When “Magnum P.I.” brings a recurring character into its overall storyline, they usually significantly impact the lives of Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and his friends. This is the job of any recurring cast member — to up the drama and create even more conflict for the main cast. Four recurring cast members from season one of “Magnum P.I.” — Domenick Lombardozzi, Christopher Thornton, Corbin Bernsen, and Jordana Brewster — certainly helped to create storylines that seem to be on track to continue into future seasons of the action drama.

Two actors should definitely return in season two — Thornton who plays fellow Veteran Kenny “Shammy” Shamberg; as well as Bernsen who plays Icepick, Rick’s longtime father figure. Two other recurring cast members who drove major plot points in season one were both killed but could possibly return in flashback scenes. Lombardozzi, who plays Sebastian Nuzo, Magnum’s friend and fellow battle buddy, was killed in the pilot; and Jordana Brewster, who plays Hannah, former CIA analyst and Magnum’s ex-girlfriend, died in the season finale.

BEST FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Friendship is a major theme in “Magnum P.I.”, and two recurring characters seem to embody what it means to be a true friend — Kenny “Shammy” Shamberg (Thornton) and Sebastian Nuzo (Lombardozzi). When Magnum’s friend and team member Nuzo was killed in the series premiere, “I Saw the Sun Rise,” his death helped to set up an important part of Magnum’s character arc.

Nuzo is an important part of the setup of the series which is how and why Magnum and his friends Rick (Zachary Knighton) and TC (Stephen Hill) came to live in Hawaii. Nuzo, their fellow team member, was abducted and killed after he was hired to salvage stolen Iraqi gold from a sunken ship. Magnum, who was too late to save Nuzo, worked hard to find out who murdered their friend.

Magnum had a hard time dealing with losing Nuzo. Magnum blames himself for not being able to save him and feels guilty because Nuzo saved Magnum’s life while they were POWs in Afghanistan. Nuzo also gave the team the idea of moving to Hawaii after their time as POWs to re-start their lives. And his storyline about the stolen gold came back to wrap up the season and connected Magnum and the gold back to Hannah, Magnum’s love who betrayed the team to the Taliban.

Shammy is another friend who, as the season progressed, became an even bigger part of the team. When Rick and TC befriend fellow Iraq War veteran Shammy, in “Death Is Only Temporary,” he is beyond depressed and ready to die after being paralyzed from fighting in Iraq. When they take him surfing and then give him a reason to live — friendship, and a job working on TCs choppers as a mechanic.

Shammy returned in subsequent episodes as one of the guys and like Rick and TC, he is often roped into helping on Magnum’s cases. One thing that makes Shammy such a great recurring character is the camaraderie he shares with Rick and TC. In “I, the Deceased,” Shammy uses his mechanic skills to inspect a car for one of Magnum’s cases, and while he talks to TC, Rick wheels around in Shammy’s wheelchair like an inquisitive kid trying to figure out how his friend’s wheels work. Their friendship plays so naturally — it seems as if all three men understand each other and have a natural rapport. It’s what makes Thornton’s character a must to return next season.

LOVE HURTS

Two characters seem to be all about teaching Magnum and Rick about tough love. Icepick (Bernsen), Rick’s surrogate father and mentor, and Hannah (Brewster), Magnum’s former lover, didn’t always leave us feeling warm and fuzzy. Icepick appeared in only one episode, “Bad Day to Be a Hero,” when he gives Rick some sage but hard advice. He basically tells Rick he may not have always acted like a loving father, but he always tried to do right by Rick. And if that means teaching Rick a tough lesson, so be it. The short scene with Icepick is telling, and while he is in Halawa Correctional Facility, we hope there is a possibility for early parole in season two.

Hannah is a completely different story, and although she died in Magnum’s arms in “The Day It All Came Together,” she brought the entire season full circle. Her story was introduced in the pilot, was brought back in the episode where she returned to Magnum’s life, “Day the Past Came Back,” and then finally resolved in the finale. While there may have been no love lost when Hannah died, Magnum’s reaction was heartbreaking. If she returns in flashbacks next season, it will only help to see more of Magnum and the team’s backstory.

Or perhaps, her character will follow the same storyline as the original “Magnum P.I.” where Magnum thought his former love, Michelle, was long dead, until she showed back up in his life.

If this is on the horizon for Hannah to return from the dead in the rebooted version of the show, fans can only hope for a happier ending for Magnum.

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