What is it about getting actors that are way too young to be convincing to do a character? I'm tired of all the ageism in Hollywood and TV. They could have gotten an older guy in his thirties to resemble RDA back from the show. Are they going to try to make a version of Macgyver's youth like they did with Indiana Jones and that series they made? He doesn't even have Macgyver's looks. I feel like a reboot is completely unnecessary as the show is perfect the way it is and never needed to be remade, to begin with. Everything they do this day with the classics is always messed up and totally a waste of time and resources. Nobody is original anymore, and they have to look into older shows and mess with them just to put something on the air and is always end up been crap.

Hi Ladyleia, welcome to the forums.

Yes the show is about a 20-something year old MacGyver, so this series will take place earlier in MacGyver's life then the original show.

I guess at least with this reboot we have people running the show who are fans of the original show, which I think is more than most other failed reboots can say.

We still haven't been told if this is in fact a reboot or a prequel as there have been a couple of comments which would indicate a prequel. I'd be much happier with a prequel or a sequel rather than messing up the original as we already know it.

Hi and welcome LadyLeia21,

We have a saying here in Ireland

"Butter is often copied, but never equaled."

CBS own the rights to MacGyver. So why would they want to reinvent the wheel when they own the rights to the wheel? Plus many other stations have tried and failed to capture what was great about MacGyver and pass it off as another show.

It has been more than two decades since MacGyver was on prime time tv. Nearly three generations have grown up unaware of who the Master of improvisation is or was, and the common reaction from these millennials is "Who is MacGyver?"

CBS want to reintroduce MacGyver to a new generation of fans. They have worked on this for some time now, doing many scripts passes to ensure the best way forward for this series. They have assigned Peter Lenkov (a big fan of the original series), who is experienced at reviving classic tv shows to come on board to spearhead the project. He revived Hawaii 5.0 to huge success.

He has rewritten the pilot episode, reconstructed series elements and given new origin stories to the cast. He has also put a strong production team in place to work on MacGyver, going back to the source material in creating this new series. James Wan (Fast franchise, The Conjuring) has been at the conception stage of this project - He will direct the first episode and stay on as executive producer of the series going forward.

Henry Wrinkler the original ex.Producer is on board, as is the original creator of the series Lee David Zlottoff. It has also been revealed that they want to stay true to the initial tone of the show.

The truth is, originality doesn't exist or is extremely rare. Innovation and creativity are more commonly found, within what you do with source material. Whether you decide to stick to the origin of a story or wholly, change certain aspects during the production of your film, movie or stage play.

An excellent example of this was "Wicked", this fantastic stage play (soon to be filmed) would not have been possible (and original) had the creator not gone back to the source material of the original classic film, The Wizard of Oz - and retold the story from a different perspective.

Welcome to MacGyver Online LadyLeia. Great to have you with us!

A lot of people are skeptical over the new upcoming show. I can understand your concern however due to the involvement of Peter Lenkov, i feel a little more confident than i did with the old creative team. So far it will be a little different but could offer something new and exciting.

Hi, Ladyleia21! Welcome to the MacGyverOnline forums!

That is what I previously thought about the reboot. However, let's give it a chance and see whether it is to our liking or not.

Welcome lady

While I can understand your frustration on some aspects I can't on others.

Yes many reboots have just been clear cash grabs (for the last time Paul Freig no I am not a mysoginists I am on the other hand not a fan of putting an actor male or female in a garbage film that is a clear cash grab)

For me this show is hopefully going to much more like Casino Royale then Ghostbusters.. Let's look at the facts

1. Let's get this out of the way yes they are doing this for the money it how they make money I have no issue with this.
2. Lenkov Till Eads and yes James Wan are all huge fans of the original show
3. For me and this goes with any character or show if there is still an interesting story to tell why not tell it? You mention The wizard of oz and how they started adapting the other books this is true and I feel Macgyver 2016 is the same way it's not about cashing in but about bringing a beloved character back

4. There is an argument in Hollywood as to which is easier getting people into an original idea versus cashing in on an old idea... I feel the "cash in" has as much risk (if not more) as an original because yes you get a fan base who no matter what they say online will likely check out the pilot the issue here is there is an expectation here. When you look at a show similar to Macgyver but without he name like The player or Intelligence you don't have the expectations so you can do anything. Once you put the name on the show certain things need to happen.

Over all I am happy with what we have heard can't wait to hear more

Totally agree with you, Macgyver12186.

The continuation of MacGyver and the character will make people want to go back and view the original series, after watching the reboot. So, the reboot certainly will have a positive impact and will keep the show alive in the long run, instead of it being completely forgotten.

@ladyleia21

Think of this generation which may love the new MacGyver show. I do believe that it is important to open your mind and consider the positive aspects of the reboot. Constantly thinking about the negative will not help at all.

You cannot assume that the reboot will be crap, it may just turn out to be one of the best TV series!

I have some skepticism about the reboot too. On the other hand, I can't really support the "everything in the past was great, and everything today sucks!" attitude that often comes up in these sorts of discussions.
Obviously we all enjoyed the original series, but it certainly had its share of weak moments.
Likewise, there is some crap on tv today, but there are also shows that far exceed anything that was on tv back in the 80s.
So, for now, I'm excited to see how this show turns out.
My fear is that there will be too many fans of the original series who will chest fold their arms across their chest, stomp their feet, and say, "This is NOT the MacGyver I grew up with, and therefore I do not like it!", rather than giving the show a fair chance based on its own merits. And then the show will get cancelled before it has a chance to find its footing, which would be a shame.

What happened to your post? Didn't get the chance to read through it fully.

What happened to your post? Didn't get the chance to read through it fully.

Sorry about that! That's what happens when I post while doing other stuff. I ended up quoting incorrect things, and not really clearly saying what I intended to say, so I deleted it, and now posted a more succinct version of what was really my main point.

What happened to your post? Didn't get the chance to read through it fully.

Sorry about that! That's what happens when I post while doing other stuff. I ended up quoting incorrect things, and not really clearly saying what I intended to say, so I deleted it, and now posted a more succinct version of what was really my main point.

Makes sense!

Thanks for the welcome. I am not that new, I just lost my old account, but thanks. I really hope that all you people say is true but I am an skeptic, and would have to see it for myself. It still doesn't alleviate my annoyance with this Millenials attitude that everything that is old is almost always bad and that if you are of a certain age you are not worth their time, or them to even acknowledge your talents as an actor/actress,not that they are all like that. I really hope is a prequel and not a reboot.

This post has been edited by ladyleia21 on 6 July 2016 - 05:17 AM

I agree, Ladyleia21. However, there is very little we can do about that, that's how the film industry works

It will be a reboot and not a prequel...

I actually see the opposite happening quite a lot. I see lots of old people like me, who grew up on the 80s, whining about how everything new is just crap. Meanwhile, many younger people (millenials) seem capable of embracing new stuff, while still enjoying older stuff. Heck, I attended a high school Battle Of The Bands not so long ago, and a bunch of 16 year old kids were enthusiastically playing Metallica songs! That's a band that was popular back when I was in high school... many, many years ago!

As for whether the show will be a reboot or a prequel... I think it's kind of a bit of both. It's a prequel in the sense that it takes place BEFORE the original series (Mac is younger in it, and we get to see how the Phoenix Foundation is formed), but it's not intended to segue directly into the original series. I keep using the term "re-imagining" to describe it. It's giving us an origin story, but putting a fresh spin on it.

I guess I would count as a millennial, but I still think it's a stupid label that didn't exist until a few years ago. Plus I think I'm old enough to appreciate the things that I supposedly shouldn't because I'm a "millennial", like MacGyver.

It was actually coined back in the 80's as a label for kids who would be graduating high school at the turn of the millennium. Then somewhere along the line Gen Y started getting used for a while and now we're back to Millennials again.

I personally think Generation Y is a better name.

Oh? How old are you? I thought I was the only millenial active here Hope you don't mind me asking

Hello lady leia HAHA well I don't really think that my fellow millenials think of old stuff as bad and not worth their time, it's just that my fellow millenials have a hard time relating because these were things made before they existed and a lot of the norms back then may seem weird or taboo now.

I'm just glad I'm not like them but still, I want my fellow millenials to know about MacGyver because for me MacGyver is not just about the 80s show, it was about MacGyver the character itself. Characters need to find ways to evolve and relate with different generations...for example, Superman debuted in the comics in 1938 but has transcended into different forms of media through the years to stay in touch with the times and the different generations it held I guess what I'm trying to say is that, I know that my fellow millenials (well, most of them) don't know who MacGyver is and there has to be a way for them to get to know who the character is, and this reboot will...hopefully Who knows, maybe if they come to like the reboot so much they'll do a little research and some of them might even get to watch the original MacGyver that started it all and that we have all come to love If they don't, its their loss but at least they'll have a certain MacGyver in their life, even if it isn't the original.

Coming in a bit late and I haven't read the jillions of replies.... RDA was in his 30's when MacGyver premiered.

Lucas Till appears to be a young kid in 20's. I guess this kind of bugs me, don't know why.

But I'm still looking forward to this reboot, even though I'm not a fan of reboots.

Oh? How old are you? I thought I was the only millenial active here Hope you don't mind me asking

31. As for it being coined back in the 80s, honestly, I'd never heard it anywhere until maybe the current decade, maybe the end of the 00s. I have heard generation Y, though.

Maybe it's just that I'm closer to the older end of the generation, old enough that I grew up in the 80s and 90s rather than the late 90s and 00s, so I remember life before smartphones and Facebook, and even the internet. A lot of my personality was formed before the 20th century was over.

And your all the better for it, Widowmaker !

Today's generation can't string a sentence together or hold a proper conversation without looking at, or communicating through their smart devices. Ridiculous!

They rely on their smart phone than use the brain that was given to them.