Why Some Long-Time Magnum PI Fans Just Can't Stand The Reboot

Following its debut in 1980, the original "Magnum, P.I." inspired a whole lot of people to dream of owning a Ferarri 308 GTS and a closet full of Hawaiian shirts. The quirky and fun show about a private investigator who lives in paradise is already a fantastic idea for a television series, and that isn't even mentioning the presence of Tom Selleck as the titular character, Thomas Magnum, in the mix. All that makes for high-quality entertainment for generations to come.

The show's elaborate scheming, crime-solving, and perfectly timed explosions for our hero to dramatically jump away from are just a few of the reasons fans can't get enough of it. However, even though they can't get enough of the original, it doesn't always mean fans want a reboot. In fact, the 2018 reboot of "Magnum, P.I." had some longtime fans of the show in a bit of an uproar regarding the details. To be fair, filling the shoes of Tom Selleck can't be an easy job. Nevertheless, not all fans were happy with the changes made to the classic action show.

In a Reddit post, u/TheKilmerman expressed disdain over the series reboot, writing, "I mean, you're making a reboot of a laid back and funny P.I. show, and you're turning it into a heavily green-screened 'Expendables' series. The original Magnum wasn't about machine guns and explosions." Other users joined in with a similar dislike for how the series is being portrayed. u/OneGoodRib mentioned the seriousness of the show being a downer. "Yeah the original wasn't a chill, laid-back show, but from the admittedly little I've seen of the reboot, it's more gritty and actiony and it looks uninteresting because of it," they wrote.

The "Magnum, P.I." reboot has taken a step away from the comedic touches that the original series became so well known for and has added a lot more action into the storyline. Jay Hernandez plays Thomas Magnum in the reboot series, and he explained in an interview with Collider why there's such a notable difference between the two versions of the series. "Part of it was that they wanted to do something different," he told the outlet. "My take is that they wanted to not try to replace Tom Selleck and not try to find somebody that looked and felt like Tom Selleck because that's a recipe for disaster."

Of course, there's no replacing Tom Selleck in any role, especially not in "Magnum, P.I.." While intentional and well thought out by the creators of the reboot, it seems some of the fans just prefer the good ol' quirky action-hero they know and love from the '80s.