Home TV Reviews ‘Magnum P.I.’ Season 5 Review: Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks Bring Fun to a Tired Series

Saved from cancelation, this reboot has a strong leading duo though little else to offer beyond them.

Image via CBS

It is a rare thing when a show can come back from the dead, but it makes sense that the rebooted Magnum P.I. was one of them. Sure, it wasn’t ever able to reach the heights of the beloved original series, but it had gained a rather devoted following on its own. Despite having rather solid ratings, it was canceled at the end of Season 4 by CBS though was subsequently given new life and a new home by NBC. Fans of the new series will be able to rejoice at the chance to spend more time with these characters, but it is hard to see it winning over any new followers that aren’t already on board. For all the ways it tries to update the material with lackluster jokes about modern tech like FaceTime or Instagram, there is nothing really new that the series seems interested in looking for. Even as we live in the era of nostalgia-based entertainment where such reboots are inevitable, Magnum P.I. still can’t make a case for its existence.

In the two episodes provided for review, we pick right back up with the titular Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks) just after they have finally expressed their feelings for each other. This development is something the duo is still working out and are not entirely certain about as they continue to take on clients. The series continues to plow onward with all the standard progressions as they zip around in their bright red car, chat through their strategy together on the case, and weather any potential complications with ease. The personal and the professional become mixed even more as they will investigate in one moment and then flirt in another. While Hernandez and Weeks are each sufficiently charming enough to convey the chemistry between their characters, there is still a sense that everything else is mechanical. The spark just isn’t ever quite there to pull us deeper into the fun beyond the broad strokes. Where the original series remains a memorable one all these decades later, it is hard to imagine this one having the same impact even as it was given a new crack at it. While that is a high bar, there is little that even tries to make the leap.

Image via NBC

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That isn’t to say there isn’t some fun to be had, but the exposition drags down all of these moments. As Hernandez and Weeks dutifully rattle off the necessary lines to get their characters to the next stage of the case, it can become a bit tiresome. Even when things pick up and there is a break in the case, it is approached with such a bluntness that’s almost comical. One sequence, when Magnum and Higgins conduct an interrogation that calls attention so many times to how someone is rattled by their questions, feels empty. When we are informed that “well, that was something” and the episode spells out the revelations we just were shown a moment ago even further, there is no thrill to seeing it pieced together. The show basically functions as a lightly silly procedural, fearful that if it skimps on spelling out everything ad nauseam it will lose the audience. It’s never as quick on its feet as it should be in order to keep things moving. Think of what has made this debut season of Poker Face such a successful one, and you get some idea of how this can be done well. That is not the case with Magnum P.I., which just keeps coasting by on characters having to explain the show out of narrative cul-de-sacs. Even when facing a crisis, hearing a character shout out an explanation of how they got here undercuts the tension.

There is a degree of this that can be forgiven if the payoff becomes worth it to all this setup, but that is only rarely the case. No matter how much a supposedly thrilling action sequence will have plenty of shouting, repeated camera zooms, and lots of intense music telling us that things are kicking off, that can’t get us to care nearly as much as we should. What keeps it being something that can’t be completely dismissed is that Hernandez and Weeks are never phoning it in. Had the show not been built around them, it is hard to see it even working at all. Even just a small opening scene where Magnum and Higgins make fun of each other over breakfast can be joyful. However, it passes by just as quickly as it starts, without giving them room to bounce off each other beyond just a brief moment. This then makes it hard to get invested in some of the subplots that come crashing in to keep things moving. Some of this works, like the return of the delightful comedic weirdo that is Bobby Lee — who just seems like he is having a lot of fun bringing chaos — but that is the exception rather than the rule.

Image via NBC

At one point, the show seems like it is about to end one subplot before suddenly changing its mind. It is all rather abrupt and lacks flow, like you can see the pieces moving rather than getting swept up in the story. There are obviously more episodes for Magnum P.I. Season 5 to find exciting mysteries and shenanigans for our new couple to work through that may be more entertaining than its start. For those that were not particularly enamored with the first several seasons before now, it doesn’t provide a lot of reason to jump back in beyond potential new developments to be found in the central relationship. It is a solid foundation to build around, but it is hard to see that being enough to carry the entire series with its many other flaws. For each moment that Hernandez and Weeks get a chance to inject a fun sense of play into everything playing out, the rest of Magnum P.I. Season 5 remains stuck in neutral.

Rating: C

You can watch the first two episodes of Magnum P.I. Season 5 starting Sunday, February 19 on NBC and the next day on Peacock with the remaining episodes airing weekly.