''MacGyver'' is an American

action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...

television series developed by

Peter M. Lenkov Peter M. Lenkov (born 9 May 1964) is a Canadian television and film writer, producer, and comic book author. He is best known as the showrunner of the reboot series '' Hawaii Five-0'', ''MacGyver'', and ''Magnum P.I.'', all of which aired on CBS ...

that ran on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from September 23, 2016 to April 30, 2021, comprising five seasons and 94 episodes. The series stars

Lucas Till Lucas Daniel Till (born August 10, 1990) is an American actor. In a career spanning two decades, he has appeared in multiple film and television projects spanning a variety of genres. He is a five-time Teen Choice Award nominee. His most notabl ...

as the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

, an undercover government agent who prefers to fight crime with ingenious feats of engineering rather than lethal force. It is a

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of the original series of the same name created by

Lee David Zlotoff Lee David Zlotoff (born July 10, 1954) is a producer, director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the TV series ''MacGyver''. He started as a screenwriter for ''Hill Street Blues'' in 1981. He then became a producer of ''Remington Stee ...

, which aired from 1985 to 1992. CBS cancelled the show in April 2021; the series finale aired on April 30, 2021. ''MacGyver'' takes place in the same

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

as two other series, both also developed by Lenkov and both also reboots of earlier police shows: ''

Hawaii Five-0 Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an Ame ...

'' and ''

Magnum P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on th ...

'' The three shows have been collectively referred to as the "

Lenkov-verse The ''Lenkov-verse'' is a media franchise that consists of a group of three interconnected television reboots that share a fictional universe, and their related media. All three of the television series, '' Hawaii Five-0'', ''MacGyver'', and ' ...

Plot

Angus "Mac" MacGyver is a US government agent of a secret, privately funded US government intelligence agency (cloaked as a

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

) called the Phoenix Foundation, where he uses his extraordinary talent for problem solving and his extensive knowledge of science to save lives and, in some cases, prevent catastrophes. "With skills that are only limited by his creativity, Mac saves the day using paper clips instead of pistols, birthday candles instead of bombs, and gum instead of guns." The episodes make frequent use of

second-person narrative Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

in the form of

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

s provided by Lucas Till as Angus MacGyver. The commentary usually provides instructions or "tricks of the trade", as if for a training or orientation film.

Cast and characters

Main

as Angus "Mac" MacGyver: A highly intelligent and incredibly resourceful U.S. operative who works for the Phoenix Foundation, a covert agency operating under the guise of a

. Trained as an EOD technician for the U.S. Army, Mac prefers to use non-lethal means to stop his enemies; he is never without his trusty Swiss Army knife and has the uncanny ability to use anything in his environment to his advantage. At the end of season two, he learns that his absent father, James MacGyver, is Oversight—the man who oversees the Phoenix Foundation. Mac then leaves the Phoenix because of his lack of trust in its leadership. He eventually returns after realizing how much they need his skill set. *

George Eads George Eads is an American actor, known for his role as Nick Stokes on the CBS police drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He later starred as Jack Dalton on the CBS action-adventure series ''MacGyver'' for three seasons. Biography Earl ...

as Jack Dalton (seasons 1–3): Mac's partner in the field and a former

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

operator. Jack's history with Mac goes back to his days in the Army and, unlike Mac, he is not afraid to use guns in the field. He also has history with Riley, because he was once in a relationship with her mother and had an altercation with her deadbeat father. While mostly easy-going and laid-back, Jack can get serious when the situation calls for it and often calls upon his special operations training to help the team get out of a tight spot. Midway through season 3, at the end of " Father + Bride + Betrayal", Jack leaves the Phoenix to track Tiberius Kovac, a terrorist thought to have been killed years earlier. In season 5's "Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO", it was revealed that Jack had been killed in action while trying to apprehend Kovac. * Tristin Mays as Riley Davis: A tough-as-nails, sarcastic hacker who is hired by the Phoenix Foundation as their cyber specialist. Riley was originally in prison for trying to hack the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

in order to save her mother from a reclusive hacktivist group. She had a strained relationship with Jack because he vanished from her and her mother's lives after an altercation with her abusive father, but now views Jack as a father figure. *

Sandrine Holt Sandrine Claire Holt (born Sandrine Vanessa Ho; 19 November 1972) is a British-born Canadian model and actress. Early life Holt was born Sandrine Vanessa Ho in Croydon. Her middle name was later changed to Claire. Her father, Man Shun ("Horace" ...

as Patricia Thornton (season 1): Initial Director of Field Operations at the Phoenix Foundation and, in Mac's own words, the most successful clandestine operative in U.S. history. By the book and serious most of the time, Thornton regularly assigns the team their missions. In the 12th episode, "Screwdriver", she is discovered to be a mole working for the Organization and arrested. *

Justin Hires Justin Hires (born June 24, 1985) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Hires is known for portraying Detective James Carter on the CBS television series '' Rush Hour'', Juario in '' 21 Jump Street'', and Wilt Bozer in the 2016 reboot serie ...

as Wilt Bozer: Mac's best friend whom he has known since childhood. He is initially a struggling film director possessing several artistic talents. His ability to create lifelike masks and facial prosthetics gets him hired at the Phoenix Foundation. Bozer is a source of comic relief and, in the 1st season, helps Riley in exchange for getting her phone number one digit at a time. When Bozer undergoes training at the Operative Training Center, he falls for fellow recruit Leanna Martin. *

Meredith Eaton Meredith Hope Eaton Gordon (sometimes credited as Meredith Eaton-Gilden; born August 26, 1974) is an American actress. She is tall, and refers to herself as a "short-stature actress". She is known for portraying the attorney Emily Resnick on t ...

as Matilda "Matty" Webber: Thornton's replacement as Director of Operations at Phoenix Foundation and Jack's ex-boss from the CIA. It is revealed in season 3's "Scavengers + Hard Drive + Dragonfly" that she is married, but has not worn a wedding ring since her husband, Ethan Reigns, went on a deep undercover assignment. *

Isabel Lucas Isabel Lucas (born 29 January 1985) is an Australian actress and model. She is mainly known for her roles in '' Home and Away'' (2003–06), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), ''Daybreakers'' (2009), ''The Waiting City'' (2009), ' ...

as Samantha Cage (season 2), CIA officer and formerly of

SASR The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, "Who Dares Wins". The reg ...

4th Squadron. After she is discharged from the CIA for her unsanctioned actions in the second season premiere, Matty recruits her into the Phoenix Foundation. In the episode "Bullet + Pen", she is ambushed and shot by Murdoc, an assassin who is one of MacGyver's main enemies, in her apartment, but survives and returns home to her native Australia to recover. *

Levy Tran Levy Tran (born November 16, 1983), born as Vy Le Tran, is an American actress and model, best known for her role as Roenick in the 2018 film ''The First Purge'', Desi Nguyen in ''MacGyver'', the guest hostess to MTV's ''Guy Code'', for her appe ...

as Desiree "Desi" Nguyen (seasons 4–5; recurring season 3), Desi is a new recruit for the Phoenix Foundation who takes over for Jack after he leaves. Though she does things differently than Jack, she seems to be equally effective. She is skilled in six martial arts, and very adept at hand-to-hand combat. The fourth season premiere reveals that Desi and Mac had a brief romantic relationship that ended badly. Their romance is rekindled in season 5. *

Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series ''Lost'', for which he received a Primet ...

as Russell "Russ" Taylor (seasons 4–5), is an Ex-MI6 Agent. Before joining the Phoenix, he worked as a Private Military Contractor and managed Spearhead Operations. Described as a master manipulator and salesman, Russ is skilled in propaganda and lie detection, and boasts an extremely high emotional intelligence. He is also very wealthy, and thus is used to both getting his way and enjoying the spoils of war (including expensive suits, fast cars, private jets and a house in Monte Carlo). The events of the fourth season portray Russ as being obsessed with destroying Codex, with him later revealing that Codex approached him for recruitment several years ago.

Recurring

Tracy Spiridakos Tracy Spiridakos ( gr, Τρέισι Σπυριδάκος) is a Canadian actress. She starred as Becky Richards on the Teletoon children's comedy series ''Majority Rules!'' from 2009–2010. She then starred as Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson on th ...

as Nikki Carpenter (season 1), an undercover CIA operative who formerly worked as a hacker for DXS until she faked her own death. She is also Mac's ex-girlfriend. *

Amy Acker Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Winifred Burkle and Illyria on the supernatural drama series ''Angel'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on the action drama series ''Alias'' (2005 ...

Sarah Adler Sarah Adler ( he, שרה אדלר; born 1978) is a French and Israeli actress with dual citizenship. Career Adler is now best known for her performances in the 2017 Israeli films '' Foxtrot'' and '' The Cakemaker''; earlier in her career her not ...

(season 1), a CIA operative and Jack's ex-girlfriend. *

David Dastmalchian David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Universe ...

Murdoc Murdoc is a fictional character that appears in the ABC television series ''MacGyver'' and in the CBS reboot series of the same name. In both portrayals, Murdoc is an assassin and frequent antagonist of both series. Original series Murdoc ...

(seasons 1–3 & 5), an assassin who described himself as one of the best in the world. When he was first introduced, he was referred to as Suspect 218, which is a nod to the original series. Originally, Murdoc was hired to kill Mac, but frequently targeted other members of the Phoenix Foundation after developing a fascination with the group since they are the first ones to survive his attempts to kill them. He is at first thought to have been sent by Nikki, but is later revealed to have been sent by Thornton. Murdoc is especially obsessed with Mac as he sees him as an equal and a "friend." * Aina Dumlao as Andie Lee (seasons 1–2): Andie Lee was the personal assistant of Patricia Thornton (Sandrine Holt), Director of Field Operations for the DXS and the Phoenix Foundation during the first half of season. She was present when Thornton’s successful career and highest respect in the governmental ranks abruptly ended when she was revealed to be the mole known as ‘Chrysalis’ and arrested for treason in Episode 1×12 (Screwdriver). Thornton was later replaced by Matty Webber (Meredith Eaton) whom Andie continued to work for into early season 2. * Kate Bond as Jill Morgan: A forensics expert at the Phoenix Foundation. The team members occasionally ask her for help on personal missions. She is seen leading a task force to help capture Murdoc in the third season premiere. Murdoc kills her at the end of the episode. *

Lauren Vélez Luna Lauren Vélez (born November 2, 1964) is an American actress and the identical twin sister of actress Lorraine Vélez. Her most notable television roles are as María LaGuerta on Showtime's ''Dexter'', Detective Nina Moreno on Fox's ''New Y ...

as Cassandra Glover (season 2), a coordinator for Operative Training Center. * Reign Edwards as Leanna Martin (seasons 2–3), a recruit at the Operative Training Center. Bozer meets and becomes good friends with Leanna, later leading to a romantic relationship that they try to keep secret. In the season 2 finale, Leanna is hired by the Phoenix Foundation. In the fifth season episode "Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower", it is revealed that she was killed on a mission six months prior, a fact that Russ had hidden from Bozer. *

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

as Elwood Davis (seasons 2–3), Riley's estranged father. *

Lance Gross Lance Darnell Kwaku Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' and OWN sitcom '' Tyler Perry's The Paynes''., as well as appearing in other Ty ...

as Billy Colton (seasons 1–3), a member of the Colton bounty hunting family who becomes a love interest of Riley's. Riley breaks up with him after she discovers, on a mission, that Billy was cheating on her. *

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film '' A Piece of the Action'', before landing the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she received a ...

as Mama Colton (seasons 1–3), Billy's mother and the head of the Colton bounty hunting family. * Emerson Brooks as Charlie Robinson (seasons 1–3), Mac's old war pal who is now a bomb squad specialist. He was killed by Elliot Mason in Season 3. *

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

as James MacGyver/"Oversight" (seasons 2–4), Mac's father who had mysteriously disappeared from his life. He was first introduced in Season 2, and he and Mac slowly developed a relationship again. In Season 3, it was revealed that Oversight had cancer. Oversight was killed after he manually detonated an explosive at Codex headquarters in Season 4, just after he revealed his cancer had returned. * Sibongile Mlambo as Nessa (season 3), Mac's ex-girlfriend whom he met in Nigeria after briefly leaving the Phoenix Foundation. *

Brendan Hines Brendan Patrick Hines (born December 28, 1976) is an American actor and singer/songwriter. He has had a number of television roles, including as part of the main cast of ''Lie to Me'' as well as recurring roles in ''Scandal'', ''Betrayal'', '' ...

as Ethan Reigns (season 3), Matty's husband who went deep undercover for eight years shortly after their marriage. It's revealed in season 3 that, to keep his cover, Ethan married another woman and had a young child with her. * Peter Weller as Elliot Mason (seasons 3–5), a former military special ops officer and former FBI agent who holds a grudge against James MacGyver for supposedly causing the death of Mason's son. *

Leonardo Nam Leonardo Nam (born November 5, 1979) is an Australian actor. He made his breakthrough as Roy in '' The Perfect Score'' (2004), and gained further recognition for his roles as Morimoto in '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006) and Bria ...

as Aubrey (season 4), Riley's brief love interest, who breaks up with her after Riley reveals where she really works. *

Jeri Ryan Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...

as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Hayes (season 4), MacGyver's aunt (his mother’s sister); an ex-DXS agent who was presumed dead, but is now a high-ranking official within Codex. *

Amber Skye Noyes Amber Skye Noyes (born February 17, 1988) is an American actress and singer, known for her portrayal of Tori Windsor in The CW series ''Beauty & the Beast'' and Celine Fox in the third season of the ABC thriller '' Quantico''. Early life and car ...

as Scarlett (season 4), a Codex soldier. *

Zach McGowan Zach McGowan (born May 5, 1980) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles in television series '' Shameless'' as Jody, ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as Anton Ivanov/The Superior, '' Black Sails'' as Charles Vane, an ...

as Roman (seasons 4–5), a Codex soldier. * Alexandra Grey as Parker Phillips (season 5), the newest engineer at Phoenix Foundation.

Notable guests

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in '' Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the '' Saints Ro ...

as Lieutenant

Chin Ho Kelly Chin Ho Kelly is a fictional character from CBS' '' Hawaii Five-O''. He was portrayed by Kam Fong in the original show from 1968 to 1978, and later by Daniel Dae Kim in the series' remake from 2010 to 2017. ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968–1978) In th ...

: Crossover character from ''

''. A member of the Five-0 Task Force * Grace Park as Officer Kono Kalakaua: Crossover character from ''Hawaii Five-0''. A member of the Five-0 Task Force *

Taylor Wily Taylor Wily (born Teila Tuli, June 14, 1968) is an American actor, former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is from Laie, Hawaii and is of American Samoan descent. He is commonly known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on '' Haw ...

as Kamekona Tupuola: Crossover character from ''Hawaii Five-0''. An

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

and confidential informant for the Five-0 Task Force *

Michael Des Barres Michael Philip Des Barres (born 24 January 1948), the 26th Marquis Des Barres, is an English actor and rock singer. He appeared as Murdoc in the original '' MacGyver'', Nicholas Helman, Murdoc's mentor, on the new reboot of '' MacGyver'' (2016 ...

as Nicholas Helman, a hitman who is also Murdoc's mentor. (Des Barres played Murdoc in the original ''MacGyver'' series.) *

Sarah Sokolovic Sarah Sokolovic (born 1980) is an American film, television, and theatre actress, who starred in ''Homeland'' as Laura Sutton and has a recurring role on '' Big Little Lies''. She has performed in several plays including ''The Shaggs: Philoso ...

as Amber, Murdoc's ex-wife and mother of their son, Cassian *

Sean Cameron Michael Sean Cameron Michael (born 24 December 1969) is a South African actor, writer and singer. A native English speaker, he is also fluent in Afrikaans. Early life Michael was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He became interested in acting at the a ...

as The Ghost Bomber * Presilah Nunez as ATF Agent Maria Ramirez, MacGyver's friend from their time in the Army and the handler of ATF K-9 Cody. * Brian "Q" Quinn as Dale, a restaurant patron who slips Mac a candy bar at a fancy restaurant. * James "Murr" Murray as the maitre'd of a restaurant where Mac and Desi go undercover. * Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano as Chef Salvatore, who serves rare delicacies. * Joseph "Joe" Gatto as Larry, a bartender at a restaurant where Mac and Desi go undercover. The name is a reference to a running joke in Gatto's regular series, '' Impractical Jokers''. *

Scottie Thompson Susan Scott "Scottie" Thompson (born November 9, 1981) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known as '' Jeanne Benoit'' in '' NCIS''. Early life Thompson grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where she attended Collegiate ...

as Ellen, Angus’ deceased mother who appears in a dream sequence and a flashback *

John Ales John Ales (born January 3, 1969) is an American actor best known for appearing in '' Spy Hard'', '' The Nutty Professor'', '' You Wish'', and other films and television series. Filmography Film *''Crime Killer'' (1985) ... Kids *'' Spy Hard'' ...

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

* Tom Thon as

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

* Cuyle Carvin as DXS Agent Charles *

Sean Blakemore Sean Blakemore (born August 10, 1967) is an American actor who is portraying Shawn Butler on the ABC daytime drama '' General Hospital'', a role he began playing on January 21, 2011 on a recurring basis. Blakemore was nominated for a Daytime Em ...

as President Danny Linson *

Tobin Bell Tobin may refer to: Name *Tobin (surname) * Tobin (given name) Places in the United States * Tobin, California * Tobin Bridge, near Boston, Massachusetts * Tobin Range, a mountain range in Nevada * Tobin Township, Perry County, Indiana * Tobin ...

as Leland *

Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show ''Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley ...

as Jerry Ortega, Crossover character from ''Hawaii Five-0''. A former member of the Five-0 Task Force *

Bojana Novakovic Bojana Novakovic (, sr-Latn, Bojana Novaković) is a Serbian-Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Det. Lizzie Needham on the drama television series '' Instinct'' (2017–2018). Novakovic's film roles include '' Drag Me to He ...

as Anya Vitez *Deepti Gupta as Priya Chanani, Ministry of Defense *

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. His roles include Winston Zeddemore in the '' Ghostbusters'' film series, Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in '' The Crow'' (1994), and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003) ...

as Milton Bozer, Wilt's father *

Wendy Raquel Robinson Wendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on The WB comedy sitcom ''The Steve Harvey Show'' (1996–2002), and as sports agent Tasha Mack on The CW/ BET/Paramo ...

as Lauretta Bozer, Wilt's mother *Ben Wang as Eli Brown, a young genius-level intellect & inventor who is a new agent at The Phoenix Foundation. (Was the protagonist of ''Season 5 Episode'' Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason)

Production

Development

In October 2015, the original series' executive producer,

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

, signed on to produce a remake series with

James Wan James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw'' and ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of The Conjurin ...

and R. Scott Gemmill for

, 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 Paul Downs Colaizzo () is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Early life and education Colaizzo was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from New Yor ...

and directed by Wan. Wan pulled out from directing due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by

David Von Ancken David Henry Von Ancken (December 5, 1964 – July 26, 2021) was an American film, television director and screenwriter. Career He directed one feature film, the 2006 Western (genre), Western ''Seraphim Falls'' starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Br ...

. In May 2016, the network picked up the series. Co-creator and executive producer

will serve as the

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

. On May 18, 2016, CBS released a first video trailer for new series. In June 2016, the network scrapped the original pilot, with Wan to direct a new pilot episode. On June 21, 2016, that the series would premiere on Friday, September 23, 2016. On October 17, 2016, CBS ordered a full season of 21 episodes. On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 29, 2017. On May 9, 2019, it was announced that CBS renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on February 7, 2020. On November 6, 2019, it was announced that CBS had ordered an additional nine episodes in this fourth season, which would've brought the total to 22 episodes. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this total was reduced to 20 episodes, with six additional episodes being completely filmed before the production halt. However, producers and CBS later chose to conclude the season with the final episode of the CODEX story arc, which was scripted to fit within the original 13 episode order. This decision came after MacGyver was renewed for a fifth season on May 6, 2020, allowing the final six episodes filmed for season 4 to be moved to season 5. The fifth season premiered on December 4, 2020.

Casting

In March 2016,

was announced as the new MacGyver, Joshua Boone as Gunner, MacGyver's best friend from high school, alongside former and longtime '' CSI'' star

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. Later cast were

Addison Timlin Addison Jayne Timlin (born June 29, 1991) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jami Lerner in ''The Town That Dreaded Sundown'' (2014) and Colleen Lunsford in '' Little Sister'' (2016). She is also known for playing Sasha Bingham i ...

as Mickey, an app developer who is aggressively progressive in her political views but who has a soft spot for MacGyver, and

Michelle Krusiec Michelle Jacqueline Krusiec (born Ya-Huei Yang; ; October 2, 1974) is an American actress, writer and producer. Early life Krusiec was born in 1974 in Taiwan. She was adopted at age five and raised in America by her father's elder sister, who ha ...

as Agent Croix, Dalton's sister who works for the Department of Homeland Security. 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. Around the same time the new pilot was ordered,

was cast as Wilt Bozer, MacGyver's roommate who is an aspiring filmmaker. In July 2016, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reported that

had been cast as Patricia Thornton, an ex-field agent who was the director of operations for the Department of External Services, and that Tristin Mays was cast as Riley Davis, a highly unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder. On November 26, 2018, it was announced that George Eads was set to depart the series midway through the show's third season. According to creator

, Eads had asked to be released from his contract for some time so he could spend more time with his young daughter who resides in Los Angeles; the series is filmed in Atlanta. Producers ultimately agreed with Eads being written out of the show but left the opportunity for him to return as a guest star in the future. His final episode aired on February 1, 2019. Eads' character was killed offscreen in the fifth season episode "Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO", ruling out any further opportunities for Eads to reprise the role.

Lenkov's firing

On July 7, 2020, it was reported that Lenkov was fired from his role as executive producer and showrunner following an investigation into allegations that he created a toxic work environment. Lucas Till later told ''Vanity Fair'' about being verbally abused and body shamed by Lenkov, stating, "I've never worked this hard in my life, and I am fine with hard work. But the way Peter treats people is just unacceptable. I was suicidal that first year on the show, because of the way he made me feel. But the way he's treated the people around me — that's just my breaking point." Executive producer

Monica Macer Monica Macer is a writer and producer. She is credited as the showrunner and executive producer of the new Netflix comedy-drama series ''Gentefied''. Biography Macer is a 1993 graduate of Vassar College. She began her career in theater arts in New ...

replaced Lenkov as showrunner.

Cancellation

On April 7, 2021, with three season 5 episodes remaining, CBS made the announcement that the fifth season would be the show's last, setting the series finale for April 30, 2021. Series regular Justin Hires thanked CBS for "employing me for 6 years" in a Twitter post following the cancellation, but then got in a possible dig, adding "We're still #1 in our time slot." While confirming Hires' claim, author Jessica Rawden of Cinema Blend noted that ''MacGyver'' had seen a steady drop in viewers since George Eads exited in season 3.

Book

''The Official MacGyver Survival Manual: 155 Ways to Save the Day'' is a book that gives instructions on how to "

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...

" things as seen in ''MacGyver''. The book was written by Dr. Rhett Allain, the show's resident physicist. The foreword was written by

, and the introduction was written by

. ''The Official MacGyver Survival Manual: 155 Ways to Save the Day'' was released on September 17, 2019.

Episodes

Crossovers

Reception

Ratings

Critical response

''MacGyver'' received generally a mixed opinion from television critics, with many comparing it poorly to the original and some praising and criticizing CBS for making it an updated show.

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

shows a 25% rating for Season 1, with the site's critical consensus reading, "Despite using spare parts from countless successful TV procedurals, the new ''MacGyver'' fails to cobble together a compelling show."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

gives a score of 38 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' 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."

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'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."

Movie Pilot Moviepilot (stylized Movie Pilot) was a fan-centric online magazine covering the film industry. Its content was written predominantly by an in-house team of staff writers, with additional articles from contributors known as Creators. History Mov ...

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". ''Irish Film Critic'' stated being satisfied with the reboot: "Season 1 introduced us to the new characters and while it took some getting used to, after years of watching

Richard Dean Anderson Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a retired American actor and producer. He began his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series ''General Hospital'', and then rose to prominence as the lead a ...

doing his thing, about halfway through season 1, I was finally able to accept

as the new ''MacGyver''. He is charming, charismatic, and when it calls for it, courageous, at times, putting his own life over that of everyone around him. The chemistry between the entire main cast is obvious and everyone has their own individual idiosyncrasies and character traits but never is it more evident than when they're all together. Over time, they have become a family as a result of their trials, tribulations, and missions and usually with the closing of each episode, they rendezvous at Mac and Bozer's place in the ''Hollywood Hills'', share a laugh, have a beer, and generally, try to keep a positive outlook on what is to come. Exactly what a family is supposed to do."

Awards and nominations

Home media

The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on February 27 and second season on September 18, 2018.

References

External links

* *
SaveMacGyver.com
* {{Teen Choice Award for Choice Action Series 2016 American television series debuts 2021 American television series endings 2010s American drama television series 2020s American drama television series CBS original programming American action television series American adventure television series English-language television shows Lenkov-verse Television series reboots Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows featuring audio description Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state) American action adventure television series American crime television series 2010s American crime drama television series 2020s American crime drama television series 10 Bold original programming