First, it was the abandoned “Magnum P.I.,” the filmed-in-Hawaii procedural that CBS axed after the season four finale, and belatedly, NBC came to the rescue.
After all, Magnum and Higgins smooched like A Hot Couple at the conclusion of season four, and, simply, there had to be a follow-up.
NBC became the hero, enabling “Magnum” a season five which started filming Monday, as mentioned in this space earlier.
Of course, it’ll be too late for “Magnum” to be in this year’s traditional fall return, already underway. So, fans will have to wait till January, 2023, for how the kiss between Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) plays out. Still not certain if the show will be on NBC, or sister streaming network Peacock, but you don’t have a negotiating edge when you’re on the skids. When “Magnum” airs, there will be only 10 episodes, half of the usual network parcel…
Then the other day, NBC announced it was picking up another “orphan” left on the church steps: The Golden Globes awards show. The awards program, often a prelude to the more respected Academy Awards, suffered a one-year boycott, because of alleged lack of diversity among the voting roster and internal show reforms. The Globes, a project of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., will air Jan. 10, 2023, on NBC and the sister Peacock streaming network, but because it’s a Tuesday night, it won’t be like the old days before the dismal and deserve shuttering. NBC has a longstanding lock on Sunday Night Football, an NFL staple.
So, the network’s agreement with Dick Clark Productions, won’t be as lucrative because of the weeknight roll-out. Again, when you’re in the outs, you take what’s offered to get in again…
NBC also latched onto the reboot of “Quantum Leap,” a series which starred Scott Bakula from 1989 to 1993. ‘Twas a time-travel fantasy, a hit show for Bakula, who lost his “NCIS: New Orleans” show last year, but though the Peacock sent the script to Bakula, to perhaps jump back into time-travel mode, he turned down the offer.
When he passed, Raymond Lee, an Asian of South Korean ethnicity, got the starring role as Dr. Sam Song, a quantum physicist who discovers a way to time-travel, and it’s a coup for an API actor, who said, “This is the role I’ve been waiting for.” He thought he was offered a secondary role but stunned when it was the headliner part.
The show technically is neither a prequel nor a sequel but perhaps a revival. It premiered Monday night and will also time-travel via NBC’s Peacock streaming venue. Not a bad deal. …
Broadway grosses, week ending Sept. 18
The leaders still led, but the sums are a skosh lower than in recent weeks.
So, No. 1 is “The Music Man,” just short of $3 million, at $2.945 million, remains 76 trombones strong and its charismatic leading man Hugh Jackman; No.” 2 is “Hamilton,” with its still powerful shot of $1.908 million, long after creator Lin-Manual Miranda left the building; and No. 3 is “MJ the Musical,” still a thriller (thanks to a Tony and Michael Jackson’s legacy), at $1.724 million.
Here’s the listing, courtesy The Broadway League:
And that’s Show Biz. …