Matt Buckler: 'Magnum P.I.' may be un-canceled

Jun. 3—The funeral services for Thomas Magnum may have been a little premature, at least according to Deadline TV.

"Magnum P.I.," which was canceled by CBS in May despite being a Top 30 show, may be brought back to life.

In an exclusive report, the Deadline story claims that both NBC and the USA Network are negotiating to keep the series alive.

NBC will air first-run episodes while USA will be home to the reruns. Since both networks are owned by the same company, NBC Universal, sharing "Magnum P.I." is a distinct possibility.

The reboot has aired on CBS for four seasons with Jay Hernandez taking over the role Tom Selleck made famous in the original version. The show has been successful, averaging 7.4 million total weekly viewers per episode this season. Last season it averaged slightly more, 7.5 million viewers per episode, and was renewed. Who knew 100,000 viewers could make such a big difference in CBS' thinking?

In the 18-49 age bracket, "Magnum P.I." was tied for 51st. But so were "NCIS: LA" and "Bob Hearts Abishola" and CBS decided to bring those two shows back for another season. So "Magnum P.I." fans — all 7.4 million of them — were justifiably upset.

Remember, "Magnum's" emergence out of the grave is not a done deal. There will have to be negotiations between NBC Universal and CBS Studios, which produces the show.

There's also a deadline. The contracts for the cast would expire at the end of the month. If those contracts aren't renewed, it would be much more difficult for "Magnum" to return.

But at least 7.3 million viewers are rooting for the guy in the Hawaiian shirt to make another comeback. And NBC needs something besides "Law & Order" programs to strengthen its lineup of crime shows.

COVID cutbacks

The NBA Finals tipped off Thursday on ABC and the network was playing shorthanded due to COVID-19 positives.

Jeff Van Gundy, usually the most vocal part of ABC's three-man broadcast team, had to sit out Game 1 of the Celtics-Warriors. Also on the sidelines was Mike Breen, the play-by-play voice who was forced to sit out his second straight game because of the virus.

That left Mark Jackson as the only survivor of ABC's three-man crew to work Game 1. His partner was Mark Jones, who proved Sunday filling in for Breen in Game 7 of the Heat-Celtics series that he is capable of stepping into the big spotlight.

ESPN analyst Adrian Wojnarowski was also forced to miss Game 1.

Van Gundy, however, is the biggest loss. He is not afraid to voice his opinions at any time. That means ABC's telecasts without him won't be as lively — but they will be much quieter.

The shakeup in the ABC announcing team shows that COVID remains to be a big part of the national sports stage.

More 'Minutes'

A new streaming channel in the works sounds more like a library. The channel is "60 Minutes" and would be part of the Pluto streaming service, which is a free outlet.

The "60 Minutes" channel will dive into the show's 50-plus year archives to give viewers a history lesson every time they watch.

"The channel will allow us to share our broadcast and historic archive with the wider world," said Bill Owens, the show's executive producer.

After all, it's a wide archive. Not only will viewers get to see classic interviews, they will also get to see classic broadcasters such as Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, and Morley Safer.

No date has been announced for the new channel on Pluto, but it should be around the corner.

We all know about the "60 Minutes" stopwatch. Who knew it also could run backwards?

Follow Matt Buckler for more television, radio, and sports coverage on the JI's Twitter @journalinquirer, and see his articles on the Journal Inquirer Facebook page.