Wait, How Did the Original Magnum, P.I. Series End?

 Magnum. P.I.'s Thomas Magnum, the popular private investigator, almost didn't make it out alive in the original series, which aired in the 1980s.

Wait, How Did the Original Magnum, P.I. Series End?

Magnum. P.I.'s Thomas Magnum, the popular private investigator, almost didn't make it out alive in the original series, which aired in the 1980s.

It's unclear what awaits private investigator Thomas Magnum in the reboot of Magnum P.I., with the fifth season airing now on NBC. But we do know how the original Magnum, P.I. ended back in the '80s: It almost finished with death for its titular star. 

What Happened in the Final Episode of Magnum, P.I.

Thomas Magnum, played in the original by Tom Selleck (and his iconic mustache), was struck by a bullet during a warehouse shootout at the end of the series’ seventh season, leaving him in critical condition. It appeared that might be the end for America’s favorite Ferrari-driving private investigator.

While his life hung in the balance, Magnum’s spirit looked in on his closest friends before he walked off into the light.

That could have been the end for the crime-fighting military veteran — until Selleck agreed to a shortened eighth and final season of the popular crime drama, giving Magnum a reprieve from death, The Chicago Tribune reported at the time.In its final season  — which lasted just 13 episodes — Magnum recovers in the hospital, tracks down the person who assaulted a former girlfriend and, according to Distractify, starts to consider a different life, especially after he learns that his daughter Lily might still be alive. 

Lily was raised by Magnum’s once-presumed dead wife, Michele, and starred in several episodes of the series.As the series nears its conclusion, Michele and her “criminal czar stepfather” are killed and Magnum reunites with his daughter, according to CNET.

As Magnum begins to think about the prospect of raising his daughter on his own, he decides to leave his life as a private investigator behind and re-enlists in the U.S. Navy to give Lily, played by Kristen Carreira, more stability.