In my opinion the original essence of MacGyver has been lost. The paper was accurate for Richard Dean Anderson and now it is too big for Lucas Till, first because the name is revealed in the first chapter, it is not like the previous MacGyver that embarrassed him. And in relation to the characters the relationship should not be with Nicky if not with the previous girlfriend of MacGyver, another point is that Jack has changed completely and should not put Pete as a woman, should continue to be his best friend. Another important point is that the voice of iconic dubbing in Latin America was Mario Cataneda, and what most fans are upset is that they have changed it. And as now MacGyver murders or respects a little less the lives of others. In my opinion there is much to fix in the series as to eliminate new characters that have been added as the hacker and that.

Believe me, we've all had our gripes about the reboot. The reboot is no where near as awesome as the original. I miss RDA, personally.

Despite the reboot's flaws, it does have some good points. I like Tristin Mays as Riley, who is just awesome. And I LOVE David Dastmalchian as Murdoc. If you haven't seen any Murdoc episodes yet, you should give them a go. David is actually a super nice guy, and he's a fantastic actor.

If you give Lucas Till a fair chance, you might find him growing on you. I like him.

My main complaint is the dubbing for Latin America, I wish there was a way to persuade the producers to choose Mario Castañeda again.
I hope that Michael Des Barres will appear again at least once

I suspect its on the cards.

Denizen is right. MDB has already said that he's willing to do it if he gets asked, but no one has approached him yet. They probably will at some point. They'd be foolish not to.

Hopefully, if they're smart, they'll give MDB a good part in regards to Murdoc... and not something lame. If they do, I'm gonna be sorely disappointed.

Seriously, I want my Murdoc face-off. lol

While I've certainly had complaints about the reboot, this aspect of it never bothered me at all. Honestly, it was a bit silly in the original series to have a grown man being so embarrassed about his name that he never revealed it to anyone. In all other ways, the original Mac never struck me as somebody who was insecure or shallow, so why did the name "Angus" bother him so much? And my enjoyment of the original series never stemmed from Mac's aversion to his first name, so I didn't mind that the reboot changed this.

LOL! It is kinda silly actually. I'm about the same age as original MacGyver, and my last name is far worse than Angus. It doesn't bother me though because I use it as a conversation starter and getting a chuckle out of people. I've been picked on for it my whole life and had my share of unflattering nicknames... but I know it's not me or my name that's the problem. It's just people being stupid.

That era's magical fusion / contrast is long, long gone. You simply can't have an improvising, DIY, 80s geeky, outdoorsy, sporting, lonerish, mulleted secret agent - shock & awe the same way in 2017 - when the world knows via techie social media where everybody is and when they have a bowel movement. Impossible! Ambitious and admirable for giving it the college try though !!!! .................

Actually, I think the show has done quite a good job with finding ways to incorporate plenty of MacGyverisms in a world that's more technologically advanced than the 1980s. The problem isn't with the MacGyverisms themselves, it's in how they are presented. Since the show rushes through them so quickly, the audience is never given a chance to appreciate them. I really think if the show took time to present the MacGyverisms better, they would work just as well now as they did in the 80s. (and I give this show credit for coming up with more MacGyverisms per episode than the original series did, so it's really a shame they are done so quickly.)

Totally disagree. It's the 'mental theatre' of it all that was the most compelling in the original. It's very black & white! Mac's secluded, isolated brain vs the Evil villainous world. With this version, 'the team' is so suffocating-ly close and perpetually 'online' - that even though they don't physically 'spoon feed' him with any collaborative intellectual property - the option is always there and tabled enough to nip the viewer's mental gymnastics - in the bud.

I'll go on a bit and for the benefit of those eavesdropping producers ..... ..... hesitant to bring sex into this family forum (I'll be as transparent as possible) ... but you can't just have the big bang and expect the same result as a slow and tantalizing foreplay with these signature events in this series. Too fast, or too slow, too scripted, too boringly cliché ... spoils the mood - there's a real fine, delicate balance there that I don't think the 'makers' of this reboot have clued in to as of yet.

Personally, I'm more focused on the implicit technical/team umbilical cords that Mac perpetually has at his fingertips but Miasma's point about presentation is spot on .... and yet I think the whole prelude, synergy and performance of them have to be perfect in order to 'sell' the experience, as it was in the original, to we_the_audience.

I'm sure somebody can improve on the technicalities/modalities of this critique ... but best I can do for the moment .....

Totally disagree. It's the 'mental theatre' of it all that was the most compelling in the original. It's very black & white! Mac's secluded, isolated brain vs the Evil villainous world. With this version, 'the team' is so suffocating-ly close and perpetually 'online' - that even though they don't physically 'spoon feed' him with any collaborative intellectual property - the option is always there and tabled enough to nip the viewer's mental gymnastics - in the bud.

I'll go on a bit and for the benefit of those eavesdropping producers ..... ..... hesitant to bring sex into this family forum (I'll be as transparent as possible) ... but you can't just have the big bang and expect the same result as a slow and tantalizing foreplay with these signature events in this series. Too fast, or too slow, too scripted, too boringly cliché ... spoils the mood - there's a real fine, delicate balance there that I don't think the 'makers' of this reboot have clued in to as of yet.

Personally, I'm more focused on the implicit technical/team umbilical cords that Mac perpetually has at his fingertips but Miasma's point about presentation is spot on .... and yet I think the whole prelude, synergy and performance of them have to be perfect in order to 'sell' the experience, as it was in the original, to we_the_audience.

I'm sure somebody can improve on the technicalities/modalities of this critique ... but best I can do for the moment .....

You start out by saying you "totally disagree" with me, but then you say my point was "spot on." I'm confused!

I think, overall, we do agree. We both think that what made the MacGyverisms work well in the original series was that we were able to see Mac's thought process, while in this reboot, the show skips that part. He immediately has a solution to everything, so there's zero tension, and the MacGyverisms end up being very forgettable. Again, I think that's a shame because the writers are actually coming up with some pretty cool stuff for Mac to do, but the audience isn't given a chance to appreciate most of it because our brains don't have a chance to absorb it. I remember Lenkov once saying that he wanted the MacGyverisms to be good "water-cooler" conversation topics for the audience, but in order for the show to achieve that, the pacing needs to be slowed down. Usually by the time the episode ends, I can't remember anything Mac did.

In the original series, I felt the writers got a bit lazy with the MacGyverisms in later seasons. There were many episodes where he did only one or two noteworthy ones. But, by doing so few of them, at least the show had time to make them feel significant (well, except for episodes like The Madonna, where the only thing he did was use dumb-bells as wheels... that was lame.)


Kind of Off-Topic, but since there's still no thread for it, I'll just put my thoughts here: I thought the latest episode of the show was probably the episode that felt the most like the original series. They basically took the Hellfire episode and put a cool new spin on it, ending up with something that I think may have actually surpassed the Hellfire episode. The pacing felt more like the original series than most episodes in this reboot, and seeing Mac go out of his way to help people, rather than just doing his assignment, definitely added to the classic MacGyver-feel. I also appreciated the fact that they took a few moments to develop one of the villagers a little bit. The setting was also classic MacGyver. I'd love to see the show do more episodes like this. (The only thing that really irked me about the episode was Mattie. They really need to make her a BIT more likable now!)

I love the reboot. Now it's not the MacGyver I grew up with and to me the original will always be the best but this show holds its own. The only part I am not as pleased about it is the new Murdock. Sorry but the original was a more intense, scarier and darker villain. For me a big plus on the reboot is Riley is a total hottie. I would have trouble turning a paper clip into a circle if I was locked in a room with her lol

I gave the reboot almost two seasons, but then gave up on it.

First, what I like. I like Lucas Till in the title role, and I've seen some very good plotlines, including a few that are nicely done nods to the original show. George Eads as Jack is very good, also, though I do wish they hadn't given Jack a gun. Granted, it's still Mac's ingenuity that gets them out of trouble, not Jack's gun, but still. The -isms are pretty darn good, and I'm impressed that the producers have managed to make the show still work in the Internet Age. Murdoc is just plain gold- they really found a good actor for the role and wrote it better (no disrespect to MdB.) I also thought it was cool that they made Thornton a woman this time around- it's fun to see them mix things up a little.

Now for what I don't like. I originally thought the "team" aspect would be fun... but then they added more characters to the team... and more... it got almost soap-opera-ish by the end of the second season. They really should have stuck with the original core of Mac, Jack and Riley, with the other characters popping up as needed. (All right, I guess I can see why they brought Bozer into the fold, but it should have ended there, for sure.) Also, Mattie just irks me. I saw what they were going for there, a reference to "Early Retirement," but Mattie is not a good character for the long run. She's disrespectful of her team, and unpredictable. She acts more like a high school "mean girl" than a professional, mature woman. I've worked for people like that, and it's not good. They really need to bring "Patty" back! She may have been a bit chilly, but at least she was professional. I thought it would be just a few episodes, and then Thornton would make her comeback, but I was disappointed. One other thing- though it seems kind of petty- I'm irritated by how the producers name episodes for tools. It strikes me as lazy, at best. Give me the days when episode titles actually, you know, told you something about the plot! (Yes, old-fashioned of me, I know.)

I don't know whether I'll give the third season a chance, or not.

For the most part, yeah... I think most of us can agree with you.

The reboot has it's silver lining, whether you like it or not. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I do like certain aspects of it.

If nothing else, it's popularity has breathed life back into the franchise. I'm pretty sure if it hadn't been for the reboot we wouldn't be getting the collectables or the HD remaster of the original.

Not to mention, it gives us something to talk, or complain, about. XD

So, in it's own way... the reboot has been a rather positive experience. I don't have to like it to appreciate it.

I rather talk about it then complain about it. And yes, usually it's the other way around as well for me, but in this case... The more things get panned or negatively criticised the better it usually is. I'm only 6 episodes far, but this I did not expect. I've already seen more action and spectacle then in the entire first season of the original. Why do we actually expect that it would be exactly the same? I know at this point it's all work and no play, but this MacGyver is not as bad as some might think it is. Did you want an exact copy? Another mullet-haired dude with an elder slightly overweighed boss and a pilot-friend to go on adventure with? We have 139 episodes for that. Yes, it may seem too much Bond, Bourne or Hunt. Don't forget MacGyver was supposed to be part James Bond. He may not be MacGyver as we know it, but I'm sure we'll get there and if not the way it's going is nice to distinguish this one from our original. Neither Mac's are perfect and just think about it. In this version Phoenix doesn't exist while in the original it was known by the public as a think-tank. This Mac kills people, just as much Indiana Jones does, and whether we like it or not our Mac killed Webster, Glass and Cleeve. But just think about it: what if they decide to go public with Phoenix or what if one of their team members like Riley gets hurt in a crossfire by one of their own, a great way to introduce Mac's dislike to guns in this version and him trying to go assignment with his team without it. This and maybe a sort of Partners episode, I can see to work here, like how he met Jack, apparently in Afghanistan, or how he met Patricia. There's plenty of stuff here they can use or re-use as they did already. For us old school fans it can never beat the original and that's fine. The way, I see it is that even if the reboot makes to first place, I think it would try to bump the original of it's pedestal, but the original would bump him back and then place his arm around the reboot and they could share first place.

I was pretty excited for this before I saw it - I'm all for changing up characters, Thornton being a woman, better effects, modernization, etc. I'm not up for Mac belittling a women's skills by showing her having sex on a keyboard (I have no issue with her doing that - just in Mac's character presenting her that way). Time and time again the writing I find simplistic and grating. The writing of a show like The Catch was much much better - even though it got cancelled sooner. Maybe I just don't watch a ton of primetime network shows - so compared to shows on AMC, HBO, Netflix, Prime and Hulu - it just feels garbage.

It didn't look like belittling to me. They were just very into each other.

It's reducing a woman's skills on a keyboard to her ass on them - it's just so unlike MacGyver...

It's reducing a woman's skills on a keyboard to her ass on them - it's just so unlike MacGyver...

Can't say I saw it that way.

It's reducing a woman's skills on a keyboard to her ass on them - it's just so unlike MacGyver...

Can't say I saw it that way.

Well it was a widely criticized line when it aired. I really can't see any interpretation that would be in line with the old MacGyver character.

That's because it's not the old MacGyver. And it didn't look like the new Mac was disrespecting towards women either. They were just into each other nothing more and nothing less.

well you can have that opinion and I can disagree.

Not many of us liked that scene. I don't think it was meant to be a belittlement, though it did feel like it cheapened both characters. Ever since the backlash, a scene like that hasn't been seen since. I chalked it up to a lack of understanding and respect for the characters more than anything else.

And yes, you are right in that in comparison to other shows today, reboot Mac doesn't really hold up as well. There are plenty of other shows that are better. However, it keeps MacGyver alive, so I just try to remain as balanced in my opinion as humanly possible.

While I don't mind MacGyver (or the other characters) having a love life or a kinky side, I too felt the way Nikki was introduced as problematic.

Praising her skills that way was more or less a backhanded compliment. Sure, by the end of the episode we knew she's one of the baddies but at the very beginning of the episode, she's introduced to be one of the team so many felt she would be a regular character; one of Team DXS. So I can understand why so many felt this condescending.

They handled the introductions of every other female character way better.

I think in light of how delicate and skeptical the fandom was for this reboot I think it was an incredibly stupid idea to through a sex scene into the pilot episode anywhere, let alone the opening couple of minutes.

While I think the scene was intended to be a play a sort of play of phrases as a joke, choosing something that is so un-MacGyver and sexists was a bad idea. It focused the scene on to Nikki being a good 'piece of ass' rather than being good with technology and threw a lot of original fans off straight away.

Again... STUPID!! If you're doing a pilot reboot, play to the fans of the original in the pilot and slowly introduce the new / changed characteristics of the show through the first season. Ease them into it.

Even Cage

I found it rather unnecessary. There were plenty of other ways to show off their romance instead of a scene like that. Considering this was one of the first scenes, it was stupid, like MacGyverOnline said.

Maybe it was a bit in your face. I can agree on that and it should've been better to ease them into it. Give people the chance to get used to it that Mac is in a relationship and something passionate as that love scene is for later.

Even Cage

True.

Every other female regular/recurring was introduced as a strong-headed, butt-kicking, successful and independent woman. Nikki was the one that pretty much has only one skill to show for her "talent" (so, why exactly was she hired again?) and is behaving unprofessionally at her work place...

Well, CBS at least learned something by our reactions. Gotta give them that. Bit of a pity though it turned off so many potential viewers.

Even Cage

True.

Every other female regular/recurring was introduced as a strong-headed, butt-kicking, successful and independent woman. Nikki was the one that pretty much has only one skill to show for her "talent" (so, why exactly was she hired again?) and is behaving unprofessionally at her work place...

Well, CBS at least learned something by our reactions. Gotta give them that. Bit of a pity though it turned off so many potential viewers.

A lot of potential viewers were turned off as soon as the words "MacGyver" and "reboot" were used in the same sentence