Tom Selleck is heading back to television with a surprising role that’s a sharp contrast to his lengthy run on Blue Bloods.
Selleck, 81, became a TV superstar in the role of private investigator Thomas Magnum in the hit television series Magnum, P.I., which ran from 1980 to 1988. Set in Hawaii, the show follows Magnum (and his famous mustache) as he cruises around in a Ferrari. After Magnum ended in 1988, Selleck had several successful film roles like Three Men and a Baby, and a run on Friends as Dr. Richard Burke. He eventually found another powerhouse series in the aughts with Blue Bloods, in which he played NYC Police Commissioner Frank Reagan for 14 seasons alongside Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan. But now, the star is tackling something pretty different: He’ll join the guest-starring cast of Apple TV‘s upcoming Elizabeth Banks comedy series, Deadline reported.
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While the series doesn’t have a title yet, it follows Heidi (Banks), who is fresh off a messy divorce and sets out to secure a lively second act for herself and her kids. Heidi finds herself coordinating her father’s retirement community sexcapades and is forced into an unlikely alliance with his girlfriend’s perpetually single son, the piece noted.
Her father, by the way, is played by none other than Ted Danson, who famously appeared onscreen with Selleck in Three Men and a Baby. The stacked cast also includes Rob Delaney, Katey Sagal, Jared Goldstein, and Spencer Moss. Hamish Linklater, Michelle Buteau, and Simu Liu will also appear in recurring roles.
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Selleck Says He Initially Refused ‘Magnum, P.I.’—Here’s What Changed His Mind
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In a recent interview with Danson and Woody Harrelson on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, Selleck admitted that he initially refused to take on the role in the way it was written.
“The show, incidentally, was called Magnum. And I hated it,” he said, Entertainment Weekly reported. “It was terrible.”
Legendary Rockford Files star James Garner then explained to Selleck that he’d “never have more power than you do right now” if the studio really wanted him in the role, which he was contractually obligated to star in. As a result, he decided to wield his power.
“And I said no to the studio. And Jim Garner, in a way, just kind of saved my life,” Selleck said. “I would have been long gone from that version of Magnum. But it was a big fight for a long time.”
Selleck Met The Writer That Changed Everything
Originally dissatisfied with the direction the writing was going, Selleck met with three different writers to see how they’d pivot the role. He met Donald P. Bellisario, and it all clicked into place.
“[He] had lunch with me and he says, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘I want to do something like Rockford Files. I want a character with flaws and some heart.’ And he said, ‘Say no more,’” Selleck said. “He did it. And he came back in about two weeks with the best TV movie I had ever read at the time. And it was called Magnum.”
Related: Ted Danson Hit the Red Carpet With His Stunning Lookalike Daughter—and the Family Resemblance Is Uncanny