Yeah they're pretty similar.

To be honest I wished I could have voted for more than one of those options.

I think theres several good examples of changes which drastically altered the show in that list.

That is so true.

What I do think is they should've never left out the Jeep after the fourth season. Why the sudden change?
It's like changing Magnum's Ferrari for something else.

I'd say the worst part was moving back to the real Los Angeles. I think they should've stayed there in the first place or beginning the series in Vancouver to start with. Though I like series or movies taking place at beaches and oceans. But Mac's a woodsman.

Just a question, how would you escape?

Despite changes made in season 5, I'd say there are good points to it, like it seemed the travelling started again. London, Cherbourg, Switzerland, Thailand, Africa (Kambezi), Chicago, Montréal (dreaming), Peru. And I liked the scruffy looking Mac. I think season 5 shows really good how tall he really is.

Though I think we all like his true overseas adventures for the government, or with Jack Dalton over troubled teenagers episodes.

I think the show was in danger of "jumping the shark" when Dana Elcar began having fewer and fewer episodes (6th season), when filming location changed, when Mac had fewer overseas assignments, when the Cold War ended, when Mac seemed to work less and volunteer more. When the houseboat burned down and the jeep was in very few episodes....I'd say they should have done season 7 right and had a full season and made MacGyver seem like MacGyver. I read the comments on the jump the shark site and some comments made also pertained to the fact that it seemed to some that MacGyver turned into Batman in the course of the series.

I've been watching some of season 7, and it does seem that they put MacGyver in an environment where he doesn't belong and doesn't fit--namely, an urban environment. He shouldn't be on the rough streets--he should be in a forest. What would possess him to move to the city is beyond me. It's certainly out of character and not consistent. So yeah, when they moved him to the city and out of the woods, it did seem that they lost contact with the character and did indeed "jump the shark."

well he lived in the city for the first 2 seasons, and even the houseboat was at a city marina, although it did have an open, out in the woods kind of feel to it, not like the concrete block in the 7th season.

I've always said the 7th season made some really bad choices and I'm inclined to agree that the one which really smacks you between the eyes is the total and complete change of environment.

There's a show called Arrested Development (second greatest show of all time ) That's narrated by Ron Howard, and Henry Winkler actually had a part in it as an Attorney. In one scene, they are at some docks, and a fisherman pulls a shark out of the water and lays it on the dock. Henry Winkler, in so subtle a way I missed it the first time, hopped over the shark laying on the dock as all the characters were making their exits from the scene. Now THAT'S a throwback

The Fonz! Heeyyy! Arrested Development is a cool show--twisted, hilarious, and completely underrated.

I think it did. As with Fonzie's Shark Jump, the whole tone of the show seemed to dramatically change in coincidence with MacGyver moving to the loft in season 7.

In truth both seasons 5 and 6 were a little strained in places, but the basic foundation of the show remained in tack. Season 7 was completely different with one of the biggest changes being the house and neighborhood. This move, for me, marked the end of the MacGyver I had come to know and enjoy.

I actually have a hard time with this one because I feel each season had it's own feel to it. For instance, Season 3 seemed more light and silly whereas Season 4 seemed more serious and dark.. etc, etc, etc.

I didn't mind the changes all that much, even in season 7... though I loved his houseboat.

I felt MacGyver was different in each season as well in small ways... but that's to be expected. The older people get, they can and do change based on their experiences.

I think it all brought something to the table and I love all the seasons, so I'm gonna vote a "nada".

Edit: After a while, I kinda missed his voice overs... I always loved those.

Wow, KiwiTek was doing some digging in the graveyard for this one. But season 7 for sure. I've done some hating on it before, but can't say it enough. I actually had to force myself to watch it, there were things I'd rather be doing, such as rewatching other seasons, or even perhaps washing dishes or doing laundry. It's almost an abomination I'd prefer to pretend dosn't exist, like a couple seasons of other shows I love.

It's a bit hard for me to judge this fairly now since, overall, the show just doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as it once did.

But, if I remember how I felt about the show when I was still a teenager, I think I really started to notice the decline around season 6. The season opener was a bad start-- Season 5 opened with a fun globe-trotting adventure, while season 6 opened with a rap song, and Mac being a social worker. And the overall tone throughout season 6 just started to feel a bit too preachy, and Mac became a bit TOO perfect, which started to make him a less fun as a character.
Season 7 was obviously the worst, though. In its defense, I will say that I did enjoy the fact that they spent a bit less time with the moral lessons, and a bit more time on having fun, but still, some of the episodes in season 7 were just downright painfully bad. "Honest Abe" was abysmal. "Good Knight, MacGyver" was cringe-worthy, the stupid boxing episode was embarrassing, "The Coltons" wasn't even really a MacGyver episode, "Deadly Silents" was perhaps even more embarrassing than the boxing episode, etc, etc. It started to feel as though the writers were just making a mockery of the whole thing.

You know if season 6 started with Humanity, it would've started with a blast. And if The Wall and Lesson in Evil were aired after that season 6 would've had the greatest three episode starters in the whole series.

I was never partial to those troubled teen episodes. I'd rather have the adventureous Mac. Humanity, The Wall and Lesson in Evil were some of the best if not the best of season 6.

I always cut up season 6 in two. Bitter Harvest is like a new beginning to me. It's like Mac started on his own. I like those alone-episodes but you might wonder why they didn't add Jack Dalton to fill a few episodes up. Pete was absent for like six episodes in a row. It was like Jack, Murdoc or Penny vanished into thin air. I would've liked to see Nikki again in that timeframe.

But by season 7 Mac was really running on fumes. I grew up with episodes like The 'Hood, Obsessed, Prometheus Syndrome, The Walking Dead, Good Knight MacGyver, Off The Wall and Mountain of Youth. They all still have something I like.

Good Knight MacGyver was in my opinion as a kid his greatest adventure. I've been watching those episodes over and over again for almost twenty years and I still like it, though I can see all the plot holes now. Knights with an American accent?

Split Decision was indeed horribly bad. I think the only episode standing out in season 7 looking at it with critical eye must be Obsessed.

Yeah I pretty much agree with all of that. You can definitely feel a change in season 6, which might well have been due to Dana Elcars eye problems meaning he wasn't available to film very often while having treatment etc, so I can cut them some slack on Pete not being in the show much, but still the general theme changed in season 6 and then fell apart in season 7.

Season 6 was the line-up and approach to the jump ramp and Season 7 was the actual jump over the shark.

Yep an oldie but a goodie.

Nothing wrong with some constructive criticism. It doesn't mean you don't like the show, just means you realize or feel that they messed up some part of it.

In my opinion think the show was in danger of "Jumping the Shark" when Dana Elcar began having fewer and fewer episodes (6th Season), filming locations changed, Mac had fewer overseas assignments, the Cold War ended, Mac seemed to work less and volunteer more. When things started happening to Mac instead of him going to where things where things were happening. When the houseboat burned down and the jeep was in very few episodes. And when the writers started to make the series feel like a joke (7th Season). I'd say they should have done season 7 right and had a full season and made MacGyver seem like MacGyver.

I can't decide what to vote! In general I like nature and oversea adventures more than urban and social issues episodes but there are exceptions! I agree with Matrix. It's complicated.

I've just added a "Yes! But for another reason not listed" option if that helps any.

I have always hated the spirit of this question. It's so cynical and snotty. I never liked it for Happy Days, hardly ever see it apply to most other shows and think its insane and goofy to try to tack the idea to MacGyver. The quality and effort never fell from the first season on. There were creative choices made to keep it fun and interesting. I think there is a big difference between not prefering certain, temporary aspects of an episode or season and thinking the effort was lost somewhere along the way.

The only problem I ever had with the writing was when the writers would steal too much from a famous movie of news item (The Outsiders, Thin Ice).

I have mixed feelings about it myself. I love the show, I don't care for tearing down any aspect of it.

That said, Season 7 just isn't very good. I remember being less than crazy about the Season 6 episodes back during that actual season (my senior year in high school...it also occurred to me that maybe I was just outgrowing the show), but some of them hold up pretty well now. The last season, with a couple of exceptions, doesn't. So if I had to pick a time when it jumped the shark, it'd be after season 6. The changes were just too jarring, the new characters didn't have the same chemistry the old ones had, and that new apartment of Mac's was soooo depressing.

But for all that, I am glad Season 7 happened, if for no other reason than we can be completely sure it was time for Mac to hang up his hi-tops and ride off into the sunset. (Or I guess sunrise, since he was starting from California...) I'd hate to be left with six great seasons and wonder to this day if they couldn't have pulled off three or four more great years. At least we know for certain they couldn't.

Well I think it was quite obvious to move on and you could see it on everyone's face including or mainly on RDA's. Most shows usually lasts about six years. After that it gets I don't know, too much, maybe. There are of course exceptions. Happy Days and Married With Children lasted eleven years. But I think a show like MacGyver or Magnum PI really made their achievements with their long runs. Of course there is also Walker, Texas Ranger and The X-Files. I think it's debatable if a show jumps the shark after a certain point. Either you have to get into it first, sometimes you don't like the first episodes but by the later episodes you're completely sold and are bummed out because it ends or you start off with a blast and don't like the later episodes because it misses something. But having a weak season doesn't necessarily mean the later seasons are. Usually a weak season means the end of a show. 24 might be an exception on that one. I remember the sixth season being the weakest one of them all. Especially after having massive fifth season. The producers admitted they made mistakes on that one. But they pulled everything straight for the seventh and eighth season. Changing locations for one thing. But that could backfire too.

You might wonder why they went back in L.A. if British Columbia was such an idealistic location. Or maybe getting everyone in BC was too expensive for only 14 episodes.

I did think it might have jumped the shark at 'Legend of the Holy Rose', because the second part was seriously daft in places and I did wonder if they'd made it too silly to ever recover (sorry if you like the episode, guys). But fair play to them, there have been some good episodes since and the threatened jump never happened.

I'm currently half way through 6th Season and don't feel it's actually jumped yet.

I agree. Even as a kid I remember thinking, "Oh Jesus, another 'save the _____' episode, great."