The second half of Magnum P.I.‘s fifth and now final season is on the way in just a matter of weeks, and the first look at what’s on the way indicates that fans are in for as much action and adventure as ever… and perhaps a twist that neither Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez) nor Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks) were ready for. In a first teaser at what’s on the way, Higgins drops what looks like some very big news on Magnum, and I’m extremely curious about what’s going on with his reaction.
Technically nobody utters the word “pregnant” or “pregnancy” in the clip, and most of the footage is action-packed (and some of it recycled from previous seasons) rather than emotional, but… well, “I’m late” only means one thing in TV talk, and it’s not being tardy for plans! Take a look:
Now that’s what I call a teaser! Just days after the first four seasons of Magnum P.I. finally arrived on a streaming service, NBC released a promo that may make plenty of fans the most excited they’ve been since the sad news of the cancellation. Most of the 30-second teaser was full of action, with a good old fashioned one-liner to indicate that Magnum wasn’t totally changed by the end of the midseason finale. Throw in a Miggy kiss, and that seemed like plenty for a teaser… but it ends on what looks like a quiet moment between Magnum and Higgins in which she drops those two big words: “I’m late.”
Magnum’s voiceover of “And when you least expect it, everything could change” is certainly true if Higgins truly is pregnant! Her delivery of the “I’m late” seems like she expected him to understand right away what she’s trying to imply, and the camera cuts over to his reaction extremely briefly… as in, not even a full second of the promo’s runtime before the end. And I would call that a great hook for when Magnum P.I. returns on October 4! Fortunately, the Magnum P.I. social media account posted a longer version of that particular scene, including a (slightly) longer reaction from Jay Hernandez:
dropping this here because i knew you all would go wild. pic.twitter.com/eqHvW8YAnzSeptember 5, 2023
Apparently, Magnum’s immediate reaction is “Oh, okay,” and I can’t blame him for that! A little bit of banter about her being tardy for a client meeting turned into a bombshell for him, and I’m guessing that this is not the most ideal timing for the discussion! I certainly hope that we get to see Higgins’ reaction to realizing that she’s late if we’re going to get Magnum’s, since this is obviously huge for her. Plus, even if she’s not pregnant – and I’m inclined to guess that she’s not – surely this will lead to an important conversation between the two, right?
So what will his reaction be after the “Oh, okay” and how is she feeling about potentially being pregnant? Well, a Season 3 episode featured them playing parents to a baby that was left with them on a case, with some jokes about Magnum slipping into Dad mode while Higgins wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with maternal instincts. That was well before Magnum and Higgins even became a couple, let alone were facing a possible unplanned pregnancy, but now may be the time to revisit that episode during the wait for the fall return!
Luckily, NBC moved the second half of Season 5 from an intended midseason 2024 premiere to a fall premiere in the 2023 TV premiere schedule, with Magnum P.I. as a rare show that already had episodes finished when the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike began. Magnum P.I. returns on Wednesday, October 4 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, in the time slot usually filled by Chicago Fire.