Magnum PI season 5 episode 7 ratings: How did it fare?

For those who are curious about the current state of things for Magnum PI season 5 in the ratings, there is a lot to get into today.

Is everything that we have to say super-pleasant? Not exactly, but there are some caveats and various things to explore. Let’s start with the facts: Last night’s new episode “Birthright” ended up generating just a 0.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and close to 2.6 million live viewers, making it the least-watching episode of the season. You obviously don’t want to see that, especially since the future beyond the second part of the season (premiering potentially in the fall) is still unclear.

However, are there some reasons that better explain the decline? It’s easy to argue so. For starters, it isn’t getting much of a lead-in from repeats of Dateline, and we do think that NBC has to consider that. These two shows don’t have much in common in general, but you are expecting a lot for a show to be a complete self-starter when it is airing up against the broadcast premiere of a hit like Yellowjackets and then the premiere of Succession for everyone. That’s without mentioning huge ratings for The Equalizer, which ran deep into 9:00 p.m. Eastern due to the NCAA Tournament. We honestly think that may have been what hurt Magnum PI more than anything.

Luckily, there are still DVR ratings and Peacock streams, and we do think that the network is picking up a lot of numbers from there. Even with this drop, Magnum PI is still significantly improving the Sunday timeslot year-to-year, and there is a considerable amount of value the show has on the basis of that alone. The question that NBC will be asking themselves as they contemplate a season 6 renewal is whether or not the improvement in viewership is enough to offset the cost.

Of course, we’d love a firm decision sooner rather than later, but this is where we remind you that there is no reason for anyone to hurry. We remain cautiously optimistic, while still acknowledging that the TV world can be a very unpredictable business.

Related – Want to get a better sense of what’s ahead entering Magnum PI season 5 episode 8?

What are your thoughts about the ratings for Magnum PI season 5 episode 7?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to come back for some other updates. (Photo: NBC.)