When the iconic CBS television seriesMagnum, P.I.ended in 1988, after eight seasons, it seemed as if the show’s star,Tom Selleck, who won an Emmy in 1985 for his portrayal of private investigator Thomas Magnum, was essentially finished with television. After all, in 1987, Selleck achieved major film stardom after several previous failed attempts, with his starring role in the hit comedy filmThree Men and a Baby, which was the highest-grossing film at the domestic box office for the in-year release.
However, following the disappointing box office performance of the filmsChristopher Columbus: The Discovery,Folks!,Her Alibi,An Innocent Man,Mr. Baseball, andQuigley Down Under, all of which were released between 1989 and 1992, Selleck’s career as an above-the-line film star was over. Selleck was forced to return to television.
While Selleck made several memorable television appearances in the 1990s and 2000s, most notably on the sitcomFriendsand with theJesse Stonemade-for-television film series, Selleck nonetheless struggled to find a role that would transcend Thomas Magnum in the public consciousness.
Selleck found such a role in New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the senior main protagonist in the CBSpolice procedural dramaseriesBlue Bloods, which debuted in 2010 and is set to end in 2024 after fourteen seasons. Moreover, as the run ofBlue Bloodshas extended far beyond that ofMagnum, P.I., Frank Reagan has eclipsed Thomas Magnum as the character Selleck is most remembered for.
Tom Selleck Is a Natural Leader
Blue Bloods
Prior toMagnum, P.I., Tom Selleck, who was thirty-five whenMagnum, P.I.debuted in 1980, was probably best known for playing dashing private investigator Lance White in two episodes of thedetective drama seriesThe Rockford Filesin 1978 and 1979. More importantly, Selleck found a mentor in the form ofRockford Filesstar James Garner, who showed Selleck how to be a television star.
Indeed, the towering six-foot-four Selleck assumed the role of a figurative quarterback withMagnum, P.I., which became a showcase for Selleck’s effortless charisma, strong work ethic, and ungodly athletic ability. Selleck’s legendary generosity was especially evident when, afterMagnum, P.I.was initially slated to end after the show’s seventh season, Selleck agreed to do one more season out of a sense of obligation to the show’s cast and crew.
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The quarterback metaphor also certainly applied to Selleck’s physical prowess. In different episodes of the show, Selleck dunked a basketball, hit a baseball more than 400 feet, and slid across the hood of the iconic Ferrari 308 that Thomas Magnum drove throughout the series. Selleck was every bit the he-man hero that his titular character’s name implied.
If Selleck was the figurative quarterback ofMagnum, P.I., Selleck would become a coach withBlue Bloods. However, while the coach metaphor applies to Selleck’s leadership principles fromMagnum, P.I.toBlue Bloodsand the patriarchal aura of Selleck’s Frank Reagan character, it also reflects Selleck’s age and increasing physical limitations. Selleck, who turns seventy-nine in January 2024, is obviously no longer capable of performingthe daredevil stuntsthat defined his career in the 1980s.
Tom Selleck Went From a Sex Symbol to an Elder Statesman
The essential contradiction that exists withinTom Selleck’s careeris the gaping divide between Thomas Magnum, the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing playboy and private investigator ofMagnum, P.I., and Frank Reagan, the three-piece-suited, venerable New York City police commissioner ofBlue Bloods.
For anyone who has followed Selleck’s career since the 1980s, this transformation has been stunning. Magnum and Reagan, along with Selleck and his younger self, seem like entirely different people. It’s as if Magnum has died.
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Moreover, as the original incarnation ofMagnum, P.I.ended approximately thirty-five years ago, and given the fact that reruns ofMagnumhaven’t been prevalent in syndication for at least twenty years, whileBlue Bloodreruns have been virtually ubiquitous for the past decade, Selleck’s Magnum persona has entered relic status.
Indeed, for many people under the age of forty, their identification with the Magnum character is probably stronger with the rebooted version of the character, as played by Jay Hernandez in theMagnum, P.I.remake, than Selleck’s original version.
Tom Selleck Represents Integrity
While Tom Selleck had a sterling public image prior to thedebut ofBlue Bloods, the beacon of honor and integrity that Selleck has embodied onBlue Bloods, through his performance as New York City police commissioner Frank Reagan, has doubtlessly made Selleck one of the most admired and trusted performers, if not people, in North America.
Like Reagan, Selleck’s core integrity has been tested throughout his career. In 1980, Selleck wascast to play Indiana Jonesin the blockbuster action-adventure filmRaiders of the Lost Ark, for which the filming was originally scheduled to begin in March 1980, around the same time that the filming for theMagnum, P.I.pilot was supposed to take place.
Instead of attempting to break hisMagnumcontract, Selleck fulfilled this contractual obligation. This now legendary Hollywood story, combined with Selleck’s later willingness to continue withMagnum, P.I.throughout the 1980s in favor of beckoning film stardom, established Selleck as a star who was perhaps too nice for his own good.
Blue Bloodsreturns for its 14th and final season on Jul 27, 2025.
