It’s once again that time when, a month ahead of the biggest TV premiere week of the year, the majority of broadcast network dramas and comedies are hard at work bringing new episodes together, whether it be NCIS’ squad bringing Season 20 to lifeOder Law & Order: Organized Crime’s Christopher Meloni bringing his zaddy vibes back. Jay Hernandez’s Magnum P. isn’t so lucky to be in that pack, given its shocking cancellation at CBS during May’s plug-pulling bloodbath. But now that Thomas Magnum & Co. are set for a return Via their new home at NBCIt seems like production will start anew around the same time it would normally be premiering.
Thought Magnum P. won’t be part of CBS’ Fall 2022 scheduleThe drama, as well as any other fall programming, is envisioned to be a midseason addition for NBC. According to TVLineProduction on new episodes is expected to begin in mid-September. Star Perdita weeks fans believed filming had started because of a social media post about getting “back to work,”However, it was not confirmed that she was referring to Juliet Higgins’s role in the future.
Barring any left-field episodes that involve extensive post-production special effects work — Thomas Magnum fights aliens in outer space! — that should give the cast and crew more than enough time to get the premiere episode and more completed in time for a January premiere date.Which isn’t to say that Magnum P.100% of the subscribers are expected to be on NBC in January. The network has yet not made any official debut announcements.
The next two seasons of Magnum P. will only deliver ten episodes apiece, rather than the usual 20 — only Season 3 was shorter, with 16 — it’s entirely possible that network execs will want to push the start date to later in the spring, so that Season 5 would be timed to end in May alongside most other broadcast offerings.
A January premiere would likely mean a March finale, which might be an undersell for what could end up being one of NBC’s biggest ratings winners of the season. Let’s face it, Magnum P.’s ratings were very solid for CBS, and reportedly weren’t tied into the cause behind its cancellation decision, which was tied more into filming costs. It would have been smarter for the show to debut about a month after the Super Bowl. In the meantime, there was a plan to build a massive hype machine.
To that end I believe that NBC will try to promote the show whenever possible once final footage is made available. Sunday Night FootballThis is the place to broadcast such footage. (Fox has the Super Bowl in 2023, so no luck there…probably.) And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to preface the eventual trailers with ads that point to and celebrate Amazing #SaveMagnumPI billboard campaignFans come together after the cancellation.
While it’s not yet clear if the new season, or the first four, will be available on Peacock, fans can rewatch everything we’ve seen so far with a Paramount+ subscriptionAs September approaches, filming starts.