MacGyver Reboot Update #200

While the news flow has been slower than ever (at least that’s what it feels like), we did get some exciting news regarding the main MacGyver cast.

Welcome to Levy (via Levy Tran)

(For more material and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

.

The Abandons with Lucas Till
Lucas has boarded Netflix’ western series The Abandon. Season 1 has ten episodes and is filmed in Calgary and Oregon. According to Deadline, Lucas’ character name is Garret Van Ness. Main star Gillian Anderson plays Constance Van Ness, the matriarch of the wealthy Van Ness family. Aisling Franciosi will play Trisha Van Ness; so possibly the sister or wife of Lucas’ character.

Filming was delayed for almost a year due to the SAG-Aftra strike. The filming dates for Calgary listed on the official IATSE Local 212 website says May 14 to October 15. In recent weeks, several of Lucas’ future cast mates uploaded Insta stories of “Cowboy Camp”; training for horse riding and bull catching. We don’t know if Lucas did a refresher course too (as he has done horse riding training for the role in Hannah Montana many years ago and did horse scenes for Season 2 of MacGyver).

BtS photo of Justin Hires in Half Baked: Totally High (via Michael Tiddes)

Half Baked: Totally High with Justin Hires
Several years ago, Justin Hires wrote the first draft of a script for a sequel to stoner-movie Half Baked. They announced a straight-to-video-release for April 16, so there wasn’t any promo. You can also stream it on Tubi in the US. Justin has a cameo as a character named Curtis.

It’s not clear how much of his original script was changed in the rewrites. In a podcast episode last year, Justin hinted at wanting a producer credit the next time he sells a script because it would give him more creative control.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Due to the SAG strike last year, the season orders for TV shows were much shorter this time. “Fall Season” (pushed to midseason) is almost over; and the studios have started ordering pilots for the next season. As far as I know, there haven’t been any official TV show casting news for the rest of the regular main cast.

Levy Tran taping an episode for the Reel Rolling Podcast (via Levy Tran)

On March 3, Levy Tran posted an Instagram Story about her reading a book. It looked like she was inside a trailer. She has been tagged twice in Instagram posts regarding action comedy Trouble Man, which was filmed in Atlanta last November. She’s not listed yet on IMDb, though.

A few months ago, I noticed that Levy had started following several AA accounts on Instagram. On April 3, she talked about her struggles with alcohol on the Reel Rolling Podcast.

She revealed that her audition scene for MacGyver was of Desi eating potato chips and that she was so nervous that the chips stuck in her dry mouth in a way that she couldn’t deliver the lines properly. The character was initially to be a guest-star role and she got offered a series regular role a few episodes in.

Levy stated that she has been auditioning a lot lately, but that it’s hard to book a job. Nevertheless, she seems happy; recently posting several photos with family, Carlos and boyfriend Mark celebrating her birthday.

George Eads and ex-wife Monika Casey enjoying a night out (via Fortune Feimster)

We got a rare sighting of George Eads who visited a comedy show of Fortune Feimster (FUBAR).

Henry Ian Cusick has been working on several things. Episode 2×01 of The Wingfeather Saga was released on April 5. According to TV Insider, he will be in the Season 3 Finale turned Series Finale of NCIS: Hawaii (the first episode of the two-parter airing tomorrow). The show got cancelled this week, but maybe his character might pop up in one of the other NCIS shows still on air.

Tristin Mays continued streaming on Twitch every now and then; with the breaks in between getting longer. In one of her streams, Tristin revealed that she’s writing a TV series and working on projects she can’t talk about yet. She also started playing the guitar again.

Video screenshot of Tristin Mays streaming on Twitch (March 13, 2024)

ICYMI: Tristin has moved back to LA a few months ago. Her Atlanta residence had been listed as available to rent since February 15; with the price being reduced before the listing was removed on April 17. Justin Hires just sold his house in Atlanta.

Wedding and Baby News for Lucas Till?
Last June, Lucas Till‘s then-girlfriend Skyler Samuels flashed an engagement ring while doing promo for her new movie of the Aurora Teagarden Series. Due to the SAG strike, Skyler got out of having to do the promo circuit for “The Meg 2” and pretty much disappeared off social media. In a photo posted by her brother back in August, I had a hunch she might be pregnant (as her face looked a bit fuller than usually).

In Episode 43 for the Wizards of Waverly Place Podcast (uploaded on March 4), Skyler referred to Lucas as her “now-husband”. One of the podcast hosts stated she was “glowing”. Skyler recently filmed the next two installments of Aurora Teagarden on Vancouver Island. When director Jessica Harmon posted an Instagram Story of Skyler and a co-star on set with the caption “Two new moms trying to make it to lunch”, that already raised eyebrows.

Proud Mama Skyler and baby (via Skyler Samuels)

Skyler was recently announced as the new brand ambassador for Charles & Colvard; a jewelry company that specializes in lab-grown diamonds. The first campaign video released for Mother’s Day promo has her interact with a baby; and the fact that the campaign was most likely filmed in their own farmhouse sent the fandom in a hubbubb of speculations, questions and excitement.

On April 21, Skyler posted photos of her with the baby; taken for the official photoshoot. Dedicating the post to “all my fellow mamas out there” was as good as confirmation that this wasn’t just the usual “stunt baby”. This week, People Magazine posted an online article about it. Charles & Colvard linked to this post on an Insta story, which was reposted by both Skyler and Skyler’s mom. Interestingly, Skyler chose a cover for “Isn’t She Lovely” as the underlying music. So maybe a baby girl?

Mama Skyler and baby (via Skyler Samuels)

Upcoming Projects for the main MacGyver Cast
Several main cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production or projects listed as completed:

• 1 Million Followers with Henry Ian Cusick: Has one distributor listed, but still no release date.
• Bang with Tristin Mays
• Fluxx with Henry Ian Cusick: The film was screened at the Mammoth Film Festival last month.
• For Cory with Levy Tran
• Short Film Hopeless Romantic with Tristin Mays
• Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick: Has been screened at several festivals, but never got an US release date.
• The Comic Shop with Tristin Mays

Other MacGyver-related News
Ende of March, Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson was at Paris Comic Con. You can find photos of his panel and photo sessions here. The weekend of April 20 and 21, he was at Comic Con Holland. You can find the panel video and photos of the photo and autograph sessions here.

Richard Dean Anderson at Paris Comic Con (via Roster Con)

David Dastmalchian has been busy. Recently been cast in Apple TV series Murderbot, he filmed a two-parter of ABC series The Rookie and a new commercial for Titan Casket. This week, he started the podcast Grave Conversations where he talks to his guests while both are in a coffin.

The release date for the exclusive BluRay box set of the Original MacGyver series in Germany was pushed back from March 28 to May 16. You can find all information here.

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at some more conventions this year. The next ones are German Film and Comic Con (Dortmund, May 4 and May 5) and Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12). You can find his full schedule here.
• Henry Ian Cusick attended the 20th anniversary concert for LOST yesterday.
• The Collective with Lucas Till is available on several streaming services (e.g. Hulu and Paramount+ in the US); and the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution still gains views. It has almost 650’000 hits by now.

MacGyver Reboot Update #199

After waiting for months, we finally have some exciting news regarding the main MacGyver cast.

Official Still of Henry Ian Cusick in NCIS: Hawaii (via TV Insider)

(For more material and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

.

The Abandons with Lucas Till
The Lucas Till and MacGyver fandoms have been in an excited frenzy since Netflix tweeted about Lucas boarding The Abandons alongside five more cast members. The western series has a 10 episodes order for Season 1 and is filmed in Calgary and Oregon. According to Deadline, Lucas’ character name is Garret Van Ness. Check out the premise in the press release:

The Abandons follows a group of diverse, outlier families pursuing their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, as a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, “justice” is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law. The Abandons will explore that fine line between survival and law, the consequences of violence, and the corrosive power of secrets, as this family fights to keep their land.

Deadline, March 1, 2024

The main stars (announced almost a year ago) are Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey. Gillian Anderson will play Constance Van Ness, the matriarch of the wealthy Van Ness family. If the name of the latter actress sounds familiar: Many years ago, Lena Headey was in Original MacGyver Movie Trail to Doomsday.

According to IMDb, filming has already started (presumably in Oregon). Filming was delayed due to the SAG-Aftra strike, and I’ve seen different filming dates (March and June, May to August, May to October).

BtS Video Screenshot of Lucas Till and Don Johnson in The Collective (via Mike Braga)

The Collective with Lucas Till
The Collective continues to make the rounds on streaming services; and the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution still gains views. It hit half a million views on January 1st and has more than 601’000 hits by now. Interestingly, the comments have been deactivated a few months ago. According to Flixpatrol, the movie still shows up in the Top Ten of Amazon Prime every now and then; especially in African countries.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Although the SAG strike ended last year, the studios have been rather slow in resuming production and the season orders are much shorter this year. There hasn’t been as much news regarding the MacGyver cast and crew as I had expected.

After more than 6 months, Levy Tran posted on Instagram again; telling us about her first Jiu Jitsu competition.

Levy Tran presenting her bronze medal (via Instagram)

ICYMI: Tristin Mays set up a Twitch account; streaming her first live-stream on January 1st. In one of her streams, Tristin revealed that she’s writing a TV series and working on projects she can’t talk about yet. She directed and filmed a short mental health video for Instagram; starring boyfriend Marlon.

While her first Twitch streams were done in her Atlanta residence, she moved the equipment to The Enchanted Manor in LA last month. Her Atlanta residence has been listed as available to rent since February 15. We don’t know yet if she’s moved back to LA permanently or if she has planned to staying longer there for a specific reason. Interestingly, her production company Black Sheep Productions has been registered and trademarked in the UK last November. She also set up a website for the company.

BtS photo while filming Rain Man (via Tristin Mays)

Upcoming Projects for the main MacGyver Cast
A few weeks ago, Henry Ian Cusick‘s character made another appearance on Episode 3×02 of NCIS: Hawaii. It’s possible that he will have another guest spot this season.

Several main cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production or projects listed as completed:

• 1 Million Followers with Henry Ian Cusick: Has one distributor listed, but no release date.
• Bang with Tristin Mays
• Fluxx with Henry Ian Cusick: The film was screened yesterday at the Mammoth Film Festival. We know two of the co-stars: Tyrese Gibson (The Collective) and Lucas Till’s friend and ex-roommate Mike Milligan.
• Half Baked: Totally High with Justin Hires: His character is named Curtis.
• Short Film Hopeless Romantic with Tristin Mays
• Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick: Has been screened at several festivals, but never got an US reelase date.
• The Comic Shop with Tristin Mays
• For Cory with Levy Tran

Other MacGyver-related News
ICYMI: Last year, Plaion Pictures revealed a mock-up box and a release date for the exclusive BluRay box set of the Original MacGyver series. The limited edition box will be released on March 28. You can find all information here.

Cover Preview for the German MacGyver BluRay Box (via Plaion)

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• David Dastmalchian has been cast in Apple TV series Murderbot (filming will start this month in Toronto). He will also show up in a two-parter of ABC series The Rookie.
• Ben Wang (guest star in MacGyver Reboot Episode 5×04) has been cast as the lead in the new Karate Kid movie. Filming will start next month in Montreal.
• Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at several conventions this year. The next ones are GalaxyCon Richmond (March 15 to March 17), German Film and Comic Con (Dortmund, May 4 and May 5) and Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12). He will also visit Washington State Summer Con (Puyallup, June 21 to 23).

MacGyver Reboot Update #198

The SAG strike ended two months ago, but fans are still waiting for casting and project news.

Lucas Till and Y’lan Noel in The Spook Who Sat By The Door (via Scott P Murphy)

(For more material and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

.

The Collective with Lucas Till
The Collective was released digitally and on DVD in German-speaking regions on December 14. If you want to treat yourself with an After-Christmas gift, you can order it here. Sadly, the only bonus material is the trailer; and there’s no subtitles available.

If you prefer streaming, it’s available on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Maxdome and Sky in Germany. If you’re in Switzerland, you can buy it via BlueTV, AppleTV or GooglePlay.

BluRay Cover for The Collective (via Amazon Germany)

The trailer with the most views on YouTube is still the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution. It hit half a million views on January 1st and has almost 530’000 hits by now.

According to Flixpatrol, it was on Rank 68 for Amazon Prime in 2023; being in the Top 10 for more than 128 days. The Collective is currently on Rank 93 for Amazon Prime in 2024.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
There hasn’t been much news regarding the MacGyver cast and crew. Although the SAG strike ended last year, neither Levy Tran nor Lucas Till went back online to promote their latest movies. Generally, most of them have been taking breaks on social media; some of them deactivate accounts temporarily or for good.

Lucas Till in The Collective (via Bryan Marchulaitis)

Tristin Mays did an interview for Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide. It was uploaded on December 20. She revealed that she only had to audition once for MacGyver to book the role, which is rather unusual for a series regular role.

Tristin finally released her Les Miserables Pirates Musical Short on December 24. You can catch a glimpse of Bianca Malinowski (who played rebooted Penny Parker in two episodes MacGyver). Tristin also set up a Twitch account; streaming her first live-stream on January 1st.

BtS photo preparing the costumes for the Pirates Musical Short (via Tristin Mays)

She recorded her second live-stream on January 5; playing some more Tomb Raider and chatting in between. Tristin revealed that she’s writing a TV series and that she has been sick just after catching Covid again. She also mentioned that while she’s in and out of LA, she still lives in Georgia.

According to a tweet by cast member Jason Antoon, Henry Ian Cusick‘s character will make another appearance on NCIS: Hawaii.

ICYMI: Production Designer Scott P Murphy uploaded several stills of Lucas Till in the unaired pilot for The Spook Who Sat By The Door to his website.

Levy Tran and Mark (via Levy Tran)

Upcoming Projects for the MacGyver Cast
Several main cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production or projects listed as completed. Sadly, none of them have release dates or distributors yet:

• 1 Million Followers with Henry Ian Cusick
• Bang with Tristin Mays
• Fluxx with Henry Ian Cusick: Filming wrapped wrapped last month. We know some of his co-stars: Tyrese Gibson (The Collective) and Lucas Till’s friend and ex-roommate Mike Milligan.
• Half Baked: Totally High with Justin Hires: News outlets reported a non-theatrical release and an R-rating.
• Short Film Hopeless Romantic with Tristin Mays
• Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick: Has been screened at several festivals.
• The Comic Shop with Tristin Mays
• For Cory with Levy Tran

Other MacGyver-related News
Rebooted Murdoc David Dastmalchian is the 8th most watched actor of 2023 on Letterboxd.

Mock-Up for the German MacGyver BluRay Box (via Plaion)

Back in December 2019, Koch Films teased OG MacGyver fans about the German release of an exclusive BluRay box set. CBS and the pandemic halted the production several times. In the meantime, Koch Films has been rebranded as Plaion Pictures. On December 12, Plaion revealed a mock-up box alongside its content and a release date: March 28 next year. Sadly, the box is rather pricy and the two TV movies are still missing as they weren’t able to get the rights from CBS. You can find all information here.

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• ICYMI: Justin Hires took part of a talks how episode of Gimme Five; available on Tubi now (although IMDb lists a release date of August 12, 2022).
• David Dastmalchian has been cast in feature film Dust Bunny; acting alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver.
• Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at German Film and Comic Con (Dortmund, May 4 and May 5) and at Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12).

MacGyver Reboot Update #168

While Pilot Season is underway, the MacGyver cast seems to enjoy some downtime from filming.

Lucas Till enjoying a holiday (via Skyler Samuels)

(For daily news and to discuss all the topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Some of the MacGyver cast were back on our TV screens in recent weeks. Meredith Eaton was on NCIS while Levy Tran was a guest-star on Magnum PI. We got some nice BtS photos by their co-stars; e.g. by Elle Graper, Jason Her or Rich Ting.

BtS photo of Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (via Jason Her)

Interestingly, Levy didn’t post or re-post any of the Instagram posts or tweets. While the ratings weren’t high, most fans loved Levy’s episode. Minor Spoiler Alert: Her character could return if the show is renewed.

ICYMI: Henry Ian Cusick has been filming a movie in Phuket which seems to have wrapped by now. We got some more BtS photos; e.g. by Evan Williams.

Tristin Mays keeps being active on social media. She showed us her tin can collectibles and her plants. She seems to have stored up a lot of creative energy, but no upcoming acting job as an outlet.

BtS photo of Henry Ian Cusick (via Evan Williams)

Justin Hires posted the first videos for his new podcast. We don’t know yet if there are any upcoming episodes with the MacGyver cast and/or crew.

Lucas Till visited the UK and Scotland; trying to find Nessie. Meanwhile, Levy Tran was out and about in Atlanta.

George Eads is set to attend a golfing event (Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am) on April 11. Let’s hope he will also attend the photo call.

Posing for a photoshoot (via Tristin Mays)

CBS Pilot Season
It looks like CBS has mostly put together the casts for their Pilot Season dramas. Here’s an overview of the drama pilot orders:

• Cal Fire (CBS)
• Early Edition (Sony/Affirm/CBS)
• East New York (Warner Bros./CBS)
• True Lies (20th Television)
• Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama (CBS)

CBS also ordered 4 comedy pilots. By ordering 9 pilots in total, the upcoming Fall Season schedule might look quite different when it’s being presented at the Upfronts in May.

Promo for Son of the South (via Heritage Films)

While none of the former MacGyver cast members seems to be attached as regulars or recurrings, they might still get a guest star spot in later episodes. I’m not sure what their chances are and if the outcome of the lawsuit will matter.

Other MacGyver-related News
MacGyver-creator Lee David Zlotoff was a guest on the Making fun of MacGyver podcast. Talking about the musical, he revealed that they’re going to put together a concept album of the songs. They’re also looking into other possible venues for the next productions (maybe even internationally). The next MacGyver novel should be released this year. Lee is also working on a MacGyver VR experience.

Levy Tran in Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (CBS via SpoilerTV)

French fans get a lot of Lucas Till lately: French Channel M6 airs up to 6 MacGyver Reboot episodes on Saturdays. Also, Son of the South premiered as Un Fils Du Sud on March 16.

Back in May 2016, The Hollywood Reporter announced Lucas in Sci-Fi Thriller Spectrum. The project has been laying dormant after CBS picked up MacGyver to series (with no changes on IMDb since July 2017). This week, it’s been showing up in the upcoming projects list of Lucas’ IMDb page. There has been no news about it, so it’s possible that someone attached Lucas to the project page again despite no change in production status. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

BtS photo of NCIS 19×13: The Helpers (via Elle Graper)

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• After almost two years, Richard Dean Anderson posted a photo on Instagram. It’s a photo of his 16-year-old dog Andy.
• FX Series The Spook who sat by the Door is being redeveloped with a new showrunner.
• As The Hollywood Reporter wrote last month, the profits fight over the MacGyver reboot will probably go to trial.

MacGyver Reboot Update #167

Some of the MacGyver cast are back on our TV screens. Also, the MacGyver Profits Lawsuit is going to trial.

Levy Tran in Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (CBS via SpoilerTV)

(For daily news and to discuss all the topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Meredith Eaton was a guest-star in the most recent episode of NCIS; reprising the character of immunologist Carol Wilson. Before the episode aired, Meredith posted several new BtS photos as Instagram Stories.

BtS photo of NCIS 19×13: The Helpers (via Meredith Eaton)

Levy Tran will guest-star in tonight’s episode of Magnum PI. She was part of one of the Sneak Peeks, which got fans pretty excited. The storyline for the episode is similar to one used for Original MacGyver, so I’m curious how they’ll approach it.

Recently, Levy cleaned up her Instagram account some more; deleting the majority of her posts and unfollowing some accounts. Her feed consists mostly of Carlos now.

Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via Black History Matters)

Tristin Mays was quite active on social media in recent weeks. She teased us with another project “coming soon” and revealed that she found her new favorite pants (that she’s been wearing for almost all of her latest photoshoots) at Goodwill.

She answered some fan questions as well; revealing that George Eads had wanted to name her dog “Cool” and that she was the one eating the most on set of MacGyver. She also stated that the relationship between Riley and MacGyver was her favorite and that it mirrored her friendship with Lucas; an understanding that didn’t need to be communicated.

BtS photo of Henry Ian Cusick (via Sanni Antikainen)

ICYMI: Henry Ian Cusick has been filming a movie in Phuket. I still haven’t found out what the project is called, but it kept him from attending Pensacon in Florida. Several of his co-stars and crew members posted BtS photos.

We also got a new photo of Lucas Till presenting his next reading choice. It’s interesting to note that a few posts further down, Lucas’ manager Tom Sullivan also posed with the print editions last December, so that might be the connection how Lucas became aware of the book series.

Lucas Till with the next book on his reading list (via The Drakoneborne)

ICYMI: Of all interviews and clips that Justin Hires posted on the YouTube-account of his Urban Legendz Podcast, the interviews with Lucas Till and Tristin Mays are on Rank 1 (about 4100 hits) and 2 (about 3900 hits) when sorting for most-watched videos. He announced that more interviews and a new podcast are coming soon, but we don’t know yet if there are any upcoming interviews with the MacGyver cast and/or crew.

MacGyver Profits Lawsuit
The Hollywood Reporter published an article on February 23; reporting that the profits fight over the MacGyver reboot is one step closer to trial.

The 2018 suit stems from a TV producing deal in the mid-1980s (involving producers, Paramount and Major Talent Agency) that preceded the original MacGyver show. After the series was rebooted in 2016, Hanzer Holdings and Arlita sued CBS; claiming they’re entitled to a share in profits for MTA’s work for the OG show.

Levy Tran in Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (CBS via SpoilerTV)

CBS Pilot Season
Here’s an overview of the CBS drama pilot orders for the upcoming Fall Season:

• Cal Fire (CBS)
• Early Edition (Sony/Affirm/CBS)
• East New York (Warner Bros./CBS)
• True Lies (20th Television)
• Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama (CBS)

Additionally, CBS ordered 4 comedy pilots. By ordering 9 pilots in total, it seems like they’re ready to overhaul their schedule for Fall and want a good variety of projects to choose from.

Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via FYE Images)

It would be nice to see some former MacGyver cast members attached as regulars/recurrings or at least getting some guest star spots next season. I’m not sure what their chances are and if the outcome of the lawsuit will matter.

Other MacGyver-related News
French Channel M6 premiered MacGyver Reboot Season 4 last Saturday. They aired 3 episodes of Season 4; followed by episodes of Seasons 2 and 1. They will air another 3 episodes of Season 4 tomorrow; again followed by 3 more episodes of former seasons. France sure loves their MacGyver episodes, huh.

French Promo for Son of the South (via Starinvest Films)

ICYMI: FX Boss John Landgraf said to Variety that The Spook who sat by the Door is not moving forward and being redeveloped. According to Deadline, they’re looking for a new writer to pen another pilot. With Leigh Dana Jackson out as writer and showrunner, there’s a good chance that the cast and crew of the current pilot might not be part of the project anymore once it finds its way forward.

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• The MacGyver The Musical will have their last show tonight. Despite some difficulties (they had to cancel several showings due to Covid), they managed to pull through. Overall, reviews were good.
• Lucas Till’s movie Son of the South will premiere in France on March 16.

MacGyver Reboot Update #65

There’s still a serious and concerning lack of promo… but on the other hand, only 7 days left until the Season 3 Premiere!

BtS Photo of Season 3 (via Peter Lenkov)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

What you need to know about the Season 3 Premiere
It’s gotten pretty quiet during the last few weeks. There was almost no BtS stuff to find for a while as if the production had gone undercover, and fans started complaining about the lack of promo so shortly before the Season Premiere. Sadly, CBS left it upon the cast, the crew and the fans to promote the upcoming Season 3 and the DVD release of Season 2 on social media.

We do have Press Releases for the first three episodes, though. On August 23, we got the Synopsis plus 6 Official Stills for Episode 3×01 (Improvise) via SpoilerTV.

Season 3 preview by TV Guide (via Peter Lenkov)

On September 11, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov posted a snippet from TV Guide that left us a few hints about the upcoming season. Other sites had Fall TV previews as well; e.g. E!Online or Entertainment Weekly.

News about Episodes 3×02 to 3×05
Episode 3×02 (Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship) was directed by Duane Clark. CBS released a first Official Still along with the Press Release on September 13. As expected, it centers around Jack and his old Delta Buddies. On September 17, SpoilerTV added 7 more Stills. The photos were all taken when Lucas Till and George Eads filmed at an airport, so the other Team Phoenix members are absent.

Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (Official Still via CBS)

Justin Hires’ favorite Episode 3×03 (Bozer + Booze + Back to School) was directed by Tessa Blake and follows the storyline of Team Phoenix going undercover on a college campus. Justin upladed more photos from the episode; showing us the “weekend whip“. Yesterday, CBS revealed the Synopsis along with a first Official Still.

Episode 3×04 was directed by Peter Weller, but there’s still no title or an entry on IMDb. I was concerned that the episode gets dropped due to the accident that happened during production, but it looks like they were back at filming a few extra scenes or inserts on September 16.

Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via CBS Press Express)

The Halloween Episode 3×05 (Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family) is set in Mexico and was directed by Eagle Egilsson. Cast and Crew filmed scenes for a “Day of the Dead” Festival for several days.

Working on Episode 3×06
After Labor Day weekend, Cast and Crew continued working on Episode 3×06. They filmed at an airport and in the streets of Atlanta. The Casting Calls imply that one of the locations is a bank in Bogota, Colombia.

On September 11, Meredith Eaton uploaded a new photo of Matty with MacGyver and Murdoc – in the interrogation room at Phoenix. Looks like Murdoc got caught again – or he let himself get caught, who knows. Meredith also revealed that Matty wears bracelets handcrafted by Lucas’ mother Dana Till.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

Justin uploaded a photo of Bozer with a gun on his right and arm candy (George Eads aka Jack Dalton) on his left.

According to SpoilerTV, the episode is titled “Murdoc + MacGyver + Murdoc” and as Allen Theosky Rowe revealed, it is directed by Stephen Herek. Rowe posted a photo with his villainy friends in a car and labelled an earlier photo with “The Cleaner”. Sounds like an interesting enemy for Murdoc and/or the Phoenix Team.

Working on Episode 3×07
On September 12, production turned the streets of Atlanta into Ghana; filming in front of a bank again and recreating a street market. On the next day, they set up shop at a restaurant.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Steven Serna)

Steven Serna posted photos of a truck in front of green screens. The Stand-Ins suffered in “Hotlanta”; encountering bugs and butterflies while waiting under the canopy.

Justin Hires posted several photos of himself with cars – Bozer sitting on a car, Bozer sitting on the same car in a different position or Bozer leaning on a car. He also uploaded many Instagram Live Stories featuring the Stand-Ins; joking about his own Stand-In (Kevin Marshall Pinkney) looking nothing like him; contrary to Lucas’ Stand-In (Matthew Albright).

Meredith Eaton posted a photo of her with Lucas and George in the War Room. Peter Lenkov finally had found some time to post another team photo during a short break from filming in a junk yard.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Lucas Till)

They also filmed what looked like a car accident and nearby a lake. Cast and Crew were enamored with the location; posting lots and lots of photos of the lake or the blue sky with the fluffy white clouds. Meanwhile, Lucas Till made new friends of the animal kind. While this is reminiscent of the Original Show, I doubt the snake is part of the storyline – they regularly have a snake wrangler on set when filming in “grassy” and “foresty” locations. Interestingly, Justin Hires didn’t seem so fond of the snakes in the bucket.

This morning, the crew started filming in the War Room location; for once safe from the hot weather they filmed in all week. The posts by crew and extras reveal that the heavy schedule is starting to take its toll – after almost 60 days into production, many complain about being tired and post photos of their colleagues taking a nap whenever and wherever possible during breaks.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

Cast, Crew and Character News
In case you missed it: The Press Release for Episode 3×01 (Improvise) lists 4 official recurring characters for Season 3: Kate Bond (as Jill), Reign Edwards (Leanna), Tate Donovan (Oversight) and David Dastmalchian (Murdoc). Looking at the Press Releases for single episodes, both Episodes 3×02 and 3×03 only list Reign Edwards as recurring, though.

Reign started filming the pilot for “The Wilds” in New Zealand, so it’s not clear if and when she will be back on the show. For now, Episode 3×03 will be most likely her last appearance. Sibongile Mlambo had been in Atlanta again recently, and since she’s listed on Episode 3×06 on IMDb together with David Dastmalchian and Brady Bond (as Cassian), I’m assuming she might not be back again, either.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Allen Theosky Rowe)

Justin Hires joked about Joy Sunday playing Bozer’s sister, but since he also jokes about MacGyver (or everyone) dying in the episode they’re filming at the moment, I’m not sure if this is true or not.

Central Casting Georgia had Casting Calls for a Stand-In for Sarah Sokolovic, a Stand-In for Ric Reitz and a Photo Double for David Dastmalchian. As for every episode, they’ve also been looking for Extras; e.g. for Ghana Patrons (with or without Japanese brand cars), for Ghana Men with tactical experience, for Upscale Business people, Fancy Background Actors, European Background Actors and for Techs and Agents.

Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Other MacGyver-related News
In case you missed it:

• The Season 2 DVD of the Reboot was released in the US on September 18, and there’s even bonus material on it this time! Sadly, CBS didn’t do any promo for it.
• There will be a rerun of the Season 2 Finale today (Episode 2×23: MacGyver + MacGyver)
• Season 1 of Original MacGyver will be released on BluRay on October 30. (There still no info if there’s any Extras or Special Features.)
• Original MacGyver fans post a lot on social media about both the MacGyver Funko Pop and the Escape Room Board Game
• Executive Producer and Writer David Slack revealed that one of the CBS Executives had wanted MacGyver to carry a gun. Apparently, they had to fight to prevent that because they knew it would betray the core of the character.

As mentioned before, there was a severe accident on set on August 20; ending with Stunt Coordinator Justin Sundquist being injured and hospitalized. Latest news was that he’s doing better, but we haven’t heard anything further about Sundquist’s condition or the pending investigation.

Season 3 International Promo (via FOX España)

Other countries are gearing up for the Season 3 premiere as well. Since they don’t have any material of Season 3 yet, they resorted to old material. Fox España used “new” international poster photoshoot material of Season 1; with MacGyver and Jack both tied up plus MacGyver hanging upside down. AXN Asia used Season 2 footage for their teaser trailer; adding the same poster in a pink color scheme instead.

MacGyver in Germany
The ratings in Germany are still pretty stable. They had been dropping slightly, but then started to rise again. I’m already curious how well the Season Finale will do.

To recap: Episode 2×17 (Bear Trap + Mob Boss) garnered 1.62 million live-viewers in total (3 years and older) and a rating of 7.6 in the targeted age-group (14-49 years old).

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

Episode 2×18 (Riley + Airplane) had 1.86 million live viewers with a demo of 8.4, followed by Episode 2×19 (Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle) with 1.92 million live viewers (marking the second-highest audience for Season 2 so far) and a demo of 9.3.

A week later, Episode 2×20 (Skyscraper – Power) reached 1.8 milllion live-viewers, while Episode 2×21 (Wind + Water) had 1.71 million live-viewers. Both episodes garnered a demo-rating of 8.6.

The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×22: Area 51 (UFO + Area 51)
2×23: Das Wiedersehen (literally translated: The Reunion, MacGyver + MacGyver)

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Andrew Moore)

After airing the Season 2 Finale, Sat.1 will start airing reruns of S1 (Monday night, around 1am). Weirdly, they’ll skip the first two episodes, but I guess at least some reruns are better than nothing, right?

On August 11, German Channel RTL Nitro started airing Original MacGyver again; two episodes each on Saturday and Sunday mornings with reruns of the same episodes in the afternoons. Sadly, I don’t have any access to the ratings. Since the Original Show is rated FSK12 (meaning 12 years and older) here, they cut some scenes that were deemed too violent. (FSK12 movies/shows in Germany are only allowed to air uncut after 8pm while FSK16 is only allowed uncut after 10pm.)

MacGyver Reboot Update #64

Filming for Season 3 started two months ago. Only 3 weeks left for the Season Premiere!

Season 3 Header for Facebook and Twitter (via MacGyverCBS)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

News about Season 3
On August 23, we got the Synopsis plus several Official Stills for the Season Premiere (3×01: Improvise) via SpoilerTV. The Press Release lists David Dastmalchian as Murdoc with the recurring cast members. Otherwise, there wasn’t much news about the Season Premiere Episode, but if CBS follows last year’s schedule, we should get a trailer soon – maybe even tonight.

They already uploaded a new header for the official social media accounts. Sadly, they didn’t make an effort for new promo photos; simply taking the same Season 1 portraits of Lucas Till and George Eads and what looks like a set photo of Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch). Also, CBS keeps promoting the Reboot as a buddy-show; not letting the other regular cast members being on the poster (contrary to Hawaii Five-0 and most of their other team shows).

BtS photo of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires)

News about Episodes 3×02 to 3×04
Not much to say about Episode 3×02 (Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship), directed by Ericson Core. Back in August, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov had uploaded a few short videos out of the editing room. Otherwise, there’s no new BtS photos and no Official Stills yet.

Episode 3×03 (Bozer + Booze + Back to School) was directed by Tessa Blake and follows the storyline of Team Phoenix going undercover at a College. Judging by the number of his posts, this is Justin Hires’ favorite episode so far. He continues uploading more photos of him on set; e.g. with Lucas Till and Reign Edwards or of Bozer boozing up. As Peter Lenkov revealed today, he’s editing this episode at the moment.

Episode 3×01: Improvise (via SpoilerTV)

We still don’t have a title for Episode 3×04 and don’t know much about the storyline, but it was directed by “Robocop” Peter Weller. On August 20, Lucas Till had uploaded a photo that looks like he’s wearing a body cast over prison garb. In another photo uploaded a few days later, Lucas stated that he utilized the cast to be a “Deep Air Diver” (DAD). We haven’t seen any other photos of this episode in the last 2 weeks and I’m not sure if they actually ever got to finish filming after Stunt Coordinator Justin Sundquists accident on set (more about that further down).

Working on Episode 3×05
On August 29, Justin Hires finally revealed the title for the episode: “Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family”. It’s the Halloween Episode, set in Mexico and directed by Eagle Egilsson (who also directed Episode 2×16).

BtS photo of Episode 3×05: Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family (via Justin Hires)

In a photo uploaded by Justin on August 24, you can see Halloween decorations in the background. He also posted a nice photo with Tristin. It looks like they’re wearing a bit more comfortable Halloween costumes this season. This episode might turn out a bit scarier than usual since they filmed scenes for a “Day of the Dead” Festival – and we can assume that our favorite villain will be back. Nevertheless, the crew had fun filming these festival scenes, with the Costume Departement dressing up for the occasion and Lucas’ brother Nick working as well.

Last week, George Eads found some interest in Instagram again: On August 27, he posted a photo of Jack in Halloween costume, deeming it a Freddy/Jason Hybrid. On the next day, he uploaded photos of him with Lucas Till on the Mexican Festival set, hanging from a Jeep and standing on the streets of the empty set.

BtS photo of Episode 3×05: Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family (via George Eads)

Working on Episode 3×06
Production shut down over the Labor Day weekend, and cast and crew members took the opportunity to spend some time at DragonCon or with their friends and families.

On Tuesday, they continued working on Episode 3×06. Interestingly, it’s gotten even more quiet. There was almost no BtS stuff to find this week, so it’s difficult to even guess what the storyline might be about. They filmed at an airport and in the streets of Atlanta. The Casting Calls imply that one of the locations is a bank in Bogota, Colombia.

Although production is sometimes spotted filming outside, I haven’t seen any photos of the cast posing with fans or visitors. It seems they are more careful about fans and by-passers catching a glimpse and als more careful about what the cast and crew reveals to people not involved in the production process.

Episode 3×01: Improvise (via SpoilerTV)

Cast, Crew and Character News
The Press Release for Episode 3×01 (Improvise) lists 4 official recurring characters for Season 3: Kate Bond (as Jill), Reign Edwards (Leanna), Tate Donovan (Oversight) and David Dastmalchian (Murdoc). Since they had a Casting Call for a Photo Double for David for a make-up-test on August 28, it’s safe to assume that Murdoc will appear both in the Season Premiere and the Halloween Episode; maybe even in Episode 3×06 (since they had another Casting Call for a Photo Double yesterday).

It’s not clear how often the character of Leanna Martin will appear this season: Two weeks ago, Reign took a flight to Auckland, New Zealand. She’s filming a pilot for “The Wilds”, a series project for Amazon Studios and ABC Signature. As far as I know, Reign hasn’t been on set since Episode 3×03. Depending wether the pilot is picked up (she’s one of the female lead characters), it could mean that Bozer and the audience might have to say goodbye to Leanna for now – or welcome her later with a new hairstyle.

BtS photo of Episode 3×05: Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family (via George Eads)

Sibongile Mlambo was in Atlanta twice recently – also enjoying some downtime at the hotel pool – but we don’t know if it was for the Reboot or not.

Central Casting Georgia had Casting Calls for Stand-Ins for Ray Benitez (Venom, Ant-Man) and Santiago Segura (Grey’s Anatomy, Scream). They’ve also been looking for Extras as well; e.g. for Techs and Agents, for Mexico Police, for Hispanic Masked Men, Asian Henchmen, a Hispanic Guard, Airport Background people with their own luggage, Bank Patrons, an African American Bank Teller, Guards, Police, Waitresses and for European, Hispanic and Middle Eastern Diner Patrons.

Other MacGyver-related News
In case you missed it:

• The Season 2 DVD of the Reboot will be released in the US on September 18.
• There will be a rerun of the Season 2 Finale on September 21; airing just a week before the Season 3 Premiere.
• Season 1 of Original MacGyver will be released on BluRay on October 30. (There still no info if there’s any Extras or Special Features.)
• The Original MacGyver Funko Pop Figure has been released in several countries; fans already having some fun with it.

 

MacGyver Funko Pop (via Jake)

As mentioned in my last post, there was a severe accident on set on August 20. Stunt Coordinator Justin Sundquist was injured during a stunt that involved transferring from one vehicle to another. He was conscious after the accident, but was put in a medically induced coma because of a head injury. Latest news was that he’s doing better and got moved out of the ICU. The accident is still being investigated, and we haven’t heard anything further about Sundquist’s condition or about the impact on the episode they have been filming at the time.

MacGyver in Germany
As mentioned last time, there are barely any tweets using #MacGyver or writing about the show when the episodes air. Nevertheless, the ratings in Germany were pretty stable at a high level, though they have started to drop slightly.

To recap: Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch) scored with the second-highest number of live-viewers (1.87 millions) in total and with the best demo (10.2) in the targeted age-group (14-49 years old) of the 2nd Season so far.

Filming of MacGyver Season 3 (via Maia Kavchak)

Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair) had 1.79 million live-viewers with a demo of 9.7, followed by Episode 2×15 (Murdoc + Handcuffs) with 1.81 million live-viewers and a demo of 8.6.

This Monday, Episode 2×16 (Hammock + Balcony) managed an audience of 1.57 million live-viewers with a demo of 8.4; meaning this episode had the lowest audience numbers for Season 2 so far. Episode 2×17 (Bear Trap + Mob Boss) fared slightly better with 1.62 million live-viewers and a demo of 7.6.

BtS photo of Episode 3×05: Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family (via Cornell Willis)

The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×18: Angriff in der Luft (literally translated: Attack in the Air, Riley + Airplane)
2×19: Fälschungen und Lügner (Fakes and Liars, Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle)
2×20: Entführung im Wolkenkratzer (Kidnapping in a Skyscraper, Skyscraper – Power)
2×21: Ein Freund in Not (A Friend in Need, Wind + Water)
2×22: Area 51 (UFO + Area 51)
2×23: Das Wiedersehen (The Reunion, MacGyver + MacGyver)

BtS photo of Episode 3×05: Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family (via Bruce Giglio)

On August 11, German Channel RTL Nitro started re-airing Original MacGyver again; showing two episodes each on Saturday and Sunday mornings with reruns of the same episodes in the afternoons.

MacGyver Reboot Update #63

Filming for Season 3 started six weeks ago. We have lots of BtS photos and videos, news about Original MacGyver on BluRay and the Press Release plus Official Stills for the Season 3 Premiere Episode!

Episode 3×01: Improvise (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

News about Episode 3×01
Executive Producer Peter Lenkov posted a first teaser for Episode 3×01 (Improvise) on August 4; revealing MacGyver’s new love interest. He later deleted the post, but of course it’s already been re-tweeted and re-posted on Tumblr and Instagram many times. On August 13, he posted another short video of Lucas and George; tagging it with “Dynamic Duo“.

I predicted that if the promo schedule follows the one for Season 2 last year, we should get a first Official Still for the Season 3 Premiere in about a week. Luckily, CBS delivered earlier than expected: Yesterday, we got the Press Release plus several Official Stills via SpoilerTV.

Episode 3×01: Improvise (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Interestingly, the Press Release lists also David Dastmalchian as Murdoc under the recurring cast. We already knew he will show up quickly in 3×01, but now it looks like he will have several appearances this season as a recurring charater; despite David’s heavy schedule with being attached to so many other projects.

News about Episode 3×02
In total, filming for Episode 3×02 (Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship) took about 9 days on various sets. It looks like we will see Jack undercover and meeting up with his former Delta Force Team.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Tristin Mays)

On August 16, Peter Lenkov uploaded a short video out of the editing room, featuring Mac and Jack with Team Delta on a chopper. He soon deleted that clip, probably because it was a tad spoilery. He also uploaded a few Instagram Live Stories during the editing process; showing Tristin Mays and Reign Edwards all dolled up in little, colorful dresses, probably undercover at some cocktail party.

News about Episode 3×03
On August 10, cast and crew finished Episode 3×03 (Bozer + Booze + Back to School), directed by Tessa Blake. According to BtS photos and Instagram Live Stories, Team Phoenix goes undercover at a College, with all the typical elements of College-themed movies (e.g. getting into trouble with Campus Security, playing Beer Pong and attending a Frat Party.

BtS of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires)

Justin Hires stated the episode was a lot of fun to film and provided several BtS photos (e.g. of him posing with Lucas and Tristin or of Bozer being pensive or running from danger). Both Meredith Eaton and George Eads haven’t been seen on set for this and the next episode much, but Peter Lenkov assured some worrying fans that George is still on the show.

In case you missed it: Two weeks ago, Justin Hires did a Live Video on Instagram, inviting Lucas to join in. They talked about the upcoming season; giving up some interesting details.

BtS photo of Episode 3×04 (via Guy D’Alema)

Working on Episode 3×04 (and possibly 3×05)
Since they started filming Episode 3×04 on a Friday (August 10), Cornell Willis kept up with the tradition of “Tie Friday”. We still don’t have a title for it, but it’s directed by “Robocop” Peter Weller.

On August 13, Lenkov returned to Atlanta to visit the set, posting several photos and short videos. That day, they set up a big crane to film a scene involving what looks like a supertruck. On August 15, they filmed outside of a gas station. Tristin Mays joined in on the fun, posting her first Instagram photo from set since they started filming this season. A few days later, they put the truck into the studio in front of a green screen to film fighting scenes on top of it.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Lucas Till)

During the filming of Episode 3×03, the Costume Designers teased the fans with Instagram Short Stories of what looked like them creating a body cast. Fans kept speculating if this was part of some College prank or something more serious. On August 20, Lucas Till uploaded a photo that looks like he’s wearing the body cast over prison garb. Some fans actually worried about him being hurt or overheating in costume.

In another photo uploaded yesterday, Lucas stated that he utilized the suit to be a “Deep Air Diver” (DAD). I’m already curious what this MacGyverism will exactly be.

It looks like they’re already on filming Episode 3×05. This might turn out being a bit scarier than usual since they will film scenes with Hispanic and Mexican actors celebrating the “Day of the Dead” Festival today.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

Meredith Eaton uploaded a nice photo and some Instagram Short Stories on August 21 when filming with Justin Hires in the War Room at Phoenix. Yesterday, they started filming at another interesting-looking real estate location, with the crew being attacked by mosquitoes. In the photo uploaded by Justin this morning, you can see Halloween decorations in the background.

Cast, Crew and Character News
The Press Release for Episode 3×01 (Improvise) lists 4 official recurring characters for Season 3: Kate Bond (as Jill), Reign Edwards (Leanna), Tate Donovan (Oversight) and David Dastmalchian (Murdoc).

Episode 3×01: Improvise (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

As we already know, Lance Gross as Billy Colton aka Riley’s boyfriend will appear in Episode 3×03. So far, none of the other characters of the Colton family have been seen on set. Tate Donovan wasn’t seen either, but Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Photo Doubles for Tate for August 16 and August 21. Also, Sibongile Mlambo is in Atlanta right now, though we don’t know if it’s for the Reboot or for another one of her many projects.

As always, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Extras as well; e.g. for Hospital Kids, Diner Patrons, Rebel Drivers, Hispanic actors pretending to celebrate the Day of the Dead Festival in Mexico (some with their faces already painted when coming on set), for Parents and for Trick or Treaters, indicating that they’re filming the Halloween Episode. They’ve also had Casting Calls for Caucasian Bad Guys, a female Tech, a female Agent and for Stand-Ins for C. Thomas Howell (ET, The Amazing Spider-Man) and for Adela Tirado (Drive, General Hospital).

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Steven Serna)

Season 2, Original MacGyver and other MacGyver-related News
According to The Futon Critic, the only scheduled rerun in September is indeed the Season 2 Finale; airing just a week before the Season 3 Premiere on September 28.

Season 1 of Original MacGyver will be released on BluRay on October 30. There still isn’t any news yet if this BluRay will have any Extras or Special Features or if they have already planned a release date for Season 2. Amazon US states that the BluRay will be dubbed in French and German (with English, French and German subtitles available).

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

As you probably read online, there was a severe accident on set this Monday. Stunt Coordinator Justin Sundquist was injured during a stunt that involved transferring from one vehicle to another. Apparently, he was conscious after the accident, but was put in a medically induced coma because of a head injury. Latest news was that he’s doing better (though still unconscious) and that the accident is being investigated.

Production hasn’t been stopped – but at the moment, I can’t even speculate what impact this might have. There might be changes in safety protocols, filming and/or broadcasting schedule, in scripts and maybe personnel changes within the stunt crew. Since it happened during filming with the 2nd unit (presumably for Episode 3×04), none of the main actors were on set. At the moment, cast and crew keep mum about it, probably advised to do so as long as the investigation is going on.

Lucas Till had uploaded a photo on Wednesday that shows him doing a stunt fall on a roof, but later deleted the photo once the news articles about the accident started flooding the news pages and social media.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

MacGyver in Germany
The ratings for Season 2 in Germany are pretty steady now. Some episodes actually do better than their counterparts of Season 1 a year ago. Also, the second episode on 9.15pm does usually better than the one on 8.15pm. Interestingly, there are barely any tweets using #MacGyver or writing about the show when the episodes air; meaning that the audience is actually watching instead of tweeting about it.

To recap: Episode 2×09 (CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil) had a live-audience of 1.72 million viewers in total (3 years and older) and a demo of 9.5.

The next week, Episode 2×10 (War Room + Ship) also reached 1.72 million live-viewers (with a demo of 8.0), followed by Episode 2×11 (Bullet + Pen) with a whopping 1.93 million live-viewers and a demo of 9.7. So far, Episode 2×11 had the highest number of live-viewers (880’000) in the demo-group of 14-49-year-olds as well as the highest number of live-viewers in total.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Lucas Till)

Episode 2×12 (Mac + Jack) on August 20 reached an audience of 1.66 million live-viewers (with a demo of 9.2), while Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch) scored with the second-highest number of live-viewers (1.87 millions) and with the best demo of Season 2 (10.2) so far.

The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×14: Feuer und Flamme (literally translated: Fire and Flame, Mardi Gras Beads + Chair)
2×15: Gefährliche zweite Chancen (Dangerous second Chances, Murdoc + Handcuffs)
2×16: Flitterwochen (Honeymoon, Hammock + Balcony)
2×17: Atomarer Ausflug (Atomic Excursion, Bear Trap + Mob Boss)
2×18: Angriff in der Luft (Attack in the Air, Riley + Airplane)
2×19: Fälschungen und Lügner (Fakes and Liars, Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle)
2×20: Entführung im Wolkenkratzer (Kidnapping in a Skyscraper, Skyscraper – Power)
2×21: Ein Freund in Not (A Friend in Need, Wind + Water)
2×22: Area 51 (UFO + Area 51)

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Peter Lenkov)

On August 11, German Channel RTL Nitro started airing Original MacGyver again; showing two episodes each on Saturday and Sunday mornings with reruns of the same episodes in the afternoons. This is the 6th run of the show since 2014 on this channel, confirming that they still get enough ratings for a show premiereing more than 30 years ago. Pretty cool, huh.

MacGyver Reboot Update #62

Filming for Season 3 has started four weeks ago. We have lots of BtS photos, BtS videos and news about Original MacGyver on BluRay!

BtS of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Working on Episode 3×01
The main cast started filming on Monday, July 9. Justin Hires is already excited for the Premiere, reminding us that the “countdown” continues. Interestingly, the cast and crew mostly post Instagram Short stories now instead of photos, meaning that it’s very easy to miss some of the news.

The Season 3 Premiere Episode is being edited at the moment. Executive Producer Peter Lenkov posted the first teaser on August 4; revealing MacGyver’s new love interest (and confirming my suspicions who it will be). Sadly, he later deleted the post. It’s not clear if he suddenly felt it was too spoilery or if there had been some derogatory comments. Mostly, people were surprised about Mac sporting a full beard.

Screenshots of Peter Lenkov’s Teaser Video for Episode 3×01: Improvise (via TheHemingwayGoldfish on Tumblr)

Due to Lucas Till’s birthday today, Lenkov posted another photo of this episode; a screenshot fresh out of the editing room. Costume Designer Sarah Downer posted a few photos and a video to show how they made the Nigerian village background actors’ costumes look authentic.

It might be a while until we see some Official Stills, though. Last year, the Stills for Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) were revealed on August 31, along with the Press Release. The first Teaser Trailer aired on September 8.

Based on the BtS photos and spoilers we’ve seen so far, I put together a short overview how the storyline of this episode might go in my opinion – before we get the first Press Release that will give us more information and “ruin” some of the fun of guessing the plot. You can check it out on Tumblr or in the MacGyverOnline Forums.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

Working on Episode 3×02
In total, filming for Episode 3×02 (Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship) took about 9 days on various sets. Last week, they finished the episode on outside locations; doing stunt scenes involving gun shots, explosions and hostages. It looks like we will see Jack undercover and meeting up with his former Delta Force Team.

Lucas’ brother Nick was on set for this episode as well, and of course George and big brother Lucas found time to make fun of him falling asleep during a particularly hot day.

George Eads and Lucas Till on set of Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (via Nick Till)

Both George Eads and Matt Skollar posted some more BtS photos of the same scene that Executive Producer Peter Lenkov had uploaded a video of a few days earlier.

They also filmed scenes on a set either dressed up as a toy store. Meredith Eaton shared a nice BtS photo of Matty in the Phoenix Jet.

Working on Episode 3×03
On July 31, cast and crew started working on Episode 3×03, directed by Tessa Blake. As Justin Hires revealed, the title is “Bozer + Booze + Back to School”, written by Nancy Kiu. According to BtS photos and Justin’s Instagram Live Stories, Team Phoenix goes undercover at a College, gets into trouble with Campus Security and plays some Beer Pong in preparation. Also, Lance Gross as Billy Colton is part of this episode.

BtS of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires)

Cast and crew have been filming at Emory University on August 3rd. Some students (e.g. Christy Mayfield), but also some of the extras (e.g. Jamal Moore who already worked on Episode 2×06) posted photos or Instagram Live Stories. Justin Hires provided several group photos of Team Phoenix on Campus or videos; e.g. of the three “Lucases” they had on set that day. They also filmed a night scene on the same date with George Eads doing some running though narrow streets.

Meanwhile, the Costume Designers teased the fans with Instagram Short Stories of what looks like them creating a body cast. We’ll see if this is part of some kind of College prank or something more serious.

BtS of Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (via George Eads)

On Monday, they filmed a scene on a roof; Wednesday was another night shoot with scenes of a Frat Party (DJ and Beer included) at Madea House. Yesterday, Justin Hires revealed that they were finishing the episode that day, meaning it took 8 days to film the third episode of this season. After battling wind and heavy rain in the morning, they set up at a mansion with an indoor pool – only to get delayed in the afternoon again due to heavy rain and lightning.

While waiting for another night shoot, Justin Hires did a Live Video on Instagram, later inviting Lucas to join in. They talked about the upcoming season; giving up some interesting details.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Han Soto)

Cast, Crew and Character News
As we already know, Lance Gross as Billy Colton aka Riley’s boyfriend will appear in Episode 3×03. So far, neither Tate Donovan nor any other characters of the Colton family have been seen on set. Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins for Ilia Volok and Donald Watkins.

As always, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Extras as well; e.g. for a male Security Guard, for Office Workers, for a DJ (with his own equipment), College Students with bikes, skates or a scooter, College Dorm Girls, College Party Students and for “College Bros”. They’ve also had Casting Calls for a Hospital Scene with Doctors, Nurses, Grandparents, Moms, Dads and Kids plus the obligatory Casting Calls for Techs, Agents, Stand-Ins and Photo Doubles.

BtS of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires)

Season 2 News
According to The Futon Critic, CBS has dropped one of the initially 2 scheduled reruns in September. As of today, there’s only one rerun left on September 21, a week before the Season 3 Premiere. There’s still no further information about what episode they will air, so I’m assuming it will be the Season 2 Finale.

Furthermore, Season 2 just had its premiere in Japan on August 8.

Original MacGyver News
We got notice on Monday that Original MacGyver Season 1 will actually be released on BluRay on October 30. Sadly, they changed the logo font; matching it with the DVD Complete Collection Box. There isn’t any news yet if this BluRay will also have any Extras or Special Features.

Cover Art for Original MacGyver Season 1 on BluRay (via CBS)

MacGyver in Germany
After the Season 2 premiere in Germany with rather disappointing ratings, the ratings improved and are pretty steady now. Some episodes actually did better than their counterparts of Season 1 a year ago. Also, the second episode on 9.15pm does better than the one on 8.15pm. 

To recap: Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) reached 1.65 million live-viewers in total (all viewers older than 3 years) with a demo-rating of 8.9 while Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck) snagged 1.83 milllion live-viewers in (with the same demo).

Episode 3×01: Improvise (via Peter Lenkov)

Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack) had an audience of 1.66 million live-viewers with a demo of 9.8. Instead of a second Season-2-Episode, they aired an episode out of Season 1 they had initially skipped over last year. Episode 1×19 (Compass) garnered a bit of a lower demo (7.5), but more viewers (1.75 million) in total.

Episode 2×08 (Packing Peanuts + Fire) reached 1.58 million live viewers (with a demo of 8.4), followed by Episode 2×09 (CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil) having a live-audience of 1.72 million viewers in total and a demo of 9.5. So far, Episode 2×09 had the highest number of live-viewers (760’000) in the demo-group of 14-49-year-olds.

BtS screenshots via Instagram of Episode 3×03: Bozer + Booze + Back to School (via Justin Hires, Jordan Lee)

The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×10: Verloren im Eis (literally translated: Lost in Ice; War Room + Ship)
2×11: Unter Mordverdacht (Under Suspicion of Murder; Bullet + Pen)
2×12: Wiedersehen mit einem Geist (Reunion with a Ghost; Mac + Jack)
2×13: Angriffsziel: Pentagon (Target: Pentagon, CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch)
2×14: Feuer und Flamme (Fire and Flame, Mardi Gras Beads + Chair)
2×15: Gefährliche zweite Chancen (Dangerous second Chances, Murdoc + Handcuffs)
2×16: Flitterwochen (Honeymoon, Hammock + Balcony)
2×17: Atomarer Ausflug (Atomic Excursion, Bear Trap + Mob Boss)
2×18: Angriff in der Luft (Attack in the Air, Riley + Airplane)

In other news, German Channel RTL Nitro will start airing Original MacGyver again, starting tomorrow with the Pilot Episode and Episode 1×02.

MacGyver Reboot Update #60

Filming for Season 3 has already started. Also, we finally have a Premiere Release Date!

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Bruce Giglio)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Season 3 News
Like every year, Justin Hires had revealed the Season Premiere Episode Title. Written by Peter Lenkov and Craig O’Neill, Episode 3×01 (Improvise) is directed by Stephen Herek. The Premiere Date has been set for September 28. We also know that CBS has ordered a Full Season Order of 22 episodes.

While some cast and crew had been on set starting July 6 or even earlier shooting inserts, the main cast started filming on Monday, July 9. So far, it’s mostly Justin Hires and the Stand-Ins that provide us with BtS material. Compared to Seasons 1 and 2, there’s not much to see yet, though.

BtS photo of Episode 3×01: Improvise (via Lucas Till)

Justin uploaded several short videos on Snapchat and Instagram, but also provided some BtS photos every now and then. As every year, cast and crew have to suffer in the Summer Heat – but as Costume Designer Sarah Downer reveals, they come to work with a smile every morning, no matter the conditions. She also provided a new BtS photo of the traditional Finnish costumes used for Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck).

Lucas Till provided a snapshot taken inside of a car, congratulating Henry Winkler for his Emmy nomination. Besides Lucas, we can see Tate Donovan, Tristin Mays, Reign Edwards, Justin Hires and Lucas’ younger brother Nick. It’s not clear yet if Nick was visiting or if he’s also working on the episode, since he was on set today as well. It’s also not the first time that Lucas brought family on set: His cousin Eric worked on set of Episode 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire).

BtS photo of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Sarah Downer)

Cast and crew are filming in “Nigeria” again. Interestingly, they’re using some of the actors that have been on set of beforementioned Episode 2×06, e.g. Hakeem Kae-kazim. A lot of the bad guys for this episode seem to be Russian, though. So there should be a lot going on in the Season Premiere. Yesterday, SpoilerTV released some very spoilery snippets for Episode 3×01, so read at your own risk.

As End of Silence revealed, one of their tracks will be used for Season 3 – presumably for a Teaser Trailer.

Cast, Crew and Character News
As the MacGyver Writers revealed, a new writer has joined their team: Jim Adler, who has written some episodes for Castle and Vegas.

BtS Photo of Episode 3×01: Improvise (via Justin Hires)

By looking for regular Stand-Ins and providing photos of the actors, Central Casting Georgia has confirmed what we already suspected: Both Reign Edwards (as Leanna) and Tate Donovan (as MacGyver Senior) will have recurring or regular appearances this season. For now, we can expect Leanna to join Team Phoenix (similiar to Cage last Season). Let’s hope she doesn’t suffer the same fate…

They’ve also been looking for Stand-Ins for Gil Darnell (SEAL Team, Lethal Weapon, Bones) and for Richie Stephens (Blue Bloods, Major Crimes). Darnell revealed on his Twitter Profile that his character will be named Oleg Vadim. Looks like they might play some bad guys. Another actor in the Season 3 Premiere is Ilia Volok ( Air Force One, Water For Elefants, Indiana Jones and an Episode of rebooted Hawaii Five-0).

Sibongile Mlambo (via IMDb)

Another Casting Call has been looking for a Stand-In for Sibongile Mlambo (Teen Wolf). It’s not clear yet what character she will portray and if she will have recurring appearances over the Season or not. The most interesting Call for a Stand-In is probably the one for tomorrow: Apparently, our favorite villain will be on set this Saturday, as will Meredith Eaton.

As Carie Patterson revealed in her Facebook comments, she will play a regular Special Agent all Season. This reads interesting to me, since the show so far exchanged their Phoenix personnel for every episode (besides the recurring assistants of the Phoenix bosses). At first, I thought that unless she was cast as Mac’s mother (in flashbacks), there was no reason of them needing a regular female character. But since they’ve also been looking for a male Tech who works regularly through the season, they’re finally starting to bring in recognizable faces.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Lucas Till)

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Extras as well; e.g. for Soldiers with Caucasian or European Looks, a male Fit Model, for Bad Guys, for Techs and Agents or for Computer Techs and Military Officers. They’ve also had Casting Calls for European Brand Cars, a bald Security Guy, Bodyguards, people in the background for an Airport scene, a waiter and Nigerian patrons.

We don’t know yet who the new Stunt Coordinator is. As Reece Fleetwood mentioned, a new Stunt Coordinator also means new Stunt Doubles, which means he’s not on set doubling for George Eads anymore.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sarah Downer)

Season 2 News
There have been no Reboot re-runs so far – contrary to pretty much all the other action and drama shows in the CBS line-up. Initially, episodes of Celebrity Undercover Boss (CUB) had been scheduled for Fridays 8pm until August 31.

Either the ratings were not promising enough or CBS couldn’t find another timeslot, because they dropped CUB in favor of the new show Whistleblower that premieres today. According to CBS, the Summer Show has 8 episodes – so even without reruns, the schedule is already filled up until the end of August.

That’s quite a disappointment, considering the S1 reruns had had better ratings than CUB or than Peter Lenkov’s show Salvation (airing on Mondays 9pm; currently at about 3 million live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.37).

DVD Season 2 UK Cover (via Irish Film Critic)

According to The Futon Critic, we should get 2 reruns in September, right before the Season 3 Premiere. I’m assuming it will be 2 episodes of Season 2; one of them most likely the Seasaon 2 Finale.

Fans living in Ireland are lucky, though: The DVD release for Season 2 has been set for September 18, ten days before the Season 3 premiere in the US. Interestingly, the cover is completely different from the S2 poster they used for the social media promo so far; again photoshopped with material of the photoshoot for the Season 1 promo.

The DVD Extras are listed as following:

• MacGyver in Cuba (Featurette)
• Saving the Day, Season 2 (Featurette)
• MacGyver: Special & Visual Effects (Featurette)
• Gag Reel
• Deleted Scenes

Of course, we have yet to see if the US fans will get these extras as well or if CBS leaves them empty handed as they did for the Season 1 DVD.

A stack of old scripts (via Johnny Vy)

Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe had handed in a Season 2 Stunt Reel for the Emmy Awards. Nominations have been out since yesterday. Sadly, MacGyver didn’t snag another Emmy nomination.

Lucas Till was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards in the category “Choice Action TV Actor”. The Awards Show will air on August 12. I guess we’ll know if he’s won or not by judging his attendance (or lack of it).

MacGyver in Germany
Season 2 premiered this Monday on German FreeTV. Channel Sat.1 airs two episodes every Monday on primetime, right before two episodes of SEAL Team. The DVD for Season 1 was released on July 5.

Einstein in the Production Office for Season 3 (via Ethan Guice)

Sadly, the ratings weren’t all that good. While Season 1 had surprised everyone with its ratings; surpassing even Lethal Weapon, Hawaii Five-0, Bull or NCIS in demo ratings, the first episodes of Season 2 failed to deliver.

The German dubbed Episode 2×01 (DIY Or DIE) reached 1.61 million viewers in total, resulting in a rating of 6.7 in the demo-group of 14-49 years-old viewers. Episode 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips) garnered 1.62 million viewers with a demo-rating of 6.6. (For comparison: The Pilot Premiere back in June 2017 made 2.1 million viewers with a demo-rating of 12.9.)

Promo for the German Premiere of Season 2 (via Sat. 1)

Compared to the Season Finale of Lethal Weapon that just aired before, the ratings aren’t that bad, though. Most likely, the hot weather plus the Soccer Championship has more impact on audience TV-watching-habits than expected; even when there’s no games going on.

The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×03: Die rote Faust (The red fist; Roulette Wheel + Wire)
2×04: Väter und Söhne (Fathers and Sons; X-Ray + Penny)
2×05: Geisterinsel (Ghost Island; Skull + Electromagnet)
2×06: Höllenfeuer (Hellfire; Jet Engine + Pickup Truck)
2×07: Herz und Helden (Heart and Heroes, Duct Tape + Jack)
2×08: Der Turm der blauen Pferde (The Tower of Blue Horses, Packing Peanuts + Fire)
2×09: Die Regeln des Spiels (The Rules of the Game, CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil)
2×10: Verloren im Eis (Lost in Ice, War Room + Ship)