MacGyver Reboot Update #109

8. May 2020 Andrea MacGyver Reboot Updates, Ratings, Season 4, Season 5, The Awards, The Promo, The Schedule 4x11: Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds, 4x12: Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire, 4x13: Save + The + Dam + World, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Season 4

Great news for MacGyver Fans: The Reboot has officially been renewed for Season 5! Sadly, the rest of the Season 4 episodes won’t air anytime soon.

BtS photo of Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (via Peter Lenkov)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about characters and storylines related to the Season 4 midseason finale by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

About Season 5
Most important news first: On May 6, CBS renewed 23 shows for another season, the MacGyver Reboot being one of them. There’s no further information about the number of episodes being ordered or if the premiere will be alongside the other “Fall” shows or later for midseason.

Regarding the rest of the Season 4 episodes, TV Line already reported on Wednesday that the remaining episodes will be integrated into Season 5. In fact, Episode 4×13 has been officially announced as the season finale. Also, keep in mind that with the ongoing uncertainty when production will start, CBS might give all their scripted drama/crime shows an order for 13 episodes only for now.

Screenshot of the Renewal Announcement (via CBS)

According to Variety, ViacomCBS plans to unveil their Fall programming lineup of the CBS Television Network on May 19. Even though they might not be able to reveal their full schedule, we might get some more information (e.g. if MacGyver continues to be a midseason show or not).

About Episode 4×12
The episode airing last week is titled “Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire”. It was written by Jim Adler and directed by Geoff Shotz. We got the Press Release and the first Still on April 16, with 10 Stills on the press site, 8 watermarked Stills on Getty Images plus 3 Sneak Peeks for promo.

We got some more BtS photos before the episode aired; e.g. via the official CBS account. Lucas Till also confirmed that this would be the first part of a two-parter finale.

BtS photo of Episode 4×12: *Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire* (via CBS)

The Hashtag #MacGyver trended US-wide for about an hour; reaching Rank 27 and generating an estimated 1062 tweets per hour before dropping again.

To recap: Episode 4×11 had a live-audience of 6.192 million viewers with a demo of 0.7. In the Live +7 days ratings, it gained an additional 1.30 million viewers (+21%), reaching 7.50 million viewers in total with a demo of 0.92 (+38%) when including DVR ratings.

Episode 4×12 generated a live-audience of 5.889 million viewers with a demo of 0.7. That’s not as good as I hoped, but the ratings would be alright in a “normal” year, considering the season. In fact, they had about the same ratings last May for Season 3.

Episode 4×12: *Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire* (via KsiteTV)

When compared to the other CBS shows (26 in total), the Reboot is currently at Rank 14 for average demo and at Rank 15 for audience numbers. The current average demo for MacGyver is below the average demo (of 0.702) for scripted CBS shows, but it has the lowest demo loss compared to last season (which probably helped in getting renewed).

On May 5, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded his blog post about the MacGyverisms. In other news, the reboot made Rank 2 in SpoilerTVs “Most Popular Shows” in April. The popularity score for this ranking is based on a calculation of Page Views, Video Plays, Poll Votes, Comments, Facebook Likes and Tweets; which might have helped in the reboot getting its own SpoilerTV Twitter Account.

BtS photo of Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (via Justin Hires)

What you need to know about Episode 4×13
The episode airing tonight is titled “4×13: Save + The + Dam + World”. It was written by Cindy Appel (with a story by Terry Matalas) and directed by Carlos Bernard (who also directed Episodes 2×11 and 3×11). Despite technically being the midseason finale, it is handled as the Season 4 Finale.

ICYMI: We got a first teaser via TV Guide Magazine on April 20; reposted on TV Insider yesterday. The Press Release with the First Official Still came out on April 23. Here’s the synopsis:

With Mac and Riley undercover with Codex, hoping to stop the organization from within, their mission is interrupted when Russ, Desi and the Phoenix team move to prevent Codex from detonating a weapon of mass destruction, with Mac and Riley caught in the crosshairs. Also, the team discovers Russ’ real reason for purchasing the Phoenix Foundation.

CBS uploaded 34 Official Stills onto their website; adding lots of “screenshots” to the “real” stills taken by set photographer Nathan Bolster. We got 5 untagged Stills on May 4 via What2Vue or SpoilerTV and 9 tagged Stills via Getty Images.

Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (by Nathan Bolster/CBS via Getty Images)

On May 5, CBS tweeted a Sneak Peek with “Big Bad” Leland (Tobin Bell). We got 3 more Sneak Peeks on May 6 with an additional, exclusive Sneak Peek provided by TV Line. We got some nice BtS photos, too; e.g. via Peter Lenkov (as Instagram Stories) or via Justin Hires.

On May 4, Tristin Mays revealed a screenshot of a Zoom call meeting of the cast in one of her Instagram Stories. CBS provided us with some little promo snippets from this meeting a few days later; e.g. with the cast saying hello or describing the Season Finale in one word.

On May 7, Lucas Till did a short Zoom interview for Good Day Sacramento (probably recorded before the renewal) and another one for channel CBS46 with Astrid Martinez. He revealed that people don’t recognize him now that he’s wearing a mask when going out in public.

Lucas Till for Good Day Sacramento (via CBS)

Upcoming Episodes Overview
The infos for the upcoming episodes were either provided by CBS, by the website for the Writers Guild of America West (episode titles), by people working on the show or taken from IMDb (cast and crew info), from SpoilerTV (press releases) and from The Futon Critic (airdates).

4×14: Thief + Painting + Viro-486 + Justice (script credit date: 02/20/2020)
Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Andrew Klein
4×15: Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness (script credit date: 02/20/2020)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
4×16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (script credit date: 03/04/2020)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
4×17: Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage (script credit date: 03/04/2020)
Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
4×18: SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini (script credit date: 03/12/2020)
Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen.
4×19: Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason (script credit date: 03/20/2020)
Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller
4×20: Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (unfinished production)
Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore

Note that the episode titles and even the episode order is not definite until an official Press Release by CBS. It’s possible that one of the episodes might be dropped, re-edited or shuffled around. I also expect Episode 4×20 to be re-filmed since continuity would be a bit difficult with filming resuming half a year later. They could even implement yet another, smaller time-jump to avoid any continuity issues within the sesason.

MacGyver Cast Zoom Meeting (via Tristin Mays)

What’s going to happen now?
At the moment, there’s weekly reruns of Season 3 episodes scheduled for Fridays; starting May 22 with an additional rerun on May 23rd (Saturday). The schedules are still changing a lot at the moment; so expect some more changes within the next few weeks.

My assumption is that CBS keeps more reruns scheduled for Summer. If they can resume filming in Summer for most of their Fall shows, they could still air some new episodes earlier than expected. It is more likely though that filming will start later than usual. Some media outlets suspect October, with the shows having their premiere in January 2021. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (via AJC)

As stated above, there’s also a high possibility of networks only handing out short season orders for now, with back-up orders later. At the moment, some states are faring a lot better in terms of active corona cases (e.g. Hawaii) than others (e.g. NY) and there might be different safety protocols for some regions. Therefore, not all productions might be able to deliver the same amount of episodes than they would without the pandemic.

On May 5, John Rogers confirmed he had only been brought in for the back-order episodes of Season 4 to replace co-showrunner Terry Matalas – and that he wouldn’t be back for the next season. Therefore, I assumed that Season 5 will get yet another co-showrunner.

BtS photo of Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (via Carlos Bernard)

Interestingly, an Instagram post by Rain Management announced Jim Adler joining the show as Co-Executive Producer and Monica Macer joining as Co-Showrunner. There might be still a news embargo until the Upfronts since the post was edited before I could take a screenshot. (Rookie mistake: They forgot to edit the hashtags; so the names are still there *ahem*.)

The Upfronts are usually focused on the rookie shows, but since Pilot Season was basically cancelled and there’s no footage to show (because only one CBS pilot has actually been filmed), they could make use of MacGyver having material for 6 upcoming episodes already in the can. They might announce some cast and crew personnel changes on May 19, along with a new logo and some footage. Or they might not. It’s CBS, after all, so let’s hope for the best.

Cover Preview for the S3 German DVD (via JPC)

Season 3 DVD Release in Germany
Additional good news for German-speaking MacGyver fans: There’s finally a release date for the Season 3 DVD (July 16).

There’s no infos about extras yet – and we probably won’t have any news anytime soon. For the German release of the Season 2 DVDs, they never added any infos on the websites about the content until the DVDs were already out. Let’s hope we’ll have a pleasant surprise, considering the US versions of S1 and S3 were released without any extras (contrary to the European versions).

MacGyver Reboot Update #108

1. May 2020 Andrea MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 4, The Awards, The Promo, The Schedule 4x10: Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac, 4x11: Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds, 4x12: Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire, 4x13: Save + The + Dam + World, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Season 4

As expected, CBS will continue to air weekly episodes of MacGyver – but no new episodes after the midseason finale (Episode 4×13). There will be a hiatus instead, with weekly reruns of Season 3. There’s no further information yet when the rest of the Season 4 episodes will air.

Episode 4×12: *Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire* (via Jeri Ryan News)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about characters and storylines related to the Season 4 mid-season finale by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

About Episode 4×10
The episode airing on April 17 is titled “Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac”. It was written by Producer Rob Pearlstein and directed by Yangzom Brauen. We got the Press Release with the first Official Still on April 7, with 8 additional Stills on the press site. There’s 4 watermarked Stills on Getty Images while SpoilerTV has 5 Stills in total (unmarked, but a slightly different selection than the one on Getty).

We got some more BtS photos before the episode aired; e.g. via Meredith Eaton (with Lucas Till and Justin Hires) or via Co-Executive Producer Terry Matalas. As it’s almost tradition now, Lucas posted several photos with fun captions as Instagram Stories.

BtS photo of Episode 4×10: *Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac* (via Meredith Eaton)

We got more BtS photos and videos during and after the episode; e.g. via hair stylist Maria, by the props departement (e.g. of the Tesla coil) or via guest stars John Ales (Tesla) and Tom Thon (Edison).

The Hashtag #MacGyver trended US-wide for about an hour; reaching Rank 30 and generating an estimated 872 tweets per hour.

On April 21, Lucas Till appeared on CBS’ “The Talk” that is currently aired as a video-conference in the interviewers’ homes (instead of in the studio with a live-audience); talking about how they filmed the scenes with Mac’s Doppelgänger (aka Evil!Mac). He praised Matthew Albright’s attitude and that he learns all of Lucas’ lines (although Stand-Ins normally don’t do that).

Episode 4×10: Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac (via John Ales)

On April 23, ET Canada released a Skype interview with Lucas that was taken the day before this episode aired. They talked about the emotional scenes of Episode 4×08; with Lucas revealing they have filmed the sequence for about 4 hours and that it was a conscious desicion to make MacGyver more vulnerable this season. He also teased us about the next few episodes; stating that we’ll see a lot of friction between all the characters.

To recap: Episode 4×09 had a live-audience of 6.38 million viewers with a demo of 0.7. Episode 4×10 generated a live-audience of 6.439 million viewers with a demo of 0.7. In the Live +7 days ratings, it gained an additional 1.51 million viewers (+23%), reaching 7.95 million viewers in total with a demo of 0.99 (+45%; one of the biggest demo gains this season) when including DVR ratings.

BtS photo of Episode 4×10: Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac (via Maria)

The episode also made it into SpoilerTVs “Quotes of the Week“. On April 22, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded his blog post about the MacGyverisms.

About Episode 4×11
The episode airing last Friday is titled “Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds”, based on a story by Stephanie Hicks with a teleplay written by Cindy Appel and Andrew Karlsruher. It was directed by Ericson Core. We got the Press Release with the first Official Still on April 9.

CBS later released 11 additional Official Stills on their press site. On April 22, we got 6 watermarked Stills on Getty Images plus 3 Sneak Peeks by CBS; with an additional Sneak Peek the next day.

Episode 4×11: *Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds* (via What2Vue)

We got quite a few BtS photos during and after the episode; e.g. by Meredith Eaton, via James Callis (Clive/The Merchant), by Leon Ngo, via Ming Lo or by Tang Shazam Nguyen. Several writers and also cast members joined in on the live-tweeting (or at least watched the episode and responded to comments afterwards). US-wide, the Hashtag #MacGyver generated an estimated 695 tweets per hour.

Episode 4×11 had a live-audience of 6.192 million viewers with a demo of 0.7. In the Live +3 days ratings, it gained an additional 1.07 million viewers (+17%), reaching 7.27 million viewers in total with a demo of 0.88 (+32%).

BtS photo of Episode 4×11: *Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds* (via Meredith Eaton)

When compared to the other CBS shows (26 in total), the Reboot was at Rank 14 for average demo and at Rank 15 for audience numbers. The current average demo for MacGyver is below the average demo (of 0.707) for scripted CBS shows, but it has the lowest demo loss compared to last season and even a small gain in audience numbers. It’s very stable in ratings, which CBS appreciates (even using the term “stability” as a tag line when reporting ratings).

Clive and the wee bucket made it into TV Line’s “Quotes of the Week“. On April 28, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain posted his blog entry about the MacHacks used in the episode.

BtS photo of Episode 4×11: Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds (via James Callis)

What you need to know about Episode 4×12
The episode airing tonight is titled “Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire”. It was written by Jim Adler (who also wrote Episodes 3×05, 3×11, 3×22 and 4×02) and directed by Geoff Shotz.

We got the Press Release and the first Still on April 16. Here’s the synopsis:

The Phoenix team is forever altered when MacGyver’s Aunt Gwen (Jeri Ryan) gets into his head about family and connection and convinces Mac and Riley to join Codex. Also, Matty and Russ take their concerns about Codex to the White House.

On April 21, CBS added 10 more photos to their press site. A day later, 8 watermarked Stills were uploaded on Getty Images. Some unmarked Stills can be found via Jeri Ryan News or on SpoilerTV. On Wednesday, we got 3 Sneak Peeks; all of them having to do with loyalty and trust.

Episode 4×12: *Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire* (via SpoilerTV)

What you need to know about Episode 4×13
The episode airing next Friday is titled “4×13: Save + The + Dam + World”. It was written by Cindy Appel (with a story by Terry Matalas) and directed by Carlos Bernard (who also directed Episodes 2×11 and 3×11).

The episode has been intially written as a potential season or even series finale (since they didn’t have a back-order before November). Despite being a midseason finale by all means, it is handled as the “provisional” season finale; now that the TV Season is basically over due to the pandemic.

We got a first teaser via TV Guide Magazine on April 20; with Executive Producer Peter Lenkov revealing that we will get a flashback to learn about how MacGyver got the name Angus.

Episode 4×13: *Save + The + Dam + World* (via CBS)

The Press Release with the First Official Still came out on April 23. Here’s the synopsis:

With Mac and Riley undercover with Codex, hoping to stop the organization from within, their mission is interrupted when Russ, Desi and the Phoenix team move to prevent Codex from detonating a weapon of mass destruction, with Mac and Riley caught in the crosshairs. Also, the team discovers Russ’ real reason for purchasing the Phoenix Foundation.

CBS uploaded a whopping set of 34 Official Stills onto their website; adding a bunch of “screenshots” to the “real” stills taken by a set photographer. Judging by the BtS photos and stills, it looks like the midseason finale is actually a two-parter.

Season 4: Upcoming Episodes Overview
The “missing” script titles have been entered into the website for the Writers Guild of America West. Without the episode number, it’s a bit more difficult to sort them into the right order, but I tried to put the missing script titles into the structure of infos I already had by using the credit date.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

The additional infos were either provided by CBS, by people working on the show or taken from IMDb (cast and crew info), from SpoilerTV (episode titles and storyline info) and from The Futon Critic (airdates). Note that the episode titles and any available airdates are not definite until an official Press Release by CBS; so I might have to adjust and tweak this list more than once in my upcoming blog posts.

4×14: Thief + Painting + Viro-486 + Justice (Credit Date: 02/20/2020)
Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Andrew Klein
4×15: Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness (Credit Date: 02/20/2020)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
4×16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (Credit Date: 03/04/2020)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
4×17: Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage (Credit Date: 03/04/2020)
Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
4×18: SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini (Credit Date: 03/12/2020)
Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen.
4×19: Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason (Credit Date: 03/20/2020)
Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller
4×20: Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (tbd)
Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore

Note: The title for the half-filmed Episode 4×20 wasn’t entered into the Writers Guild Website.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Justin Hires)

We also got some new BtS photos for these upcoming episodes; e.g. one by Justin Hires (of either 4×14 or 4×16) that shows almost all of our favorite characters in military funeral attire.

What’s going to happen now?
At the moment, there’s weekly reruns of Season 3 episodes scheduled for Fridays; starting May 15 with an additional rerun on May 23rd (Saturday). There’s no news yet when the rest of Season 4 will air. The schedules are changing a lot; so expect some more changes within the next few weeks. My assumption is that CBS keeps reruns also for June, awaiting on more information to plan ahead for the production schedule. If they can resume filming in Summer for most of their Fall shows, they might air the rest of Season 4 as a Summer filler. If filming is on hold until Fall or even later, they might hold the episodes back further and air them as a Fall replacement.

BtS photo of Episode 4×10: Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac (via Terry Matalas)

As mentioned before, networks usually reveal their Fall schedule on the Upfronts in May; with the fate of all shows announced beforehand. Some networks (e.g. NBC) did schedule a digital event in place of their original Upfronts date; so it’s possible that they will announce their renewals, but not a definite Fall schedule yet. (So far, there’s no word yet on a digital Upfronts event by CBS.)

Best of TV Awards: Final Results
For several months, the Reboot has been competing in the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. With unlimited voting, it won in all the categories in Round 1 and did quite well in some categories of the 2nd Round.

BtS photo of Episode 4×10: Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac (via Jessica Sanchez)

Here are the results for the finals (aka Round 3):

Best Action or Drama Program (Rank 2, 79 votes)
The show did very well in this category; losing 1st place to Hawaii Five-0 by 4 votes only.
Best Action or Drama Actor (Lucas Till: Rank 3, 65 votes)
Best Action or Drama Actress (Tristin Mays: Rank 3, 43 votes; Meredith Eaton: Rank 10, 19 votes)
Best Recurring Actor (George Eads: Rank 9, 30 votes)
Best Writing (Rank 7, 108 votes)
Best Stunts (Rank 9, 26 votes)
Favorite Character (Mac: Rank 12, 29 votes; Riley: Rank 32, 9 votes; Jack: Rank 39, 6 votes; Bozer: Rank 43, 3 votes)
Best Non-Human Character or Prop (Sparky: Rank 6, 43 votes)
Best Couple (Bozer + Leanna: Rank 8, 25 votes)

MacGyver Reboot Update #103

21. February 2020 Andrea Interviews, MacGyver Reboot Updates, Photoshoots, Season 4, The Awards, The Promo, Upfronts 4x01: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix, 4x02: Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed, 4x03: Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck, 4x04: Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin, 4x16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Season 4

While we finally get to enjoy our weekly episodes, cast and crew are nearing the ending of filming. Only about 4 episodes left to shoot – and there’s casting info for a new, recurring character!

Episode 4×02: *Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed* (via CBS)

(Spoiler Alert: You WILL get heavily spoilered about characters and storylines in Season 4 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

About the Season 4 Premiere Promo
Season 4 premiered two weeks ago. Contrary to Season 3, we got a lot of exciting promo material beforehand. To recap:

Interviews: We got a few not-so-new interviews; done with Lucas Till at the Corus Upfront in Toronto back in June 2019. We got a lot of new interviews with Lucas (e.g. with Parade Magazine) and with Henry Ian Cusick (e.g. on the Emmy website).
Photos: We got new portraits and group photos taken by Still Photographer Mark Hill.
Episode Titles: CBS released all the title ingredients for the initially ordered 13 episodes.
Previews and Sneak Peeks: We got an extended preview, a Sneak Peek of rebooted Team Phoenix’ first mission plus the Opening Scene, including the introduction of Russ Taylor.
New Opening Title Sequence: CBS presented us the Opening Title Sequence for Season 4 a day before the episode aired.
Spoiler Alert and BtS Previews: CBS released a spoiler-filled video with the cast and a BtS Preview Video.

Interestingly, CBS kept handing us more promo afterward; e.g. the Agent Profile for Russ Taylor. We also got a new interview with Tristin Mays for Starry Constellation Magazine last Friday. She talked about her character; revealing that we will get to see a flashback episode and getting to know more about Riley’s past.

About Episode 4×01
Season 4 picks up 18 months after the Phoenix Foundation was disbanded and the team members were stripped of their high-level clearances; having to take on non-government jobs. The season premiere episode airing on February 7 is titled “Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix”. It was written by (former) Co-Showrunner Terry Matalas and directed by David Straiton – and Lucas Till is now listed as a producer, too!

CBS had uploaded 26 Official Stills onto their press site. Sadly, not all of them are available in HD quality, but most of them are up on SpoilerTV. We also got several Sneak Peeks for the episode plus a few new BtS photos. Because of the push to midseason and this episode being filmed as the second one (instead of the first), a few co-stars had missed their appearance on Llive-TV. Some of the co-stars and the crew members uploaded BtS photos and videos afterwards; e.g. Toshiji Takeshima or Matthew Albright.

BtS photo of Episode 4×01: *Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix* (via CBS)

Episode 4×01 attracted 5.935 million live-viewers and got a 0.7 rating in the important demo group of 18-49 year olds. While the ratings didn’t win the night, they were better than both the Season 3 Premiere and the Season 3 Finale. In the Live +3 days ratings, it gained an additional 1.4 million viewers, reaching 7.4 million viewers. When looking at the Live +7 days ratings, it gained 1.55 million viewers (+26%), making 7.49 million viewers with a demo of 0.94 in total when including DVR ratings.

The twitter-trend-competition was high that night (due to a politics-related event on TV), but the fans live-tweeted enough for the hashtag #MacGyver to reach Rank 30 US-wide. The episode also made it into SpoilerTVs “Quote of the Week“.

Episode 4×01: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix (via SpoilerTV)

On February 9, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain continued with his blog posts about the MacGyverisms used in the show and uploaded a post about the MacHacks in this episode.

About Episode 4×02
The episode airing last week is titled “Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed”. It was written by Stephanie Hicks and directed by Alexandra La Roche (who had also directed Episode 3×17).

CBS had uploaded 15 Official Stills onto their press site. 14 of them are available on Getty Images; 11 of them are smaller, but untagged up on What 2 Vue. Lucas Till added some funny captions and uploaded them as Instagram Stories last week. We also got 4 Sneak Peeks.

Episode 4×02: *Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed* (via Parade Magazine)

Episode 4×02 had 5.772 million live-viewers and a demo rating of 0.7. The ratings are almost the same as the ones for Episode 3×02 back in September 2018. When compared to all other CBS shows (24 in total), the Reboot is currently at Rank 15 for demo and at Rank 14 for audience numbers.

That might not sound like stellar ratings, but it’s still slightly above the CBS average demo (of 0.686) and doing better than 5 of the 7 Rookie shows this year. Also, it only lost 4% in demo compared to last season, which is the lowest demo loss of all current CBS shows.

Again, the episode made it into SpoilerTV‘s “Quote of the Week” compilation. On February 17, Tech Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded his blog post about the MacGyverisms used in this episode.

Episode 4×03: *Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck* (via SpoilerTV)

What you need to know about Episode 4×03
The episode airing tonight is titled “Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck”. It was written by Producer Rob Pearlstein and directed by Lily Mariye (who already directed Episode 3×08). Here’s the synopsis:

MacGyver and the team board a plane that’s mid-flight when the pilot has a heart attack, and discover the medical emergency was intentional.

Among the guest cast, Sawyer D. Jones is listed as “Little Boy Mac”, so we should get another flashback sequence – maybe one that has to do with Mac’s fear of heights?

CBS had uploaded 9 Official Stills beforehand and 2 Sneak Peeks yesterday with an additional Sneak Peek (focusing on Mac and Desi) today. You can find all the promo material here.

What you need to know about Episode 4×04
The episode airing next Friday is titled “Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin”. It was written by Andrew Karlsruher and directed by Eagle Egilsson (who already directed Episodes 1×14, 2×16, 3×05 and 3×20).

The storyline is set in Germany. We got the Press Release with a First Official Still on February 13. Here’s the synopsis:

As MacGyver works quickly to rescue survivors from a collapsed building in Germany, he discovers a new safety threat – a 1,000-pound undetonated bomb from World War II hidden beneath the rubble.

This sounds very much like an OG episode and I’m pretty excited. Also, Lucas Till had revealed in an interview for the premiere episode that he will speak a few lines of German this season. Among the guest cast, there’s also a German actor listed (Hauke Bahr).

Episode 4×04: *Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin* (via SpoilerTV)

In total, CBS uploaded 12 Official Stills; mostly of Mac and Riley working on securing the bomb.

Season 4 Episode Overview
Here’s a short recap about the upcoming episodes. The infos were either provided by CBS, by people working on the show or taken from IMDb (cast and crew info), from SpoilerTV or similar sites (episode titles and storyline info) and from The Futon Critic (airdates). On May 22, there’s an episode of reality show “Love Island” listed, so there might be a short break after the midseason finale on May 15.

Just remember: Episode titles and airdates are not definite until an official Press Release by CBS. And even then, changes are still a possibility.

4×05: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan (March 6)
Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Duane Clark. You can find the Press Release with the first Official Still here.
4×06: Right + Wrong + Both + Neither (March 13)
Directed by Roderick Davis
4×07: Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey (April 3)
Guest appearances by Tate Donovan (as James MacGyver) and Peter Weller (as Mason)
4×08: Father (?) Son (?) Father (?) Matriarch (April 10)
Presumably directed by David Straiton
4×09: Code (?) Artemis (?) Nuclear (?) Nemesis (April 17)
Written by Brandon Botta and Casey Tollett Botta, directed by Mike Martinez
4×10: Tesla (?) Bell (?) Edison (?) Mac (April 24)
Directed by Yangzom Brauen
4×11: Psy-Op (?) Cell (?) Merchant (?) Birds (May 1)
(tba)
4×12: Loyalty (?) Family (?) Rogue (?) Hellfire (May 8)
(tba)
4×13: Save + The + Dam + World (May 15)
Directed by Carlos Bernard
4×14: (title tba)
(tba)
4×15: Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness (tbd)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
4×16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (tbd)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
4×17: (title tba)
Presumably directed by David Straiton
4×18: (title tba)
Directed by Yangzom Brauen, presumed guest appearance by Jorge Garcia

A little recap since my last blog post: Filming for Episode 4×16 (Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO) started around January 24. The episode was written by Jim Adler and directed by Ericson Core. The cast set up at Fulton County Airport, at East Point Wagon Works, at the Arcade and in Downtown Atlanta.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Lavonda Till)

The most interesting part was Lucas’ dad filming his guest appearance. Apparently, he’s part of the scene with MacGyver waiting in uniform to attend the arrival of a casket in an airport hangar (as seen on photos uploaded by Lucas’ stepmom Lavonda Till). Although it’s all pretend, Papa Till sure looks proud of Lucas in uniform.

Working on Episode 4×17
Despite Season Premiere Day, cast and crew worked until late that evening. The second/stunt team worked on stunts on Saturday despite rather heavy snowfall, although the scene was supposed to be set in San Diego.

On February 12, they filmed both inside and outside, but we didn’t get to see much BtS material. Aly Michalka (Frankie) uploaded a photo of herself in a lab coat as an Instagram Short Story. Considering there’s another BtS Insta Story of the same day of a bloody handprint on a glass door and casting calls for a CSI Forensics Team, we can only hope Frankie didn’t have to fake her death again.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Cornell Willis)

They next day, they had more snakes on set; this time in a laboratory setting instead of a pet store a few weeks ago. Cornell Willis took the chance to face his fears by getting up and close with a snake. They also had some fake snakes there; so it’s possible that some of the animals will “escape” on screen.

Working on Episode 4×18 and beyond
Production for Episode 4×18 started around February 13. Work continued outside on Valentine’s Day; at least with nice and sunny weather for once. The cast continued to upload photos and stories to remind us of the premiere for Episode 4×02. Meredith Eaton uploaded a nice photo with Henry Ian Cusick while Lucas Till showed us how difficult it is to concentrate on set when the stunt team makes so much noise during their fight scenes. He also revealed that he finally got to ride the “ride in the belly of the airport beast”. Could this be a nod to another OG episode?

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Meredith Eaton)

Cast and crew got to enjoy a long weekend due to a public holiday. Filming continued on Tuesday, February 18 with a familiar face in the War Room: Jorge Garcia (from Hawaii Five-0) will resume his role as Jerry Ortega; guest-starring in an upcoming episode (either 4×18 or 4×19; depending if they’re still filming in order).

The next day, production moved to the Georgian Terrace Hotel. Justin Hires and the rest of the cast got to dress up again. We didn’t get to see much BtS material in the last few days, but they sure wear a lot of sharp suits this season!

Cast and Character News
Yesterday, we got some big casting news: There’s another recurring character showing up this season! As revealed by TV Insider, Jery Ryan has been cast as Gwendolyn Hayes – who is related to MacGyver!

Gwendolyn Hayes is Mac’s aunt, his beloved mother’s sister, and an ex-DXS agent who was presumed dead. Mac never knew she existed but Gwen was always keeping track of her nephew’s life in the shadows. She is now the presumed head of Codex, the organization that the Phoenix has been hunting this season.

(Peter Lenkov for TV Insider)

Talk about creepy stalkers *ahem*. The article says that the character will first appear in the March 27 episode. There’s no episode listed for March 27, though (due to March Madness). But she will probably appear in Episode 4×08; at the moment set for April 10.

In other news, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Photographers and a Forensic Team, for Men in Suits, for Background Actors with Cars, for two Armed Cauciasian Men, for Upscale Restaurant Patrons, for a Hostess and a Server, for a male Chef, for Pregnant Caucasian Women who appear 6 months or more pregnant and for Doctors, Nurses and Orderlies.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Jorge Garcia)

They’ve also been looking for more Nurses , even more Nurses, Orderlies and Patients and for a Stand-In for Danny Le Boyer. As mentioned above, Jorge Garcia will have a guest appearance (presumably in Episode 4×18).

Best of TV Awards: Round 1 Results
The Reboot is still competing in the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs – and already won in ALL the categories in Round 1! Well done, fans! Here are the results:

Best Action or Drama Program (Rank 1)
Best Action or Drama Actor/Actress: Lucas Till/Tristin Mays (Rank 1), Justin Hires/Meredith Eaton (Rank 2)
Best Recurring Actor/Actress: Tate Donovan/Reign Edwards (Rank 1), George Eads (Rank 2)
Best Guest Actor/Actress: David Dastmalchian (Rank 1), Michael Des Barres (Rank 2)
Favorite TV Program (Rank 1)
Best Director: Brad Turner for Episode 3×13 (Rank 1)
Best Episode: 3×13 (Rank 1), 3×22 (Rank 2), 3×11 (Rank 4)
Favorite Character: Mac (Rank 1), Jack (Rank 2), Riley (Rank 3), Bozer (Rank 4)
Best Writing (Rank 1)
Best Stunts (Rank 1)
Best Non-Human Character or Prop (Sparky; Rank 1)
Best Couple (Bozer + Leanna; Rank 1)

Voting for Round 2 has already started a few weeks ago. You can find the voting page here. Remember: This time, you can only vote once for a category, but sometimes you have multiple selections to choose from.

Episode 4×02: *Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed* (via What 2 Vue)

These are the MacGyver-related categories to keep an eye on in Round 2:

Best Director (Brad Turner for 3×13)
Best Episode (3×13, 3×22 and 3×11)
Best Writing
Best Stunts
Favorite Character (Mac, Jack, Riley, Bozer; closed)
Best Non-Human Character or Prop (Sparky; closed)
Best Couple (Bozer + Leanna; closed)

MacGyver Reboot Update #102

7. February 2020 Andrea Interviews, MacGyver Reboot Updates, Photoshoots, Season 4, The Awards, The Promo, Upfronts 4x01: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix, 4x02: Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed, 4x16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO, Corus Upfront, Henry Ian Cusick, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Season 4

We finally reached the most important Friday this year so far – the Season 4 Premiere is tonight! While filming continues, we’re spoiled with new promo material every day now.

Promo photo for Season 4 (Mark Hill/CBS, via Tristin Mays)

(Big Spoiler Alert: You WILL get heavily spoilered about characters and storylines in Season 4 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

Season 4 Storylines and Promo News
Season 4 premieres tonight! We got some more exciting promo material since my last blog post:

New/Old Interviews: We got a few not-so-new, but still interesting interviews to read and watch; done with Lucas Till at the Corus Upfront in Toronto back in June 2019. On January 31, Rudy Blair uploaded his interview. ET Canada posted their video interview on Wednesday. Yesterday, Global News posted the video of Lucas appearing on The Morning Show.

Since the Corus Upfronts Interviews were recorded about half a year ago and before filming for Season 4 had even started, Lucas couldn’t reveal much about the storyline this season. He probably hadn’t even gotten a script of the new episodes to read yet.

BtS photo of Episode 4×01: *Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix* (via Meredith Eaton)

He did talk a bit about the stunt work and about filming his movie “Son of the South” during the Morning Show interview.

New Interviews: We got a lot more of new interviews than I ever expected and hoped for; considering the show got pushed to midseason. Fun times! On February 4, Matt Carter posted a new interview with Lucas taken just a few days ago. A day later, TV Line posted their interview with Henry Ian Cusick. Additionally, ET Online posted a new interview with Lucas, alongside an exclusive clip of the opening scene. The local CBS stations also had an interview up with Lucas on the same day. Ian had also done an interview with Melissa Byers that was posted on the Emmys website. Today, Parade Magazine released their interview with Lucas who spilled quite a bit about the first episode (more on that further down).

Being already in the middle of filming the season, Lucas talked with Matt Carter about working with Henry Ian Cusick and the character of Russ Taylor, about the different energy in the new season and about the possibility of him directing an episode.

Promo photo for Season 4 (Mark Hill/CBS, screenshot via Tumblr)

As Lucas told ET Online, the new season is a bit different and slightly darker, and looks and feels more mature. Also, he revealed to CBS that Executive Producer Peter Lenkov had initially been a bit concerned about making too many changes; fearing it could alienate the audience.

You see Mac grow up in his way of thinking. ‘You can’t save everybody,’ is what part of the season turns into and it’s not just black and white. There’s not just good and bad, and that’s what the season becomes in the first 13.

(Lucas Till for ET Online)

Despite the darker tone, Lucas said in the interview for CBS that there’a still a lot of fun in the episodes. Ian told TV Line he’s never had more fun in a TV role before; being able to be “bigger”, joking around and even improvising his lines every now and then. But he also revealed to Melissa Byers the had been very nervous coming on set; being the “new guy” after the others had already worked with each other for months and even years.

Portraits and Group Photos: Last Friday, the new potraits and group photos shot by Still Photographer Mark Hill popped up online.

They had never done new photos after the promo material for the pilot episode with Lucas Till and George Eads. Heck, there isn’t even an official promo team photo for the first three seasons. As you can imagine, the fans were over the moon; re-posting and -tweeting the new photos on social media like crazy. The portraits are being used on the bio page for CBS Press Express and are available on Getty Images; along with one of the team photos.

Promo photo for Season 4 (Mark Hill/CBS)

On February 3, Justin Hires uploaded a short video (taken by Tristin Mays) of him posing for his portraits. Interestingly, he has one additional portrait while the others only got two single portraits each.

Episode Titles Galore: On February 3, CBS released the titles for the initially ordered 13 episodes.

Well, the majority of the titles since the equations weren’t fully revealed. We can assume that most titles will have plus signs only – but for now, I’ll put in question marks as placeholders.

Extended Trailer and Sneak Peeks: On February 4, we got a new, extended preview. Just a day later, ET Online presented an exclusive video clip of the Opening Scene, alongside a short interview with Lucas.

Like the first preview, the extended preview features scenes from the first four episodes. We get to see more scenes of MacGyver teaching and Riley in her non-Phoenix workplace.

Episode 4×01: *Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix* (Mark Hill/CBS via Getty Images)

In the Opening Scene, we see MacGyver wave his way through traffic at speed, running along campus – only to finally arrive in his own classroom and the chemistry lesson he was apparently late to.

New Opening Title Sequence: On February 5, CBS presented us the Opening Title Sequence for Season 4.

The music is still the same length, though they dropped the beginning that was reminiscent to the Original Show. Also, the new logo is red with a different font. The cast order is Lucas Till, Tristin Mays, Justin Hires, Meredith Eaton, Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick.

Spoiler Alert and BtS Previews: On February 6, CBS released a short, spoiler-filled video with the cast. Later, CBS uploaded a BtS Preview Video. Last Week, Astrid Martinez from TV News Channel CBS46 had visited the cast on set. Yesterday, they aired the short segment on TV. Today, CBS uploaded another video from set, this time with the cast talking about their best life hacks.

Of course, the spoilers are all censored (aka bleeped out). Though from what I was able to understand, someone gets married and a lot of people will die. Sadly, all the clips on the official YouTube-account are restricted to US-viewers only. If perusing the MacGyverCBS-account from Europe, the videos are not listed. Also, the set visit was really short. I hope we get to see more photos and interview segments; maybe shortly before the episode airs.

Screenshot of the Season 4 Opening Title Sequence

What you need to know about Episode 4×01
The episode airing tonight is titled “Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix”. It was written by (former) Co-Showrunner Terry Matalas and directed by David Straiton.

MacGyver Reboot Update #101

31. January 20202. February 2020 Andrea MacGyver Reboot Updates, Photoshoots, Season 4, The Awards, The Promo 4x01: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix, 4x15: Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness, 4x16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Season 4, storyline predictions

One week left until the Premiere of Season 4! While filming continues, new promo material is coming almost daily now. There’s a lot of grounds to cover in this post, so prepare for the longest Reboot Update Post since I started blogging.

Episode 4×01: *Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix* (via CBS)

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You might get spoilered about characters and storylines in Season 4 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

Season 4 Storyline and other Promo News
We’re getting close: Season 4 will premiere next Friday! We already got a lot of exciting promo material in the last few weeks. Here’s the overview in case you missed anything:

Mysterious Logo: On January 7, CBS released a red logo with black writing and no further explanation.

Fans guessed it being a logo for either the “new” Phoenix Foundation or rather the bad guy organization as the story-arc for the first half of the season (more on that further down).

Teaser Trailer and Storyline News: On January 10, we got a Season 4 preview in form of a 30-seconds-trailer; containing scenes from the first three or four episodes.

According to TV Line, Season 4 will pick up 18 months after the Phoenix Foundation was disbanded and the team members were stripped of their high-level clearances.

Our favorite characters team up again, though when Russ Taylor (Henry Ian Cusick) asks them for help stopping an imminent attack.

Press Release and Stills for 4×01: On January 17, we got a Press Release with the synopsis and a First Still for the Season Premiere Episode via SpoilerTV.

CBS later uploaded 25 more Stills onto their press site. Not all of them are available yet, but a first set of 8 watermarked Stills (shot by Set Photographer Mark Hill) are available on Getty Images. One of the photos was used for promo by CBS and TV Guide Magazine. It’s possible that more outlets will have some of the photos as an exclusive next week. Some untagged Stills are up on sites like ShowbizJunkies or TVSeriesFinale already, but in a rather low quality.

Episode 4×01: *Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix* (via ShowbizJunkies)

Let’s hope we get some in better quality before the episode airs.

First Look Video and second Sneak Peek: On January 22, we got the first preview clip via TV Insider. On January 27, we got another Sneak Peek clip.

The First Look Video is the first meeting between MacGyver and Russ Taylor on campus where Mac works; with Russ trying to recruit MacGyver for a new mission and Mac not wanting to do anything with it. In the Sneak Peek, we get to see the “rebooted” Team Phoenix onto their first mission.

Press Release and Stills for 4×02: On January 23, we got a Press Release and the First Still for Episode 4×02 via SpoilerTV.

CBS later uploaded 15 Stills in total onto their press site. At the moment, 14 of them are available on Getty Images (watermarked, of course). Weirdly, the cast list for 4×02 is the exact same as for 4×01, so there might have been a mix-up with the episode order being different from the production order.

BtS Interview on set: On January 27, Astrid Martinez from TV News Channel CBS46 visited the cast on set.

So far, we haven’t seen much material yet besides a BtS photo and a few Instagram Stories.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Astrid Martinez)

I’m assuming they will air it either today or on the day of the Premiere.

Interview with Lucas Till in “Pick of the Week“: TV Guide Magazine chose the Reboot Season Premiere as their pick of the week; adding a short interview along with one of the new promo photos.

In the interview, Lucas reveals that MacGyver is working as a college chemistry professor and pretty miserable; the ex-Phoenix members having fallen out of touch with each other while working “normal” day jobs. Also, the new enemy of the season is a collective called “The Codex”; so we can assume the red logo with black writing is theirs. Furthermore, Russ will buy up the Phoenix. (Considering the amount of them filming in the War Room back in Summer, them being disbanded wouldn’t have been a longterm-state anyway.)

Press Release and Stills for 4×03: On January 30, we got the Press Release and a First Official Stills for Episode 4×03 via SpoilerTV.

For now, no additional Stills have popped up.

ICYMI: Production Design Company Keith Neely had uploaded several Season 4 photos onto their website about a month ago. The set photos disappeared very soon – only for a few to pop up again recently; featured on the landing page. At the moment, they’ve disappeared again, so stay tuned.

Season 4 Episode Overview
It’s easy to lose track about the production process and what’s been going on since filming started back in July last year. Here’s a short recap about the episodes we can look forward to. The infos were either provided by CBS, by people working on the show or taken from IMDb (cast and crew info), from SpoilerTV or similar sites (episode titles and storyline info) and from The Futon Critic (airdates).

As you can see, there will be a 3-week-break for March Madness like every year. But as always: Episode titles and airdates are not definite until an official Press Release by CBS. And even then, changes are still a possibility.

4×01: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix (February 7)
Written by Terry Matalas, directed by David Straiton
4×02: Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed (February 14)
(Presumably) Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Alexandra La Roche
4×03: Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck (February 21)
Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Lily Mariye
4×04: Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin (February 28)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson
4×05: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan (March 6)
Directed by Duane Clark
4×06: (title tba) (March 13)
Directed by Roderick Davis
4×07: Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey (April 10)
Guest appearances by Tate Donovan (as James MacGyver) and Peter Weller (as Mason)
4×08: (title tba)
Presumably directed by David Straiton
4×09: (title tba)
Written by Brandon Botta and Casey Tollett Botta, directed by Mike Martinez
4×10: (title tba)
Directed by Yangzom Brauen
4×11: (title tba)
(tba)
4×12: (title tba)
Presumed guest appearance by Rob Giumarra
4×13: Save + The + Dam + World (tbd)
Directed by Carlos Bernard
4×14: (title tba)
(tba)
4×15: Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness (tbd)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
4×16: Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (tbd)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core

A little recap: Filming for Episode 4×14 had started on Monday, January 6. The cast filmed scenes in the War Room, in and around the Governor’s Mansion and did a little photoshoot in between scenes.

Working on Episode 4×15
Filming for Episode 4×15 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness) started around January 16. The episode is directed by Avi Youabian (who also directed Episode 3×14). Justin Hires posted several Instagram Short Stories while filming in the War Room and waiting in between scenes. According to the Stand-Ins and the crew, they also filmed some elevator scenes.

On January 21, they filmed inside the Equitable Building and at the Candler Hotel. Henry Ian Cusick shared a new BtS photo of him with Lucas Till, Tristin Mays and Jessie T Usher; all dressed up. Short Stories from set showed Levy Tran wearing a suit and having fun between scenes with her co-stars; pushing a wheelchair (occupied with Tristin Mays) around.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Henry Ian Cusick)

Guest Star Jean Brassard uploaded several BtS photos onto Instagram during the next few days; for example a nice photo of him with Levy and Tristin; revealing that Riley most likely will get hurt (if the fake blood on her shirt is any indication). He also uploaded photos with Lucas Till, with director Avi Youabian, with Jessie T Usher (who guest-stars as “Vincent”), with the “bad guys” and with Ian Henry Cusick. Lucas provided a new BtS photo of him with Ian and Jessie by January 29.

They had another night shoot on January 23; filming in and outside of the Candler hotel. According to Insta Stories, there was a hint there might be a car getting shot at (unless the crew just took the opportunity to whack a hammer repeatedly onto the car after it already got dozens of bullet holes). A day later, Showrunner Peter Lenkov uploaded an Instagram Story during editing; showing Desi helping a bleeding Riley getting out of the bullet-holes-riddled car and into to the hotel. Director Avi Youabian uploaded a few photos as well; plus a video of the Stand-Ins sitting inside the black Maserati and joking about crashing it.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Jean Brassard)

Even another night shoot couldn’t keep the cast in joining Cornell Willis for Tie Friday; filming the last scenes of the episode. A few days later, Avi Youabian added more photos; e.g. with Meredith Eaton.

On January 27, they set up a “sandy beach” location in front of a big green screen alongside 3 walls. If I didn’t know it better, I’d thought they were filming a crossover with either Magnum or Hawaii Five-0. The same morning, Astrid Martinez from TV News Channel CBS46 visited the cast on set.

Working on Episode 4×16 and beyond
On January 24, Guest Star Annabelle Acosta had revealed the script title page of Episode 4×16: It’s called “Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO” and was written by Jim Adler. Of course, the title had many fans being excited; speculating if “Jack” means the character Jack Dalton or simply a car jack. As it is, it might be Jack’s GTO that will be used for a MacGyverism.

Script Title Page of Episode 4×16: *Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO* (via Anabelle Acosta)

The episode is directed by Ericson Core (who already directed Episodes 2×02 and 2×22). Filming started with the second/stunt team doing some ropewire work. The scene looks like 5 villains roping down from a roof; executing a heist job.

On January 28, filming started early at Fulton County Airport; with military jeeps in the hangar and helicopters flying. We also got a photo of Lucas Till looking dapper in MacGyver’s military dress uniform; and a lot of Extras in uniforms, too. The scene had fans speculating if Mac is attending a funeral (considering Justin Hires was wearing a suit on set as well) or if it’s rather a celebratory instead of a sad event. The next day, filming continued in the War Room. Meredith Eaton – who had been rather quiet on social media for a while – provided a new photo of Matty and MacGyver trying to solve a puzzle.

Yesterday, they went back to Game-X where they usually filme the Arcade scenes. They also destroyed wine bottles after setting up in a different location; dropping single bottles and throwing crates onto the ground.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Avi Youabian)

Today, Lucas’ friend/roommate Mike Milligan was back on set; presumably at East Point Wagon Works. For Tie Friday, Cornell Willis showed up wearing one with a print of the periodic table of elements. Looking good!

Crew, Cast and Character News
Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Caucasian Security Guards, for Zurich Street Pedestrians, for an African American Tech, for Featured Caucasian Friends of an Actor, for Pizza Restaurant Patrons, for Gunmen, for a Cauciasian Featured Businessman and for Caucasian Military Men. They’ve also been looking for Techs and Agents plus for a Stand-In for Bojana Novakovic.

ICYMI: Executive Producer Terry Matalas got assigned as showrunner for Season 2 of “Star Trek: Picard” (on CBS All Access) and has already been pulled off the Reboot. We haven’t officially heard about the show getting a new co-showrunner, but on both the script title pages for Episodes 4×15 and 4×16, there’s a new name on the producers list.

Episode 4×02: *Red Cell + Quantum + Cold + Committed* (via SpoilerTV)

Season 4 Predictions: Overview
The show being pushed to midseason, the personnel changes plus the late back-order for more episodes might have several consequences. I wrote about these consequences extensively in my last blog post. If you missed and/or want to re-read it, you can find it here. If you have more important things to do, here’s a short overview with my three main expectations for Season 4:

Two Half-Seasons: Since the story-arc was initially written for 13 episodes with EP Terry Matalas as the co-showrunner, I expect the season to be cut into two or even three main storylines. It’s also possible for the two “halves” to have a different tone (and quality) to it; rather feeling like two different seasons.
No Holiday-Related Episodes: Being pushed to midseason, any premiere date between January and April was a possibility. There probably won’t be any holiday-related episodes.
Changes in Cast and Characters: Some recurring guest stars might not be available for the production of the rest of the episodes – or their characters may have already been written out in the first half of the season. There’s also the possibility of bringing back a guest star despite the storyline for this character being “finished” in an earlier episode. Secondly, there’s a new regular character in town. Additionally, because Episode 4×01 starts with a time jump of 18 months since the events of the Season 3 Finale, there might be some heavy changes in the history of the characters and the relationships between them.

If you think about Season 1, we already experienced what two half-seasons mean. Back in 2016, the two main writers on the show got pulled off for another project after 8 episodes. Additionally, the midseason finale brought on a heavy change in Patricia Thornton – one of the rebooted characters from the Original – being replaced by Matty Webber (who bears the name of an OG character as an Easter Egg, but no resemblance to her OG character). Also, while it’s a pity to not get a Halloween- or Christmas-related episode, it won’t impact the storylines too much. The Time Jump though, that one might lead to some changes with a big impact on the entire season.

About that Time Jump
Time Jumps are not a new thing in TV-Show-Land. But the decision to have 4×01 starting with such a long one means that the writers and producers practically got a “blank slate” to change and shape the show into whatever they felt like; the only limitations being the budget (e.g., they couldn’t re-locate Phoenix to Hawaii or into space) and keeping the premise of a crime-show (e.g. they couldn’t have MacGyver working and living in an elephant sanctuary in Botswana for six episodes).

Otherwise, they were able to change the history of the characters and the relationships between them however they please. They can just tell us it happened off-screen and we have to accept it. We might get so see glimpses of it in flashbacks, but probably without ever getting the full story (Cairo, anyone?).

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Delaney Williams)

The first example I already touched upon is MacGyver’s romantic life. The last few episodes of Season 3 hinted at a beginning romance between Mac and Desi. There’s several possibilities:

a) Mac and Desi are in an already established relationship; maybe even living together.
b) Mac and Desi had a few dates, but it never led to anything more.
c) Mac and Desi dated for a while, then broke it off.
d) The audience doesn’t get to know about the status of their relationship until a few episodes into the season.

I wrote this section several days before the second Sneak Peek clip that hints at Mac and Desi having been dating and breaking it up again off-screen – and Desi still feeling a bit resentful over it. Of course, clips and photos can be deceiving. But whatever they chose to do in the end, it’s an easy (and lazy) way to skip over the usual building of romance and trust between two characters. They also don’t need to explain how they broke it off; leaving a backdoor open to reveal the reason in another episode when it suits them; e.g. to add tension and/or to provide the opening of a new storyline or the introduction of a new character. It also leaves the possibility of the two getting together again, without having to actually show the two falling in love anew. The rekindling of their relationship can just happen in the spur of a moment (e.g. a mission going wrong and them being stuck together in a hopeless situation; finally talking it out)

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Kelita Miller)

It is rather interesting that almost all of the regular/recurring characters ended the season with “broken” relationships: Mac/James (fight), Mac/Jack (Jack left for a mission with no end date), Riley/Billy (broken), Bozer/Leanna (unclear), Matty/Ethan (broken) and Murdoc/Amber (broken). The possibilities for these relationships and how they are going to play out are endless and might have been influenced by the availability of the recurring guest-stars.

For example, Riley and Billy could easily get back together if it turns out that Billy “sexting” another woman was just a misunderstanding and not an indication of him cheating (e.g. cover identity for a mission or his brother Frank using the phone). The same way, we might get to see all of the above characters dating someone new at the start of the season. Anything is possible, so it will be interesting to see what the writers did with it.

Teen Choice Awards Surfboard (via Peter Lenkov)

Best of TV Awards: Round 1
The Reboot is competing in the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. Reminder: In Round 1, you can vote as many times as you want. Also, you can add a new entry nominee into the “other” box at the bottom of the category. Two categories are still open, so don’t forget to vote since Round 1 is probably done soon!

These are the categories to keep an eye on in Round 1:

Best Action or Drama Actor/Actress (Lucas Till, Justin Hires, Tristin Mays, Meredith Eaton)
Best Recurring Actor/Actress (George Eads, Tate Donovan, Reign Edwards; closed)
Favorite Show (closed)
Best Guest Actor/Actress (David Dastmalchian, Michael Des Barres; closed)
Best Director (Brad Turner for Episode 3×13, closed)
Best Episode (Episodes 3×11, 3×13, 3×22; closed)
Favorite Character (Mac, Jack, Riley, Bozer; closed)
Best Writing (closed)
Best Stunts (closed)
Best Non-Human Character or Prop (Sparky; closed)
Best Couple (Bozer + Leanna; closed)

In other news, the surfboard (the winning prize at the Teen Choice Awards in the category “Choice Action TV Show”) finally arrived at the Paramount Studio Lot. Considering that the Award show had taken place last August, hat sure took a while to be delivered.

Season 3 DVD and other merchandise
The Season 3 DVD was released on January 14. Sadly, the US version doesn’t contain any Extras or special features. If you haven’t done so, you can order it via Amazon US at a great price (it’s still on sale with 50% off).

The CBS swag store for MacGyver still isn’t open yet (the page exists, but the store is empty).

MacGyver Reboot Update #89

16. August 201916. August 2019 Andrea MacGyver in Germany, MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 4, The Awards, The DVD 4x02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix, Henry Ian Cusick, Justin Hires, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, midseason, Season 4, Teen Choice Awards, Tristin Mays

Filming for Season 4 continues. In other news, MacGyver just won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Action TV Show!

BtS photo of Episode 4×04 (via Tristin Mays)

Season 4 Overview
Before we delve further into the shooting days during the last two weeks, here’s an overview of the upcoming episodes so far:

4×01: (title tba)
Directed by Alexandra La Roche
Confirmed Guest Appearances by Camille Mana (as Hannah), Braxton Alexander (as General Acosta’s Grandson) and by Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Major Frost).
Potential Guest Appearance by Jean Elie.
4×02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix
Written by Terry Matalas
Directed by David Straiton
Potential Guest Appearances by Travis Scott McMillan and Todd Stashwick.
Confirmed Guest Appearance by Michael Wayne Foster (as The Russian Bear).
4×03: (title tba)
Directed by Lily Mariye
Confirmed Guest Appearences by Christopher Convery, Joe Williamson and Colbert Minga (as Otto).
4×04: (title tba)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson

Filming for Episode 4×02 (titled Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix) had started around July 19. Cast and crew filmed scenes at Emory University, in Mac’s house dressed as mission headquarters, in a mansion with a lot of bad guys selling guns and around the sewers.

BtS photo of Episode 4×03 (via Justin Hires)

Working on Episode 4×03
Filming for Episode 4×03 started around July 31. The cast filmed most of the episode at Fulton County Airport, using a Cessna plus blue and green screens for inside scenes. Judging by Instagram videos of the Stand-Ins, it will be at least Mac and Desi plus a female guest-star in the cabin.

Overall, it was rather quiet for several days. On August 6, Lucas Till uploaded photos of his special guest Alexis and her family; enjoying a set visit arranged by Make-A-Wish-America. Alexis got to see the Phoenix jet, the War Room and Mac’s house – and was even allowed to try on the famous leather jacket.

BtS photo of Episode 4×03 (via Tailormade Grip)

Judging by a photo uploaded by Justin Hires, it looks like Bozer will save the day, once more getting hurt while trying to be a hero. In Instagram Short Stories, Justin Hires was spotted wearing a bandage on his arm. Behind him, you could catch a glance at guest-stars Christopher Convery and Joe Williamson (in a hospital bed). Williamson later uploaded a photo of him with Christopher; revealing that they play father and son in the episode.

Working on Episode 4×04 and beyond
On August 8, Lucas Till uploaded a photo of him in a Sea Scout Master uniform, hinting that filming for Episode 4×04 has started.

BtS photo of Episode 4×04 (via Lucas Till)

The next day, Tristin Mays posted a photo of her and Lucas in costume, standing in front of a lake on Stone Mountain. The photo was re-posted by Lucas and by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov as well, stating that this “might just be my favorite picture ever”.

Later, Lucas uploaded a photo of him holding up the pre-birthday cake he got by the production. Several of the cast and crew posted photos and videos of the Stone Mountain Monument and/or posted birthday wishes; some even wearing a dedicated t-shirt.

As Christopher Jon Duddy revealed, the episode is directed by Eagle Egilsson (who has previously directed Episodes 1×14, 2×16, 3×05 and 3×20).

BtS photo of Episode 4×04 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

Production moved to film in an underground stage set that looks like a destroyed building – and a leftover bomb from World War 2 strapped to a gurney. There’s also some fire involved, which doesn’t help since HOTlanta is in full swing at the moment; reaching temperatures of 40°C. Since casting calls and a BtS photo by Peter Lenkov already indicated that the episode is set in Germany, Team Phoenix might indeed be tasked with disarming a bomb found during reconstruction. (There are still bombs that never detonated being found buried in German cities or at the bottom of lakes every year.)

On August 14, Tristin Mays uploaded a funny video of her and Lucas doing a lightsaber fight. They filmed scenes in Downtown Atlanta involving at least one “German” fire truck. Despite the heat, the cast continued posting funny videos; e.g. Lucas trying to create an instant strobe light effect with a flashlight.

BtS photo of Episode 4×04 (via Peter Lenkov)

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain was on a roll; adding several blog posts for the MacHacks. This time, he wrote notes for Episode 2×17 (Bear Trap + Mob Boss), for Episode 2×18 (Riley + Airplane), for Episode 2×19 (Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle), for Episode 2×20 (Skyscraper – Power), for Episode 2×21 (Wind + Water) and for Episode 2×22 (UFO + Area51).

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
The cast lists on IMDb for the single episodes are still rather empty. Interestingly, Tate Donovan (who plays James MacGyver) hasn’t been back on set so far.

In the last two weeks, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Hospital Background Actors, for Thrift Store Patrons, for a Male Orderly, for Caucasian or Asian Tourists, for Search and Rescue people, for German First Responders, for German Background people and for a female Fit Model. They also had Casting Calls for Agents, for Lab Techs, for Photo Doubles (e.g. for a Make-Up Test) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Alonzo Ward or for Hauke Bahr).

MacGyver in Germany
German channel Sat.1 airs two episodes every Tuesday during primetime. Although they don’t do any promo on social media, the show is picking up steam every week.

Episode 3×05 (Dia de Muertos + Sicarios + Family) on August 6 had an audience of 1.51 million live-viewers with a demo of 8.3 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. Episode 3×06 (Murdoc + MacGyver + Murdoc) aired before the Series Finale of Lethal Weapon and managed 1.57 million live-viewers and a demo of 7.9.

Episode 3×07 (Scavengers + Hard Drive + Dragonfly) on August 13 had 1.48 million live-viewers with a demo of 8.6 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. An hour later, Episode 3×08 (Revenge + Catacombs + Le Fantome) got 1.59 million live-viewers and a demo of 8.8, reaching the highest audience number and second-highest demo this season. The episode was followed by an hour of Celebrity Big Brother, then a rerun of Episodes 1×16 (Hook) and 1×11 (Scissors).

The upcoming German Episode Titles:

3×09: Probe 234 (literal translation: Specimen 234; original title: Specimen 234 + PAPR+ Outbreak)
3×10: Ein neues Leben (A New Life; Matty + Ethan + Fidelity)
3×11: Einer lebt, einer stirbt (One Lives, One Dies; Mac + Fallout + Jack)
3×12: Die Meisterdiebin (The Master Thief; Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241)
3×13: Überleben in der Wildnis (Surviving in the Wilderness; Wilderness + Training + Survival)
3×14: Die Hochzeitsfeier (The Wedding Party, Father + Bride + Betrayal)
3×15: Cody gegen die Schmuggler (Cody against the Smugglers, K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit)

Teen Choice Awards and other MacGyver Promo
The Reboot was nominated twice for the Teen Choice Awards (in the categories Choice Action TV Show and Choice Action TV Actor). On August 11, it won in the category Teen Choice Action TV Show; surpassing the four other shows nominated in the same category.

BtS photo of Episode 4×02 (via Justin Hires)

Sadly, FOX only aired 2 hours of the event; foregoing this category along with many others while focusing on the music categories. Years ago, the rules stated that a nominee doesn’t win if they don’t attend the event and that they won’t receive one of these famous surfboard trophies if the prize isn’t handed over in person and/or when the category isn’t aired live. Since it had been FOX’ decision to not air the announcement of the winner for this category on the show and therefore also didn’t invite any of the cast, I don’t know if the show get’s a surfboard or not. No matter what, it was a missed opportunity for promotion.

Nominations for the People’s Choice Awards are ending today. Let’s hope we get another chance at winning an award. The official voting window will open on September 4.

The Season 2 DVD was released in German-speaking regions yesterday. There’s still no news about the release of the Season 3 DVD in the US, but there’s the release of “The Official MacGyver Survival Manual: 155 Ways to Save the Day” on September 17 at least.

MacGyver Reboot Update #79

29. March 2019 Andrea MacGyver in France, MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 3, The Awards, The Promo 3x17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather, 3x18: Murdoc + Helman + HIT, 3x19: Friends + Enemies + Border, Best of TV Awards, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Paley Fest LA

No new episodes until April 5 because of March Madness. At least we had some promo goodies to enjoy while waiting. The main cast wrapped Season 3 on March 21.

Lucas Till, Alex O’Loughlin and Jay Hernandez at PaleyFest LA (via Getty Images)

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

About Episode 3×17
To recap: In some sort of last-minute-rescheduling, CBS had opted to pre-empt Episode 3×17 for an interview with R. Kelly instead; making the fans wait for another week. Sadly, there weren’t any Sneak Peeks for this episode to make up for all the disappointment, but cast, crew and guest stars promoted the episode to their followers on social media.

Let’s take a look at the ratings. To recap: Episode 3×16 back in February had reached 6.574 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.8. The Rerun for Episode 3×06 on March 1st got 4.387 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.4.

Episode 3×17: *Seeds + Permafrost + Feather* (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

In some regions, the Friday-Lineup on March 15 was pre-empted for basketball. All the CBS shows suffered quite a bit and the MacGyver Reboot got the lowest ratings of this season so far: Episode 3×17 had 5.623 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.6. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.655 million viewers (+29%), reaching a total of 7.295 million viewers with a demo of 0.98 (+54%).

On March 18, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks in this episode.

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.252 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.72. Compared to the 23 scripted shows on CBS, the Reboot is still at rank 21 in demo and at rank 13 in audience. That’s not all that great, but it could be worse. Comparing to last season, Season 3 lost about 13% in demo and about 0.61 million viewers or roughly 9% in live audience numbers.

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows; especially at the two other shows on the bubble that haven’t been renewed yet. Magnum PI is at 6.016 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.90 demo-rating at the moment. There is only one episode left to air; since the show is concluding the first season with Episode 1×20 on April 1st. They are already confirmed for a 2nd season and don’t have to worry about the finale rating so much.

SEAL Team is at 5.393 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.82 on average. Compared to last year, they lost about 19% in both demo ratings and audience numbers. These losses might grow since SEAL Team airs in a new timeslot after a 4-weeks-hiatus; ending the season on May 22.

Episode 3×18: *Murdoc + Helman + Hit* (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

SWAT is at 5.373 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.79, ending the season on May 16. It lost about 16% in demo ratings and 9% in audience numbers compared to last year.

There hasn’t been any official news yet about MacGyver, SEAL Team or SWAT being renewed, although most prediction sites are still confident about MacGyver getting another season. The three shows are probably in the same budget range (with SEAL Team being the most expensive) and both SEAL and SWAT have some well-beloved and long-term TV stars as main leads, but it’s possible that CBS might axe one of them. Since MacGyver only needs aone more season for syndication, it’s probably safe for now. The same goes for Bull, but the show lost roughly 35% in both demo and audience and got some very bad press this year, so MacGyver seems the safer option to renew.

All you need to know about Episode 3×18
Episode 3×18 is titled “Murdoc + Helman + Hit”, written by MacGyver creator Lee David Zlotoff and directed by Roderick Davis. There are guest appearances by Michael Des Barres and David Dastmalchian.

The first Official Still had been released on February 28 with 18 more Stills added on March 6. Sadly, none of them featured MDB. Here’s the synopsis:

When Nicholas Helman (Michael Des Barres) resurfaces to carry out a killing spree, the Phoenix is forced to get help from the one person who knows him best… his protégé, Murdoc.

Channel CBS46 had been on set for that episode; doing on-set interviews with the cast. Hopefully, they will release more material for the occasion.

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×19 to 3×22
The break for March Madness basketball is almost over. Due to the “I love Lucy” special airing on April 19, the Season 3 Finale of MacGyver will air on May 10.

Episode 3×19: *Friends + Enemies + Border* (Official Still via CBS)

Let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for the remaining episodes for this season:

3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 12)
Written by Justin Lisson, directed by Andi Armaganian. Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh. CBS revealed the synopsis and a first Official Still on March 22. They released 7 more Stills on March 28.
3×20: No Go + High Voltage + Rescue (April 26)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer.
3×21: tba (May 3)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Maja Vrvilo. Guest appearance by Emerson Brooks.
3×22: Treason + Heartbreak + Gum (May 10)
Written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen, directed by Stephen Herek. Guest appearances by Lance Gross and Brendan Hines.

Working on the Season Finale
On March 14, cast and crew continued filming action scenes in an underground parking garage. Both Sheryl Lee Ralph aka Mama Colton and Lance Gross as Billy Colton filmed scenes on a different location.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sarah Downer)

On March 18. they started with the last week of filming. Some crew members wrapped earlier than others, and some posted photos with thank you‘s during the last few days. Costume Designer Sarah Downer posted nice photos of her with Lucas Till and with Meredith Eaton.

They shot scenes in the War Room and at MacGyver’s house, but also more action scenes involving guns, fight clubs and car chases and both Justin Hires and Levy Tran getting banged up a bit in the process.

They kept filming until late at night on March 20; cast and crew posting quite a bit on social media. Justin Hires was on a plane towards Washington for his Stand-Up Comedy Gig after only 4 hours of sleep. He uploaded some new photos and videos; e.g. a nice group photo of him with Tate Donovan, Levy Tran and Lucas Till.

BtS photo of Episode 3×22: *Treason + Heartbreak + Gum* (via Justin Hires)

The last day of filming for the main cast occurred on March 21. Levy Tran wrote a heartfelt thank you note on a video post to all the people involved in making a TV show and to the fans. She flew back on the same plane as Meredith Eaton and Lance Gross; Levy and Meredith posting Insta Stories of each other filmed from opposite sides on the plane.

Some of the second team and the crew continued filming on March 22 while other crew members posted photos of their wrapping gifts and scenes shot before (e.g. the Fight Club Scene).

BtS photo of Episode 3×22: *Treason + Heartbreak + Gum* (via Lance Gross)

That’s a Wrap
Costume Designer Sarah Downer confirmed last Sunday that the Wrap Party for the Atlanta Crew would be on March 24. Apparently, none of the cast made the effort to fly back to Atlanta for it. Jeff Downer stood in for the producers.

The crew posted some photos; e.g. Sarah Downer with Lucas’ brother Nick Till who had worked in props and also as personal assistant this season. She also uploaded a photo of her with Triston Dye who stands in for Lucas at fittings.

Because the party was on a Sunday and some had to be on set again the next day or to clean up the offices and trailers, most photos and videos got posted on Monday instead. Also, there wasn’t as much material as for the other two season wrap parties in Atlanta. Some crew members took the opportunity to post some more thank you notes with BtS set photos taken during the last few weeks of filming (e.g. the Elevator Scene).

Season 3 Wrap Party in Atlanta (via Sarah Downer)

Initially, the LA Wrap Party was supposed to be on March 22 (according to Peter Lenkov). It looks like it’s been rescheduled, but so far we have no further information.

It seems like they continued filming some inserts and additional footage until yesterday. According to Insta Stories, the offices for Season 3 in Atlanta closed definitely on March 28.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
As mentioned before, Emerson Brooks (as Charlie Robinson), Lance Gross (as Billy Colton), Sheryl Lee Ralph (as Mama Colton) and Brendan Hines (as Matty’s ex-husband Ethan) have been on set recently. As Lucas Till revealed in an interview, Peter Weller will have a guest spot in an upcoming episode – and his character role would be possible to get expanded. So far, there’s no more information on this; e.g. if it’s another rebooted character taken from the Original Show.

BtS photo of Episode 3×18: *Murdoc + Helman + Hit* (via Justin Hires)

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Extras for the final episode of the season; specifically for Guards and Agents, Russian Guards, a CIA Agent, 40 Background Actors as Handsome Club Goers, a Bouncer, for Paris Cooks, Pedestrians, for Upscale European Cars and for a Male with an European Car.

MacGyver in France
French channel M6 premiered the first two episodes of Season 3 on March 16. Interestingly, they had changed the timeslot from Fridays (Seasons 1 and 2) to Saturdays; airing an episode of S2 afterwards.

Sadly, the viewers didn’t really appreciate the new timeslot. Episodes 3×01 and 3×02 garnered 1.81 and 1.56 million live-viewers. Episodes 3×03 and 3×04 on March 23 had 1.70 and 1.47 million viewers, which is the lowest number of the show in France so far.

PaleyFest LA
Lucas Till, Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton attended the panel for the three CBS shows helmed by Peter Lenkov on March 23 at the Paley-Fest LA. The event was moderated by Kevin Frazier (Entertainment Tonight).

Cast members of MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum at PaleyFest LA (via Paley Center)

For once, it was photo galore on social media. Everyone posted photos – photo agencies, official CBS accounts, Paley-Center-related accounts, stars and fans. A few panel snippets:

Lucas Till doesn’t really use cue cards to remember all that scientific jargon. His mom is a chemist and sends him audio messages of the correct pronounciations instead.
Peter Lenkov is still trying to put a crossover episode of all three shows together. The big difficulty is logistics.
Tristin Mays called Lucas a “real-life-MacGyver” and being super-smart.

By Monday, the blue carpet video interviews also started coming in. As Lucas Till revealed to Red Carpet Report, he sometimes sleeps in his character’s bed on stage when he’s tired. Also, he told ET Canada that his entire family watches the episodes and the relatives text him afterwards about it.

Tristin Mays and Lucas Till at PaleyFest LA (via Dolby Theatre)

Other MacGyver-related Promo
Lucas Till did a radio interview with the Canadian Todd Shapiro Show. He talked about the grueling work schedule and revealed that “Robocop” Peter Weller (who also directed Episode 3×04) will have a guest-part in an upcoming episode.

Michael Des Barres joined the “Forum Celebrity Podcast”; talking about music, film and TV and also about his roles as Murdoc and Helman in both the Original and rebooted MacGyver series. He’s looking forward to Episode 3×18; promoting it better than CBS so far.

Episode 3×19: *Friends + Enemies + Border* (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Best of TV Awards
The Reboot was eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. It had made it into most of the categories for the Finals. Here are the results so far:

Best Recurring Actor (David Dastmalchian, Rank 6; Tate Donovan, Rank 19)
Best Recurring Actress (Kate Bond, Rank 5)
Best Guest Actor (Michael Des Barres, Rank 17)
Best Guest Actress (Amy Smart, Rank 23)
Best Writing (Rank 5)
Best Stunts (Rank 4)
Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver, Rank 6; Jack Dalton, Rank 27)
Favorite TV Program (Rank 4)

MacGyver Reboot Update #78

15. March 2019 Andrea MacGyver in France, MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 3, The Awards, The Promo 3x16: Lidar + Rogues + Duty, 3x17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather, 3x18: Murdoc + Helman + HIT, Best of TV Awards, Emerson Brooks, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Paley Fest LA, The Coltons

Tonight, we finally get the episode that should have aired last week. Then, no episodes until April 5 because of March Madness. Meanwhile, cast and crew are still busy filming the last episode of Season 3.

BtS photo of Episode 3×22: *Treason + Heartbreak + Gum* (via Sarah Downer)

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

The rescheduling of Episode 3×17
Episode 3×17 should have aired last Friday. In some sort of last-minute-rescheduling, CBS opted to preempt the episode for an interview with R. Kelly instead.

Sadly, neither the producers nor the writers were aware early of the schedule change and the official, pre-scheduled tweet about the episode airing plus the automatically scheduled tweets by SpoilerTV just added to the confusion. Until the last minute, many fans and even the guest-stars didn’t know about the episode not airing; promoting the show and prompting the fans to watch. Understandably, fans were pretty upset and vocal about it.

To top it all, CBS hadn’t deleted the other pre-scheduled posts either; starting to promote Episode 3×18 early on instead of 3×17. Also, no Sneak Peeks yet to make up for all this mess. There hasn’t been much promo for the premiere tonight. Sigh.

About the Season 3 Ratings
It’s been a while since the last new episode, so to recap: Episode 3×16 had reached 6.574 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.8. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.53 million viewers (+23%), reaching a total of 8.108 million viewers with a demo of 1.06 (+36%).

BtS photo of Episode 3×16: *Lidar + Rogues + Duty* (via Chad Michael Collins)

The Rerun for Episode 3×06 got 4.387 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.4. For a rerun, that’s not bad numbers. It even had a higher audience number than Hawaii Five-0 (I can’t remember if this has ever happened, actually). For comparison: The reruns of Season 1 had an average of 4.22 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.58.

There was no new episode since February 22, so the MacGyver Reboot still has an average of 6.291 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.73. Compared to the 23 scripted shows on CBS, the Reboot is still at rank 21 in demo and at rank 13 in audience.

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows in the same range. Magnum PI is at 6.032 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.91 demo-rating at the moment. There is only one episode left to air; so concluding the first season with Episode 1×20 on April 1st. SEAL Team is still at 5.545 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.84 on average. Since they’ve been on a 4-weeks-hiatus, they won’t end the season before May 22. SWAT is at 5.373 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.79, ending the season on May 16.

All you need to know about tonight’s Episode 3×17
Tonight’s Episode 3×17 is titled “Seeds + Permafrost + Feather”, written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen and directed by Alexandra La Roche.

The Press Release with the first Official Still came out on February 15 with more Stills added on March 5. Because it’s been a while, here’s the synopsis again:

MacGyver and team are asked to solve a locked-door mystery when a man working inside a remote, ultra-secure international seed vault disappears.

There’s guest appearances by Carsten Norgaard and Carlos Leal. Under the Recurring Cast, there’s Reign Edwards, Levy Tran and Tate Donovan listed.

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×18 to 3×22
After tonight’s episode, there will be a break due to March Madness basketball. On March 11, CBS released the airdates for all their show’s season finales. The Season 3 Finale of MacGyver will air on May 10 because there is another short break in between due to the “I love Lucy” special airing on April 19.

Let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for remaining episodes:

3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (April 5)
Written by MacGyver creator Lee David Zlotoff, directed by Roderick Davis. Guest appearances by Michael Des Barres, Andre Reed and David Dastmalchian. The first Official Still was released on February 28 with more Stills added on March 6 (sadly, none of them featureing MDB). Channel CBS46 had been on set for that episode; doing on-set interviews with the cast. Hopefully, they will release more material for the occasion.
3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 12)
Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh.
3×20: No Go + High Voltage + Rescue (April 26)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer.
3×21: tba (May 3)
Directed by Maja Vrvilo.
3×22: Treason + Heartbreak + Gum (May 10)
Written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen, directed by Stephen Herek. Guest appearances by Lance Gross, Emerson Brooks and Brendan Hines.

Working on Episodes 3×21 and 3×22
It’s gotten difficult to determine what filming days were used for which episode. On February 25, they filmed scenes involving power lines and climbing a tower. The next days, they filmed scenes at Fulton County airport and at Turner Field, also using a living rat on the Turner Field set.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

Lucas Till initiated Mustache March; sharing the diversity of the mustached crew on Instagram Live Stories. They also filmed scenes with the black chopper again.

On March 11, Lance Gross revealed that he was on a plane back to Atlanta; his hand over the script title page. All his secrecy was unnecessary, though since Costume Designer Sarah Downer revealed the title for the Season Finale Episode to us just a few hours later: “Treason + Heartbreak + Gum”.

Emerson Brooks posted a photo of Charlie in trouble; sitting in what looks like either a cell or a glass cage. Levy Tran, Lucas Till and Justin Hires filmed on a fake elevator set on March 11 and 12. Brendan Hines uploaded a video of him in the make-up trailer getting the neck tattoo for his character Ethan. Meredith Eaton posted some stories before filming in an underground parking garage on March 13.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Emerson Brooks)

On Wednesday, CBS surprised the fans by tweeting a photo for tonight’s episode of MacGyver and Desi – and it looks like they just got busted while sharing the bed. MacRiley fans were not happy, although there is some indication that this might have been another undercover op similar to the ruse used by MacGyver and Riley in Episode 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire). The guy busting in on them is most likely Maurice P Kerry who had posted photos of him with both Lucas and Levy before; Lucas wearing a bathrobe.

Yesterday, they continued filming action scenes in the underground parking garage. The storyboard photo by Mike Torino, but also the scene preparation with toy cars by stunt coordinator Daniel Hargrave a few days earlier indicate that there might be some big action involving car chases and fighting.

Episode 3×17: *Seeds + Permafrost + Feather* (via MacGyverCBS)

Levy Tran shared stories on set, also revealing her leg being black and blue due to the recent stunt work. Sheryl Lee Ralph aka Mama Colton has also been around yesterday. Lance Gross filmed a scene wearing a sharp suit – Instagram Stories by the stand-ins indicate that it will be most likely a dinner date with Billy and Riley. We don’t know yet how many members of the Colton family will show up, but there seem to be quite a lot of characters in the Season 3 Finale.

This week, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks in Episode 1×19 (Compass) and in Episode 1×20 (Hole Puncher).

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
Levy Tran joined the cast as recurring character, but she has been on set for every episode since 3×15 so far, so CBS will surely bump her to a regular if the show gets another season. It also appears that Tate Donovan has been part of most of the episodes being filmed lately, so it’s possible he might be part of a Season Finale plot twist or cliffhanger.

As mentioned above, Emerson Brooks (as Charlie Robinson), Lance Gross (as Billy Colton), Sheryl Lee Ralph (as Mama Colton) and Brendan Hines (as Matty’s ex-husband Ethan) have been on set recently. There’s no indication yet if Billy and Ethan are part of the “Hearbreak” or the “Treason” in the episode title of 3×22.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Maurice P Kerry)

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for a lot of Extras recently; revealing that we might get to travel to Paris and to Russia.

In the last two weeks, they’ve been looking for a female Nurse, female Spectators, a male Coroner, for a Tactical Team, Agents and Techs, for Police, Firemen and Paramedics, Russian Guards, Bodyguards, Business People, Europe Wait Staff, for Beautiful Club Goers, for Handsome Club Goers, Business Patrons and Street Patrons, Diner Patrons, for Women Servers, Upscale Europe Restaurant Patrons, Paris Wait Staff, an African American female model for a photoshoot, male Security Officers, for Middle Eastern, Caucasian or Hispanic Security Guards and for Maintenance Workers.

Other MacGyver-related News
French MacGyver fans are lucky since channel M6 will start airing Season 3 tomorrow at 9pm.

In case you missed it: The confirmed guests for the MacGyver panel on March 23 at the Paley-Fest LA so far are Lucas Till, Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton. Justin Hires has a stand-up comedy gig in Washington that day and won’t be able to attend. Tickets are still available for the event moderated by Kevin Frazier (Entertainment Tonight)!

Matt Carter talked with Executive Producer Peter Lenkov about the Reboot in an interview posted on March 7. He also teased an upcoming interview with Michael Des Barres in April (presumably on April 5 before the premiere of Episode 3×18).

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sheryl Lee Ralph)

Best of TV Awards
The Reboot was eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. It had won several categories in Round 1 (e.g. Best Stunts, Best Writing, Kate Bond as Best Recurring Actress) and made it into most of the categories for the Finals. Here are the results so far:

Best Writing (Rank 5)
Best Stunts (Rank 4)
Only three votes more and the Reboot would have placed Rank 3.
Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver Rank 6, Jack Dalton Rank 27)
Again, Ranks 4 to 7 are only one or two votes apart, so our lead hero could have placed 4th with only three votes more.
Favorite TV Program (Rank 4)
It placed better than many fan favorites dominating the awards for years and ranks 2, 3 and 4 are only a few votes apart. Only five votes more and the Reboot would have placed 2nd in this category.

Maybe some more votes by fans might get the Reboot to win in some of the categories next year *hint hint*.

MacGyver Reboot Update #77

1. March 2019 Andrea MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 3, The Awards, The Promo 3x15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit, 3x16: Lidar + Rogues + Duty, 3x17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather, Best of TV Awards, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Paley Fest LA

No new episode tonight. Instead, we get a rerun of this season’s Murdoc episode 3×06 to prepare us for the next appearances by both rebooted and Original Murdoc.

BtS photo of Episode 3×16: *Lidar + Rogues + Duty* (via Alan Kaplan)

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

About Episodes 3×15 and 3×16
Before and after the episodes aired, some of the cast (e.g. Justin Hires) and of the guest stars (e.g. Kinsley Isla Dillon) posted BtS photos they had taken when filming back in December and January.

There were some nice photos of Levy Tran and Presilah Nunez with their stunt doubles in Episode 3×15. Tristin Mays uploaded a BtS video of Riley jumping a bad guy to help MacGyver. Even CBS offered some more BtS photos presumably taken when the Official Stills were shot. On February 18, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks.

BtS photo of Episode 3×15: *K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit* (via CBS)

No Sneak Peek had been released prior to Episode 3×16. Alan Kaplan posted photos of his son David Alexander posing with Lucas Till and with Meredith Eaton. Chad Michael Collins also provided several nice BtS photos of that episode, e.g. with Lucas and Levy Tran in the car or with his make-believe family.

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks in this episode on February 23. Two days later, he added a post about the MacGyverisms used in Episode 1×18, the cross-over episode with Hawaii Five-0.

Let’s take a look at the recent ratings. To recap: Episode 3×14 had 6.964 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.8, thus making it the highest audience number this season so far. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.669 million viewers (+24%), reaching a total of 8.636 million viewers with a demo of 1.19 (+50%).

Episode 3×15 managed 6.378 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.7. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.619 million viewers (+25%), reaching a total of 8.001 million viewers with a demo of 1.02 (+55%).

Episode 3×15: *K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit* (Official Still via What 2 Vue)

Episode 3×16 reached 6.574 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.8. Again, it won against Last Man Standing in audience, this time by over a million viewers. Interestingly, it had less than half as much tweets per minute than Episode 3×14, but the amount of tweets has never been any indication to how the ratings will turn out.

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.291 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.73. Compared to the 23 scripted shows on CBS at the moment, the Reboot is still at rank 21 in demo and at rank 13 in audience.

Episode 3×16: *Lidar + Rogues + Duty* (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows in the same range. Thanks to a special airing after the AFC Championship, Magnum PI raised their average up to 6.057 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.94 demo-rating. SEAL Team is still at 5.545 millions live-viewers and a demo of 0.84 on average (since they’re on a 4-weeks-hiatus) while SWAT is at 5.360 / 0.79. Interestingly, the decline towards Summer is not as steep as it was last year. Both Magnum and SWAT even managed to raise their ratings lately.

All you need to know about next week’s Episode 3×17
Episode 3×17 is titled “Seeds + Permafrost + Feather”, written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen and directed by Alexandra La Roche.

Episode 3×17: *Seeds + Permafrost + Feather* (Official Still via CBS)

The Press Release with the first Official Still came out on February 15. Here’s the synopsis:

MacGyver and team are asked to solve a locked-door mystery when a man working inside a remote, ultra-secure international seed vault disappears.

There’s guest appearances by Carsten Norgaard and Carlos Leal. Under the Recurring Cast, there’s Reign Edwards, Levy Tran and Tate Donovan listed.

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×18 to 3×22
It’s easy to loose track of the upcoming episodes. Let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for remaining episodes this season:

3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (March 15)
Written by MacGyver creator Lee David Zlotoff, directed by Roderick Davis. Guest appearances by Michael Des Barres, Andre Reed and David Dastmalchian. The first Official Still was released on February 28. Channel CBS46 had been on set for that episode; doing on-set interviews with the cast.
3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 5)
Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh.
3×20: tba (April 12)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer.
3×21: tba (April 19)
Presumed guest appearance by Emerson Brooks.
3×22: tba (April 26)

Tonight, there is a rerun of Episode 3×06 (Murdoc + MacGyver + Murdoc), probably to prepare us for the upcoming guest appearance of David Dastmalchian in Episode 3×18. After 3×18, there will be a break for 3 weeks due to March Madness (Basketball).

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

Working on Episodes 3×19 and 3×20
Filming for Episode 3×19 started on February 7. Tristin Mays filmed a Bomb Squad scene for this episode; wearing a bomb disposal suit. Lucas Till and Levy Tran filmed for several days around and inside a pit they had built just for the episode.

Cast and Crew had a long weekend due to President’s Day on February 18; returning back to set on a Tuesday. Justin Hires uploaded a video taken inside the War Room Set onto Instagram; revealing that besides Team Phoenix, also Tate Donovan was filming that day.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via tailormadegrip)

On January 20, the main cast filmed in MacGyver’s home. They posted several videos and photos that day, showing the fans they have a good time on set even when waiting for filming to resume. Justin uploaded some nice photos of him with Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton.

On January 25, they filmed on location again, this time right under and near power lines. Judging by Instagram stories, it looked like MacGyver and Desi will climb the tower – both on location and in front of a green screen. Lucas Till confirmed this in one of his stories yesterday.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Robert Maxfield)

The next day, the cast and crew along with Tate Donovan and guest stars filmed scenes at Fulton County airport. Some scenes involved the cast getting kidnapped and being transported in a prisoner’s bus. Lucas Till let us have a look into the bad guy’s lair; sharing his excitement about the animals skulls to be found there.

On Wednesday, they filmed scenes involving a rat and jumping the bad guys at Turner Field. Robert Maxfield posted a nice photo with Lucas. Yesterday, they continued with the location shots; this time getting close due to the pouring rain.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
Levy Tran officially joined the cast as recurring character, but she has already been on set for every episode since 3×15 so far so CBS will probably bump her to a regular if the show gets another season.

Central Casting Georgia had posted Casting Calls for Photo Doubles and Hand Doubles (e.g. for Michael Des Barres) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for David Paluck, Rachael Thompson or Tate Donovan). According to his Instagram Live Story yesterday, Emerson Brooks will be back in another episode as Charlie Robinson.

As usual, Central Casting has also been looking for Extras; e.g. for Background Actors on a Bike, for Coffee Shop Patrons, Caucasian Men on a Bench, Hispanic Guards, for Italy Background Actors, for an “Emotional Couple” in their 50s, Air Force Personnel, Hikers, African American Family Members in their 40s and 50s, Pedestrians, Tough Men and Women Cooking, Men lifting Weights and for Extras as SWAT Men and as Firefighters, Police, Bomb Squads, FBI and Sheriffs.

Other MacGyver-related News
France will get to enjoy the 3rd season or the Reboot starting Saturday, March 16 on channel M6 (9pm).

In case you missed it: The confirmed guests for the MacGyver panel on March 23 at the Paley-Fest LA so far are Lucas Till, Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton. Justin Hires has a stand-up comedy gig in Washington that day and won’t be able to attend, but it’s possible they will add more guests. As Peter Lenkov revealed on Tuesday, the Season 3 Wrap Party will take place just a day before.

On February 20, Deadline and other outlets reported that the producers of the reboot have been fined with a penalty of about 9500 USD for the set accident that happened during the filming of Episode 3×04. Apparently, Stunt coordinator Justin Sundquist is still recovering, but otherwise we don’t know anything about his condition.

Reminder: The Reboot was eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. It had won several categories in Round 1 (e.g. Best Stunts, Best Writing, Kate Bond as Best Recurring Actress) and made it into most of the categories for Round 2 and 3.

The 3rd and final round started on February 7 and ended yesterday. The show made it into following categories for the Finals:

Best Action or Drama Program
Best Action or Drama Actor (George Eads, Lucas Till)
Best Action or Drama Actress (Tristin Mays, Meredith Eaton)
Best Guest Actor (Michael Des Barres)
Best Guest Actress (Amy Smart)
Best Recurring Actor (David Dastmalchian, Tate Donovan)
Best Recurring Actress (Kate Bond)
Best Writing
Favorite TV Program
Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver, Jack Dalton)
Best Stunts

The results should be posted soon.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Todd Amateau)

MacGyver Reboot Update #76

15. February 2019 Andrea MacGyver Reboot Updates, Season 3, The Awards, The Promo 3x13: Wilderness + Training + Survival, 3x14: Father + Bride + Betrayal, 3x15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit, Best of TV Awards, George Eads, Lucas Till, MacGyver, MacGyver Reboot, Michael Des Barres, Paley Fest LA

Only a bit more than three episodes left to film before production for Season 3 will wrap up. We’ve glimpsed another familiar face and we get to meet the new recurring character Desi tonight!

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

About Episode 3×14
Before and after the episode aired, director Avi Youabian and several guest stars (e.g. the bride Madalyn Horcher or father of the bride Roberto Sanchez) posted BtS photos they had taken when filming back in November and December.

Sadly, Blue Bloods was the only CBS Friday show that got a Sneak Peek, therefore not providing any additional promo to share. While the hashtag #MacGyver wasn’t trending US-wide, it still set a new record of more than 1100 estimated tweets per hour.

BtS photo of Episode 3×14: *Father + Bride + Betrayal* (via Madalyn Horcher)

As expected, the episode got discussed about a lot on social media. While most fans stated being sad and disappointed about Jack leaving, some were also unhappy about how the goodbye between Mac and Jack had been dealt with.

Just a day later after the episode had aired, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks in this episode. He later added posts about the MacGyverisms used in Episode 1×14 (Fish Scaler), Episode 1×15 (Magnifying Glass), Episode 1×16 (Hook) and Episode 1×17 (Ruler) as well.

Let’s take a look at the recent ratings. To recap: Episode 3×13 (Wilderness + Training + Survival) had reached 6.895 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.8. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.583 million viewers (+23%), reaching a total of 8.482 million viewers with a demo of 1.16 (+43%).

BtS photo of Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (via Maya Lisa)

Episode 3×14 had 6.964 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.8, thus making it the highest audience number this season so far and beating Last Man Standing by a million viewers. It’t interesting to note that all three CBS Friday shows got a demo of 0.8. In the +3 Days Ratings, it added another 1.352 million viewers (+19%), reaching a total of 8.319 million viewers with a demo of 1.12 (+41%).

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.265 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.72. Compared to the 22 scripted shows on CBS at the moment, the Reboot is at rank 21 in demo and at rank 13 in audience.

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows in the same range. Thanks to a special airing after the AFC Championship, Magnum PI raised their average up to 6.047 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.95 demo-rating. Just two weeks ago, they announed that the show will get another season. SEAL Team is at 5.545 millions live-viewers (but is facing a 4-weeks-long break) and a demo of 0.84 on average while SWAT is at 5.351 / 0.78.

According to Variety, the big networks have ordered up to 20 percent less pilots this year. Variety concludes that most networks seem to be eyeing to renew shows instead of risking to order the usual slate of new shows, which will potentially lead to more renewals of shows (even if they aren’t all that good-looking in ratings).

All you need to know about tonight’s Episode 3×15
Episode 3×15 is titled “K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit”, written by Executive Producer Rob Pearlstein and directed by Gabriel Beristain. The Press Release witht he first Official Still came out on February 8. Here’s the synopsis:

After a surprising introduction to Phoenix’s newest recruit, Desi (Levy Tran), MacGyver and team are assigned to escort and protect an ATF (alcohol, tobacco, firearms) gun-sniffing dog who has a bounty on his head, only to discover they’re not the only ones crashing the weapon drop.

There’s guest appearances by Presilah Nunez and Ryan Czerwonko. We’ll also see Reign Edwards as Leanna again, so it looks like this episode will have a lot of girl power.

Episode 3×15: *K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit* (Official Still via CBS)

The preview was released on Saturday; giving us a glimpse into Mac and Desi meeting for the first time. On February 12, they released additional Stills. They were all taken on the same day while filming a scene of the cast running and hiding in between a shipping container area; accompanied by the canine guest star. The 2 Sneak Peeks released on Valentine’s Day were filmed at the same location the Stills were taken. A few hours later, TV Line released an exclusive, additional Sneak Peek of presumably the Opening Gambit with the full scene of MacGyver meeting Desi.

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×16 to 3×20
It’s easy to loose track of the upcoming episodes, so let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for the next handful of episodes:

3×16: Lidar + Rogues + Duty (February 22)
Written by Don Perez and directed by Stephen Herek. Guest appearances by Billy Baldwin and Chad Michael Collins. Check here for the Press Release and the Official Stills.
3×17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather (March 8)
Guest appearances by Matthew Bellows and Matthew Jayson Cwern.
3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hi (March 15)
Guest appearances by Michael Des Barres, Andre Reed and David Dastmalchian.
3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 5)
Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh.
3×20: tba (April 12)

There will be a rerun of Episode 3×06 (Murdoc + MacGyver + Murdoc) on March 1st, probably to prepare us for the upcoming guest appearance of David Dastmalchian.

After the premiere of Episode 3×18, there will be a break for 3 weeks due to March Madness (Basketball). They already released the full schedule for the rest of the episodes, but there might be some more changes.

Working on Episodes 3×18 and 3×19
Filming for Episode 3×18 started around January 25. Michael Des Barres had arrrived early in Atlanta to learn his lines. He spent some time with David Dastmalchian during his free time as well; keeping us updated with photos on social media.

Episode 3×16: *Lidar + Rogues + Duty* (Official Still via CBS)

On January 26 (Saturday), the crew had filmed a stunt scene on the Atlanta Motor Speedway involving a helicopter. The BtS photo by Jason Tubbs revealed early on that both Murdoc and MacGyver Senior will be part of the episode.

On January 28, TV channel CBS 46 was on location for promo. Astrid Martinez provided photos and short videos via Instagram and Facebook; revealing that she did interviews with Lucas Till, Meredith Eaton, Tristin Mays and Justin Hires on the parking lot in front of the studio lot. Meg Oliver posted a photo with Lucas Till a few days later while the video segment of her visiting the War Room was uploaded by CBS Sunday Morning.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

On February 4, Michael Des Barres posted a BtS video of him in Helman/Murdoc get-up; throwing and catching a knife. As Peter Lenkov revealed, that knife will probably end up stuck in Andre Reed’s chest. Trish Dowling posted a nice group photo of MDB with the cast and crew on set for those scenes. Apparently, this was already his last day of filming. David Dastmalchian filmed some more scenes and left Atlanta two days later.

On February 5, Lucas Till revealed how he prepares as an actor. He welcomed Levy Tran in a post; comparing her to a female Jackie Chan. It was Justin Hires who provided the first team photo with Levy on the fireplace set.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Marty Lindsey)

Filming for Epsiode 3×19 started on February 7. Casting Calls and Instagram Live Stories by Tristin Mays revealed that they filmed a Bomb Squad scene in a parking garage. For once, Riley herself will get to wear one of the disposal suits. On Tuesday, they filmed at a chapel near the woods.

On Wednesday, they filmed on location on and inside a pit or cave they built just for the episode. Lucas Till uplodaded Instagram Live Stories of him hanging on a rope, waiting to be lowered down. It was pretty windy on set and cast and crew still in need of heaters in the tents.

BtS photo of Episode 3×19 (via Jesse Parker)

As Justin Hires shared, Levy’s character Desi likes to read the World Surfers Magazine at work. Some of cast and crew posted photos and videos of older episodes; e.g. stunt double Maya Lisa (with Vanessa Garcia for Episode 3×13). Justin Hires uploaded an older video of him visiting Lucas Till and Levy Tran on set of Episode 3×16 back in January and a BtS video of Episode 3×12 with Bozer trying to get out of a trash can after successfully subduing a bad guy.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
On February 5, Deadline broke the news that Levy Tran officially joined the cast as recurring character Desiree Nguyen (Desi), a Vietnamese agent who had worked with George Ead’s character Jack Dalton (off-screen) before. As far as I know, Levy has already been on set for every episode so CBS will probably bump her to a regular if the show is renewed for another season (and the fans are interested in seeing more of her).

BtS photo of Episode 3×19 (via Mike Torino)

Central Casting Georgia had posted Casting Calls for Photo Doubles and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Brandon Rush, Gabriel Rodriguez, for David Bianchi, for Mo Gallini or for Levy Tran).

Central Casting also been looking for Extras; e.g. for a Tac Team with cars, for Techs with cars, a Bomb Squad with cars, for a female Fit Model and for Lab Techs.

Other MacGyver-related News
In case you missed it: On March 23, there will be a panel for all 3 CBS shows helmed by Peter Lenkov at the Paley-Fest LA. As reported on February 5, the confirmed guests for the MacGyver panel are Lucas Till, Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton with the option of adding more guests. Tickets are already on sale, so take the chance if you want to enjoy this event up close and personal.

Reminder: The Reboot is eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. It won several categories in Round 1 (e.g. Best Stunts, Best Writing, Kate Bond as Best Recurring Actress).

The show made it into following categories for Round 2:

Best Action or Drama Program
Best Action or Drama Actress (Meredith Eaton, Tristin Mays)
Best Action or Drama Actor (Lucas Till, George Eads, Justin Hires)
Best Guest Actress (Amy Smart)
Best Guest Actor (Michael Des Barres)
Best Recurring Actor (Tate Donovan, David Dastmalchian)
Best Recurring Actress (Kate Bond)
Best Stunts
Best Writing
Favorite TV Program
Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver, Jack Dalton, Riley Davis)

The results for Round 2 aren’t fully uploaded yet.

Sneak Peek Screenshot for Episode 3×15 (via TV Line)

The 3rd and final round started on February 7. The show made it into following categories for the Finals so far:

Best Writing
Favorite TV Program
Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver, Jack Dalton)
Best Stunts