Shark Bytes

Never jumped. Ok, maybe the quality of the show went down hill overall the last season or so-but it was still good. This is a must have for me on dvd and I truly enjoy sitting down and watching each season. By the way, I see where a previous poster lists the change of actors for Carol jumping the shark. The original Carol was a blonde actress and only on for one episode. Kathleen Lloyd played her every time after that and was excellent. In that case, it made the show better-not worse.

Chris- the way that Rick got let off, is handled in the "Infinity and Jeally Donuts" two parter. After getting shot and being "dead", Magnum begins to make up for always taking from his friends and not giving back. He can "reach" certain people while in this purgatory state. Anyway, he helps Carol the D.A. "Find" the paper work that clears Rick and he is let out. No one knows how this happens.

Just an FYI- the show never jumped. There were some crappy episodes here and there but it was on for eight freakin' years!!

Nothing beats the two parter "have you seen the sun rise" or when Magnum goes to Vietnam to Kill Col Kye

If any one gets the RTN network, he's back 5 nights a week at 9:00 et.

This show never jumped. It deserves great acclaim for allowing its characters to develop over time. The dominating theme throughout the series was friendship and the pluses and minuses between friends. No character in this show was perfect; they were all flawed. It clearly reflected real life in that aspect even though it contained tons of fantasy; rich reclusive author, free loading PI, driving a Ferrari for free. Thomas' "little voice" was that voice inside all of us that allows us to think outside of our actions. I truly miss it a lot!

This show never really jumped the shark. It just had a few silly episodes.

Has anybody ever seen the episode where Rick goes to jail for murdering Ice Pick's killer, then gets released, and then ends up back in jail for possession of illegal weapons (his gun collection)? I watch the re-runs on SLUETH, but the next day's episode didn't resolve the issue. Does anybody know what happened to Rick?

The only problem I had with the show other than all the different characters John Hillerman played was Magnum's free loading. He never paid his bar tab, he was always trying to steal from the wine cellar, he was living rent free on one of the most beautiful estates in Hawaii and he griped when something was asked of him by Higgins. He also took advantage of Rick and T.C. and then griped when they asked him for help.

I would have kicked him off the estate real quick.

I think the first time it jumped was when John Hillerman was brought in as Higgins and a long lost brother.

Then when the actor who played Mac was brought back, that was another jump.

When the actress who played Carol was changed, that was another jump.

The Ferrari being blown up, brought back good as new, goes over a cliff...brought back again. Who would really keep buying a new Ferrari for an estate security guard?

I am sure there are many other jumps.

Magnum was truly one of the best shows ever to air on television. The show ran for eight outstanding years and managed to stay fresh year in and year out. Like any great show, there were episodes which lacked the consistency, drama, suspense, or character depth; but that is only in comparison to the vast majority of shows which rank with the great episodes of any series ever.

Magnum was one of the first (if not the first) show to deal with the humanity surrounding those who fought in the Vietnam War. It explored the bond that ties, and delved into the entrenched darkside of war (flashbacks, depression, etc.). The show was rarely heavy handed, and times of emotional hardship were often tempered by Magnum's whimsical innerchild.

As a testament to the shows greatness, the Sleuth Channel recently ranked Magnum as the greatest sleuth of all time. Its a well deserved tip of the cap to a show which offerred so many fans a weekly vacation to paradise.

ps...I really hope that Hollywood does not do a movie w/o the original actors who made the show great. It is not the right time...but then again "time has little to do with infinity and jelly doughnuts."

I think somewhere in the last season things went sideways. They quite obviously brought in some directors that worked on MIAMI VICE. They put a grittier, dark filter on the lens. Nothing seemed to happen in the daytime anymore, always at night and a lame PHIL COLLINS soundtrack started to play in the background. I'm thinking specifically of the episode arc with Frank Sinatra. It wasn't Magnum anymore, it was an episode of Miami Vice. Defiantly Jumped.
Also some lame episode about "Raiders of the lost ART?!" We know that Tom Selleck was offered the Indiana Jones role but had to turn it down for Magnum commitments. This was neither clever nor funny, just sad.

Great Show up until that point, though

i saw a one episode when magnum and some mates jumped out of a plane to do some sky surfing, when he pulled his shoot it tangle up, he saw his life as flashbacks just before he hit the water.

Did he live or die? dunno the episode ended and never saw it again!
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT?

Hey WGN, can you give "Matlock" or "Murder,She Wrote" a rest and put Magnum back on reruns, Monday-Friday???

What's the deal with Sleuth Channel? They only play the first couple of season (dec 80-about late 82). One day I saw an 83 but then they start over at 80 again. Did this several times. They have never play mid-late 80s. Really annoying that there is nothing after early 83.

Watching this show was mandatory for hoping to get a glimpse of Tom Selleck's hairier than hairy chest! Every week I pined for the display of manliness I hoped I would see in all of its glory! What a beaty that Selleck was in his heyday was! If only more men were created like that!

I havent seen the final episode of this show, but I am a huge fan of the first 5 series.

That being said, I heard that in the final episode Higgins pretends to be Robin Masters in order to fool Magnum for some reason. At the end of the episode Higgins flips it all around and claims that he was only pretending to be Robin in order to accomplish some crazy goal. After its all over it still leaves the audience with the impression that Higgins WAS infact Robin Masters the entire time.

Obviously Higgins was Robin Masters, all the while fooling Magnum, Rick , and TC throughout the entire series. His tendency to ramble on about his experiences in the military with that kind of exacting English vocabulary that only a genius writer could. As well as his well known memoirs about his life and times, more proof of the possibility that he could write complex Ian Flemming type mystery suspense novels. Also the shows typical theme of Magnum always getting over on Higgins, or one of the guys getting one over on Magnum makes it only more believable that Higgins did infact have the greatest con the whole time!

Great show, great writing, It did'nt jump the shark. Bellisario is a genius! He also created Airwolf in the 1980's, which was nowhere as cool as Magnum but still neat.

Show never jumped. The one thing I've noticed watching the series on DVD is that it holds up because of the relationships between characters. That was very well done.

In response to the comment about homosexual subtexts due in part to the short shorts....Were you alive in the 80's? Shorts like that are an embarrassing relic of that decade, but they didn't insinuate sexual orientation back then.