Other mistake: Throughout the entire run of the series, the very first shot of the opening contains a mistake; the helicopter's tail rotor is on the right side (mirrored), going then to its actual position (left side) for the rest of the sequence.
Other mistake: With episode 11, "Thicker Than Blood", the opening changes to the truly iconic version associated with the series, with a large overhaul of footage. There must have been some hiccup making it though, because the title of the series appears as "Magnum PI", no punctuation. There's a version of the opening that includes the correct "P.I." title card.
Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii - S1-E1
Other mistake: For the cool shot when Magnum smiles at the camera and then drives off (which will be used in the opening of the show for its whole run), Magnum unclips the detachable roof of Robin's 308 GTS and gives it a good push back. But it's not a retractable roof that folds in, but a Targa hard-top. So, basically Magnum just dumped a piece of Robin Master's fancy car in a random lawn somewhere near his estate, maybe even denting the rear of the car in the process as he carelessly shoved it back. That's inconsiderate even for Magnum's low standards. (00:06:10)
Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii - S1-E1
Other mistake: During the Vietnam flashback that Magnum gets when he looks at Lieutenant Dan Cook's ring, there is a shot of the helicopter in between the first two radio calls TC does. In that shot, the footage is obviously flipped, with the writing "MARINES" appearing as "ƧƎИIЯAM" (00:45:00)
China Doll - S1-E3
Other mistake: Mai Ling is left in the sun for 8 hours at least, according to Magnum. She is drugged and in danger of dying. Yet her skin has no sign of any stress. They take time to show, of course, but when they meet with Higgins at the end of the episode (which is implied not being long after, with Higgins fixing the vase) she does not have anything unusual either (like a goofy sunglasses tanline).
Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Big Ones Too - S1-E4
Other mistake: Magnum gets inside the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial climbing athletically over the closed gate. The bad guy comes roughly from the same direction, but given his physical state, one wonders how could he accomplish such a feat - it is conveniently kept off camera, but he comes from a direction with no gates. To beat him to the finish, Rick picks another direction entirely just walking around the bleachers! And they all end up at the same location.
Other mistake: When the lads chase Magnum at the beginning, first of all they take a disproportionate amount of time to reach him, and secondly, the same footage is reused, so they effectively sprint past the same tree (with the same 2 dead leaves and straw by it) twice. (00:04:40 - 00:05:05)
Other mistake: Magnum is taunting the dobermanns while he's grabbed and pushed against the door by two dudes. They are big, and armed. The room is normally lit. There is just no way he could get inside and somehow Miss their presence. Especially the one coming at him from his right; there is a railing on that side of the landing. Magnum would have literally bumped into him; it's not that because he was out of frame he was not existing. (00:05:15)
Other mistake: The photographer takes shots of the Brigadier on the balcony. The Brigadier is wearing a shirt and pants, fairly casual as expected. When Hooker is left alone in the dark room of the terrorist, he is looking at pictures of the Brigadier wearing a white jacket and bowtie, which is the outfit he will wear at the party several hours later. (00:12:30 - 00:25:35)
Other mistake: The IRA operative puts the bomb into the Audi with a timer rigged for 5:00. Three minutes and a half of time that cannot be compressed (no cuts to any other scene that happens simultaneously - and if anything, more time than that should have realistically elapsed) pass before Magnum even gets on the Ferrari and drives out of the Nest. The way it is shown in the episode, Magnum could never make the heroic save. It gets even worse at the ending; 15 seconds remain on the timer and Magnum has yet to force the Audi down the beach road, the car has to reach the end of said road, Magnum runs, on foot, to their point, convinces them that there is indeed a bomb, and they run for cover.taking cover and waiting for the thing to explode! A minute could have been spent for that task alone. (00:39:20 - 00:42:50)
Other mistake: The creepy photographer guy is taking pictures throughout the episode. His camera somehow reaches everywhere on the estate; front gates, lawn, the Brigadier's balcony, with extreme close-ups and disregard to walls and structures in the way. It's one of those magic movie cameras.
Other mistake: Erin at the beginning of the episode records her acting using a camera on a fixed support. She gets interrupted once. She resumes then. The camera angle is different, and then simply changes (as it's made clear by Magnum rewatching later the actual tape) without anyone else operating the camera.
The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii - S1-E8
Other mistake: During the short action sequence with Magnum scaring off Steve and Mitch before collapsing, the lights go off for unexplained reasons; Mitch already ran off and past the guard, so he couldn't have switched them off, and in the fight nobody knocks lights down or bumps into switches. That aside, there's also an odd timing on the noise of the syringe falling, since neither Magnum or Steve appear to hold it in hand and Magnum punched free earlier. (00:12:10)
The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii - S1-E8
Other mistake: At the end of the episode, Zeus and Apollo are in a cage, and it is explained that it's because of sir Algernon's presence, due to Magnum's decision. It makes for a humorous finale, but does not make any sense; it's sir Algernon that has to be isolated for the 4 months quarantine, and an earlier segment implied that a fence had been built for him, as he needed to be limited in movements to avoid contact with the ocean and everyone on the estate.
Other mistake: After hitting the "Delta block", Magnum tells Laura about it. The footage that opens the scene is taken from a previous episode, 1-3 "China Doll", around 00:35:00: same girl in orange bikini showering on the beach, same couple walking by the surf (he has kaki shorts and a blue hat, she is wearing orange). (00:12:00)
Other mistake: In a cute scene, the lads are helping Higgins pamper Magnum for his nefarious needs. So one of them drops a dry towel for Magnum on the stone platform he uses to come out of the tidal pool. It's a nice scene, but the stone block is isolated in water thigh-deep for 6'3" tall Tom Selleck, and one the doberman has trouble getting off from - you can see him look at the trainer off camera and then do a very awkward dive at the end. So there's no way that dog could have brought Magnum a towel, at least a DRY towel. (00:17:30)
Other mistake: At the USS Arizona Memorial, Judge Caine has flashbacks from the attack on Pearl Harbour, but he can't keep them in the correct aspect ratio. It's footage from a war movie (Tora! Tora! Tora!) but in the wrong proportions, so he's daydreaming of rather chunky Japanese planes. (00:39:10)
The Curse of the King Kamehameha Club - S1-E11
Other mistake: Christine Richards approaches Higgins and Rick; during the sequence, two women wearing a green Hawaiian dress behave quite strangely. The first one stares with a smile into the camera - the actual 4th wall camera, not the one held by Richards' cameraman, the second one pops in both shots and reverses with the guy she is with, in a continuity mistake. (00:05:15)
The Curse of the King Kamehameha Club - S1-E11
Other mistake: When Magnum and TC get to Makua's house, there are several meters in the open between the shack and the sugarcane field. Makua the Kahuna makes it to the door surprising them, but after that, there's just no way two able-bodied guys wouldn't catch up on the short-legged chubby old man before he gets into the thick vegetation and thanks to the fire (none of it showing before) loses them. The scene would have been believable if the Kahuna delayed them in the shack through some trick, or the shack were in the middle of the cane field, but not with Magnum and TC bolting after him right away. (00:21:00)
The Curse of the King Kamehameha Club - S1-E11
Other mistake: The cheesy red eye 'glow' effect at the end of the episode is in just one eye, unlike what it's said in the book TC read.
