Magnum

Magnum, where can I start? well, during a summer of inactivity and unemployment I stumbled across this gem on daytime TV, after just one episode i was hooked, the powerful theme and the twitch of the eyebrows,I rearranged my schedule (job centre appointments, job interviews etc, etc) to fit in around Mr Sellecks greatest moment, it got so bad that I had the theme on my phone and would get my friends to phone me, they never understood but when genius enters your life what can you do? I watched the repeats recently and felt alive again, I think there's a bit of Higgins in us all! I even remember falling off my sofa when Bruce Forsyth turned up on a game show Rick was on, if only modern television met such high standards

This show is a lotta fun, A and E started running it of late, and tossed in a Magnum Marathon New Years weekend. Very good! Love the 'Raiders' spoof episode, everything with Orson Welles making a cameo at the end(the Real Robin Masters, by the way..), Sinatra's guest starring role, TC and Rick, etc. Higgins was well played by a Texan if you can believe it too.

They do NOT make them like this anymore-what is the closest you can think of? Nash Bridges? And even that isn't up to par compared with Magnum. Fine cast, great locale, humour, etc. by all means, watch this on A and E if you get the chance.

*** outta ****, one of my faves from the '80s.

Boy, do I love 80's shows. They had everything-action, women in bikinis, bad guys, cool cars, they had the lot.

In my opinion, this series was Tom Selleck's finest hour. Magnum P.I. lived in a mansion in Hawaii where he had to put up with Higgins who was looking after the house for Mr. Masters. Both had respect for each other obviously but they were always getting on each other's nerves and Magnum also had to put up with two dogs-Zeus and Apollo if my memory serves me correctly-who didn't like him at all.

Of course, like most 80's heroes Magnum had a cool car which he used to parade around Hawaii solving all types of cases involving crooks both small-time and big time. Magnum used to investigate the cases and then engage in a good old fight at the end.

All in all, a good show. And who can forget Magnum's shirts?

Magnum to me is pretty much the logical heir to Jim Rockford in the fact that many of the same themes that were so prevalent on Rockford were on this show. Magnum to me was an ordinary guy who got caught up in extraordinary situations just like Rockford, but unlike Rockford Magnum still had many of the trappings of glamor that were associated with other detective series (ironically, Tom Selleck made several guest appearances on "The Rockford Files" playing the too good to be true Lance White). The other thing that I think made him endearing is the fact that he pretty much had a regular guy persona even though he was living in the lap of luxury and even though I wasn't as big a fan of this show as I was "Rockford" I can still see why this show was a classic.

And another thing, it wasn't just Selleck. This show could also be seen as an ensemble with Roger Moseley as T.C., Larry Manetti as Rick and, of course, John Hillerman as the stuffy Higgins all giving wonderful supporting performances.

During it's initial run in the 80's I never cared for or watched Magnum. Oh I caught a few episodes here and there and even remember when a friend of mine (Ronald Lacey) got an offer to do an episode back in '83. But it just wasn't the kind of show I had any interest in.

Now, thanks to re-runs on KDOC I've somehow come to look forward to every episode, like most good TV it's the characters and the believable chemistry between them that grows on you. It's true as one reviewer pointed out the comparisons between Rockford Files (which I also love) It's more than just the flawed anti-hero, always getting into trouble, in debt, etc it's a realistic ensemble of characters who all love to hate each other. And Tom Selleck's whiny demeanor really starts to grow on you