MacGyver (2016 TV series)

MacGyver
Genre
Based on MacGyver by Lee David Zlotoff
Developed by Peter M. Lenkov
Starring
Theme music composer Randy Edelman
Composer(s) Keith Power
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 9 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) P. Todd Coe
Peter M. Tassler
Location(s) Marietta, Georgia
Los Angeles, California (pilot)
Cinematography Gabriel Beristain
Editor(s) Mark Manos
Running time 43 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network CBS
Original release September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23) – present
Chronology
Related shows MacGyver (1985)
External links
Website

MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series developed by Peter M. Lenkov and starring Lucas Till as the title character. It is a reboot of the ABC series of the same name created by Lee David Zlotoff, which aired from 1985 to 1992. The series premiered on September 23, 2016, on CBS.[1]

On October 17, 2016, CBS ordered a full season of 22 episodes.[2]

Plot

Angus "Mac" MacGyver is an operative of a secret U.S. government organization where he uses his extraordinary talent for problem solving and his extensive knowledge of science to save lives.[3] "With skills that are only limited by his creativity, Mac saves the day using paperclips instead of pistols, birthday candles instead of bombs, and gum instead of guns."[4]

Cast

Production

Development

In October 2015, the original series' executive producer, Henry Winkler, signed on to produce a remake series with James Wan and R. Scott Gemmill for CBS,[5] which owns the rights to MacGyver through its acquisition of the original Paramount Television. In February 2016 it was announced that CBS had greenlit production of a pilot episode written by Paul Downs Colaizzo and directed by Wan.[6] Wan pulled out from directing due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by David Von Ancken.[7]

In May 2016, the network picked up the series. Co-creator and executive producer Peter M. Lenkov will serve as the showrunner.[8] On May 18, 2016, CBS released a first video trailer for new series.[9] In June 2016, the network scrapped the original pilot, with Wan to direct a new pilot episode.[10]

Casting

In March 2016, Lucas Till was announced as the new MacGyver, Joshua Boone as Gunner, MacGyver's best friend from high school, alongside former CSI star George Eads as Jack Dalton, who was originally named Lincoln, a man who could easily be written off as an eccentric conspiracy theorist but is a legitimate government employee with great capability for compassion.[11] Later cast were Addison Timlin as Mickey, an app developer who is aggressively progressive in her political views but who has a soft spot for MacGyver, and Michelle Krusiec as Agent Croix, Dalton's sister who works for the Department of Homeland Security.[12] However, the original pilot with this casting was scrapped by CBS in June 2016 – a new pilot episode was ordered with only Till and Eads from the original cast continuing on to the revised version of the show.[10]

Around the same time the new pilot was ordered, Justin Hires was cast as Wilt Bozer, MacGyver's roommate.[13] In July 2016, Variety reported that Sandrine Holt had been cast as Patricia Thornton, an ex-field agent who is now director of operations for the Department of External Services.[14] Also that Tristin Mays was cast as Riley Davis, a highly unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder.[15]

Episodes

With the exception of the pilot, every episode is named for a tool.

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Rising"James WanStory by : Peter M. Lenkov & Paul Downs Colaizzo
Teleplay by : Peter M. Lenkov		September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)10.90[16]
Angus "Mac" MacGyver, with help from Jack Dalton and Nikki Carpenter (Tracy Spiridakos), infiltrates a party to steal a biological weapon. However, as Mac and Jack meet up with Nikki, they find her held hostage by John Kendrick (Vinnie Jones). Mac gives up the bioweapon, but Kendrick shoots both him and Nikki. Three months later, Nikki is dead and Mac is on holiday when his boss, Patricia Thornton of the Department of External Services (DXS), arrives. Thornton shows him video of a lab where the bioweapon was used and calls Mac and Jack back in to help. With information stuck on Nikki's hard drive, the two recruit hacker and convict Riley Davis, who tracks Kendrick to San Francisco. The group not only finds Kendrick, but also discovers that Nikki is alive and working with him for another group. After capturing them both, Mac finds out that Nikki has already sold the bioweapon to someone who plans on making it airborne via an IED. Mac finds the bio-weapon and extracts it from the bomb before it explodes. A few days later, Mac is at home burning photos of Nikki when Jack, Riley, and Thornton come to meet him. Thornton tells the group that Nikki's betrayal has caused knowledge of the DXS to become compromised, so they have to shut down and relocate under a new name of their choosing. Mac chooses the name Phoenix, to which the rest of the group agrees. Elsewhere, Nikki is in handcuffs, being transported by car. After the car goes through an overpass, the driver and passenger discover that Nikki has disappeared, leaving the cuffs behind with a hairpin.
2"Metal Saw"Jerry LevineCraig O'NeillSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)9.07[17]
In the two weeks since Nikki escaped FBI custody, MacGyver has been going to Nikki's apartment trying to find something that will lead him to her. The team gets an assignment to rescue Sarah Adler (Amy Acker), Jack's former partner and ex-girlfriend from the CIA who has been disavowed due to being captured. Sarah's capture comes on the heels of her stealing an arms dealer's ledger. Together, the team retrieves both Sarah and the ledger while also taking down the dealer. Sarah is reunited with her fiancé. At the end of the episode, Mac finds a secret compartment at Nikki's place containing a passport for her alias. Meanwhile, Riley meets with her parole officer and has Wilt Bozer portray her boyfriend. In exchange, she agrees to give him one digit of her phone number each week.
3"Awl"Matt Earl BeesleyDavid SlackOctober 7, 2016 (2016-10-07)8.09[18]
A terrorist group known as D-77 is planning an attack somewhere. The group's financials are managed by a guy named Ralph Kastrati (Oliver Cooper), who is wanted by the FBI for several accounts of securities fraud and lives in Malaysia. The team goes to secretly collect Ralph, who then gets shot by D-77. MacGyver, using items found in Ralph's SUV (including parts of the SUV itself), saves Ralph's life. Later on, in order to prevent D-77 from killing Ralph, MacGyver lowers Ralph's heart rate until his pulse can't be felt, giving him the appearance of death. Before D-77 can actually kill him, however, Mac and Jack rescue Ralph, who willingly testifies about D-77 and will be put in witness protection. At home, Mac acts as the monster for Bozer's movie and Riley helps out with the CGI software. Jack tells Mac to contact his father, as he hasn't talked to him in a long time. Mac decides to write his father a letter.
4"Wire Cutter"Joe DanteJohn TurmanOctober 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)7.44[19]
An agent of the Phoenix Foundation is killed after discovering an old Soviet bomb is being held by Vladimir Sevchenko (Yorgo Constantine), a Russian extremist who wants to restart the Cold War. Riley discovers that the bomb uses its own unique operating system. While Thornton goes to find Sevchenko's whereabouts, the team searches for the programmer behind the bomb's code, a man named Alexander Orlov (Elya Baskin), and his handler who knew the passwords to disable it, Victor Levkin (Olek Krupa). Orlov and Levkin share similar qualities to Mac and Jack, respectively. Orlov uses items near him as unorthodox tools and Levkin keeps multiple handguns on him at all times. The group goes to Russia to collect an old computer needed to interface with the bomb, but Orlov is kidnapped by Sevchenko's men in the process. The group meets with Thornton to save Orlov, but the computer's keyboard is damaged and Levkin is mortally wounded. Mac wires objects to the keys so that, when an object is tapped, the computer thinks it's a keystroke. The bomb is deactivated and Sevchenko is defeated. Orlov is thanked and returned to his retirement home, where he and Riley connect over "The Price is Right." Meanwhile, Thornton goes to tell the dead agent's family about her death and Mac and Jack discuss how Mac's secretly still searching for Nikki.
5"Toothpick"Bobby RothNancy KiuOctober 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)7.95[20]
The Phoenix Foundation gets a tip that Nikki was spotted in Portugal, so Mac and Jack stake out the hotel she was spotted at. However, they find that the woman staying at the hotel was sent by Nikki, and gives MacGyver a key. Mac and Jack are then called by Thornton to meet Riley in Germany. The trio are called to protect a woman named Katarina Wagner (Kasha Kropinski), a secretary who discovered her boss is selling weapons to U.S. enemies. Katarina received an email from a Interpol agent Simon Abbott to take a train to Frankfurt, but the agent was killed before the email was sent. The trio are to protect Katarina on the train while Thornton confronts the CEO, Eric Wexler (Jarreth Merz). Unfortunately, she can't arrest Wexler without proof, but promises to come back. Wexler sends a group of men to kill Katarina on the train, but they are thwarted. The men destroy the train's console, as well as the braking and coupling systems, so the train will crash into the station. Mac, using a flare, rust, and magnesium from armrests, separates the head of the train from the passenger cars, saving everyone. Katarina thanks MacGyver, asking him to call her if he's ever in Germany, and Thornton arrests Wexler. Back at home, Bozer tries flirting with Riley in order to get more digits of Riley's phone number. MacGyver goes to Nikki's apartment to try the key, but it doesn't fit anywhere. He decides to wear it as a necklace, until she is captured.
6"Wrench"Alec SmightBrian DurkinOctober 28, 2016 (2016-10-28)7.27[21]
Mac's internal demons get externalized when The Ghost (Niko Nicotera), an old adversary whose bombs five years prior killed Mac's old C.O., Alfred Pena (Lobo Sebastian), who was supposed to be on leave to see the birth of his daughter, resurfaces. When Jack finds himself in a similar predicament that Pena was in, Mac must overcome his haunted past to defeat his rival and save Jack.
7"Can Opener"Omar MadhaSean HennenNovember 4, 2016 (2016-11-04)7.59[22]
The leader of a Mexican drug cartel, Joaquin "El Noche" Sancola (Raoul Trujillo), is kept in a prison in Texas. However, as a result, other members of the cartel have taken over, and cause violence in public. Mac is sent to the prison as a convict, and must break El Noche out, in order to find El Noche's cartel hideout. However, he must do it with little help, as Jack has been assigned as a guard in another part of the prison, and Riley can't hack the prison doors.
8"Corkscrew"Janice CookeLindsey AllenNovember 11, 2016 (2016-11-11)7.65[23]
When Nikki sends an assassin to take out Mac and the rest of the team, Bozer learns who Mac and the others really are. Mac must outlast the crafty killer in a game of cat and mouse in a junkyard to save the others. When the killer is apprehended, he identifies himself as Murdoc (David Dastmalchian). Nikki meets Mac at a diner and warns him that more killers will come and to get ready to use the Portugal key. Mac returns the favor by threatening to go after her family, demonstrating how Nikki's actions have permanently changed him.
9"Chisel"Brad TanenbaumBret VandenBos and Brandon WillerNovember 18, 2016 (2016-11-18)8.12[24]
Mac and the team head to Latvia to capture Janis Lapa (Tobias Jelinek), a member of a terrorist organization. However, Janis sends an S.O.S out to other members, who chase Mac, Janis and the team to Latvia's US Embassy. The team must protect the embassy from the terrorists for 6 hours. Meanwhile, Bozer, while still upset at MacGyver, is held at the Phoenix Foundation to be assessed by Thornton. After learning about Bozer's prosthetic-making abilities, Thornton allows Mac to give Bozer a job at the Phoenix Foundation, which Bozer accepts.
10"Pliers"[25]Lee RoseBrian DurkinDecember 9, 2016 (2016-12-09)TBD
11"Scissors"[26]Stephen HerekLindsay Allen and Nancy KiuDecember 16, 2016 (2016-12-16)TBD

Reception

Critical response

MacGyver has received generally negative reviews from television critics, with many poorly comparing it to the original and some praising and criticizing CBS for making it an updated show. Variety wrote: "Lucas Till’s performance as the title character misses the mark completely; even when MacGyver explains the contraptions he builds on the fly via voiceovers, Till’s delivery is wooden and clunky. The writing doesn’t help — the pilot script is full of silly plot short-cuts and painfully cheesy lines — but there’s no getting around the fact that the new version of the character has very little appeal.... George Eads does what he can to bring a bit of energy to the MacGyver spy crew, but it’s a futile effort. MacGyver may know a lot about chemistry, but this unmemorable team has none."[27]

USA Today wrote: "If ... you’re looking for something approaching the original’s simple DIY charms — or, for that matter, something even marginally original — look elsewhere. What you're getting here is a factory-made retread that is less MacGyver than MacGyver: Impossible, with the title character now just one member of an impossible mission team.... MacGyver may not fully engage you, but at least it won't actively annoy you."[28]

IGN's verdict was: "CBS' MacGyver is an unnecessary, middling reboot that has little to offer - its biggest sin being a bland hero and eye-rolling stakes. Lifting more than a few swerves from the Mission Impossible franchise, this new MacGyver somehow even manages to make the science gimmick dull."[29]

Rotten Tomatoes shows a 25% "rotten" rating with the sites critical consensus reading, "Despite using spare parts from countless successful TV procedurals, the new MacGyver fails to cobble together a compelling show."[30] Similarly, Metacritic shows a score of 38 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[31]

Movie Pilot was more positive, commending Till's performance while noting that the show does a good job of "maintaining the essence of the original while appealing to a modern generation".[32]

Ratings

No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total
(18–49)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "The Rising" September 23, 2016 1.7/8[16] 10.90[16] 0.9 3.38 2.6 14.11[33]
2 "Metal Saw" September 30, 2016 1.3/6[17] 9.07[17] 0.8 2.82 2.1 11.89[34]
3 "Awl" October 7, 2016 1.1/5[18] 8.09[18] 0.7 2.36 1.8 10.42[35]
4 "Wire Cutter" October 14, 2016 1.1/5[19] 7.44[19] N/A N/A N/A N/A
5 "Toothpick" October 21, 2016 1.1/5[20] 7.95[20] N/A N/A N/A N/A
6 "Wrench" October 28, 2016 0.9/4[21] 7.27[21] N/A N/A N/A N/A
7 "Can Opener" November 4, 2016 1.1/5[22] 7.59[22] N/A N/A N/A N/A
8 "Corkscrew" November 11, 2016 1.1/4[23] 7.65[23] N/A N/A N/A N/A
9 "Chisel" November 18, 2016 1.1/5[24] 8.12[24] N/A N/A N/A N/A
10 "Pliers" December 9, 2016 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
11 "Scissors" December 16, 2016 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Awards and nominations

Year Awards show Category Nomination Result Refs
2017 People's Choice Awards Favorite New TV Drama MacGyver Pending [36]

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 21, 2016). "CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (October 17, 2016). "'Bull,' 'Kevin Can Wait' and 'MacGyver' Grab Full-Season Pickups at CBS". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ "About MacGyver". CBS.
  4. ↑ "The 7 Notorious Tools Of MacGyver's Trade". CBS.
  5. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 2, 2016). "'MacGyver' Series Remake Set At CBS, James Wan & Henry Winkler Producing". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 2, 2016). "'MacGyver' Reboot, Dr. Phil Drama 'Bull' Get CBS Pilot Orders". Deadline.com.
  7. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2016). "'MacGyver': What We Know About The Changes On Newly Picked Up CBS Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 13, 2016). "'Training Day', 'Bull', 'MacGyver', 'The Great Indoors', Matt LeBlanc Comedy & Jason Katims Drama Picked Up By CBS". Deadline.com.
  9. ↑ "MacGyver First Look". CBS. May 18, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Goldberg, Lesley (June 16, 2016). "James Wan to Direct CBS' Rebooted 'MacGyver' Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 21, 2016). "'X-Men's Lucas Till To Play MacGyver In CBS Reboot Pilot". Deadline.com.
  12. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2016). "'MacGyver': Addison Timlin & Michelle Krusiec Cast In CBS Pilot". Deadline.com.
  13. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 13, 2016). "'MacGyver': 'Rush Hour's Justin Hires Cast In CBS Series Reboot". Deadline.com.
  14. ↑ Prudom, Laura (July 15, 2016). "'MacGyver' Casts Sandrine Holt as Series Regular". Variety.
  15. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 27, 2016). "Tristin Mays Joins 'MacGyver' Completing Cast of CBS Reboot". Variety.
  16. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (September 26, 2016). "Friday final ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' adjusts up, 'MacGyver' and 'Exorcist' hold". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 3, 2016). "'MacGyver' and 'Exorcist' adjust down, 'Last Man Standing' adjusts up: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 10, 2016). "'Shark Tank', 'Hawaii Five-O' and other unchanged: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 17, 2016). "'Shark Tank,' 'Blue Bloods' and 'Last Man Standing' adjust up: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 24, 2016). "'Hawaii Five-0', 'Shark Tank', 'Hell's Kitchen' adjust up, 'Exorcist' adjusts down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (October 31, 2016). "'The Vampire Diaries' and 'MacGyver' adjust down vs. World Series: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (November 7, 2016). "'Shark Tank' adjusts up, 'The Exorcist' adjusts down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 Porter, Rick (November 14, 2016). "'Last Man Standing' adjusts up, all others hold: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 Welch, Alex (November 21, 2016). "'The Exorcist' adjusts down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ "(#MAC110) "Pliers"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  26. ↑ "(#MAC111) "Scissors"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  27. ↑ Ryan, Maureen (September 19, 2016). "TV Review: 'Lethal Weapon' and 'MacGyver'". Variety.com. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  28. ↑ Bianco, Robert (September 22, 2016). "TV Review: New 'MacGyver' has too few tricks up its sleeve". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  29. ↑ Fowler, Matt (September 21, 2016). "MacGyver: "The Rising" Review". IGN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  30. ↑ "MacGyver: Season 1 – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  31. ↑ "MacGyver (2016) – Season 1 Reviews – Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  32. ↑ Patterson, Stephen (September 26, 2016). "" 'MacGyver' Has All The Tools Needed For A Successful Reboot"". moviepilot.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  33. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 4, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' is your premiere week DVR champion: Broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  34. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 11, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' posts more big DVR gains: Broadcast Live +7 ratings for Sept. 26-Oct. 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  35. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 19, 2016). "Rich get richer as 'Empire,' 'Big Bang,' 'Designated Survivor' lead broadcast Live +7 ratings for Oct. 3-9". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  36. ↑ "People's Choice Awards 2016: Full List of Winners". PCS. November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.

External links

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