It’s the end of the line for Magnum P.I. It has been announced that the CBS reboot has been canceled after four seasons.
Magnum P.I. was a tad on the bubble but many thought it would get renewed once complex talks between CBS and lead studio Universal Television were hashed out. Negotiations were tough but, in the end, a deal couldn’t be reached to bring the show back.
Magnum P.I. is the most established CBS series to be canceled this season as a Top 25 show in total viewers and it also might be the most-watched broadcast series to get yanked this season. Per TVLine, the reboot this season averaged 7.4 million total weekly viewers and a 0.7 demo rating (with Live+7 playback factored in), down just a smidge from its Season 3 numbers (7.5 mil/0.8). Out of the 14 dramas that CBS has aired this TV season, it ranks No. 9 in total audience and ties for 10th in the demo.
This just shows how much these negotiations can determine a series’ fate. It’s being said that Magnum P.I.’s cancellation was a business decision as the two sides could not come to an agreement on the license fee as lower overall linear ratings have been pushing down on what networks are willing to spend on shows. In other words, network TV appears to be more and more on life support each television season.
A reboot of the 1980s series of the same name starring Tom Selleck, Magnum P.I. follows Thomas Magnum (Hernandez), a private investigator and former Navy SEAL, who solves crimes in the state, after returning home from Afghanistan and repurposing his military skills. The series also stars Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Tim Kang, and Amy Hill.
Are YOU said to see Magnum P.I. go?