The reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” which was canceled by CBS after four seasons and picked up for a fifth season by NBC, has been canceled again.
Variety reports, “The decision not to order a sixth season comes past the 50-day mark of the WGA strike and a potential strike by SAG-AFTRA after the actors union’s contract with the AMPTP expires on June 30. That date coincides with the end of the ‘Magnum P.I.’ cast’s deals at NBC. Therefore, to avoid cancelling the show, NBC would have had to either order more episodes without knowing when they could enter production or extend the actors’ deals to prolong the decision-making period.
“Ultimately, NBC opted to release the actors and move forward without ‘Magnum P.I.’ on its slate.”
The cast of the Hawaii-based show includes Amy Hill as Kumu and Tim Kang as Gordon Katsumoto.
“It does not look good for a pickup,” Hill told The Rafu Shimpo. “The strikes are making studios make hard choices. We still have 10 more episodes set to air in mid-season. No dates set. Hopefully, all the sacrifices the union folks are making result in a favorable outcome for all of us.”
Hill posted on Facebook, “Sad but ready to move on to my next adventure. I’ll miss everyone who made the show possible, including our amazing fans, but we will always have each other.”
Hill appears in the upcoming live-action version of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch.” Production on that movie has also shut down due to the strikes with several scenes remaining to be shot. She was the voice of Mrs. Hasegawa in the animated “Lilo & Stitch” (2002) and “Lilo & Stitch: The Series” (2003-2006), but in the live-action movie she will be playing a new character, Tūtū.
“Magnum, P.I.,” a reboot of the 1980s series of the same name, premiered on CBS in 2018. The cast includes Jay Hernandez as Magnum, Perdita Weeks as Higgins, Zachary Knighton as Rick and Stephen Hill as TC.