Magnum P.I.’s return is being cut short.
NBC has opted to cancel Magnum P.I. following the second half of Magnum P.I. Season 5.
That means fans have just ten episodes of the series remaining, and there’s no telling when these episodes will see the light of day.
Deadline first reported the news, revealing that NBC “has opted not to order additional episodes” beyond that, with a looming June 30 deadline for the network to keep cast options for a potential Season 6.
There are various reasons why the network could have opted to end the series:
The Hollywood writers strike is about to enter its third month, and writing on new episodes cannot commence until resolved.
The first half of Magnum P.I. Season 5 was buried on Sundays, despite the show proving to perform well on Fridays while on CBS.
The numbers were far lower than expected on NBC, and if the show isn’t getting a renewal, it’s likely the show wasn’t getting much of a boost in post-airdate numbers.
The budget could also have been a problem, with many companies in belt-tightening mode in recent months due to the challenges that face the TV sector.
The good news here is that fans are getting ten more episodes, which have already been filmed, so there’s a good chance they’ll see the light of day sooner rather than later.
The bad? If the episodes have already been filmed and the cast and creatives were holding out for a sixth season, there won’t be any closure.
Yes, it’s possible that the upcoming season finale was written so that it could function as a series finale, but it’s unfair to the fans that campaigned to save the show in the past not to get a decent ending.
Magnum P.I. initially aired on CBS and delivered strong ratings across four seasons, so there were many unhappy fans when the series got the axe.
Magnum P.I. stars Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Amy Hill, and Tim Kang.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation?
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Remember, you can watch Magnum P.I. online right here via TV Fanatic.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.