Was this a deliberate decision in order to de-emphasize the spy/rescue missions in favor of environmental and social causes? I know the show cut down on MacGyverisms because of complaints from parents over their kids trying them at home, but I was never sure when this actually happened and when the show changed to accommodate these concerns. There still seemed to be a good number of MacGyverisms in the second season, at least, though not as many as the first. I suppose the logic was the less of an action hero MacGyver was, the fewer the instances of him needing to 'MacGyver' to get out of a jam.

I've also read that RDA was injured doing stunts and I wonder if that might have been a motivating factor in reducing the amount of action and stunts per episode and the overall change in focus from spy stuff to activism.

Phoenix was first mentioned in the Human Factor. So Pete must've made promotion between the 1st and 2nd season. I think Phoenix handled more than plenty of spy/rescue operations as well. But I think they did it, in favor for everyone. I think DXS was more of a government agency and I think limiting MacGyver in all his cunning. They always said you can place MacGyver in every thinkable situation and by moving them to Phoenix they could expand the show to further horizons.

I never heard complaints about kids trying MacGyverisms at home. It take some scientific knowledge to actually make something work and I'm not sure the show ever accomodated these concerns. If they would cut out the MacGyverisms the premise of the show would be lost. OK, so the many MacGyverisms from the first two seasons indeed became less throughout the shows. Don't forget there has been a lot of changes, also in writers throughout the seasons. And it don't matter, I think there are plenty of isms throughout all the seasons that you don't wanna try at home. And mostly a key element was left out as declared by the crew in case someone would actually try something.

RDA was indeed injured more than once during the run. But that's why he had two stuntmen in his entourage: Steve Blalock and Dan Shea. You can see Steve in Jenny's Chance and Dan in Deep Cover (the van driver who is carjacked). But there was never any lack of stunts or action in any of the episodes. Richard was indeed very eager to do a lot of stunts by himself and because he got hurt all the time that's why he got two stuntmen. Seems a rather expensive deal to provide your main star with two stuntmen to keep the stunts and action in if they wanted to reduce the amount don't you think? Maybe they weren't needed in every episode, okay, but still, you don't hire two extra stuntmen if you want to reduce stunts.

I always liked the DXS episodes best. I loved the action! Honestly, for me the MacGyverisms have been a tool I've used to further my two son's interest in the sciences. Mac made them fun!

I'm 49 and just can't get around like I did 10 years ago, due to all kinds of physical hyjinx I did when I was younger, so I truly feel for Mac. That stuff doesn't get any easier !!

Phoenix opened up a much wider base of stories to work with because as a think-tank they could be involved in anything and as we saw they were.

Glad someone brought this up. I never really saw the "transition." It was DXS, next thing you know it was Phoenix. Only a minor reference to the change.

I think it probably never suited the character to begin with. Government agent who doesn't use guns and will never kill someone. That was not their criteria. Phoenix was better suited for Mac. It took away any possible concerns anyone might have had.

I'd say it was a stroke of imaginative genius. A think tank that was involved in so many intrigues that could go any direction a writer could desire. While I always liked the DXS episodes, I can't argue with the direction it went.

Has anyone involved with the show ever said why the change was made? Because there's a pretty stark difference even between the first and second seasons. I mean he was practically globetrotting and fighting terrorists, assassins and dictators, and stealing microchips and maps in every episode of the first season, then in 2, he's always involved in some Phoenix Foundation environmental project and usually the main plot kicks in by chance of MacGyver stumbling across the villains(often corrupt businessmen or a crime syndicate like the Mafia) and their plans, or some other unexpected occurrence happens(like a lethal security system going haywire or a plane crashing in the wilderness).

I've always wondered if it was part of the lessening of tensions with the USSR and the global intrigue that went with it. Still, there was all kinds of action going on in the Middle East then, but maybe the writers had some foresight into future affairs.

This article helps explain the reasons.

Read article here

Thanks Kiwi!!

Good read. Especially this part.

I understand John and Henry trying to protect their show but respect for RDA for saying 'no'. That he won't stop doing the things he like because the producers say so.

That's a good article. Thanks for posting it Kiwi!

I sometimes have a hard time seeing Season 1 as really being part of the MacGyver official canon, simply because it often feels so different from the later seasons. Not saying it's worse (or better), just different. Some of the stuff we see him doing in Season 1 would feel so out of place in later seasons. And his personality is quite different at times.

I think that's something worth keeping in mind about the upcoming reboot, too. It may take some time to find its footing. The problem is, networks have a lot more options and competition these days, so shows don't often get as much time to evolve. If people don't latch onto a show right away, it's often scrapped, rather than reworked.

Aw man, I loved the opening gambits as they were called....... But they ceased during first season.

The only time I didn't like MacGyver with a woman was with EVIL DEBORAH!!!! But to me, that show had the best amount of chemistry! Kirsten Alfonso did a good job! You just wanted to HATE her...... And hate her even more for being beautiful!

I always say it but i loved the first season. Mainly because he was always on a mission. Starting off with one gambit leading to another. Felt the force behind his character's drive and it seemed like Mac was thrown from one deep end to another. But how he handled the situation by being a sport and smiling all the time made him remarkable. In later seasons we often get him moaning about everything and how he needs a vacation.

The opening gambits were expensive and very time consuming. If i recall, the gambits had a different team to that of the episode itself so it was not easy to produce. But they ultimately made some of the best episodes. And then of course as soon as he was done in an explosive opening, the title sequence started! You knew you were in an hour of entertainment.

I sometimes compare Human Target (Season 1) to MacGyver because it had the same formula. Christopher Chance is in the middle of a mission (Opening gambit with an explosive intro) leading to the title and the episode itself. Loved it!

The DXS is an intelligence agency with a particular beat, so to speak. Phoenix Foundation being private sector means it can get MacGyver involved in practically anything.

The Phoenix Foundation seemed way too fixated on environmental causes for an organization in an action/adventure series, at times. There would be several episodes in a row where the bad guy was an evil corporation who wanted to ruin the environment for the luls, like something out of Captain Planet, and then MacGyver would get in their way and they'd try to have him killed.

It's good to have an open ended organization for the hero to work for so it's not literally overseas rescue missions in every single episode, but the James Bond-type missions dropped off big time where it seemed like MacGyver was only doing that sort of thing once a season.

That was because they wanted the show to go in that direction. The Phoenix Foundation would have enabled them to go in any direction they wanted to go at any time... they just choose to stick with that type of story line.

We know they worked with military and still had strong ties to the intelligence community so the writers had an open door for everything, it's just, as I said, they choose to stick with that kind of story a lot, which was a bit of a shame, but I think it also reflects they focus of the late 80's.

They went from DXS to Phoenix, and then by season 7, he barely seemed to be working for either of them anymore. There were just a few episodes involving actual assignments. Most episodes were just about random things that happened to him as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or having annoying friends. Those stories always seemed the silliest to me. It made sense for Mac to be in dangerous situations when his job sent him into them but how many times can a guy find himself in life or death situations while just going about his own business?

Mac ending up in situations when he just happened to pass by happened all the time in the show. You know what they say: danger lurks in every corner.

In Season 7 boredom lurked in every corner too.

Even that is dangerous. You might bore yourself to death.

That's another thing, how he met Pete. First season's version of events is they were in the Middle East(I think) and Mac happened by on a camel while Pete was sinking into quicksand. Sounds very adventurous. Then Partners has Mac instead performing the humdrum task of operating Jack's taxi business while he's laid up in the hospital when he meets Pete(and Murdoc). It kind of epitomized the "wrong place wrong time" scenarios that MacGyver tended to get into once he stopped being a globetrotting secret agent.

True. He cannot even buy petrol without finding a teenage prostitute has stolen his wallet, or that a woman on the verge of giving birth needs rescuing.