CBS fires Magnum P.I., MacGyver and Hawaii Five-0 boss Peter Lenkov over toxic work environment

The Hollywood Reporter

Lenkov, one of CBS' top showrunners as the creator of successful reboots of Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I. and MacGyver, has been ousted with one year remaining in his rich overall deal following an investigation into multiple allegations of abusive behavior. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg, "sources say Lenkov had been the subject of at least three complaints alleging that he was manipulative and abusive during Hawaii Five-0's 10-season run and on the current hit MacGyver (with the latter heading into its fifth season in the fall). According to sources, Lenkov allegedly was manipulative and abusive. He allegedly had a 'boys club' that included favored male employees who regularly gathered, smoked cigars and inappropriately judged the appearance of women in Hawaii. Others allege that he accommodated special work-schedule requests from male actors without offering similar consideration to actresses on Hawaii Five-0. The series, a reboot of the iconic procedural concluded its run in April...Behind the scenes, sources allege Lenkov would routinely talk down to writers — particularly women and people of color. In one incident, he allegedly mocked a disabled fan and, after a writer objected to his behavior, attempted to have her fired." As one insider tells Goldberg, "He isn't racist or sexist or classist singularly — it's all of it. He's anti-woman, anti-POC, anti-gay and everything you'd expect. But he'd also torture straight, white men if he felt like it." For his part, Lenkov said in a statement: "Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better." Lenkov is the latest CBS show boss to be dismissed over abusive behavior. CBS shows ranging from 60 Minutes to NCIS: New Orleans to Star Trek: Discovery have all seen top producers ousted in recent years over similar allegations. "Peter Lenkov is no longer the executive producer overseeing MacGyver and Magnum P.I., and the studio has ended its relationship with him," a CBS TV Studios spokesperson said in a statement. "Monica Macer will be the showrunner on MacGyver and Eric Guggenheim will run Magnum P.I. Both are currently executive producers on their respective series. Our studio is committed to ensuring safe and respectful production environments. Over the past year, we have assigned human resource production partners to every show, expanded staff training and increased reporting options. We will continue to evolve our practices with continued focus on building trust with all who work on our sets. Every complaint is taken seriously, every claim is investigated, and when evidence is clear that policies were violated and values not upheld, we take decisive action."