There was some apparent misdirection in terms of character progression since the producers suddenly made T.C. a drinker. He technically drank a beer in every episode of season 1, and suddenly just didn’t drink anymore with the following seasons.
This sudden habit change was pretty overlooked in the show but it didn’t get in the way of its success, obviously.
Go Tigers!
If you ever caught them, there were actually numerous references to the Detroit Tigers in the show. Apparently, Tom Selleck was a huge fan of the team! In fact, his character was seen a number of times sporting a Tigers baseball cap.
This started after one of the show’s episodes entitled “Tigers Fan.” In this episode, Magnum is given a Tigers cap by a policeman’s nephew after he solves the murder of his uncle.
T.C’s Real Name
Thomas Magnum had several sidekicks, one of them being T.C. who runs a helicopter service named “Island Hoppers.” Apparently, he was a former Marine during the Vietnam War.
He would also be the guy that Magnum would constantly persuade to fly him around on his missions, as well as get bribed to do some dirty work.
Higgins’ Full Name
Higgins, Thomas Magnum’s foil, was actually named Jonathan Quayle Higgins III. He was pretty well known to constantly ramble and have arguments between the other three main characters. Ultimately though, they were still a very close unit.
John Hillerman, the actor behind Higgins, commented on his character stating that, “Higgins in any situation thinks he’s the only sane person around while everyone else is raving mad.”
Gillian’s 15 Minutes Of Fame
Though there were a number of recurring characters throughout the series, the one who appeared the most was Agatha Chumley, Higgins’ friend played by Gillian Dobb. Her character was a perfect complement to Higgins as she was English and seemed to have some admiration for him.
Apparently, Gillian actually had no professional experience prior to her role on the show. She was given the opportunity of portraying Agatha for a total of five seasons.