CBS has handed out TV pilot orders for reboots of iconic 1980s franchises Magnum P.I. and Cagney and Lacey, two of six new pilots ordered by the CBS network for the Fall 2018 TV season.
The new Magnum P.I. changes the character of Higgins, played by John Hillerman in the original, into a disavowed female MI6 agent. The original starred Tom Selleck as a former Navy SEAL who now runs a PI firm from the guest house of a Hawaiian beachfront estate.
The new take explores the brotherhood forged by the trauma of combat, what it means to return home an ex-soldier, and a commitment to continuing to serve while in the private sector.
Hawaii Five-O duo Peter Lenkov and Eric Guggenheim will executive produce for CBS TV Studios and Universal TV. Selleck has reportedly given his blessing, but will not be involved.
Meanwhile Cagney and Lacey will, like the 1980s original, follow two female police detectives in Los Angeles. Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless co-starred in the original, while the new take will be produced by CBS TV Studios and MGM Television.
