Following the trend of bringing older shows back to the small screen, CBS confirmed the return of "Murphy Brown" and "Magnum P.I." by dropping trailers for both.
Restart for 'Murphy Brown'
Candice Bergen is returning to the small screen as Murphy Brown, and she's ready to engage in a media war against Trump. The trailer is the typical "where are they now" set-up, and the returning cast is telling the audience what they've been doing since their last stint at FYI.
CBS is joining a few other broadcast networks by picking up the original cast, and putting them in the present day.
"Will & Grace" was NBC's attempt at this kind of restart, which also jabbed the president. Fox brought back the "X-Files" with limited success, since the network intends to cancel it after the 12th season. "Roseanne" is ABC's leap to the present from the past, which has enjoyed a fair amount of success even with Roseanne portrayed as a Trump supporter.
It remains to be seen how "Murphy Brown" will fare, considering that the show will apparently go full-frontal against Trump. While it's believable for the characters involved, it may alienate at least some of the show's target age group. CBS may be hoping to draw a younger demographic, but the fact remains that the initial viewer group will include a high percentage of Generation X.
'Magnum P.I.' is getting a reboot
Thomas Magnum is coming back to the small screen, but don't expect to see Tom Selleck in the red sports car. Jay Hernandez will be taking the lead role this time around. In case you're wondering why you should remember Hernandez, he played Diablo in "Suicide Squad," and Paxton in the "Hostel" films.
If you thought the first look at the new "Magnum P.I." was a little similar to the current "Hawaii Five-O," you aren't alone. Bear in mind, both shows are action-oriented, and filmed on the islands, but it doesn't mean that "Magnum" will be just another "Five-O."
CBS decided to mix things up a little bit by making Higgins a woman.
Based on the trailer, it looks like that will work out very well for the series. Magnum's friends, Rick and TC, are essentially the same, with the appropriate updates to fit the times.
Even though reboots are trending, they are still a gamble. CBS already knows this, since they've also rebooted ABC's "MacGyver" with less than stellar results. "Magnum P.I." arguably should be easier to reboot, since the original show didn't rely on tech in any way -- a problem "MacGyver" has faced, whether the network wants to admit it or not.
