I know this is a weird question. But weren't the Colltons supposed to be a spin off of MacGyver? If my memory serves me correctly and most of the time it doesn't I remember reading were they going to put this on a night opposite of MacGyver. I'm interested in seeing the answeres to this question.

Yes, but it never sold.

Wonder why not. I would have loved them solving mysteries with maybe Jack Dalton stoppping occasionally.

Correct.

It was intended to be a spin off, but the show was apparently canned before it ever got off the ground.

It's a pretty normal process actually for shows. Many shows have the pilot episode made so network execs can get a feel for the show, but then they get dropped for various reasons.

Young MacGyver was the same.

I think it would've been better if Mac passed by than Jack.

How about both of them stopping by occassionally. The young MacGvyer series to me really never got a chance to show what it was all about.

This post has been edited by MacNymph on 23 June 2009 - 04:12 PM

Young MacGyver was majorly flawed in it's premise of Clay MacGyver being the nephew. And I would hope that was one of the main reasons it never got picked up.

I like to think that someone knew enough about the original show to realize that there's no way in a frozen hell that MacGyver could ever have a nephew with the same last name as him.

I think it would've been better if Mac passed by than Jack.

How about both of them stopping by occassionally. The young MacGyer series to me really never got a chance to show what it was all about.

Nah. Ma Dalton being the only episode involving Jack and Jesse and they didn't exactly had scenes together.

The seed was planted thought for Jack and Jesse to be friends.

Or maybe Jesse could get a free flight out of Jack for a bounty hunt or something claiming Jack owes him for finding his mother.

It might have been good for at least one episode any way.

Also the actor who played Frank Colton (the actor's name was Cleavon Little) died on October 22, 1992 of colon cancer. The show had just recently wrapped and I don't know how long Little was sick for. I looked this up--I was curious and I just recorded the movie "Blazing Saddles" (which Cleavon Little starred in) for my husband.

yeah good point. Availabilities of the actors could have been a contributing factor to the show not being picked up.

Also the actor who played Frank Colton (the actor's name was Cleavon Little) died on October 22, 1992 of colon cancer. The show had just recently wrapped and I don't know how long Little was sick for. I looked this up--I was curious and I just recorded the movie "Blazing Saddles" (which Cleavon Little starred in) for my husband.

Do want to see that one someday. They make a joke about in Robin Hood - Men in Thights.

'A black sheriff?'
'He's black?'

Young MacGyver was majorly flawed in it's premise of Clay MacGyver being the nephew. And I would hope that was one of the main reasons it never got picked up.

I like to think that someone knew enough about the original show to realize that there's no way in a frozen hell that MacGyver could ever have a nephew with the same last name as him.

I often wondered how MacGyver became an uncle. Still they could have gone back in time revised the show to show how Angus MacGyver became an operative with the Phenoix foundation. I guess it is just wishful thinking on my part. I now see tv shows and the hero is in some type of trouble and I wonder "What would MacGyver Do?

The only way he could have managed it, short of the sudden discovery of an illegitimate half-sibling (unlikely, and it doesn't explain the last name) or an older sibling from a previous, unmentioned marriage of Mac's father (even less likely) would have been for Mac to marry someone with siblings (also unlikely). And, unless the nephew adopted the last name, the in-laws would have had to have been coincidentally named MacGyver (plausibility diminished long past the ridiculously small level).

And the in-laws approach means that the 'nephew' would not be a blood relative at all -- which flies in the face of the notion that Young MacGyver had the same knack because the genius element ran in the family.

Basically, when they came up with the "Young MacGyver" notion, they didn't bother to pay any attention whatsoever to the established backstory of the character on whose coattails they wanted to ride. This is also typical Hollywood.

How about Young MacGyver being named after MacGyver by someone whose life he saved? And the uncle being a kind of endearment? Just a thought. Since no one really knows how Clay MacGyver got his name. Maybe Mac's paternal grandparents had brothers and sisters. I don't know I guess I'm just grasping at straws.

This post has been edited by MacNymph on 23 June 2009 - 04:11 PM

We know MacGyver had no living relatives or family of any kind.

But even if he did, it wouldn't follow the idea that Clay was a descended of the MacGyverism family gene.

I've got it! Clay MacGyver was a clone!

More like an apparition.

Why didn't they take the orgional MacGyver (Angus) and make a series about his younger days? I mean like when he was a kid. Why create a whole new character? [/quote]

Because...

1. They're stupid
2. They really had no idea about the MacGyver show.
3. They're stupid.

What likeness? Clay didn't look anything like RDA.

What likeness? Clay didn't look anything like RDA.

They used an image of RDA as Mac in the "Young Mac" pilot -- it was a prominently located photo portrait on the wall at Phoenix.

However, it was also a publicity still from the show. I suspect that Paramount owned the rights to that specific image.

Oh that picture.

Ok yeah. Copyright is with the owner of the photo, not with the person in the photo... otherwise Paparazzi wouldn't be able to sell any of their photos of celebrates.

Also it's probably likely that was part of the contract RDA had with Paramount. They can use images of him in character to promote the show anyway they like.

Okay then why not use Sam as the Young MacGyver. He was introduced to the audience. Had a natural flare to him, and RDA could have been his mentor or handler? There wouldn't have been a whole lot of questioning. Only thing they would have to do is change Shawn Angus Malloy to Shawn Angus MacGyver, and there you'd have it. Just a thought.
Sorry my spelling is bad. Been ill for the last week, with High blood pressure, asthma, head and neckache. Please forgive me.

What likeness? Clay didn't look anything like RDA.

They used an image of RDA as Mac in the "Young Mac" pilot -- it was a prominently located photo portrait on the wall at Phoenix.

However, it was also a publicity still from the show. I suspect that Paramount owned the rights to that specific image.

Isn't there a publicity still of Dana Elcar on the wall? Or am I seeing things?

I think that would have been a much better premise -- and Sam had inherited the MacGyver genius.

Even if Sam didn't actually want to change his name (in honour of his mother, after all), he could still have been known as 'young MacGyver'.

We'll never know why the producers of that show made the decisions they did. Other than they where obviously pretty ignorant about the original MacGyver show.

Gee this threads gone way off topic hasn't it.

It was a spin-off from the original topic.

Actually, that's only half the joke. Here's the whole thing:

Crowd: "A black sheriff?"
Blinkin: "He's black?"
Achoo: "Hey, it worked in 'Blazing Saddles'!"

Robin Hood:MIT is one of my all-time favorites, so I know that line quite well!

It was a spin-off from the original topic.

I was just about to ask who started this topic anyway? Had to go to the beginning to find out. See my mind still isn't working.

I think that would have been a much better premise -- and Sam had inherited the MacGyver genius.

Even if Sam didn't actually want to change his name (in honour of his mother, after all), he could still have been known as 'young MacGyver'.

But in Stinger Mac often ask Sam where he learned that like the splint for Mac's broken arm. So there must have been some genius in there somewhere. I mean why waste all that good DNA?

That's what I meant when I said he 'had inherited the MacGyver genius'.

He'd also inherited some of his father's preference for keeping it simple -- which precludes the notion of using an appallingly awkward hyphenated name.