cox on there to account for Selleck’s Friends work, that would be Bingo.
Blue Bloods airs Friday nights on CBS at 10:00 p.m., with the ratings-crushing Fire Country as its lead-in. Episodes are available to stream the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
