When I was single, I used to watch this show religiously saying: "What does Tom Selleck or Magnum Got, that I don't?" "I know what you're thinking", but we were about the same height (I am 6' foot 5" and he's 6' foot 4") and I grew a mustache and styled my hair to try to look like him. So what do so many women like about him? Over the years, I got interesting answers:THE CAR! It's got to be the car! A fire engine red fast Ferrari, which was not his, but he got full use of it. When in need of speed, the car moved fast. A lot of women liked that car, but that was not the entire answer. THE BASEBALL CAP! I thought, guys should wear baseball caps all the time to look like Magnum. Actually, I do not think the cap did much for him. Some women commented that the cap made him look like he was about to pull out baseball cards and start trading or maybe chewing bubble gum or blowing bubbles. THOSE HAWAIIN SHIRTS! They must like the Hawaiian shirts he wore. I once bought about 20 shirts like that. Those shirts, were colorful (Too colorful? Ya know what I mean?) and in some women's eyes those shirts made a statement about me did that I probably did not want to hear. I really do not think that is it. THOSE SHORTS! They must like the shorts and the amount of leg he showed. I never wore shorts when I was younger. Later I began to wear shorts. Wearing shorts might make a few women look, but not much. You look comfortable in shorts, so on a hot day, its alright. On a cold day, you look foolish and your legs won't look good either. THE GRIN AND EYEBROW RAISE! That move he used at the end of the opening. I copied that, but it never helped me! Instead women gave me some really dirty looks when I did it. Well...what was it? It could be that so many guys looked like him, or like me, tried to...You wouldn't think so but nowadays, 252,000 oages of websites have the quoted phrase "He looks like Tom Selleck". However, that is not quite as many pages of websites that have the phrase "She looks like Jennifer Connelly", 567,000 (Jennifer is very beautiful, so, I'd like to see these women and judge for myself). According to one woman "every man in Sweden looks like Tom Selleck". I know that I tried to look like Tom, and probably a lot of other guys tried to look like Tom, unsuccessfully, as well.I don't know what he had, however, my guess: Magnum usually narrated the show, so we got to hear Magnum's inner thoughts. He was not just a big tough guy, we got inside his mind, and felt what he felt, his sensitivity, his values his self confidence, and in the end, he turned to be a regular guy. We listened to him, cause his voice although not perfect and not macho, deep or booming, was pretty much a regular guys voice. Later after Miame Vice hit the airwaves, (by the way I copied that Miame Vice style of clothing and shaving, too) Magnum used more music. We heard Phil Collins and others and I even taped some of them to workout to. (I worked out hard to be musclular and wanted a big, muscular and tightened rear end.) Keep in mind that some women were not in the least bit attracted to Tom Selleck. I recall seeing the final episode of the show in a bar and it was empty, except for two women who worked there. One woman commented that she "never watched that show" and walked away. Too bad too, she missed a quality show. The other woman started talking to me. She was bored and she never glanced at the TV screen...until Tim Rossovitch, who also was in the last episode of Magnum, was on the screen. Then she got real excited and she gushed about the 6 foot 4 inch more muscular former NFL player who was known as kinda of crazy. I could not get her to stop gushing about Tim Rossovitch, even as I tried to tell her about his crazy stunts when he played in the NFL. She started telling me about his little stunts and each stunt she talked about made her more excited! I'd say she was not into Tom Selleck. There were other interesting characters on the show, like Higgens, (who I probably looked more like, except height). Higgens was very educated/refined and a tiny bit uptight. He was at odds with laid back Magnum on most issues. TC and Rick, Mac (without the mustache), and the other Mac (with the mustache and who were both played by the same actor) made the show work better than normal dramas. Magnum got along with these people, somehow, despite some obvious differences. Also let's not forget the great Magnum PI theme music by Mike Post, that played at the start and the end of the show. It can "rev you up". Yeah, you might be thinking about it or trying to hum it, right now...or maybe not (check Youtube if you want to hear it). In the end Magnum was just a regular guy, and in the end I found out I was sort of a copy of a regular guy, which is not good. So I began to believe in myself, instead of copying others, and like Magnum is not on the air anymore, I am not on the market anymore.

Sometimes I review lists of the greatest 10, 20, or 25 American TV shows in history, and when I don't find (Magnum P.I) in one, I say maybe the makers of this list are : so poor to not watch it, or so pathetically dumb and fool to forget it, or watched it and refused to include it (folks I don't want to know at all!) (Magnum P.I) is the best of its kind. Simply the action, the comedy, and the drama. It had completely what made it the standard to measure any other similar work : good characters, fresh atmosphere, touching moments, big production, great writing, sensitive cinematography, genius music, top notch acting, cinematic direction, and memorable 164 episodes that were never bad and just perfect all the way.. (Maybe one concerning Higgins's twin, and a few else but HEY, they're humans after all).(Magnum) for me means 2 eras in my life. The first when I was a kid at the 1980s and (Magnum) was the assured ride of fun. The second one was after I've studied cinema and writing scripts, that when I discovered how this show had it all, so every episode of the reruns was such a lesson about how to make a classic work and a great amount of entertainment too. The thing about it is that it embodied cleverly what I believe the ultimate formula : some fun + some seriousness. It's not wholly a show about nice detective in Hawaii who punches the bad guys, kisses the fine babies, and plays the saxophone badly in between; actually he is that yet with more.It was a lovely book of wisdom with catchy thoughtful lines, instruction about friendship, manifesto about deformed generation that could overstep its tribulation anyway (in fact the show was against the Vietnam war mostly, and with it scarcely to please all I think), a chance to be a down to earth hero, learning that life is invaluable, despite anything you must solemnize it, and how living careless and well is the best revenge out of anything ! See, whether it shows a rainy night or shinny day, it can represent the beauty of both with contemplating also.I liked the main formula of the characters : a brain (Higgins), a muscles (TC), a heart (Rick), and one got all of that temperately (Magnum). Not to mention the distinct relationship between (Higgins) and (Magnum), it develops from English gentleman vs. straight American, to severe father and rebel son, to friends, very different friends yet resemble each other and learn from each other, with keeping all the previous symptoms runs on and under the surface. That was unique and creative as nearly the whole thing.(Tom Selleck) was like the show itself : funny but can masterly be serious, for instance I'll never forget his performance at (Memories Are Forever)'s 2 parts where he assured how strong actor he is, and how deep Magnum can be as a character and as a show.Here is a show that can feed my eyes, my heart, and my brain superbly just about every time. It marked an era. And at the advertisement for it as DVD, you would hear a voice saying "it's the 1980s", I think it can define not only the era, but the best of it. That's a work wanted to present something better with every step ahead, and didn't satisfy with only being a funny pastime. In one word ..I love Magnum. As a child's memory, and as a grown-up's mania. I've always believed that heaven is that place where "Magnum" is being played continually and without commercials too ! So, when I made a list of my own for the best 10 TV shows ever, I found no competitor on the first rank but the greatest "Magnum, P.I.". It's an immortal moment of ecstasy which gets a certain mode to put you in the mood. It equals a "Magnum opus" for me. If only every show has something from it, we would have better ones that can last after watching in our sentiment as well as our brain.P.S : I wrote elaborately a review about this show's magical elements through one of its most important episodes (4 # 1 : Home From The Sea), which you can find at its own page.

During it's initial run in the 80's I never cared for or watched Magnum. Oh I caught a few episodes here and there and even remember when a friend of mine (Ronald Lacey) got an offer to do an episode back in '83. But it just wasn't the kind of show I had any interest in.Now, thanks to re-runs on KDOC I've somehow come to look forward to every episode, like most good TV it's the characters and the believable chemistry between them that grows on you. It's true as one reviewer pointed out the comparisons between Rockford Files (which I also love) It's more than just the flawed anti-hero, always getting into trouble, in debt, etc it's a realistic ensemble of characters who all love to hate each other. And Tom Selleck's whiny demeanor really starts to grow on you

John Hillerman & Tom Selleck are a perfect balance to each other to anchor this series. They play off each other very well & even though Sellick used this as a springboard for his entire career, Hillerman is most often remembered for this show. The island setting for this show & the photography are top notch.Glen Larsen & Donald Bellisario both have done great work in many series with varying degrees of success. Both have had hit shows besides this one, & sometimes not so successful. You don't think of Ba Ba Black Sheep & Battlestar Gallactica when you think of Bellsario/ Larsen, but of Quantum Leap, Knight Rider, Qunicy & Jag among others. Both men were born in the mid 1930's which puts them in the same class.They have nothing to be shamed of in their work on this series which ran a very successful 164 episodes in the 1980's. The shows hold up pretty well even after all these years. This show was no small part of a successful CBS group in the 1980's. Catch it when you can, as I recently caught the pilot 2 hour premiere on a rerun.The first show introduces Hillerman & Sellecks characters & the motivation behind the feud they always have during the series run. There is always plenty of eye candy for the guys, to go with the other natural great scenery. Always plenty of action for the detective fan in this show too.