Magnum, P.I. - The Complete First Season (1980)

A ratings hit for eight seasons on CBS, the action-mystery series Magnum, P.I. makes its DVD boxed set debut in an impressive five-disc package that offers not only the entire first season, but some rarely seen episodes. Positioned in the old Hawaii Five-O time slot (Thursdays at 9) in December of 1980, Magnum quickly became a hit, thanks to the combination of smart and witty scripting, gorgeous locations, and the considerable charm of lead Tom Selleck as former Naval Intelligence officer Thomas Magnum, who gives up his position to become a private investigator on Oahu with the help of fellow Vietnam vets T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti). Magnum also provided security for the lavish estate of wealthy (and never-seen) mystery writer Robin Masters, which gave him access to the author's expensive vehicles (including a prized Ferrari), much to the disapproval of Masters's manservant Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman).

A rare series that skillfully blended action, humor, drama, and suspense, Magnum, P.I.'s first season gets the boxed set treatment its fans have been hoping for, with all 18 first-season episodes (including the two-part pilot, "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii") included on four discs. The fifth disc contains four rarely shown bonus episodes, including season 3's "Ki'ls Don't Lie," which featured a crossover plot with Simon and Simon, as well as its conclusion ("Emeralds Are Not a Girl's Best Friend"), which kicked off S&S's second season; the latter episode has never been aired as part of Magnum's syndicated package, which is another reason for fans to pick up and enjoy this long-awaited set. --Paul Gaita Amazon.com

Magnum PI Review

This was just what my husband wanted to Father's Day and it made the perfect gift. June 30, 2008

Excellent entertainment - spotty transfer

This is one of my two all-time favorite TV series. Despite some changes in costume and hair style, the series has stood the test of time surprisingly well. The ensemble cast each bring a well-developed character to the screen from episode 1. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the episodes in order and fully intend to buy the rest of the seasons. I would have given this 4 1/2 stars if possible. The only ding is that the transfer quality was poor in places. This series definitely merits remastering. I had hoped that this would be done for the DVD, having noticed that this poor resolution occurs occasionally in the re-runs broadcast on television as well. It isn't terrible, but not as good as the show deserves either. May 27, 2008

As good as I expected

Nothing else to say except if you are a fan of the show, you will enjoy. Double sided discs are cheap. March 26, 2008

Great fun entertainment

Surprised how well the first series stacks up after all these years. There's hardly a dud episode in here. We very much enjoy watching these DVDs, but the dobermans are tops! Plenty of them in this series. January 26, 2008

The Season That Made Tom Selleck Famous

Finally, Magnum's 1st Season was put on DVD with each and every episode complete and uncut like it originally was during it's 8-year run on CBS, except that each episode on this DVD is commercial free, which is wonderful. In addition, each episode also includes a brief summary along with it's original air date of this 1980-81 Season of Magnum, PI and includes closed captioning on them too, but it's just too bad they couldn't make Magnum's 6th, 7th, and 8th Season DVD box set like this one, because it would've made them even better. Additionally, this DVD also lets you see how Magnum got started along with this estranged relationship with Higgins, TC, Rick, and of course Higgins dogs(Zeus & Apollo) and explains the estragned relationship and situation that Magnum and Higgins had with the so-called famous Robin Masters, even though he was never shown on the series. This 1980-81 Season was also one of the funniest seasons of the show as well and was my second favorite season of Magnum, P.I. This is also the season that Tom Selleck became a superstar as well as a sex symbol and came out a year later from playing his role as fellow gumshoe(Lance White) on "The Rockford Files", which was an inspiration to Magnum, PI. In addition to that. the 1st Season of Magnum showed former co-stars from "The Rockford Files" like Noah Beery, which played Rockford's father(Joseph Rockford) and Gretchen Corbett, which played Rockford's attorney girlfriend(Beth Davenport) in the first 4 seasons of "The Rockford Files". The 1st Season oF Magnum was also the season that became almost a spin-off of "Hawaii 5-0" and "The Rockford Files". So this review should definetley be helpful to anybody who religiously watched Magnum on CBS every Thursday night back in the early 1980's when Magnum, P.I. was a big hit. January 23, 2008

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