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.
116 “The Sixth Position” (S2E11)
It’s the one with the ballet dancer! Also, Phil interviews a random kid on the street! Would anyone like a donut?
Previous Episodes
-
June 4, 2026115 “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” (S6E14)
The Manoeuvres! A team of paramilitary men in weird hats train to overthrow an unspecified government, but what does this have to do with Magnum? Maybe it’s related to the shocking fact that Higgins has been sacked! Jason disapproves of Magnum’s dad wardrobe. Higgins is on a flag. And we consider going to Magnum Day in Detroit in August.
-
May 29, 2026
114 You Can Do It, Ned (Season 7 Preview)
We’re warming up the Ferrari and getting ready for another season of this podcast. In this preview episode, we’ll tell you what we’re watching next time. Listener Other Eric sets us on a deep mystery involving “The Chinese Typewriter.” Listener Ned is using us as inspiration. There’s also some Yacht Rock talk, because why not?
-
December 19, 2025
113 “The Chinese Typewriter”
The Magnum, podcast holiday special is here! We watched the failed 1979 pilot for Boston and Kilbride, “The Chinese Typewriter,” starring Tom Selleck (as Tom Boston) and James Whitmore Jr. (as Jimmy Kilbride). The dubbing! The fake signs! The weird casting! The original Al’s Automotive and Muffler King Tigers! We break down everything that makes this pilot a fitting failure, though with some admiration about how it does a lot with almost zero budget. Also: you, the listeners, introduce many segments. See you next year!
-
September 18, 2025
112 “A Pretty Good Dancing Chicken” (S5E22)
Shuffle, and cluck, and tour jeté, and cluck cluck cluck. It’s a Magnum season finale, and ours too. See you in a little while, turkeys!
-
September 11, 2025
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.
-
September 4, 2025
110 “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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.