Magnum P.I.’s Series Finale Still Sets Up Potential Season 6: “There Is Enough Closure”

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Magnum P.I. season 5, episode 13!

Magnum P.I. showrunner Eric Guggenheim has revealed the upcoming series finale was originally shot as a season finale, leaving the door open for season 6 despite the show not getting renewed. The final 10 episodes of the crime drama are currently airing, providing the last stretch of mysteries for Thomas and the rest of the team to solve. In addition, the final episodes have featured big character moments like Thomas and Juliet’s pregnancy scare.

Speaking with Collider, Guggenheim explained that Magnum P.I. season 5 part 2 was not written to be a series finale. However, the showrunner says there is still enough closure in the final episode that it works as an ending to the series. Check out what Guggenheim had to say below:

It’s a good question. In the case of this season, the finale was not written to be a series finale, but because we hadn’t gotten a pickup, we did take that possibility into consideration as we were crafting it. When you watch it, you’ll see that we were clearly teeing up some stuff for a Season 6. But first and foremost, we wanted to make sure we covered our bases and that the episode worked as a series finale, if need be. The last thing we want is for the viewers who have been so wonderful and who have stuck by the show for almost 100 episodes to go away frustrated. That would not be fair. They don’t deserve that. So, while a couple of things are left unresolved, I do feel like there is enough closure that it works as a finale.

We went in knowing this might have to work as a series finale, so we needed to build it with that in mind. You always wanna leave some things unresolved, that you can pick up, if there’s another season. I won’t lie, it was a very tricky needle to thread. I do think we managed to do it and I do think that, if this has to work as a finale, it does and it rewards the fans who have invested so much time in the show.

Will Magnum P.I. Have A Satisfying Ending?

Guggenheim’s words underscore how Magnum P.I. was canceled again at NBC, despite the network saving the series after it was canceled during season 4 on CBS. Since the cast’s contracts were up for negotiation after season 5, the show’s new home decided to pull the plug instead of ordering more episodes. Even though it’s been saved before, the episodes currently airing will likely be the show’s last.

This means the finale will have to provide closure to multiple big character stories. Stories that remain unresolved include Thomas and Juliet considering starting a family, as well as T.C. going through physical therapy. While the show continues to focus on individual cases in its final episodes, the only way the finale can be satisfying is if long-running plot lines get resolved.

Since it’s now confirmed some elements of Magnum P.I. won’t be resolved by the end of the show, it’s unclear how many character stories will get a proper ending. However, Guggenheim appears confident the series finale will give the show a satisfactory ending. With only a few episodes left until the end, the show will soon prove just how much of its story will end on a fulfilling note.

Source: Collider