Magnum, podcast
Hosted by Jason Snell, Philip Michaels, and David J. Loehr
Three yo-yos from the 2020s watch selected episodes of one of the greatest TV shows of the 1980s, “Magnum, p.i.” There are a lot of segments. E-mail magnum@theincomparable.com to suggest episodes or insult other listeners.
111 “Paper War” (S7E8)
It’s Higgins versus Magnum in a tit-for-tat, Roland for Oliver battle of pranks, hijinks, and accused felonies. There’s a long scene in an elevator. Our characters become as impervious to damage as cartoon characters. And put away your red string and conspiracy board, because there’s a terrible idea in this episode that receives the blanket condemnation and denouncement of the entirety of Magnum, podcast.
Previous Episodes
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September 4, 2025110 “The Taking of Dick McWilliams” (S2E10)
Old cars versus helicopters, karate and seppuku, a helpful anecdote from Higgins, and a kidnapped guy who’s such a jerk that nobody (except maybe his wife?) wants to see him again. We watch a broken-down old episode from a writer who would go on to do better things, because what else can we do? We’re on the executive board of the Anglo-Hawaiian Friendship Society, after all.
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August 28, 2025
109 “Three Minus Two” (S2E22)
This final episode of season two is strangely a leftover from season one, so far as we can tell. So many scenes from the opening credits! Julia Nickson is back! We meet Chekhov’s Security Guard, whose name is Ox! The Law of the Economy of Characters and the Fallacy of the Talking Killer are both on display! And, most importantly, we introduce perhaps our biggest bit of Official Magnum Podcast Head Canon yet: Miłosz.
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August 21, 2025
108 “Try to Remember” (S2E15)
The most important supporting character in the show (the Ferrari) is sidelined and, oh yeah, Magnum is hospitalized! But is his amnesia a result of his head injuries, or is it more sinister? What does Thomas have in common with Superman and Batman? Jason focuses on island vibes, Phil gets to talk an awful lot about baseball, and we may or may not have subjected David to ’80s hypnosis.
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August 14, 2025
107 “Straight and Narrow” (S7E4)
Candy Clark returns as an ex-hooker who is a deeply unreliable partner. We get caught in the Island Breeze, which services a lot of local men who need their carpets cleaned on a regular basis, sometimes by an unlikely pair of janitors?
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August 7, 2025
106 “The Hotel Dick” (S6E5)
Presented by Famous Big Hi-Rise Hotel on Waikiki, it’s “The Hotel Dick!” Magnum quits his job (?) to become a hotel detective (??) and foil a thief called the Cat Man of Kauai (???) with the help of a hooker with a heart of gold (???!) and no help from his boss, a mean man who might be up to no good. This is a “Magnum” like no other.
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July 31, 2025
105 “Dream a Little Dream” (S4E20)
Sun, surf, and fake Beach Boys muzak can only mean one thing: It’s time for flashbacks! In this episode, we see Magnum, T.C., and Rick as they were before the pilot episode. Magnum’s a struggling P.I. on his first case. T.C.’s flying someone else’s helicopter. Rick is still doing that weird not-Bogart impression. Unfortunately there’s also a plot in the present day, and they’re connected, and neither of them makes a lot of sense, and it’s kind of a disaster all around. But: One of the all-time great Higgins speeches! Also, Jason almost forgets the blockbuster segment he introduced to the show last time!
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July 23, 2025
104 “Solo Flight” (S7E16)
Norman Fell menaces in hallucinatory flashbacks, a centipede bite causes mayhem, a spider steals Herman the Shark’s valor, and there’s some guy named Michaels. Unfortunately, this episode wants to be “Home from the Sea”, and even re-uses footage from that episode, which just reminds us that we’d rather be watching that episode.
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July 17, 2025
103 “China Doll” (S1E3)
This earliest non-pilot episode of Magnum features weird music, dogs, shots from the opening credits, an unfortunate Chinese food joke, fast dialogue, and a kung-fu assassin with one fatal flaw: blinking.
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July 10, 2025
102 “Lest We Forget” (S1E10)
Back to the early days of “Magnum” with this episode featuring dual Ferrers and dual Lockharts along with a single Scatman. This episode really sets the stage for what this show will be able to do, even with the unnecessarily complicated plot. But don’t hold it against the screenwriter—after all, he is a novelist.
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July 3, 2025
101 “This Island Isn’t Big Enough…” (S6E16)
Now lissen up, Pilgrim, there’s a fake Christopher Cross version of the Magnum Theme and a dead body in a trunk in this episode. We play a game of Bad Cop/No Cop with guest star Clyde Kusatsu! But… does it have the island vibes?