Magnum P.I. Reboot Cancelled by CBS After Four Seasons

CBS kept their axe nice and sharp for Thursday, May 12, cancelling a slew of new TV shows including the fan-favorite revival of Magnum P.I., which has been on the network for four seasons. Variety brings word of the show’s fate, noting that it was only pulling in a 0.7 rating among the key demographic, adults 18-49, but that total viewership averaged 7.2 million total viewers per episode. The series was a Friday night show however, making those numbers better than one might expect. Deadline reports that the series came to an end as broadcaster CBS and production studio Universal “could not come to an agreement on the license fee.”

Jay Hernandez starred in the series as Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business. Other cast members in the series included Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang, and Amy Hill. 

Fans of the series were, as expected, devasteted to see the series has come to an abrupt end. The season four finale, now the series finale aired back on May 6, and luckily for some viewers that sought closure as Perdita Weeks’ Juliet Higgins and Hernandez’ Magnum finally shared their feelings for each other.

 “i am so shocked that magnum pi got cancelled like that show was drawing numbers and their most popular ship just became canon,” one fan tweeted. “i’m sorry to all the fans out there that just lost something special.” Another added: “Another example of a show pairing the leads romantically and the show gets cancelled. The lesson here is #BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.”

In addition to Magnum P.I., CBS cancelled sitcoms United States of Al and B Positive, both of which had just two seasons, and ended the freshman comedies Good Sam and How We Roll. The network previously handed out three renewals earlier this week, giving all three of the FBI TV shows (FBI, FBI: International, and FBI: Manhunt) a not one, but two season renewal, each.