...but it's trying to be, which means it IS that bad!
I swore I wasn't going to watch the remake, but ended up doing so purely out of curiosity. How can I honestly say it's good or bad if I don't even watch it?
This show should never have attempted to replicate one of the greatest TV series ever. I am a huge Magnum fan since it was originally aired, and used to pay respects at "Robin's Nest" ("Pahonu") every time I was on O'ahu until it was torn down earlier this year (a large emotional hit already for all Magnum fans!). Now this show comes out...
Obviously it has to be "updated" with even bigger fake action scenes (courtesy CGI) which distracts as the original never needed such "tricks" to make it interesting. The cast isn't bad but they don't come anywhere near the chemistry the original Magnum crew had. And changing Higgins into a woman, that just shows how desperate it is to cater to its audience. Why? John Hillerman was the quintessential actor for the role, and played it beautifully. Changing the character's gender is only pathetic attempt to draw interest to her. Swing and a miss!
Unfortunately, Jay Hernandez, Zachary Knighton and Stephen Hill are equally unsuccessful in their roles. Hernandez simply doesn't have the charm and charisma of Tom Selleck (who does?). Knighton isn't bad as Rick but it's not a very deep role in the first place. Hill simply doesn't bring to the screen what Roger E. Mosley did.
Lastly, the desperate crossover appearances from the current 'Hawaii Five-0' (another poorly made remake) simply fails. The original 'Magnum P.I.' didn't need Steve McGarrett to bolster its ratings.
Overall, the show may have had some chance of success if it simply was another O'ahu-based cop/detective show; but as far as I am concerned this is yet one more in a long list of remakes that shouldn't have been made (i.e. the rebooted Ghostbusters, Oceans 8, what else am I forgetting?!?). Has Hollywood really run out of premises on which to base new TV series? Has there been one reboot that actually was worth watching? The new Magnum simply proves that writers cannot depend on nostalgia to bring viewers to the screen. Go back to the drawing board, guys, and come up with something original! These remakes are destined to fail...
I swore I wasn't going to watch the remake, but ended up doing so purely out of curiosity. How can I honestly say it's good or bad if I don't even watch it?
This show should never have attempted to replicate one of the greatest TV series ever. I am a huge Magnum fan since it was originally aired, and used to pay respects at "Robin's Nest" ("Pahonu") every time I was on O'ahu until it was torn down earlier this year (a large emotional hit already for all Magnum fans!). Now this show comes out...
Obviously it has to be "updated" with even bigger fake action scenes (courtesy CGI) which distracts as the original never needed such "tricks" to make it interesting. The cast isn't bad but they don't come anywhere near the chemistry the original Magnum crew had. And changing Higgins into a woman, that just shows how desperate it is to cater to its audience. Why? John Hillerman was the quintessential actor for the role, and played it beautifully. Changing the character's gender is only pathetic attempt to draw interest to her. Swing and a miss!
Unfortunately, Jay Hernandez, Zachary Knighton and Stephen Hill are equally unsuccessful in their roles. Hernandez simply doesn't have the charm and charisma of Tom Selleck (who does?). Knighton isn't bad as Rick but it's not a very deep role in the first place. Hill simply doesn't bring to the screen what Roger E. Mosley did.
Lastly, the desperate crossover appearances from the current 'Hawaii Five-0' (another poorly made remake) simply fails. The original 'Magnum P.I.' didn't need Steve McGarrett to bolster its ratings.
Overall, the show may have had some chance of success if it simply was another O'ahu-based cop/detective show; but as far as I am concerned this is yet one more in a long list of remakes that shouldn't have been made (i.e. the rebooted Ghostbusters, Oceans 8, what else am I forgetting?!?). Has Hollywood really run out of premises on which to base new TV series? Has there been one reboot that actually was worth watching? The new Magnum simply proves that writers cannot depend on nostalgia to bring viewers to the screen. Go back to the drawing board, guys, and come up with something original! These remakes are destined to fail...