When the iconic CBS television series Magnum, 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 film Three 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 films Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, Folks!, Her Alibi, An Innocent Man, Mr. Baseball, and Quigley 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 sitcom Friends and with the Jesse Stone made-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 CBS police procedural drama series Blue Bloods, which debuted in 2010 and is set to end in 2024 after fourteen seasons. Moreover, as the run of Blue Bloods has extended far beyond that of Magnum, P.I., Frank Reagan has eclipsed Thomas Magnum as the character Selleck is most remembered for.
