Normally, this is the time of year when television fans start to get excited about their favorite shows returning to the air and joining some new programming for the fall season. Unfortunately, the 2023 TV premiere dates are going to be quite a bit light when it comes to new content from returning series in the fall (along with brand new scripted programming), because of the WGA writers strike, which began in May, and the SAG-AFTRA strike, which started on July 14. But, it looks like even though Magnum P.I. is canceled, it's going to be extremely important on the fall schedule.
What’s Going On With Magnum P.I. And The NBC Schedule?
As long-time TV watchers know, most shows that begin in the fall wrap up in the spring of the following year, and in the summer the writer’s rooms usually begin to reconvene to start work on the next season. Seeing as how the writers were on strike this year, it means that a lot of scripted content is on hold for the foreseeable future. However, NBC just announced its fall premiere dates, and it looks like the recently re-canceled Magnum P.I. is going to help the network when it comes to new content as it’s one of the few scripted shows that will debut brand new episodes before the end of the year.
The Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks (who shared a sweet post about riding off into the sunset)-starring show will return to NBC on Wednesday, October 4 to bring viewers Season 5B, with all new episodes streaming the next day to those with a Peacock subscription.
It will be joined on the fall schedule by the return of Quantum Leap for Season 2 and Transplant Season 3. We’ll also see two new scripted dramas, The Irrational (with Law & Order franchise actor Jesse L. Martin) and Found (starring Shameless cast member Shanola Hampton and Saved by the Bell’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar). These shows had either completed filming (like Magnum) by the beginning of the writer’s strike or completed enough for the network to launch them in the fall.
The Irrational is based on the book, “Predictably Irrational,” and will follow Alec Mercer (Martin), a famed professor of behavioral science, as he and his team consult on major cases involving big players in law enforcement, the corporate world, and government, while going on “unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.” Meanwhile, Found sees a P.R. specialist, who was once one of the many missing people of color whose cases aren’t publicized enough, use her own team to help figure out what happened to other missing persons, while “hiding a chilling secret.”
As with other linear networks, the rest of the schedule will be filled out by reality shows and other unscripted content, like the post-Blake Shelton The Voice Season 24. Here’s a look at when returning and new shows will be ready for your eager eyeballs (all times in EST):
Monday, Sept. 25
The Voice (8-10 p.m.)
The Irrational (10-11 p.m.)
Wednesday, Sept. 27
America’s Got Talent - Season Finale (9-11 p.m.)
Thursday, Sept. 28
People’s Choice Country Awards (8-10 p.m.)
Friday, Sept. 29
Dateline NBC (9-11 p.m)
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Found (10-11 p.m.)
Wednesday, Oct. 4
Quantum Leap (9-10 p.m.)
Magnum P.I. (10-11 p.m.)
Thursday, Oct. 5
Transplant (9-10 p.m.)
Friday, Nov. 3
The Wall (8-9 p.m.)
Why This Is A Big Deal For The 2023 TV Schedule
Over the last few weeks, we've gotten a glimpse at what fall TV is offering and its been a bit grim. CBS is going to be re-airing episodes of fan favorites like Yellowstone, which is good news for people who love the series or have never been able to watch it, but is not exactly new content. In addition, Fox is really going hard on Gordon Ramsay projects. (Though I was surprised to see that Next Level Chef is being kept for midseason; it's the show's normal slot but given the dearth of new content, fall seemed like it could be a good fit...)
Meanwhile, ABC's got a lot of reality fodder coming in fall 2023 too from Dancing With The Stars to Judge Steve Harvey.
So Magnum P.I., along with Quantum Leap and these newbie scripted shows are really going to be the only major offerings that network TV is putting out this fall, at least outside of unscripted fare -- which is still watchable content, of course. NBC is really the only network that had enough of a backlog of finished projects to offer both, and I'm interested to see if that puts them ahead of the pack when TV is finally back.
To me, with only five scripted shows able to bring new episodes to audiences soon, there’s no doubt that the decision to move Magnum P.I. to the 2023 fall TV schedule was a good one that should help bring people back to NBC for some great new content in just a few months.
