Magnum PI season 5: How episode count could factor in to negotiations
What we wanted to dive into today is a potential part of negotiations that we’ve not addressed so far, but remains important: How many episodes would season 5 be? This could be a delicate back-and-forth between studios Universal TV / CBS and also how many a network is willing to offer.
From a studio side, it makes a great deal of sense that you would want as many episodes as possible. This increases your profits, and/or the total number you would be able to sell over to a streaming partner down the line. It also means potentially more money for the cast and crew. Obviously, you want as many episodes as you can within reason and without sacrificing story — there’s a reason why few shows go over 22 or 24 episodes in a given year.
However, the network side of these talks could be a bit more hesitant to hand over that many episodes. Remember that if Magnum PI goes to NBC, it is somewhat of a gamble for them. The show performed well through four seasons at CBS, but it has to prove itself all over again at a new home. The more episodes you order now, the bigger the bet is — and not all broadcast networks are willing to be that risky in an era where there is so much competition. Given that a season 5 would most likely not premiere until 2023 (NBC already has a fall schedule), it’s hard to imagine them ordering more than 18, and it could be even less than that.
While a good bit of this is speculative, there’s a very good chance that episode count is at the center of any discussion in regards to Magnum PI season 5. It’s one of the many financial conversations happening as we cross our fingers and hope for the best.
How many episodes do you want to see in Magnum PI season 5?
Be sure to share right now in the comments, and also come back around for other updates in due time. (Photo: CBS.)