Magnum P.I. has had a wild ride over the past year, going from being cancelled by CBS to rescued by NBC for Season 5 to then cancelled again by NBC. The axe from NBC came when there was still half a season left to air, however, so fans still have new episodes to look forward to. Now, the network has released a fall TV schedule updated to account for the WGA writers strike, and there’s some great news for fans of Thomas Magnum and Co. that leads me to wonder if there’s still a chance at a second rescue and renewal for Season 6.
When Magnum P.I. Will Be Back
NBC previously announced that Magnum P.I. would return with the second half of Season 5 in 2024 with a midseason premiere, meaning that fans would have to wait the better part of a year after the spring finale to see what would happen next. Even though star Jay Hernandez dropped some clues about problems ahead for the ohana, there wasn’t much of a silver lining to the news of how long we’d have to wait!
The new fall TV schedule will bring Magnum P.I. back much earlier than midseason 2024, as Magnum, Higgins, and the rest will return to primetime on Wednesday, October 4 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. One Chicago fans will notice that this means Magnum P.I. taking over the time slot traditionally held by Chicago P.D.. The former CBS show previously aired on Sunday nights after the move to NBC.
Unlike Magnum, none of the shows of One Chicago ended the 2022-2023 TV season with episodes already banked for the 2023-2024 season, so Voight and Co. won’t be back on Wednesday nights with new cases until after the WGA and SAG strikes can be resolved. Magnum P.I. will follow new episodes of Quantum Leap, which was able to start filming for Season 2 back in the spring.
Is There Hope For Season 6?
Now, Magnum P.I. returning earlier than expected due to NBC having a shortage of programming normally wouldn’t strike me as a sign that the show could be un-cancelled for the second time. After all, why wouldn’t the network simply air everything scripted it has left when nothing new is being produced? No, the reason why I’m speculating again about Season 6 (and the chance to hit the 100-episode milestone) is due to the Magnum P.I. writers on Twitter.
Although the writers of course can’t write any new scripts until the end of the WGA strike, the Magnum P.I. Writers account on Twitter has left the door open for a sixth season. Is that door open just a crack? Sure, but I’ll take it! In response to the question of whether the fall return date could help a revival, the account simply posted a “thinking” emoji. Then, when another fan on Twitter followed up for more info, the writers tweeted:
Anything can happen. Shows are revived all the time. #WGA #SAGAFTRA #IATSE
This of course isn’t a sign to start planning viewing parties for Season 6 and count on the show having a future beyond the Season 5 finale, but it also doesn’t rule out Magnum P.I. being resurrected for the second time. During a time of waiting, hoping, and rewatching the first half of Season 5 with a Peacock subscription, I’ll take any glimmer of good news!
So, at the very least, we can all plan on checking out the fall premiere of Magnum P.I. on Wednesday, October 4 in Chicago P.D.’s usual 10 p.m. ET time slot. The TV pickings are slimmer than usual in the 2023 TV premiere schedule due to the strikes, but there are still some options to be found!
