Posted on 02/02/2018 1:49:01 PM PST by EdnaMode
CBS is adding a twist to the classic TV character of Thomas Magnum in his return to television. I hear CBS’ intention is to pursue a non-white actor for the title character in its Magnum P.I reboot, a role originally played by Tom Selleck.
Additionally, I hear Lacey in CBS’ reboot of Cagney & Lacey, also is likely to be non-white. The character was written in the pilot script as a woman of color, sources say. In the Emmy-winning original, the title roles were played by Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless.
The trio of witches at the center of the original Charmed series (Shannen Doherty/Rose McGowan, Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs) also is expected to look a lot more diverse in the reboot underway at the CW, which also has a Mexican American girl at the center on its Roswell reboot.
This is part of an across-the-board effort by the broadcast networks this year to have casts that represent the diverse makeup of America. What’s more, while non-white actors had often been relegated to supporting roles in the past, judging by early buzz, some predict that we may have one of the most, if not the most diverse group of broadcast pilot leads ever.
A number of pilots went into casting with non-white leads already attached or written into them.
ABC’s The Greatest American Hero is re-imagining Steven J. Cannell’s 1981 cult classic, in which the unlikely (super)hero at the center Ralph Hinkley was played by William Katt. In the reboot, it is Meera, an Indian American woman.
ABC also has a Get Christie Love reboot starring Kylie Bunbury and Untitled Holmes Sisters drama, which explores the lives of five African American sisters. NBC has a Gabrielle Union-led Bad Boys offshoot, with the female co-lead opposite her also likely to be non-white. Fox has comedy pilot Rel toplined by Lil Rel and the Lee Daniels-produced Out People, about an African American man whose fiancée is from the Midwest. CBS has multi-cultural comedy pilot History of Them starring Ana Villafañe and comedy pilot Pandas In New York, about a family of Indian doctors.
In addition to going in a different direction on Thomas Magnum, CBS also is changing the makeup of his all-male team in the original series. In the new version, one of the members will be a woman, whose casting I hear is open to any ethnicity.
The networks have taken a diverse route in rebooting famous titles before. Fox employed the strategy with its 24 revamp, 24: Legacy, which had Corey Hawkins play a new character taking the mantle from Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer. And CBS a couple of years ago reconceived Nancy Drew with a pilot, in which the character was played by Sarah Shahi.
The BBC has a show called Luther that is great. Wonder what the problem is over here?
Yeah exactly.
They just went full retard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAKG-kbKeIo
Maybe Cagney and Lacey could be played by Bradley Manning and Bruce Jenner?
I’ve been watching the old cop series Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue on H&I channel. They did a lot of ground breaking reality in them (not all tasteful or welcome; nude love scenes, cop misbehavior, language)...as opposed to Dragnet, in which police headquarters was always as clean as a hotel suite and the detectives’ neckties were always tied.
I don’t think they could remake those as well as the originals.
>>I hear CBS’ intention is to pursue a non-white actor for the title character in its Magnum P.I reboot, a role originally played by Tom Selleck. Additionally, I hear Lacey in CBS’ reboot of Cagney & Lacey, also is likely to be non-white. The character was written in the pilot script as a woman of color, sources say.
Magnum PI,’ ‘Cagney and Lacey’ Reboots Among Six Pilot Orders at CBS
1/26/2018, 9:27:15 PM · 4 of 148
Bryanw92 to EdnaMode
Oh great. More reboots “adjusted” for the 21st Century.
Let’s see....
Magnum PI: black, shaved head, and gay?
Cagney and Lacey: one black cis-female and one almost-caucasian pre-op trans-female (post-op in Season 2, with a developing lesbian plot line between the two).
Well, that was pretty close!
I wan to see the transgender, trans-species, furry, midget, albino African who will play the Magnum lead!
Yes, there is no reason Baby Boomers looking for nostalgia will tune in to a “diverse” lame concoction that won’t even be recognizable.
And young people will have no brand recognition of Magnum P.I., so good luck with all that.
Oh goodness. It’s a little bit hard for me to watch Tom on the reverse mortgage ads, since I prefer to remember him this way and not so “thick”.
Luther is a very uneven show. I would not call it great by any means.
Well, ain’t NONE of us the Hotties we were Once-Upon-A-Time; that’s for sure, LOL! I prefer to look at his life, and mine, like this:
“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” - Madeleine L’Engle
The reboots get eyeballs. Will and Grace has been a success for them and has been renewed for a 10th season. Not many tv shows last 10 seasons and they might even make it to 12 seasons or so. That is why remakes are being made. Lethal Weapon, Mcgyver have also been successful. I believe that Rosanne will too. Now as for Mad about you and these mentioned in the article. Time will tell. One thing that is hard to say is that 24 came back with another actor and it failed so who knows.
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