Magnum PI season 5: Is there a case for two-hour premiere?

With the Magnum PI season 5 premiere not coming to NBC until 2023, this does leave open a lot of time to discuss different things! Today, that means in particular diving into the idea of a potential two-hour premiere for the Jay Hernandez series and what exactly that could mean.

Just as you would imagine, there’s a TON of fun stuff that we think the show could cram into the first two hours, and there would also be something really special that the show could do for NBC: Create what is effective its own little movie. Just think about it this way — what better way to celebrate being on a new network? You can come out swinging right away with an extended story that has a high-stakes case, plus some opportunities to follow up on all of the emotional stuff you saw for Magnum and Higgins in the season 4 finale. It’d be an introduction to new viewers and a reminder to old ones as to what makes this show so great.

Also, we think in general you don’t see enough two-part stories on TV these days. We know that for a lot of shows over the years, syndication is always a fear when it comes to hitting the ground running with these, but we do still think they are worth doing here and there.

Of course, there are also some reasons why we may not get something like this. Unless NBC tells the producers FAR in advance that the first two episodes are airing the same night, it is a heck of a lot harder to prepare a story like this. Otherwise, you have to plan for the opportunity that each part could air in separate weeks, and there is a certain amount of preparation that goes into that. Also, there are viewers that just like the story-of-the-week to be resolved in a single hour.

Our feeling, though, is that you may as well swing for the fences after facing cancellation and living to tell the tale. Deliver something from the get-go that is bigger and different than what viewers are used to. There will always be time to settle into old rhythms later.

What do you want to see over the course of the Magnum PI season 5 premiere?

Do you really think that a two-hour premiere is going to be the right move? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, come back — this is the best way to ensure that you don’t miss any other updates. (Photo: NBC.)