‘Magnum P.I.’ Boss Says Season 5 Finale Is ‘Quite Satisfying’ as the Unexpected Series Finale

Magnum P.I. showrunner Eric Guggenheim didn’t intend on the action drama’s Season 5 finale being the series finale, but then NBC canceled the series after one post-CBS season.

Luckily for fans, the Season 5 finale “absolutely works” as the final Magnum P.I. installment, Guggenheim says.

“I actually think it’s quite satisfying. I’m really proud of the finale,” he tells TVLine. “There are a couple of threads left dangling that would have been picked up in a Season 6, but I didn’t want to end on a cliffhanger. If I’m being honest, I guess I wanted to play it safe. Too many shows have gotten burned with cliffhangers [left unresolved].”

Zack Dougan/NBC

Magnum P.I. — an update of Tom Selleck’s similarly-titled ’80s show, Magnum, P.I. — stars Jay Hernandez as an ex-Navy SEAL working as a security consultant and private eye in Hawaii. Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill, Amy Hill, and Tim Kang co-star.

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CBS introduced Magnum P.I. in 2018 but canceled the reboot in 2022 amid reports of a licensing disagreement with Universal Television. NBC came to the rescue later that year, ordering a two-part fifth season. The first half of Season 5 debuted this February and ended in April, and in June came the news that the second half of the season — which debuted last week — would mark the end of the series. (Devoted fans are still trying to get a sixth season on the books, promoting a #SaveMagnumPI campaign for months now.)

Assuming Magnum P.I. really is ending for good, Guggenheim says he doesn’t need edits or additional scenes to make the Season 5 finale work as a series finale. “Is it how I would choose to end the show? No,” he tells TVLine. “But if it has to be the last episode, I think it absolutely works as a [series] finale. So no, there’s no reason to go back and recut or reshoot.”

Magnum P.I., Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC