Magnum PI episode 12 video: Be prepared for two-night event!

Tomorrow night is going to feature Magnum PI episode 12 coming on CBS, and it’s fair to say that this is the most-important installment since the premiere. It’s going to have the biggest ratings platform that the series has ever had, and you have to hope that it’s going to find a way in which to capitalize on it.

Before we say too much else at present, though, let’s make the following very clear: We don’t think CBS should have a huge rooting interest in the AFC Championship Game that precedes the show coming on the air. Instead, what they should be hoping for is a really close shown that lasts until the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. The closer the game, the larger the viewership that will stick around. You have a better chance of scooping up more people this way.

When Magnum PI actually does air, we think the most important thing the show can do tomorrow is really appeal to this NFL audience and deliver an action-heavy episode that also delivers a little bit of humor and characters who are easy to identify and relate to. You have to remember that many viewers probably haven’t seen the show before, and they need to become attached to certain people right away. Promoting the episode with just Magnum and Higgins front and center, as CBS is doing in the promo below, makes some sense. The same goes for airing two episodes in two days, since this is an opportunity to capitalize immediately on the momentum of the post-NFL airing.

There are also two very-smart guest stars appearing on tomorrow’s episode that should also help the show, with the first being Eddie George. If you are coming on after an NFL game, it makes some sense to have a notable NFL icon appear as an actor. While it would’ve been great to factor in a current player, the problem there was that Magnum PI filmed this episode back during the NFL regular season. There was no way to make that work.

Beyond that, there was a little bit of good fortune with Ken Jeong returning to the show for this episode. We doubt that CBS or Magnum PI’s producers were able to telegraph the success of The Masked Singer on Fox at the time this episode was written, but we feel like Jeong’s star is currently at its apex right now — it’s at least as big as it’s been since he first broke out in The Hangover and then Community.

What are you the most excited for with the Magnum PI two-night event? Be sure to share right now in the comments! (Photo: CBS.)