Given Magnum P.I.’s ratings, an NBCUniversal top executive discusses whether there is any regret about saving the show from cancellation.
An NBC top executive candidly discusses whether the network regrets saving Magnum P.I. from its CBS cancellation after a look at its current ratings. Beginning the first of its two-season order on NBC, Magnum P.I. began its NBC run with mixed results in terms of ratings. Factoring in delayed, non-live viewing, the reboot averages about 5 million viewers. That represents a 30 percent decline in total viewership from its time on CBS and a 43 percent slide in the coveted 18-49 age demographic. Magnum P.I. season 5 currently airs on Sundays after reruns, which may affect its performance.
Jeff Bader, NBCUniversal’s President of Program Planning, discussed Magnum P.I. with TVLine, comparing the different audiences of CBS and NBC. Though Bader cautions that “everything’s relative,” he speaks confidently about the need to grow the reboot and potentially give it better scheduling. Read Bader’s response below:
“Everything’s relative, for us it was [pulling] a good number. CBS does have a much broader audience, because of the older audience that they get. We have not yet locked in our midseason schedule… but we would love to grow that show. We’re with you that the show should be bigger than it is. It’s a great asset for us.”
Why Did Magnum P.I. Leave CBS In The First Place?
The reboot, which stars Jay Hernandez in the lead role of Thomas Magnum, was a reliable hit for CBS and even welcomed characters from the network’s fellow procedurals, such as Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver for crossovers. Magnum P.I. was consistent in the ratings, regularly drawing in an average of more than 7 million viewers for CBS. The show’s track record led to a surprise and audience dismay when CBS pulled the plug on the series in May 2022.
The main issue was the show’s licensing fee, a problem that has recently popped up for other series, such as SWAT and 9-1-1, which Fox cancelled but ABC renewed. The spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star was renewed for season 5 on Fox because the fee payment was less costly than the parent show. NBCUniversal’s Universal Television owns the Magnum P.I. intellectual property, but the fee and the additional filming costs in Hawaii were not cheap. So, regardless of the show’s ratings, it was reportedly not cost-efficient for CBS to keep the show, given that it was a co-production and the network did not own the project outright.
According to reporting, NBC jumped at the chance to save Magnum P.I. Based on these latest comments, it doesn’t sound like the network regrets that choice and may even work to put season 5 in a better timeslot whenever it returns with its remaining episodes, so there’s still time for the reboot to adjust to its new home.
