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COURTESY CBS
Jay Hernandez stars as Thomas Magnum in “Magnum P.I.,” which debuts Sept. 24 on CBS, and like “Hawaii Five-0,” it is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii.
When the news broke that Peter Lenkov, the executive producer and showrunner of “Hawaii Five-0,” was going to the reboot “Magnum P.I.”— it wasn’t hard for fans to hope that there might be a crossover event between the two shows.
The two series share many elements besides being on the same network — both Thomas Magnum and Steve McGarrret are handsome, daring leading men surrounded by amazing teams they trust with their lives. And with Lenkov at the helm of both shows — it seemed like a pretty sure thing.
Historically, the original version of “Magnum P.I.”, starring Tom Selleck, began in December 1980 after “Hawaii Five-O” ended. The “Magnum P.I.” production crew took over the Diamond Head “Five-O” studio space and Hawaii actors and crew members continued to have a place to work and act. Within the storylines of “Magnum P.I.” it was pretty common for Magnum to mention working with, or trying to get around “Five-O” while he worked a case.
A celebration of the 50th anniversary of “Hawaii Five-0” — the show first aired in 1968. The event features screenings of the first episode of the reboot’s Season 9, along with the premiere of the new “Magnum P.I.”
>> When: Sunday red carpet opens at 4:30 p.m.; program begins at 6 p.m. with a performance by Cyndi Lauper, followed by the screenings of “Magnum” and “Five-0.”
>> Where: Queen’s Surf Beach, Waikiki
>> Who: Scheduled to attend is executive producer Peter Lenkov and the casts of “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” “Five-0”actors include Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Ian Anthony Dale, Meaghan Rath, Beulah Koale, Jorge Garcia, Chi McBride, Kimee Balmilero, Dennis Chun and Taylor Wily. “Magnum” actors are Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill and Tim Kang.
Like in the classic version of “Magnum P.I.,” Magnum, this time played by Jay Hernandez, is a former Navy SEAL who has ended his career in Hawaii and is working as a private investigator. He works as the security consultant for famous author Robin Masters on his Oahu estate called “Robin’s Nest.” Magnum also seems to be an inspiration for the characters and action in Masters’ novels.
When CBS began to play previews from the “Magnum P.I.” pilot once the series began shooting in July, fans quickly began to see connections between the two series.
Besides the obvious fact that the shows are set in Hawaii, both Magnum and McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) are U.S. Navy SEALs. It would make sense the two SEALs, who both served in Afghanistan and seem to have also spent time in North Korea, could have crossed paths at some point in their Naval careers. Fans are hoping that like Magnum and Lt. Tanaka’s (Kwan Hi Lim) relationship in the original, Magnum and Five-0 will have an symbiotic and friendly relationship.
Lenkov was quoted in “Entertainment Weekly,” after the “Magnum P.I.” panel discussion at July’s Comic-Con, that the “plan is to ultimately introduce those two characters, have them in a crossover episode, and at least have them know of each other.”
In the previews of the “Magnum P.I.” pilot, we know that Hawaii actress Kimee Balmilero will appear as her “Hawaii Five-0” character, medical examiner Dr. Noelani Cunha. “Entertainment Weekly” also promised another “Hawaii Five-0” actor, Taylor Wily, will appear as Kamekona in the second episode of “Magnum P.I.”
Lenkov also said at Comic-con he wanted “to get everybody acclimated to the idea that these two worlds co-exist. Then we will have a bona fide crossover.”
POSSIBLE PLOTLINES
Fans have been speculating since July what that crossover could possibly entail. They certainly want to see Magnum and McGarrett work a case together. That would be the best kind of series crossover for fans of both shows.
Another possibility: Since Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks) is a former MI6 agent, perhaps Higgins might know McGarrett’s long-absent momma, Doris (Christine Lahti), or his former love, Catherine Rollins (Michelle Borth).
Another more humorous angle in a crossover would be a bit of rivalry between T.C. (Stephen Hill) and Kamekona. Both own helicopters and give island tours — it might be funny to see the two dueling over airspace. Kamekona is already set to appear in a season episode; we might see this storyline play out before a crossover episode is set.
Right now, fans are anxiously waiting to see the premiere of “Magnum P.I.” and “Hawaii Five-0” this weekend at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki. While the red-carpet gala event has been postponed to Sunday, it still has not dampened their desire to meet the “Magnum P.I.” cast and see the pilot episode. And when fans see the casts of both shows mingling — talk of a crossover will most likely double.
I personally hope the crossover starts on a Monday night with “Magnum P.I.” and ends on the following Friday’s “Five-0.” I’d like to see Magnum and McGarrett in both episodes working together to solve an interesting and personally meaningful case. That storyline would be epic and would definitely help solidify the connection between the two Hawaii-based shows.
Wendie Burbridge writes the “Five-0 Redux” and “Magnum Reloaded” blogs for staradvertiser.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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