I watched the trailers yesterday and became interested in the Magnum P.I. reboot. I watched the show using the CBS app on the Apple TV but had to use the “Live TV” option which meant I was barraged with advertising. I can’t believe just how annoying the advertising has become. Watch 10 minutes of show and 15 minutes of advertising. Awful.
I’m not sure why producers feel the need to change the sex of an established character like Higgins. Now, Higgins is a female ex-MI6 agent. Ok, but that is pretty weird and completely unnecessary.
In the original version, we all couldn’t wait for the Robin Masters reveal at the end of the series that showed that Higgins is actually Robin Masters. In this reboot, that can’t be the case. Higgins is played by a woman and in the pilot episode, Magnum describes meeting Robin Masters and also how much of a good “man” he is. Man. That means that this reboot will have to re-write original show canon. That means messing with a winning formula and thinking that you somehow know better than the 80’s hit show did.
Let’s talk about Justin Lin for a second. CBS brings him in to do amazing pilots. They hook you like Scorpion did and then when lesser directors take over the reigns, the show goes down hill. Scorpion was cancelled after only four seasons. It almost became cartoonish. Justin Lin is known for the Fast and Furious movies. His story telling is top notch. Having said that, this pilot episode seemed a bit rushed to me. It was like scrunching a 2 hour pilot into an hour and all of the cutting room floor pieces that go with it.
I found myself wondering “how did we get here?” most of the time. Sexual tension between Higgins and Magnum will not be enough to keep people watching. The idea has been done to death. The other show characters seem animated. They are likable but the relationship with Magnum is “too” friendly. If you remember, Magnum’s friends used to roll their eyes…a lot.
I think the pilot was ok. They are spending a crap ton more money on the show than the original did. I don’t believe that will be sustainable for a long show run. I would give it 3 stars out of 5. I would love to be wrong about this one. I don’t believe I am.
I think we’ve already watched the best episode.
