MacGyver is a self proclaimed loner and sometimes recluse. He openly admits to enjoying his own personal space.

So why in the world would someone like that rent a shared space loft?

And why would he move to a bohemian community?

Why didn’t he rebuild or buy a new houseboat in the marina with the insurance money?

Now, I know the obvious answer is that the production moved to LA. But they could have moved him to somewhere which fits more with the character.

It makes no sense to me at all, and seems to go against everything they had built up in the previous 6 seasons.

*Walks off shaking head*

Bravo Rock! I completely agree with you! The whole location doesn't fit his character at all. Maybe they were trying to expose MacGyver to more diverse situations and people, but that isn't the way to do it. Once you establish a character's personality, you can't go against it. That's a definite no-no in writing and character development.

We only know his houseboat burnt down but we don't know how much the damage was at the marina itself. Maybe the whole place burnt down.

What I think? They moved back because they were tired of the weather circumstances in Vancouver. So back to L.A. to where the sun always shines. I don't really mind that. I like seeing Los Angeles on tv and in my movies. And I like it when series and movies are set in hot places. It always gives that extra touch. But since the series had his best seasons in British Columbia I'd say yeah. What was he thinking?

They could've moved him to Minnesota instead. Setting a season to where MacGyver truly comes from. He could've moved to Harry's cabin. He's a nature man. So the woods would probably be a good home for him.

That's true but his personality didn't change just the settings.
And not true too. There plenty of examples of good guys becoming bad guys and bad guys becoming good guys.

We know they moved filming back to LA for financial reasons. But the move is not really the point. It’s the place they put him which is so out of character. They’ve gone against so much of the MacGyver “grain”.

You can name some TV shows where the main character goes from good to bad for more than just one episode?

Um... Xena.

I'm a loner bordering on recluse who just moved from a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere to a townhouse (meaning that I have to share some spaces with my neighbours) in the middle of a city's 'bohemian' neighbourhood. All for the sake of trying something new, of challenging my assumptions, of testing my limits by going outside my 'comfort zone', etc. I can't speak for MacGyver's motivations, but he did have that apartment in Venice Beach and then the other loft, all in happening neighbourhoods with shared spaces. So, I'm guessing that the houseboat is the odd house out, the place where he decided try something new and when that didn't work out, he went back to what did.

Mac

And it took him three years to figure that out? Than he's not such a fast thinker after all.

I get that impression from the early seasons of MacGyver too but does he actually say that? I mean, he has lots of friends of all different backgrounds and has no issue with hanging out with neighbours even in the early season so I was wondering what was said to make us think that? I'm sure someone here will have a handy quote ready to refresh my memory.
As for enjoying his own personal space, I bet the most sociable person on earth would want some alone time after dealing with the people and situations MacGyver finds himself in. The loft space thing does make me feel like MacGyver is a sucker for punishment though.

I have given this particular detail long and careful thought, Rock, and try as I might, I cannot justify it at all. The MacGyver that I know in my heart would run screaming down the street after one week of living in that neighborhood. I can totally see him making friends with each of them and even coming barrelling to the rescue... but not letting them parade through his life like buffet line (not just talking about the welcoming party, but the open-door policy) .

It's just not Mac!

It's called bad writting.

The welcome party was to my opinion a nice gesture of the neighborhood. But the open door policy is indeed nothing for him. That he gets to know the people around isn't so extraordinary. I mean, don't tell me nobody knew MacGyver at the marina with exception of Wilt Bozer and the girl from Back from the Dead. Than again, that's maybe all you need.

Amen! That drove me crazy and those eps featuring his new hood are among my least favorites.

Happens all the time in comic books- just look at Jason Todd! (the 2nd. Robin- who "died" and later came back as the Red Hood)
And it goes the other way too- Juggernaut used to be one of the X-Men's main enemies- and now he's one of the X-Men!
And characters like Catwoman and The Punisher tend to stay a bit ambiguous...

As far as TV shows- obviously there's plenty of one shot episodes of action/adventure shows and cartoons- probably too many examples to name (Though here's one- at least 1 episode of "The Flash")- for that matter, you could even include sitcoms ("Charles in Charge" comes to mind off the top of my head- when Charles becomes "Chaz"- in 2 different episodes)

On a more permanent basis- well.... KITT has "gone bad" in a couple of episodes on Knight Rider.... trying to think of any better examples.....

Well- about the only other thing I can think of is Smallville...
(granted that's kind of a copout because we already know from the comics that that's how Lex Luthor is destined to turn out... -but still, he does go from good to bad throughout the series.)
And of course, you can probably name most any soap opera!

(So admittedly, I can't think of too many examples- but I'm kinda intrigued by that- definitely an interesting idea to introduce into a series... particularly good for when the actor or actress has had some kind of conflict with the producers and wants to leave the show! )

but none of the examples you give changed the dynamic of the show in the way that moving MacGyver to a whole new neighborhood with new characters etc did. They where all temporary one or two episode "stories"

Well, like I said- there are very few examples of good guys turning bad (on a permanent basis) on TV that I can think of- except for Smallville and like I said, that is part of the development of the show because that's who Lex is destined to be in the comics.
But I really don't think the whole dynamic of MacGyver was changed all that much in the 7th. season just because he moved to a new neighborhood. Obviously, budget constraints (or whatever) moved the show's production back to Los Angeles and so they had to write in some sort of reason for MacGyver's move. Fans can always retcon a good reason as to why Mac would do this. Perhaps he just couldn't afford to get another houseboat- I don't know. Maybe he just wanted a change. He had an apartment before in the 1st. and 2nd. seasons- I don't see how this is so much different. He seemed to be pretty chummy with his landlady Susan in "Flame's End" and "Countdown". Even when he was on his houseboat through Seasons 3, 4, 5 and 6- he was friendly with his neighbors like Wilt Bozer in "Halloween Knights", "The Lost Amadeus" (even going on a Sunday bike ride with him) and "Hearts of Steel"
Admittedly, we didn't get to see much of MacGyver's neighbors on the show, but I never got the impression he was anti-social. Just kept to himself to some degree- but then he's very personable with plenty of complete strangers, so........

And it's not like MacGyver hung out with his new neighbors that much in the 7th. season- we see them introduced in "The 'Hood" and pretty much don't see most of them again. Mama Lorraine is the only one who can really said to be recurring and she shows up in "The 'Hood", briefly in "The Prometheus Syndrome" and in "Walking Dead". Wilt Bozer showed up for the same amount of episodes previously.
If anything, we see more appearances from old friends (and enemies) in the 7th. season- like The Coltons (all of them in one episode finally- Mama, Jesse, Frank, Billy and Frog the Dog!), Earl Dent, a Challengers Club episode (though unfortunately neither Breeze nor Cynthia Wilson show up), Mei Jan, Jack Dalton and of course, Pete Thornton is on hand.
I particularly enjoy the 7th. seasons episodes very well- along with all of them really.

I am a loner, and there is a big difference between being a loner and being anti-social usually. I like people, and I have friends, but I value my time alone and my freedom, and I need personal space to reflect. MacGyver (and RDA) are very similar that way. He can be sociable and have friends, but at the end of the day, he needs to be alone with his thoughts. That's why the house boat is a much better fit for his personality. He can remain involved while also being detached. Just because he's a loner doesn't mean he's anti-people--he's just a little bit more private than some. That's why it drives me crazy every time on the news they mention that some nut who killed a bunch of people was "a loner." That is a misnomer and it makes it sound like anyone who likes time alone is a lunatic. It's an unfair characterization. Being a loner doesn't necessarily mean you hate people--you're just a little bit more guarded than some.