After a long break, we finally get to enjoy a new episode tonight. Also, principal filming for Season 5 has wrapped.
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 5 storylines and characters by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided. For daily news and to join the discussion, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)
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What you need to know about Episode 5×11 (MAC505)
We finally get a new episode tonight, yay! Episode 5×11 (C8H7ClO + Nano-Trackers + Resistance + Maldives + Mind Games) was written by Josh Brown and Teresa Huang and directed by David Straiton; featuring the introduction of Alexandra Grey as a recurring Phoenix engineer named Parker.
This episode had initially been scheduled to air on March 12. In case you need a refresher (probably not), here’s the synopsis:
Mac and Riley head overseas together to prevent a governmental collapse and inadvertently inhale new deadly microscopic technology.
CBS realeased 5 Official Stills on March 4; all of them featuring Mac and Riley in the woods. You can find them on Seat42F.
On March 19, we got a new BtS photo by CBS plus a first Sneak Peek which is a direct continuation of the ending of Episode 5×10.
On March 23, we got a new Still, another BtS photo plus an Exclusive Sneak Peek via TV Line which shows MacGyver and Riley discussing the Black Lives Matter protests. According to a tweet by writer Teresa Huang, this episode will kick off a new story arc.
What you need to know about Episode 5×12 (MAC506)
Next week is the premiere of Episode 5×12 (Royalty + Marriage + Vivaah Sanskar + Zinc + Henna). It was written by Monica Macer & Andrew Klein and directed by Anne Renton.
We got the Press Release with a first Official Still on March 18. Here’s the synopsis:
Mac, Desi and Russ go undercover during a royal Indian wedding to protect a princess whose policies could put her life in danger. Also, Russ and Sophia come face-to-face at the wedding, Bozer suspects Riley is up to her old hacking ways and Matty runs down a lead in hopes of getting to the bottom of Mac and Riley’s ingested nano-trackers.
On March 19, Aneesha Joshi posted a few BtS photos while doing ADR for the episode. We got 15 Official Stills via CBS yesterday.
Season 5 Overview
I sorted the rest of the upcoming episodes by production number. The infos were either provided by CBS, by the website for the Writers Guild of America West (episode titles), by social media accounts or IMDb (cast and crew info), by SpoilerTV (press releases) and The Futon Critic (airdates).
Remember that episode titles and the episode order are not definite until an official Press Release by CBS.
- 5×13 (MAC507): Barn Find + Oil Slick + La Punzonatura + Lab Rats + Tachometer (April 9)
Written by Alessia Costantini and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by Katie Eastridge. You can find the Press Release with the first Official Still here. - 5×14 (MAC508): H2O + Orthophosphates + Mission City + Corrosion + Origins (tbd)
Directed by Christine Swanson, guest appearances by Ernie Hudson and Wendy Raquel Robinson - 5×15 (MAC509): Abduction + Memory + Time + Fireworks + Dispersal (April 30)
Presumably written by Monica Macer, presumably directed by David Straiton
On March 22, CBS announced that MacGyver will have its Season 5 Finale on April 30. The Season Finales for Magnum PI and Blue Bloods will air on May 7 and May 14.
Working on Episode MAC509 and beyond
To Recap: We got a several new BtS photos of Monica Macer on set of the LA Unit. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Unit continued filming on the “Italian Episode” (presumably MAC507) all week. Fabio Massimo Bonini posted a new BtS photo with Lucas Till. It looks like MacGyver will be wearing the tachometer mentioned in the episode title.
On March 12, Lucas dressed up as an Assassin’s Creed character for Costume Friday.
On March 18, we got a new BtS photo of Justin Hires on set (possibly as Bozer being undercover). A day later, we got another photo via Fabio Massimo Bonini; this time with both Lucas Till and Levy Tran. (Alessia Costantini revealed later that the red car featured in Episode 5×13 is a Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada.)
Last Friday, it seemed like they wanted to make it up to us for not getting a new episode. We got a new BtS photo of Meredith Eaton on set plus the Atlanta Cast filming a scene for what looks like a July 4 celebration; posted by Tristin Mays. Justin Hires also tweeted a photo of the cast in undercover gear.
The cast continued filming well into the night. For the first time in months, Justin Hires shared an Instagram Live Story from set; revealing a concert stage on the location presenting as a Military Appreciation Celebration. The Spiderman fandom was also in a hubbubb after a BtS photo of the location made the rounds on social media; showing a person in a Spiderman costume. (With the newest Spiderman movie filming nearby, it was easy to mistake one set for the other.)
For Costume Friday, several crew members dressed up as their colleague Esther Elise Johnson. It wasn’t until the next day until we realized why we hadn’t noticed Lucas at all.
On Monday, filming continued on Arabian Mountain. Justin Hires posted a BtS photo of Team Phoenix having a pajama party in Mac’s bedroom.
We also got a new BtS photo of Episode 5×09 by CBS.
That’s a Wrap
On March 18, Alexandra Grey had tweeted that she just wrapped for the season. Several crew members hinted at March 24 being the last day of shooting.
On March 23, several crew members posted about this being the last day of filming for the season. Justin uploaded a video of him saying goodbye to the cast and crew on set after he had wrapped a scene with Levy Tran; also praising Monica Macer as showrunner. A few hours later, Tristin Mays posted a video of her and Lucas Till singing a musical rendition; announcing having wrapped as well.
Cast and crew members kept posting more BtS photos during the next few days; e.g. Stand-In Amanda Mazonkey, Esther Elise Johnson or Derrick Owens. Day Ramphal also posted several BtS photos with the main cast.
Crew members also posted stories of various wrap gifts during the week; e.g. flasks or sports jackets. Due to covid restrictions, I doubt there will be a normal wrap party. In fact, most of the LA-based crew members already left Atlanta and returned home.
Cast and Crew News
We got a few more casting calls in recent weeks. Central Casting Georgia had been looking for an African American background actress, for a female Event Goer and for Lab Techs.
Other MacGyver-related News
Tomorrow, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain will attend a WonderConAtHome panel called “Science Behind Smart TV”.
Also tomorrow, Lucas Till will take part in a virtual relay to New Orleans for Shirts Across America. If you want to join or donate, you can find all important info here.
The MacGyver Foundation announced the debut of an animated web series to acknowledge the one-year mark of the pandemic. You can watch the five-episode series here.
As a reminder, here’s a short overview of older “news”:
- Son of the South is still available on demand and in selected theaters. Check the official website for more info. The DVD and BluRay release is listed for April 6.
- The CBS Virtual Upfronts will take place on May 19. Until then, we will know if the show gets another season. While the odds are looking good for a renewal, we might still have to wait for a while to get the news. I expect CBS to order the NCIS spin-off and to renew NCIS and NCIS LA first before they announce the fate of the Friday shows and the rest of the crime shows.
Dashboard On Fire 