Magnum is guarding a sacred tribal idol - the Ki'i, as part of a charitable auction with local culture and antiquities as the theme. After accepting the idol for safe-keeping at Robin Masters's estate on Oahu weird things start happening. The idol is cursed and every indication is that the curse is for real.
A couple of snarky but resourceful detectives from the mainland are out to get the idol. San Diego-based private investigators the Simon Brothers - Rick (Gerald McCraney) and A.J. (Jameson Parker) get more than they bargained for. So does Magnum when a beautiful socialite (Morgan Fairchild) puts the moves on him but also betrays a hidden side to herself that may mean nothing or everything.
Having Morgan Fairchild on the same TV screen as Tom Selleck probably led to a lot of babies being born nine months after this was first broadcast. It was irresponsible of CBS to have allowed too such attractive people on screen at the same time. The earth could have tumbled off of its axis just from straining to look.
While Simon & Simon hit the mark with network executives and TV critics the ratings weren't as co-operative (It was, at first, in a time-slot against Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley on ABC) in its first season and it was touch and and go whether there would be a second season. Given the perfect time-slot (Thursday at 9 PM) with Magnum P.I. as lead-in in Fall 1982, the show flourished.
CBS made sure that happened by getting the shows together for this cross-over. Viewers who were fans of both shows got a kind of 2 hour season premiere (Though Magnum, P.I. season three debuted a week earlier) for both shows beginning in this episode and concluding in the Simon & Simon episode which immediately followed it. Fans of only Magnum, P.I. had to watch Simon & Simon (Season 2, Episode 1 - Emeralds Are A Girl's Best Friend) at 9 if they wanted to see how the adventure ended.
For syndication reasons and to broadcast as a repeat, a different ending was filmed which closed out the mystery on Magnum with no carry over into Simon & Simon.
I was a fan of both Magnum P.I. and Simon & Simon in first-run. But I skipped the cross-over episodes only until recently. It just didn't seem right having likeable good guys clash though it does offer an added complexity to be shown what the characters might be like as antagonists instead of as heroes. Watching the episode felt kind of weird because of that.
Stars of different series also did not usually make guest appearances on other shows unless it was as a backdoor pilot i.e. an episode of their show being used to launch another. That is what they essentially did here even though Simon & Simon had already had a 13-episode debut season. A re-launch using one of the hottest shows on TV was deemed necessary and desirable. For a time the two shows complimented each other. Simon & Simon finished in the top ten in both 1983-84 and 1984-85 before each series dramatically declined in popularity in 1985-86 and thereafter.
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