best episodes of Magnum P.I. poster

Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL, returns home from Afghanistan and applies his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii taking jobs no one else will—with the help of fellow vets T.C. Calvin and Rick Wright, and former MI:6 agent, Juliet Higgins.

5 Seasons
96 Episodes
Canceled
Action & Adventure Drama Crime
Cast & Characters
episode image Close to Home
8.5/10 (581 votes)

#1 Close to Home

S4:E20

Magnum and Higgins are sent on a deadly mission inside a high security correctional center when a ruthless criminal abducts Katsumoto and his ex-wife, Beth.

episode image Charlie Foxtrot
8.5/10 (342 votes)

#2 Charlie Foxtrot

S5:E10

An armed hit team lays siege to Robin's Nest. TC is badly injured while Rick fights for his life. Mid Season Finale

episode image Dead Ringer
8.4/10 (326 votes)

#3 Dead Ringer

S5:E6

Katsumoto's hearing date has arrived and he will learn if his career in law enforcement is over for good or not. Magnum and Higgins are hired to investigate a man their client believes committed murder. Rick's suspicions grow on their relationship.

episode image Knight Lasts Forever
8.3/10 (579 votes)

#4 Knight Lasts Forever

S2:E3

Kumu and Higgins are in danger when Robin's Nest is under siege by mercenaries storming the estate in order to find out the true identity of the White Knight, Robin's muse and literary hero. Also, Rick and T.C. helps one of Rick's employees when his car is stolen, and Higgins finally gives Magnum an answer about if she'll become his partner.

episode image No Way Out
8.2/10 (478 votes)

#5 No Way Out

S3:E3

As Magnum, Higgins and TC try to pull one over on a customs agent to get Higgins a green card, armed gunmen suddenly storm the federal building and start taking hostages.

episode image Out of Sight, Out of Mind
8.2/10 (302 votes)

#6 Out of Sight, Out of Mind

S5:E9

Magnum and Higgins take on a case that sends Higgins inside a psychiatric hospital. Katsumoto and his son, Dennis, head to the mainland to look at colleges, but their trip takes a harrowing turn when a run-in with a local turns ugly.

episode image Day the Past Came Back
8.1/10 (576 votes)

#7 Day the Past Came Back

S1:E15

Magnum discovers that his ex, who landed him and his friends in a POW camp, is on the island and planing to steal a fortune in gold.

episode image Those We Leave Behind
8.1/10 (469 votes)

#8 Those We Leave Behind

S4:E4

Higgins’ therapist hires her to look into why one of her teenage patients died of suicide.

episode image Til Death
8.1/10 (468 votes)

#9 Til Death

S4:E5

When Magnum and Higgins are hired by an anxious groom to look into his bride-to-be on the eve of their wedding, what they think is a simple case of cold feet turns into a web of lies and a life-or-death situation for Higgins. Also, TC makes a touching decision on how to help Cade.

episode image A Fire in the Ashes
8.1/10 (464 votes)

#10 A Fire in the Ashes

S4:E8

Magnum starts following Higgins to discover what she’s been hiding, as she’s secretly assigned to infiltrate a group threatening to take down MI-6. Rick struggles after an explosion takes the life of someone important to him.

episode image The Passenger
8.1/10 (471 votes)

#11 The Passenger

S5:E1

Magnum and Higgins weigh the risks of pursuing a relationship. Rick juggles being a new father and running La Mariana. Katsumoto tries to figure out his next move.

episode image Number One with a Bullet
8.1/10 (359 votes)

#12 Number One with a Bullet

S5:E3

Katsumoto takes a job providing security for a chart-topping K-pop star. Higgins and Rick find themselves in peril while trying to help Rick's friend. Magnum harbors suspicions about Capt. Greene's death.

episode image Murder is Never Quiet
8.0/10 (566 votes)

#13 Murder is Never Quiet

S1:E16

Magnum is hired by a woman to prove that her son didn't kill his girlfriend and has only 24 hours to do so before the accused accepts a plea deal. Also, Rick and TC try to recover stolen appliances that were donated to a wounded veteran.

episode image Black is the Widow
8.0/10 (562 votes)

#14 Black is the Widow

S1:E17

After a man is murdered, Magnum poses as a doctor on the same dating app the victim was using in order to find the killer who may be praying on wealthy men.

episode image A Kiss Before Dying
8.0/10 (571 votes)

#15 A Kiss Before Dying

S1:E18

When the Dobermans dig up what appears to be a human bone, Magnum and Higgins help Katsumoto investigate the murder of his former mentor.

episode image Dead Inside
8.0/10 (529 votes)

#16 Dead Inside

S2:E4

When Katsumoto suspects that one of his fellow cops is dirty and has stolen evidence, he begrudgingly asks Magnum and Higgins for help. Also, Rick and TC help Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald when his tablet, that contains the Rams’ playbook is stolen.

episode image Dream Lover
8.0/10 (468 votes)

#17 Dream Lover

S4:E10

When a woman hires Magnum and Higgins to locate a man she met briefly at a coffee shop and felt a spark with, they learn that he is hiding a big secret. Also, Higgins keeps a secret of her own after she has a romantic dream about Magnum.

episode image Judge Me Not
8.0/10 (446 votes)

#18 Judge Me Not

S4:E13

When Hawaii Supreme Court nominee Judge Rachel Park is being blackmailed, she hires Magnum and Higgins who go to extraordinary lengths to help her out. Also, with the pressure of fatherhood looming, Rick suggests changes to make La Mariana more profitable, but TC and Kumo aren’t swayed.

episode image Shallow Grave, Deep Water
8.0/10 (435 votes)

#19 Shallow Grave, Deep Water

S4:E18

Magnum goes to extreme lengths to uncover the truth about a crime that may have involved his dear deceased friend, Nuzo.

episode image The Long Sleep
8.0/10 (428 votes)

#20 The Long Sleep

S4:E19

A disoriented man hires Magnum and Higgins to investigate a crime he doesn’t remember after he woke up on the beach covered in blood. Also, T.C. is taken aback when Cade’s biological grandmother makes a surprise visit, and Rick’s feelings for Suzy grow stronger as they prepare for the birth of their first child.

episode image The Breaking Point
8.0/10 (435 votes)

#21 The Breaking Point

S5:E2

Magnum and Higgins go undercover as lifeguards in order to solve a murder. Jin Jeong wins a storage unit auction and enlists the help of Rick and TC upon finding a stolen military medal.

episode image Dark Skies
8.0/10 (307 votes)

#22 Dark Skies

S5:E8

Magnum and Rick make a shocking discovery in the Capt. Greene case. Higgins and TC head to Maui to help an eccentric billionaire find the owner of a pesky drone that has been harassing him. Shammy helps Kumu after an incident occurs at La Mariana.

episode image Consciousness of Guilt
8.0/10 (179 votes)

#23 Consciousness of Guilt

S5:E17

After a high-stakes homicide case falls apart at trial, Katsumoto asks Magnum to help him stop a killer from walking free. Higgins helps Jin Jeong with a mystery of his own.

episode image Blood in the Water
7.9/10 (575 votes)

#24 Blood in the Water

S1:E19

When Magnum and Higgins get “yacht-jacked,” Higgins is shot and she and Magnum are stranded at sea, struggling to reach land before she bleeds out and the culprits return to finish them off.

episode image The Man in the Secret Room
7.9/10 (522 votes)

#25 The Man in the Secret Room

S2:E7

While Magnum helps out his friend Russell Harlan and temporarily works as the head of a hotel’s security, he investigates the death of a guest who was thrown from her room’s balcony while working on a secret investigation of her own. Also, Icepick is released from jail and is trying to keep a secret from Rick.

episode image The Day Danger Walked In
7.9/10 (462 votes)

#26 The Day Danger Walked In

S3:E5

As a major hurricane hits the Island, Magnum and his friends find shelter inside La Mariana, along with two armed killers also escaping the dangerous storm. Also, Rick must confess to TC that he let the insurance lapse on the bar.

episode image The Big Payback
7.9/10 (447 votes)

#27 The Big Payback

S3:E9

When Higgins is abducted, Magnum discovers its retaliation related to one of his first cases on the Island, and he, Rick and TC must break out an ex-client from prison in order to save her.

episode image Dark Harvest
7.9/10 (425 votes)

#28 Dark Harvest

S3:E12

When a Marine Corps vet’s SUV is stolen with her service dog inside, Magnum and Higgins must find the car, the dog and the car thief who they believe may be an escaped kidnapping victim. Also, when TC is sued by a disgruntled customer, he asks Rick and Jin to help prove that he’s being scammed.

episode image Texas Wedge
7.9/10 (486 votes)

#29 Texas Wedge

S4:E3

Magnum, Higgins and Rick go undercover at a ritzy country club when a young caddie is fired after being accused of stealing a member’s golf clubs. Also, Jin’s niece, unaware of her uncle’s shady past, asks him to speak at her school.

episode image Run, Baby, Run
7.9/10 (418 votes)

#30 Run, Baby, Run

S4:E14

A bail bondsman hires Magnum and Higgins to track down a woman who skipped out on her $250,000 bond. When they locate the body of another P.I. who was previously searching for her, they partner with Det. Lia Kaleo on the case. Also, T.C. and Katsumoto team up on an emotional search for Cade’s mother.

episode image Dead Man Walking
7.9/10 (438 votes)

#31 Dead Man Walking

S4:E15

When Magnum balks at notorious crime boss Osi Shima’s (Eijiro Ozaki) request to find his missing son, Magnum learns he’s been poisoned and has only eight hours to locate Shima’s son to earn the antidote, or else he dies.

episode image Birthright
7.9/10 (320 votes)

#32 Birthright

S5:E7

Magnum and Higgins investigate the robbery of an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s. The ohana tries to help TC overcome a past trauma.

episode image Hit and Run
7.9/10 (249 votes)

#33 Hit and Run

S5:E11

Magnum and Higgins go to work for a dangerous and controversial client. Kumu and Shammy help move TC to a veterans' rehab facility. Rick flirts with a woman who works at the marina.

episode image Appetite for Danger
7.9/10 (223 votes)

#34 Appetite for Danger

S5:E13

Magnum and Higgins enlist Katsumoto to go undercover when a chef at a high-end restaurant goes missing. Kumu works with Cade at the Cultural Center, confronting one of America's darker chapters - the internment of Japanese Americans in the wake of Pearl Harbor.

episode image The Ties That Bind
7.8/10 (654 votes)

#35 The Ties That Bind

S1:E9

After a 16-year-old kidnap victim, Amanda, escapes her captors, her parents hire Magnum, who experienced similar trauma as a POW, to find who took her.

episode image Day of the Viper
7.8/10 (584 votes)

#36 Day of the Viper

S1:E13

Magnum and Higgins are shocked when one of her former MI6 teammates shows up with a fresh gunshot wound and news that "the Viper," the assassin who killed Higgins' true love, has surfaced on Oahu. Also, while Magnum's busy helping Higgins track down the Viper, he asks Rick to take over a case, a task that Rick relishes until it goes sideways.

episode image The Day It All Came Together
7.8/10 (564 votes)

#37 The Day It All Came Together

S1:E20

Hannah, Magnum's ex and the fugitive responsible for him and his SEAL team brothers being POWs for years, shows up at his home with a gunshot wound, and wanting his help to find her missing CIA father whose life is in danger. Also, Magnum makes an earnest proposition to Higgins for her to become his private investigations partner.

episode image Honor Among Thieves
7.8/10 (579 votes)

#38 Honor Among Thieves

S2:E2

An incorrigible pickpocket, Jin, asks Magnum for help when a cell phone he recently lifted receives a very suspicious text message. Also, Magnum is frustrated when Higgins still won’t give him an answer to whether or not she will become his partner, and when Rick decides to make a bold career move, T.C. comes to the rescue.

episode image Lie, Cheat, Steal, Kill
7.8/10 (530 votes)

#39 Lie, Cheat, Steal, Kill

S2:E6

Magnum must help his defense attorney girlfriend, Abby Miller, when she realizes that the client she successfully defended in a murder trial is actually guilty. Also, TC confronts Kamekona about stealing his helicopter business.

episode image Killer on the Midnight Watch
7.8/10 (460 votes)

#40 Killer on the Midnight Watch

S3:E7

When an overenthusiastic neighborhood watch group asks Magnum and Higgins to investigate a shady character living on their block, they are shocked to find that they may have inadvertently stumbled upon a serial killer on the loose. Also, Jin’s new money laundering business leads him to want to help a new friend.

Cast & Chracters

character image Thomas Magnum

Thomas Magnum

Actor: Jay Hernandez
character image Juliet Higgins

Juliet Higgins

Actor: Perdita Weeks
character image Orville “Rick” Wright

Orville “Rick” Wright

Actor: Zachary Knighton
character image Theodore “T.C.” Calvin

Theodore “T.C.” Calvin

Actor: Stephen Hill
character image Det. Gordon Katsumoto

Det. Gordon Katsumoto

Actor: Tim Kang
character image Teuila "Kumu" Tuileta

Teuila "Kumu" Tuileta

Actor: Amy Hill

The highest rated episode of Magnum P.I. is "Close to Home" (S4E20) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 581 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "I Saw the Sun Rise" (S1E1) with a rating of 6.60.

This episode received 1,129 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Day the Past Came Back" (S1E15) with a rating of 8.10.

This episode received 576 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "I Saw the Sun Rise" (S1E1) with a rating of 6.60.

This episode received 1,129 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Knight Lasts Forever" (S2E3) with a rating of 8.30.

This episode received 579 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Blood Brothers" (S2E10) with a rating of 6.80.

This episode received 558 votes.

The highest rated episode is "No Way Out" (S3E3) with a rating of 8.20.

This episode received 478 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "First the Beatdown, Then the Blowback" (S3E4) with a rating of 7.40.

This episode received 471 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Close to Home" (S4E20) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 581 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "If I Should Die Before I Wake" (S4E11) with a rating of 7.70.

This episode received 435 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Charlie Foxtrot" (S5E10) with a rating of 8.50.

This episode received 342 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "NSFW" (S5E4) with a rating of 7.30.

This episode received 345 votes.

Name Department Job
Danielle Woodrow Production Executive Producer
Eric Guggenheim Production Executive Producer
John Davis Production Executive Producer
John Fox Production Executive Producer
Justin Lin Production Executive Producer
Shayne Hartigan Production Extras Casting Coordinator
Donald P. Bellisario Writing Original Series Creator
Glen A. Larson Writing Original Series Creator

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