Warning: major spoilers ahead for Episode 17 of Magnum P.I. Season 5, called “Consciousness of Guilt.”
The fifth season of Magnum P.I. has dealt with a number of changes to the status quo from the four seasons that aired on CBS, with NBC able to fully explore the Magnum/Higgins romance in the 2023 TV schedule. Their story has progressed to the point of discussing having kids together someday, and “Consciousness of Guilt” addressed a question I’ve been wondering about the good ship Miggy. Alas, I just can’t get it out of my head that the show is ending within a few episodes, and I think I’d enjoy it more if I could.
In the latest episode, Higgins realized that in comparison to Rick and Suzy, who are building a new life together with their daughter, and T.C. and Mahina after getting back together, she and Magnum might spend too much time together. After all, they’re partners in their work as private investigators and most of their on-screen free time is spent together. The pair were even living on the same property from the jump! Magnum didn’t seem to have the same concern, but agreed to spend the day apart, with Higgins helping Jin and Magnum lending a hand to Katsumoto elsewhere.
By the end of the hour, even though she got to enjoy telling Magnum a story about her day that he didn’t already know, Higgins realized that they definitely don’t spend too much time together, and “Consciousness of Guilt” ended with the pair going even stronger than ever. Admittedly, the question of whether Magnum and Higgins were spending too much time together wasn’t so pressing that it made my list of major final season questions that need answers, but it has been on my mind.
And this episode debunking the idea that the show needs to split them up more often would normally make me very optimistic for the future beyond what’s available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription and what is left to air in the fifth season. I just can’t forget that this was Episode 17 out of 20, and the cancellation from NBC means that the series is just a few episodes shy of the final credits rolling. Magnum and Higgins made some great forward progress this week; it just won’t advance too much further with only three episodes left.
Of course, a second rescue of the series hasn’t been definitively ruled out yet, and fans have held out hope particularly in the wake of the first four seasons streaming on Freevee. Still, showrunner Eric Guggenheim’s comments about Magnum P.I. not being shopped around aren’t too encouraging, although he did reveal that the fifth season will not end on a painful cliffhanger.
Personally, my dream is still for NBC (or any other outlet) to bring the show back for at least a four-episode mini season. If the Season 5 finale truly is the end, then Magnum P.I. will have concluded after 96 episodes. It would just be a shame for the show to get so close to the 100-episode milestone, only to fall short by four! Even a little bit of good news would undoubtedly help me forget the cancellation a bit more, and go along with the ride of the final three episodes.
Magnum P.I. isn’t out of episodes in 2023 just yet, as the next will air on Wednesday, December 13 in the usual 9 p.m. ET time slot. Chicago Fire will return to 9 p.m. ET on Wednesdays in mid-January once the 2024 TV schedule kicks off.