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.
And there is the reason why I stopped watching the idiot box...
Great prediction!
The characters were specific day and day, week after week. There is only one Magnum!!
Magnum without Selleck as Magnum is dead to me from the start. Same if they tried to do Rockford with no James Garner.
Getting sick of all this PC casting. TV would have you believe the NORMAL American family was a mixed race couple (possibly both gay) with oriental, hispanic, black and white adopted kids.
As for Cagney & Lacey, never watched the original, so no interest in a remake.
I was looking forward to seeing this reboot. Now I will refuse to watch it. I don't need to be preached at, and if they are going to preach at me, i'm going to tell them to go F*** themselves.
Let’s do remakes of “Julia,” “I Spy,” “The Cosby Show,” etc., and all the roles formerly played by blacks will now be played by whites. How would THAT go over?
Bob Tur ?
Magnum PI in a Le Car.
I will watch the new Magnum PI as much as I watch the new Hawaii Five O. That is, rarely if ever.
HA! Are you kidding? I'm sure that Thomas Magnum will come prancing out of the closet sporting a black fishnet tank top and chaps at the start of the very first episode. Oh yeah, and he will a be black feminist SJW.
It will be interesting to see whether those ‘diversity’ characters can carry those reboots.
I never watched some of those series during their original runs. I may watch an episode or 2 to see how they are, but I don’t hold out much hope that they will be watchable.
I already dropped 2 new series from my watching: TNT’s The Alienist and WGN’s Bellevue. They both center around a teen male in a dress.
GAH was a good and fun series.
Those are two of my all-time favorite shows, and I’m certain I won’t be watching the new ones. Ever.
No “Magnum” without Selleck.
No “Cagney and Lacey” without Gless.
No political correctness.
Yeah...... sounds like they plan on diversifying us to death.
All originality left Hollywood on a midnight train years ago.
Those early 00s Dragnets were pretty good until it got retooled.
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