To an entire generation of TV audiences, Tom Selleck isn't Frank Reagan; he's Thomas Magnum of the hit 1980s series, Magnum P.I. For eight seasons, he played the private investigator who takes on whatever cases suit him best. The show catapulted him to fame, so when the reboot of the series came around decades later, Selleck naturally received a phone call.
In an interview with TV Insider, Selleck revealed that he had, in fact, been approached about the Magnum P.I. reboot. The creative forces behind the show wanted to receive his blessing before proceeding, which he was more than happy to provide. He was also apparently asked to appear on the new series, and as he puts it, "They asked and I said, 'Absolutely not. I'm busy with Blue Bloods.' [Plus] It will never be what in my fantasy world I would make it to be." It's unclear what kind of capacity Selleck's proposed role would have been, but as he tells it, he nipped any thoughts of a cameo in the bud immediately.
It sounds as though Selleck wants to give this new version of Magnum P.I. room to forge its own path in the television landscape. He goes on to say, "I told them that I won't do some cameo guest spot to let the audience know I approve. I'm sure they'd like it, but I have an obligation to my version. And Peter's [doing] his take on what a Magnum under some similar circumstances should be about."
Selleck thinks there's a lot of life left in Blue Bloods, so expect to see him don the police commissioner uniform for a long time to come. Stay tuned for season 11 of Blue Bloods, which premieres December 4, 2020 on CBS.
