# Magnum, P.I. (1980)

> A charming freelance private investigator enjoys a luxurious Hawaiian lifestyle while solving cases for clients and women in peril.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/696

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 162
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Created by: Donald P. Bellisario, Glen A. Larson
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti, Gillian Dobb, Carol Burnett, Larry B. Scott, Candy Clark
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080240/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, escapist, comforting, witty, sunny

## What critics say

Viewers generally regard Magnum, P.I. as a charming, feel-good 1980s detective series whose appeal rests on Tom Selleck's lead performance and its Hawaiian setting, with quality rising in later seasons.

## Synopsis

Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988) is an American network television crime series created by Donald P. Bellisario and Glen A. Larson for CBS. Tom Selleck stars as Thomas Magnum, a freelance private investigator who works when he pleases from a beachfront estate in Hawaii, where he is looked after by the formal, sharp-tongued majordomo Jonathan Higgins (John Hillerman). His ex-military friends Terry 'TC' Calvin (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) join him on cases involving clients and women in peril. The engine of the show is Magnum's charm, his rivalry with Higgins, and a steady stream of self-contained mysteries that take him across the islands, with each episode built around a new case of the week. Over eight seasons the series is a breezy, sun-drenched escapist procedural, with a warm, comic register and a playful sense of luxury. Fans of Moonlighting, Remington Steele and Burn Notice will find resonance in its easygoing private-eye charm and tropical glamour.

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