As the son of Indian immigrants growing up in Canada in the 1980’s, I have many fond memories that come to mind. Like most children, I grew up on PBS Kids Programming, Saturday morning cartoons, and ABC After School Specials. It was a wonderful time for a child as we were in ‘the Golden Age’ of children’s programming. Like the proverbial kid in the candy store, I had my pick of cartoon characters to flood my imagination, be it He-Man, G.I. Joe or the Transformers. With that said, for all the options I had available as a child, my favorite show wasn’t even a cartoon and definitely didn’t cater to children. And yet, it’s probably the TV show that had the most profound impact on me when I look back on my life. That show was Magnum P.I. For those who aren’t familiar with Magnum P.I., (or just happen to live under a rock!), a brief summary courtesy of Wikipedia…
“Magnum P.I. was a crime drama television series starring Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, a private investigator played by Tom Selleck. He resides in the guest house of a 200-acre beachfront estate called Robin's Nest, in Hawaii, at the invitation of its owner, Robin Masters, the celebrated, but never-seen, author of several dozen lurid novels. Magnum lives a luxurious life on the estate and operates as a P.I. on cases that suit him. Magnum has free use of the guest house and the car, a Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole.”
It was always a treat for me to be able to watch the show as I immediately gravitated towards Magnum’s character. Maybe it was because both he and my father sported moustaches, maybe it was because Magnum broke the fourth wall and spoke to the audience, or maybe it was because Magnum wasn’t like most TV characters at all. For all his physical cunning and prowess, it was his humility, and more importantly, his humanity that made him the type of person to whom one could relate. He was charming, cunning, charismatic and most importantly, carried the highest of convictions. To this day, my favorite TV episode of all time is, “Did You See the Sunrise?” As a kid, I dreamed of solving mysteries and fighting crime in a red Ferrari and living on a private estate in Hawaii. Even though I knew Magnum was a fictional character, I always wished I could someday meet him. At the same time, as I was just a kid, there were many parts of the show I didn’t fully appreciate and, in hindsight, it probably wasn’t the most appropriate show for a kid my age to watch, but nonetheless, it was a great representation of the human condition. (Years later, I would re-watch the series on HULU and come to appreciate the nuances and subtle social and political undertones that were representative of the decade.)
As the 80’s transitioned to the 90’s, Magnum P.I. stepped aside for JAG, an American legal drama with a distinct U.S. Navy theme. Originally perceived as ‘Top Gun meets A Few Good Men,’ the series followed the exploits of the Washington metropolitan area–based "judge advocates" in the Department of the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General. Akin to Law & Order, the plots from many episodes were often "ripped from the headlines" with portions of the plot either resembling or referencing recognizable aspects of actual cases or incidents. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
By this point, I was a teenager and my perspectives on the world and my place in it were much more developed. I was able to pick up on the political and social undertones that permeated within the show and appreciate that the world was not so black and white, but instead, filled with shades of grey. Whereas Magnum P.I. was my introduction to the world, JAG was my realization of it. Yet the common theme in both shows was an appreciation for the military's code of ethics—God, duty, honor, country. In many ways, both of those shows helped shape my childhood not only with respect to how I saw the world, but more importantly, my place within it, specifically the type of man I wanted to grow up to be.
What was also common between the two shows was their producer, Donald P. Bellisario.
Creator of such TV hits like Airwolf, Quantum Leap and NCIS in addition to Magnum P.I. and JAG, many of Bellisario's protagonists were current or former members of the United States armed forces. For example, Tom Selleck's character in Magnum, P.I. was a United States Naval Academy graduate, former SEAL officer and Vietnam veteran whereas Commander Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr., the main character of JAG, was a Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Aviator. (Bellisario himself served in the Marines for four years between 1955 and 1959.)
I came to appreciate Mr. Bellisario from afar; even moving onto NCIS after JAG went off the air. His shows helped provide me a tremendous sense of consistency throughout my life and at the same time, a level of comfort in knowing that no matter how much the world changed, the values that he brought to each of the protagonists of his shows would help serve as a consistent guide as to the type of person I aspired to be.
In many ways, that is the true power of television. It acts as a gateway into the world and helps shape our views with regard to how we see ourselves within it. At the same time, it serves as a reminder of the tremendous responsibility our industry holds with regard to the message that we’re conveying. When implemented in a responsible and positive manner, it can be a powerful tool for good. I’m not too sure of the type of person I would be today if not for the positive influence Donald Bellisario had on my life. As a husband, a father and a professional, many of the attributes I convey are a direct result of the influence his characters had on me. In that regard, I owe him my thanks. He had a profound impact on this kid from Canada!
(This past October, I had the privilege to thank Mr. Bellisario in person. He and I are both graduates of Penn State University and I had the good fortune to sit beside him before the Penn State-Michigan game. He was being honored for endowing the College of Communications with a $30 million gift which will support Penn State communications students and faculty and will establish the state-of-the-art Donald P. Bellisario Media Center. Needless to say, it was a real thrill for me to spend some time with him and his wife Vivienne on the right.)
-Krishna C. Nadella is the Host & Producer of ‘STATE OF MIND with Krishna C. Nadella’