After five seasons, the reimagined Magnum P.I. series has come to an end. Like I said a number of times, it wasn’t the original, it was its own thing, but tried to include nods, and tried to honor the 1980s original, but it was fun.

Jay Hernandez made a great Thomas Magnum, and while some took issue with the changing of Higgins to a woman, in this case wonderfully played by Perdita Weeks, it added a fun angle to the series, and added a delightful element that could be argued was missing from the original.

Over the course of ninety-six episodes the series established its own continuity, its wonderful recurring characters, and fun adventures that put the viewer in the Hawaiian sun and in the seat of adventure.

Hernandez and Weeks were joined by Zachary Kingston as Rick, Stephen Hill as T.C. The series also introduced a couple of other regular characters, Amy Hill’s Kumu, and Tim Kang’s Detective Katsumoto, and a colorful cast of supporting characters that included Bobby Lee, Kimee Balmilero, and Christopher Thornton.

The series makes great use of iconic locations and sun-drenched beaches. The cast is fun and energetic bringing the concepts of the show into the 21st century. Thomas and his friends aren’t Vietnam vets and POWs, this time they did their time in the Middle East and in a series of nice touches, we learn how and why none of them made it back to the mainland.

The show plays fast and loose, with lots of melodrama, laughs, and some very strong emotional arcs, that run through not just seasons but the entire series arc. The show also boasts a couple of appearances by some of the original actors, and it had Tom Selleck’s blessing from the start. It’s a fun show, and while comparisons are going to be drawn between the two, they are their own things.

The show is available season by season from Paramount Canada, but also as of today, in a Complete Series set on DVD. All the episodes, and some fun little extras, like deleted scenes in one convenient package.

I’m looking forward to revisiting the series as a whole, exploring it episode by episode for the blog. I really enjoy Hernandez and Weeks in this show, and honestly, it leans into the fun, it’s not quite as gritty and dark as a lot of other television right now. Sure, it’s another detective show, but it enjoys itself, and looks great doing it.

Magnum P.I. – The Complete Series on DVD is available today from Paramount Canada. I can hear the theme now…