Magnum Reloaded: Sunset on the Beach welcomes ‘Magnum P.I.’ to the ohana

On Sunday, hundreds of local and visiting fans of “Hawaii Five-0” and the newest CBS series “Magnum P.I.,” crowded Waikiki Beach to celebrate both shows. Fans were treated to a special evening as the actors arrived to greet the fans and walk the red carpet. After a performance by the incomparable Cyndi Lauper, with “Hawaii Five-0” actor Shawn Mokuahi Garnett playing ukulele alongside the ’80s icon — fans sat back on the sand and watched the pilot episode of “Magnum P.I.,” and the ninth-season premiere of “Hawaii Five-0,” “Kaʻowiliʻokaʻi” (“Cocoon”).

“Hawaii Five-0” was not only celebrating their ninth season and the filming of its 200th episode, but also the 50th anniversary of the start of their franchise. Along with the “Hawaii Five-0” cast and crew, the series stars of “Magnum P.I.” walked the red carpet and spoke to the press. For the first time, fans got a chance to see series star Jay Hernandez, who plays Thomas Magnum, and the rest of the cast and crew of the newest reboot by executive producer Peter Lenkov. Lenkov, as most viewers know, also rebooted “Five-0” as well as “MacGyver” for CBS.

Joining Hernandez on the red carpet were fellow “Magnum” cast members, including Perdita Weeks, who plays the Higgins character, this time as Juliet rather than Jonathan Quayle; Zachary Knighton, who plays Orville “Rick” Wright; and Stephen Hill, who plays Theodore “TC” Calvin. Joining them on the red carpet was Tim Kang who plays Det. Gordon Katsumoto, and Amy Hill, who plays Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta.

Once the red carpet interviews were done, the cast and crew of both shows made their way to the main stage where Lenkov thanked all of the people who worked with him to keep “Hawaii Five-0” going for nine seasons, and who helped to get “Magnum P.I.” off the ground.

“If you guys want to see what luck looks like — it’s right here. This is what luck looks like. That’s me,” Lenkov said onstage. “And I think that there’s no other way to describe it. I’m standing here celebrating the 200th episode of a show that has been on the air for 50 years. … And I now have my childhood hero Magnum coming back to the screen — so there is no other way to describe this than to say ‘I’m lucky.’ ”

With that bit of truth, Lenkov then proceeded to thank the city and the community who work with the production crew, and local people who allow them to film in their homes and neighborhoods. He also thanked the fans who said “have shown up every week — we could not be here without you. You’ve become more than just viewers, you are ohana. I’m grateful for each and every one of you.”

Lenkov also thanked his producers and production crew, as well as the crew members who help to make the show and then called the cast of “Hawaii Five-0” onstage.

After Meaghan Rath and Beulah Koale from “Hawaii Five-0” spoke, Hernandez addressed the crowd. He called the Sunset on the Beach red-carpet event, “a crazy experience. I’m kinda shocked by the scale of it, it’s intimidating.”

But as the crowd cheered, Hernandez went on about his new role as Thomas Magnum.

“I think it’s a special thing to step into such big shoes … it’s a very surreal moment … about two months before this opportunity presented himself I was watching TV and was flipping through the channels and I stumbled upon an old ‘Magnum.’ It was Tom Selleck in the surf ski, looking glorious in his Detroit Tigers hat out in the bay … and then I found myself in the same scenario,” he said. “It’s a very special opportunity. I feel like we are part of the ohana already and we’re just five episodes deep. I’m very thankful for the opportunity, thank you for supporting us, and I hope you enjoy the show.”

Fans cheered for Hernandez and the “Magnum” cast, as well as for the “Five-0” veterans. While the two shows shared the red carpet Sunday night, they also seem to share a feeling of awe while being surrounded by fans at Sunset on the Beach.

The “Magnum” cast might think “welcome to the ohana” is just a nicety people say in Hawaii — but perhaps after experiencing all the aloha from the fans and fellow actors, they will soon begin to understand the true sincerity behind the phrase.

Wendie Burbridge writes the “Five-0 Redux” and “Magnum Reloaded” blogs for staradvertiser.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.