The Good

A terrific show comes with some pretty cool extras.

The Bad

I wish Tom Selleck were more involved with this release.

Magnum P.I.: The Complete Seventh Season comes to us with 21 episodes on 5 discs and actually a bunch of really cool extras. Many people reading this already know that this show about Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) focuses on a good looking, mustachioed private detective who lives in Hawaii and is clearly one of the best in the business. Aided by his friends Rick (Larry Manetti) and TC (Roger E. Mosley), Selleck shares an estate with Higgins (John Hillerman) who doesn't totally approve of his "friends" line of work and the way he conducts his business. That said, somehow this mystery show manages to still stay fresh with its comedy and drama even at this point in its 7th Season juncture.

Opening with the episode "L.A.," Magnum finds himself traveling to Hollywood to figure out the death of a comedienne. "Kapu" sees our favorite sleuth protecting a beautiful Island girl from ruthless killers. Also in this set as the bonus is the crossover episode "Magnum on Ice" which has Magnum teaming up with Murder, She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher (Angela Landsbury)!

Features

Inside The Ultimate Crossover

The creators of this show look at the episode Magnum on Ice which featured the television meeting of Thomas Magnum and Jessica Fletcher. Apparently, being on the same network made pulling this off quite easy. On top of that, since Magnum P.I. was done on location in Hawaii, it wasn't like they had to twist the actors or the crews of Murder, She Wrote's arms into going over there. Sadly, Tom Selleck wasn't really seen and I think that's sad because I know he loved doing this show despite it labeling a 1980s heartthrob.

Bonus Episode: Magnum On Ice

America's Top Sleuths

Playing like the kind of kind of piece you might see on TV LAND, this show from the SLEUTH CHANNEL (at least that's what I think it's called), looks at some of our favorite TV sleuths ending with kudos for Magnum P.I.. Glossing over shows like The Rockford Files and Columbo, we lastly get a thumbnail sketch of what made Magnum so great.

Video

Full Frame - 1.33:1. This show looked pretty darn good. The episodes are from 1986 which doesn't seem like a long time ago for me, but they are 22 years young! I have always liked the way that Universal keeps up their older television shows, and that is certainly the case here. The images look strongly rendered and I also didn't really notice any dust on them.

Audio

Language: English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. Subtitled in English. The audio was good here but not really that special. However, lets be honest, how special does it really need to be? I was able to hear everything the characters were saying and once the familiar strains of this show's theme song came on, I was pretty much sold on this releases sound capabilities. Those with amazing home theater systems might want more but for this wag, everything was exactly where it needed to be.

Package

Making Tom Selleck look like he was in the 2006 movie version of Miami Vice, Tom Selleck strides across the front cover with the island and his buddies behind him. The back cover gives us some images from the show, a short description of what it's about, a Special Features listing and technical specs. All 5 discs in this set pull out in one piece of artwork that offers up more pictures, as well as episode listings and descriptions.

Final Word

I am a huge fan of Tom Selleck and Magnum P.I. in general, so it was basically a forgone conclusion that I was going to like this show. Aside from being extremely well written, Thomas and everyone else are just plan likable. There is a friendly, almost catty banter that goes on between all the characters and this really adds a lot of layers to this show. I also like how the episodes always seemed to change up the mystery. In addition to this, at all times in his crime solving, Magnum finds a way to make the work he is doing plausible and real. I never felt for a second that something I was seeing was contrived, and I also liked the funny/serious tone shifts that were employed in various episodes.

Some might simply see this show as a relic from the 1980s but they would be merely simplifying things. Magnum P.I.: The Complete Seventh Season shows just how much gas this beloved show managed to have in the tank. Great work, Universal!

Murder, She Wrote was released .