'Magnum, P.I.' and the charm of 1980s TV series

Between 1980 and 1988, the American network CBS aired a highly successful series titled "Magnum, P.I.," starring Tom Selleck.

The Hughes 369D Cayuse helicopters of the 'Magnum' series and their imitators
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That series was one of Donald P. Bellisario’s successful productions. In Spain, it initially aired on regional channels. I watched it on Televisión de Galicia (TVG), which featured excellent Galician dubbing. In fact, years later, it aired in Spanish on a national channel, Antena 3, but I couldn't get used to it because the voices didn't feel familiar. TVG has aired the series again this summer, with daily episodes in August that are now limited to weekends.

The series served as a major promotional campaign for the Ferrari 308 GTB (the sports car belonging to the mysterious Robin Masters and driven by the protagonist) and for the Hughes Cayuse helicopters (last year I dedicated an article to the ones that appeared in this series)—a magnificent aircraft from the 1960s that is still flown in many countries.

"Magnum, P.I." was one of my favorite TV series of the 1980s, and now I’m enjoying rewatching the episodes in Galician, starting from the first season. It’s like going back to my childhood. The advantage of watching it now is that I can better appreciate the wit of the scripts and the performances —especially Tom Selleck’s; in this series, he broke the rule of never looking at the camera, often making gestures toward the viewers, usually at the end of episodes, which was a nice nod to the audience. If you have the chance to watch it again, I highly recommend it.

Watching "Magnum, P.I." has reminded me of many other hit series I used to watch in the 1980s: "The A-Team," "V," "MacGyver," "Knight Rider," "Moonlighting," "The Wonder Years," "Saved by the Bell," "Hill Street Blues," "ALF," "Growing Pains," "Night Court," "The Greatest American Hero"... It’s a shame that many of these shows haven't been aired again, as they were really good. If there were a channel dedicated to broadcasting this type of series (I don't know if one exists), I would sign up without hesitation.

I know that new versions of some of those series have been made —for example, "Magnum, P.I." and "MacGyver". To me, this is like remaking the Indiana Jones movies or the original "Star Wars" trilogy without the original stars. It’s absurd. The series from the 80s had a charm and a sense of familiarity that I find hard to come by in today's shows. I know some of those series are available on new streaming platforms, but others are very hard to find. I hope that someday I’ll be able to enjoy them again. "Magnum, P.I." has me just as hooked now as it did when I was a kid.