Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 fall premiere of Magnum P.I., called “Hit and Run.”
Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks are back in primetime thanks to the fall premiere of Magnum P.I., which put Magnum and Higgins on the case of saving a 12-year-old girl from a hitman…after being recruited by a different hitman who turned down the job. Kids were the theme of the episode for the duo, as Magnum learned that Higgins might be pregnant while they were focused on finding young Anna. The possible pregnancy was teased in the promos for Season 5B, and arguably even foreshadowed as far back as Season 3. The resolution in “Hit and Run” was so spot on that I’m sad all over again about the show being cancelled.
Magnum P.I. fortunately didn’t make fans wait too long to deliver on the pregnancy tease, with Higgins telling Magnum that she’s “late” early in the episode and the two discussing it in short bursts throughout. Higgins seemed determined not to give away any personal feelings about the idea, but clearly not crossing her fingers that her blood test would come back positive for pregnancy. Magnum’s heart was more on his sleeve, with Higgins calling him out for hearing notes of excitement and worry in his voice.
Both acknowledged that things would have to change in their dangerous job if she did have a bun in the oven. Considering that she scuffled with a hitman (and didn’t exactly win) shortly after dropping the possible pregnancy news, it’s safe to say that their investigations would have to go very differently if she had to start avoiding fights.
I wasn’t shocked by the reveal at the end of the fall premiere that Higgins is not pregnant, but I love how the show handled the storyline so much that I wish we had more than nine episodes left to potentially revisit it. Both characters acted completely like the adults they are, and Magnum didn’t try to push her about anything… even if he did gently poke fun at her by the end for avoiding talking about the results.
Plus, the pregnancy scare led to them having an important conversation. Higgins expressed her relief, which didn’t come as a surprise. Magnum’s feelings were a little more complicated, as he tried to explain why he would have been happy if she was pregnant but is also happy even though she isn’t. This confession is what led to him finally dropping the “I love you” that was hyped in the previews, and Higgins said that she loved him too.
I’d say that it was always unlikely that Magnum P.I. would start the fall season with a pregnancy reveal, but this feels like a storyline that was set up to be revisited down the line in a season or series finale. While I won’t rule it out for the end of Season 5, the show was cancelled after filming had already wrapped. If – and this is a very big “if” – the plan was ever to end the series with a pregnancy reveal, there may just not have been time to set it up.
If it seems strange that I’m going on at length about a storyline that ultimately isn’t unfolding this fall, it’s because I’m normally not too enthusiastic about pregnancy storylines in action-packed or procedural shows, but this really worked. Really, kudos to Magnum P.I. for winning me over on this one. Plus, Magnum and Higgins having their mature reactions to the scare in the same episode as the T.C. storyline with Kumu and Shamy was a great reminder of how resilient the found family of Magnum P.I. really is. I’m really going to miss it.
On the whole, “Hit and Run” was a great showcase for Magnum and Higgins’ relationship as well as the bonds between the rest of the major characters. So, regardless of whether the pregnancy storyline will ever be revisited, it was a strong way to start the second half of what is sadly now the final season in the 2023 TV schedule. You can always revisit the first half of Season 5 streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, as well as the first four seasons streaming via Freevee.