Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV. was assumingly born on August 8^th 1944 in Tidewater, Virginia, U.S.A, as  the son of Thomas Magnum III. and his wife, Katherine Peterson. In 1950, his father went to Korea and never returned, whereupon Katherine left Tidewater with her son. He got his middle name, Sullivan, from his maternal grandfather.

His date of birth, 08/08/1944, is never actually confirmed, and there is evidence that his birthday might be on January 5^th. During one of the episodes, his date of birth may be seen as January 5^th 1946 in Magnum’s license.

In 1967, Thomas Magnum IV. graduated from the Military Academy. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred as a navy officer in Vietnam. Since the death of his father on July 4th, the United States National Day, Magnum always spends this day alone at sea. He thereby brings his first surfboard and later goes with the kayak which almost cost him his life in The Fourth of July.

After his return from the war, he settles down as a private investigator on O'ahu, one of the 8 main islands of Hawaii, where also the capital city of Honolulu lies.

The famous writer Robin Masters employs Thomas Magnum as the head of security for his approximately 80 hectares large and very luxurious property. Although Magnum does not receive a fixed salary, he may stay for free in the well-equipped guest house of the property and also use the red Ferrari free of charge.

The administrator of the estate, also called Robin's Nest, is Jonathan Higgins, with whom Magnum often argues in pursuit of more perks. Magnum would like to use the tennis court and the wine cellar of the property. Moreover, he also has his eye on some high quality camera equipment, which would help him in his work as a private detective. The bickering between Magnum and Higgins is a recurrent strand of plots during the series.

Higgins enjoys calling Magnum a private snooper and brings this up at every opportunity he gets, especially during divorce cases. Magnum does not appreciate the term “private snooper” - he is a detective and does not do any snooping. By the way, the American title of the series is Magnum P.I., where P.I. is short for private investigator.

Naturally, Magnum cannot always solve his clients’ commissions by himself, so he often asks his friends, T.C. and Rick, for help. He often receives information from his friend Rick, who has very good contacts with the mafia, and T.C. frequently flies with his helicopter over the islands. Furthermore, he often receives information from the NIS (Navy Intelligent Service) information services, more precisely from Mac Reynolds and later Maggie Poole. Although the relationship between Magnum and Higgins rather resembles that of an old married couple, Higgins is also always willing to help Magnum. That does not prevent him, however, to argue with Magnum when he wishes to use Robin Masters' quality camera equipment.

Running Gags

Quarrels with Higgins also belong to the running gags of the series, just like the two Dobermans, Zeus and Apollo, which Higgins has trained on Magnum. These also include disputes between Magnum and his friends, T.C. and Rick. Another one of the running gags, is that Magnum constantly bothers Higgins when he is listening to opera music on his stereo.

This could also include that the spectators are always involved in the action. For example, Thomas Magnum shares his thoughts with the audience. A recurring phrase is, for example, Magnum’s "I know exactly what you're thinking. You're right, but ... ", addressed to the public. Likewise, Magnum occasionally winks to his viewers directly.

The End of the Series

We see a naval officer in his white uniform. Then the camera zooms in and the audience may see that it is actually a TV show, in which the officer has his back turned to the camera and the viewer.

The officer then turns around and the audience recognizes Thomas Magnum in his uniform. Magnum picks up a remote control, says "good night" and turns off the broadcast and the screen goes black.

Other Characters

Jonathan Quayle Higgins III.

Theodore Calvin (T.C.)

Orville Wilbur Wright III. (Rick)

Robin Masters

Guest Stars

A large number of guests stars were invited during the series, among which Dennis Weaver, Doug McClure, Ed Lauter, Ernest Borgnine, Frank Sinatra, Henry Darrow, Jomaes Doohan, Patrick Macnee and Sharon Stone.

You may find all episodes of Magnum P.I. here.