Did you miss Part 1 (Episodes 1 to 5)? Or Part 2 (Episodes 6 to 10)?
You know the drill: I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)
Episode 1×11: Scissors
We got 3 Official Stills for this episode via SpoilerTV. Wow. There were a few BtS pictures and even some “paparazzi” pictures via Just Jared, but that’s not the same. One of the stills is MacGyver fiddling with a microwave. I can’t even remember if and where that scene took place. That’s a first.
Episode 1×11: Scissors (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: Not that much to choose from, is there? I guess the one of Jack and Diane. It’s nice to see one of the guest stars in a Still. Riley’s mom seemed to be an interesting character, and I like the actress (although I only know Michael Michele from Emergency Room). Too bad she just disappeared, despite implying that she and Jack might try dating again.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Only 3 Stills. That’s how you do promo? And still no SAK.
Episode 1×12: Screwdriver
Ah. The episode that screwed with everything. For this episode, we got 6 Stills via SpoilerTV. Half of them feature the prison scene with Murdoc, Bozer and Riley. No Still of Thornton as if she’s already eliminated.
Episode 1×12: Screwdriver (via CBS)
MY FAVORITE: Hm. Maybe the one in the church that was also used by CBS for the Press Release. My second pic would have been the one of Riley and Bozer in profile.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I don’t really like the episode that much. And I’m not very fond of the Stills for this episode, either.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade
For Episode 13, we got 5 Stills via SpoilerTV. 3 of them are about MacGyver in the woods, which makes it automatically interesting if you’re a fan of the Original Show.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: Of course one of MacGyver out in the woods, doing “outdoorsy” survival stuff.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: 5 Stills isn’t all that much, but luckily they’re interesting. Still no SAK, although there’s such a pivotal scene with it. At least you can guess MacGyver is using one in the Still where he’s building the crutch.
Episode 1×14: Fish Scaler
This episode granted us 5 Stills via SpoilerTV. Again, not really that exciting.
Episode 1×14: Fish Scaler (via CBS Express)
MY FAVORITE: Look, there’s an SAK in full view! I mean, I HAD to chose this one. Right? This was also used for the Press Release. My second pick would have been the one of Mac and Jack walking in the parking garage, because I like the lighting in that one.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: 5 Stills in total, and 3 of them feature the same location. Come on. Give us something to get excited about. You already made some progress by including an SAK into one of the Stills.
Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass(Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
The only episode in this blog post that lists the Still Photographer on IMDb. Maybe the other episodes didn’t have one? We got 7 Official Stills via SpoilerTV; featuring 2 different scenes.
Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: This Still just screams “Crime-Scene-Investigation”, doesn’t it? If I remember correctly, that was also used for the Press Release. The peek at the location is exciting. Even without a trailer, these stills would have peaked my interest in watching this episode.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I like Meredith Eaton, but it feels like Matty was featured in more Stills for this episode than Thornton in the whole Series. (Probably not true, just feels that way.)
We have an official date: Season 2 of the MacGyver Reboot will premiere on Friday, September 29.
via Lucas Till
(Minor Spoiler Alert: You might get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Season 2 Premiere
On the first of June, CBS announced the premiere dates of the Fall Season. As expected, the MacGyver Reboot will have its premiere for Season 2 on Friday, September 29 – along with Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods.
Corus Upfronts
On June 8, Lucas Till attended the Corus Upfront Press Event in Toronto to promote the upcoming Season 2. He gave interviews and also attended the Sales Dinner where he posed for selfies, sporting his new haircut.
In a video interview with ET Canada, Lucas revealed he has just approved the Gag Reel for MacGyver (presumably for the Season 1 DVD). He joked about getting punished for doing a good job and talked about having no free weekends for 9 months. He revealed that there will be a “Casino Episode” next season and brought up the MacGyverisms of Episode 1×05: The Heist (the casino episode of the original show).
Many Reboot fans have mentioned on social media that they miss the voice-overs. Lucas confirmed my suspicions about this to ET Canada: They cut down on the voice-overs for the same reasons as the original show. I always liked the voice-overs, but I can understand that they just take up too much time in the already tight schedule. Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson stated in several interviews being very happy about finally dropping the voice-overs, and it sounds like it was Lucas who suggested dropping them as well.
Lucas stated that he had signed up for an action-comedy and that viewers don’t want to see too much drama on a Friday night. This might explain the serious lack of “Mac-whump!” and why there always seems to be this need to bring in more jokes (which are not necessary in my opinion).
In the interview on stage, Lucas stated that he really enjoyed physics as a kid and that the tries to understand what he’s actually talking about in the show. He also revealed that the scariest stunt they did was for the Opening Gambit of Episode 1×03 (Awl).
The reruns continue to garner good ratings while winning the 8pm time slot. Episode 13 (Large Blade) made 4.47 million live viewers with a rating of 0.5 in the 18-49 Demo group. The rerun of Episode 14 (Fish Scaler) had 4.20 million live viewers (along with 0.5 in Demo). These numbers are a bit lower than for previous reruns, but are still strong considering the season.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade (screenshot)
What are cast and crew up to?
Executive Producer Peter Lenkov spent Memorial Day with Family and Friends, e.g. Meredith Eaton. Next week, he will attend the Monte Carlo Television Festival with Lucas Till who can’t wait to get his boss into trouble.
On May 26, Lucas posted a picture of a Season 2 SAK on Instagram. It’s a much smaller version of the one for Season 1 that cast and crew got for Christmas. On May 27, Lucas was seen at Hollywood Burbank Airport where he posed for a selfie with a fan. As mentioned above, Lucas attended the Corus Upfront Press Event in Toronto on June 8.
As you remember, Lucas and George Eads got to travel to Hawaii for the crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0 while Justin Hires and Tristin Mays stayed back in Atlanta to film their scenes. While Tristin Mays recently travelled to Hawaii for a holiday, it was Justin’s turn last week. He’s already back at work doing stand-up comedy and editing videos; promising to upload a new BtS video of the LA Wrap Party this weekend.
LA Wrap Party (via Justin Hires)
David Dastmalchian was busy welcoming daughter Penelope into this world. Looks like “Murdoc” won’t get much sleep for the next few weeks. (Meaning months. Think years.)
Script Writer Brian Durkin is also busy. On June 6, he was doing research at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for his next MacGyver script. Writer Nancy Kiu cited Andrew Klein being the “Shakespeare of the Robot Revolution”. Looks like we’re getting more robot scenes, yay. (Uhm. No yay from me, though.)
As mentioned in my last update, other countries mostly don’t translate the episode titles literally. In Germany, the episode titles are “Die Wiedergeburt” (Rebirth) for 1×01 (The Rising), “Alias” for 1×02 (Metal Saw), “Golden Boy” for 1×03 (Awl), „Kalter Krieg“ (Cold War) for 1×04 (Wire Cutter), “Der Todeszug” (Death Train) for 1×05 (Tootphick) and “Der Geist” (The Ghost) for 1×06 (Wrench).
Japan Premium Preview on June 6 (via Twitter)
It’s a well known annoyance that translated titles for TV shows usually reveal too much of the plot. Italy follows France in this tradition with “Vecchie fiamme” (Old Flames) for 1×02 and “Morte apparente” (Apparent Death) for 1×03.
My favorite is still the French Episode Title for 1×03, though: “Tête à claques”. This is the French equivalent of the name that Jack Dalton uses for Ralph at the beginning of the episode: “Punch Face”.
The Vault: Phoenix Foundation Wall Panel
Since I laid eyes on one of the Phoenix Foundation Wall Panels for the first time, I’ve been intrigued by the design. I found it very interesting, but also kind of odd because it seemed too intricate compared to the rest of the set designs. I didn’t realize the Wall Tiles are an Easter Egg until recently, when I randomly came across an article about set design in movies. I’ve never seen the movie (shame on me), but the Wall Tiles are the same as the ones used in the original Blade Runner(1982) with Harrison Ford.
Episode 1×17: Ruler (screenshot)
Apparently, the style of the tiles is based on Ennis House in LA which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete blocks. Besides for “Blade Runner”, the very unique Ennis House was used for productions such as Twin Peaks, Karate Kid III or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Well. Who says you only learn about science while watching MacGyver.
Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on February 17, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.
It’s official: MacGyver will have a crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0 next month!
Episode 18: Flashlight (via Daniel Dae Kim)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
MacGyver goes Hawaii
In my last guest-post (Update No. 22) two weeks ago, I speculated about an impending crossover between MacGyver and Hawaii Five-0. Executive Producer Peter Lenkov has said several times (e.g. at San Diego Comic Con) that he would love to do a crossover episode. He also talked about the connection between the two shows and the potential crossover he had written into the script for the pilot episode, namely a backstory of Jack Dalton sharing history with Steve McGarrett. (The scene had indeed been filmed, but the direct reference didn’t make it into the final cut.)
Pilot Episode: The Rising (via Peter Lenkov)
My speculations manifested due to Central Casting Georgia announcing a casting call on February 2 for Asian-looking Extras; in particular Hawaiians (certified in First Aid and CPR or having real life experience as EMTs, Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses or Rescue Workers).
Not even 20 hours later, Lucas Till spilled the beans by sharing a picture of Taylor Wily on the MacGyver set in Atlanta. It didn’t take long for press releases and articles to pop up with more information. According to TVLine, the Episode called “Flashlight” will air on March 10. The story will involve Mac and the team travelling to the big Island of Hawaii to aid in earthquake-relief efforts. There, MacGyver and Jack will team with Chin Ho and Kono to rescue a group of government scientists trapped in a building on the verge of collapse.
The Earthquake Episode
So far, not that many pictures have resurfaced from either sets in Atlanta or Hawaii. But we might get to see some special promo since they did cast interviews and B-Rolls on location.
Episode 18: Flashlight (via CBS Express)
On February 4, Taylor Wily posted a short video of the MacGyver home dressed up for Mac’s birthday. On February 9, Fred Andres granted us a first look at one of the sets – although back then, it was still unclear if the main cast would actually film scenes in Hawaii or if they would stay in Atlanta while 2nd Unit got the necessary outside film material on location.
On Valentine’s Day, Daniel Dae Kim posted the first official picture of the crossover team. The Press Release on February 16 brought us the first official still. Seems there was a dress code to wear shades of blue!
BtS of Episode 16: Hook (via Tristin Mays)
Working on Episodes 18 and 19
While Lucas and George were in Hawaii, the rest of Team Phoenix filmed their scenes in Atlanta (e.g. on a jet or in the lab) with the crew working behind the scenes and the guest-stars finishing ADR (e.g. Jermaine Rivers for tonight’s Episode 16). It’s nice to see that despite the hard work, the cast still takes time to pose for pictures with the Extras or with fans.
Peter Lenkov posted some videos while editing; e.g. a video of editing Hawaii Five-0that mentions Jack and the Phoenix Foundation. Interestingly, another (now deleted) video appeared to be a huge spoiler for the ending of next week’s episode 17 (Ruler).
As Anthony Kountz revealed today, they just started working on Episode 19. It’s nice to see it will be once again an episode directed by a woman (Christine Moore).
Premieres of Episodes 14 and 15
A few days before the premiere of Episode 15, Lucas and Justin and the crew had been teasing us with BtS pictures. Cast and crew seemed especially fascinated by the robot (that will make another appearance soon).
The Reboot continues to earn good ratings. Episode 14 (Fish Scaler) managed 7.5 million viewers while Episode 15 (Magnifying Glass) got a whopping 8.05 million viewers (along with a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demo group).
BtS of Episode 15: Magnifying Glass (via Gabriel Beristain)
Since the news about the crossover episode was officially announced only hours before the premiere of Episode 15, the Hashtag #MacGyver was already trending not even 10 minutes into the episode.
The writer’s crew continued their tradition of live tweeting. Craig O’Neill posted a picture of the “new” MacGyver writer’s office which brought up another round of speculations about a possible season renewal.
Stills, Sneak Peeks and Press Releases
On February 3, we got an additional Sneak Peek for Episode 14 (Fish Scaler) via ET Online. For the Sneak Peeks for Episode 15 (Magnifying Glass), we had to wait until Premiere Day again.
Episode 16: Hook (via SpoilerTV)
We got many official stills for tonight’s Episode 16 (Hook). Sadly, CBS still witholds the previews. As for last Friday’s episode, there was no “real” preview trailer but a video put together with scenes from old episodes (e.g. Chisel or Metal Saw). We got 3 Sneak Peeks, though and therefore got to meet Mama Colton and Billy Colton – and most important: Frog Dog! For now, he’s just an Easter Egg on a painting in the background, but who knows what will happen.
Interestingly, in an article about the crossover by Star Advertiser, it’s stated that the show “already has been green-lighted for a second year“. So far it’s unclear if that really means a Second Season or if some information got mixed up (because initially only 13 episodes had been ordered before the Full Season Order back in October). Since all of CBS’s Friday Night Shows are doing very well ratings-wise, it would be a no-brainer to renew them. It’s possible we won’t know before the upfronts in May, though.
Episode 17: Ruler (via SpoilerTV)
According to Broadway World, there will be a rerun of Episode 8 (Corkscrew) on March 3.
aTVfest Appearance
On February 4, Lucas, Tristin and Justin made an appearance for SCAD aTVfest. After doing some interviews, they attended the Q&A for the screening of Episode 14 (Fish Scaler), along with Peter Lenkov and Jeff Downer. Since the event took place on a Saturday, the cast worked through another weekend but still took time to post pictures and videos.
In the interview with FanBolt, Lucas revealed that he was indeed heading to Hawaii for filming. He also acknowledged Richard Dean Anderson’s involvement in the Original Show; stating that he doesn’t know how RDA handled the workload being in every scene while not having an ensemble cast like they do for the Reboot.
SCAD aTVfest Photocall (via Twitter)
Cast and Character News Central Casting Georgia did several rush calls to get their extras for the crossover episode; e.g. for Tactical Guys and for a “real EMT with experience operating a gurney”. Other casting calls included Asian and Caucasian Men to portray National Guardsmen as well as calls for Agents and “Techies”, Airport Passengers and MIT Students.
As TV Guide Magazinerevealed, we will get to know the backstory between Jack and Matty and see more scenes of the Phoenix director in the field.
Peter Lenkov promised weeks ago that Sandrine Holt will be back – and look, she’s listed for Episode 19 on IMDb. Interesting. Although I still think she will show up in the Season Finale along with Nikki and/or Murdoc; especially since Lenkov also revealed that Murdoc will come back this season (and there aren’t that many episodes left to film).
Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on February 3, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.
Cast and Crew were freezing on set while filming the residual episodes for Season 1. Maybe that’s why they liked playing with fire so much last week?
via Justin Hires
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Where there’s filming, there’s homework
While the fans had to endure another premiere break of 3 weeks, cast and crew stayed busy filming more episodes and doing their homework.
Justin and Tristin post a lot of Instagram Live Stories videos at the moment, but every now and then we also get a non-temporary look at the cast in disguise (read: wearing coveralls and Bozer’s prosthetic noses).
On January 28, several outlets (e.g. Atlanta Filming) posted about the show “blowing up sh*”. It didn’t take long for Peter Lenkov to post a video of a blue van exploding. Pretty impressive! While Lenkov’s video is seen via camera screen, Instagram-User bryttani showed the explosion from a wider angle.
via bryttani
I’m not sure if all that “fire-play” for Episode 17 (Ruler) was as controlled as it was planned, though. Just the day before, Tristin Mays had posted a short video of Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe instructing Lucas Till how to handle the self-made flame-thrower. It looks like Jeff burned himself (not to mention that Tristin had stamped a not so happy emoticon on it). Additionally, both Tristin and Justin Hires had posted videos that indicated production needing additional help from the fire departement. Interestingly, George Eads didn’t seem too much concerned about the seemingly out-of-control-fire; continuing to eat his sandwich.
Filming in “Amsterdam”
Judging by the clothes, the extras and the press release, Episode 17 might actually turn out to be a two-parter. We’ll see. Production continued filming in Marietta Square this week; featureing a stunt motorcycle, a truckload of bicycles and a set-redressing to stand in for Amsterdam. Many bypassers, extras and shops took the opportunity to post pictures; inadvertently also revealing some storylines (and possibly even spoilers; especially since some of these posts were deleted shortly after posting it).
Rerun of Episode 9
During the premiere break, there was a rerun of Episode 9 (Chisel) on Friday, January 27. The episode made some good ratings (5.17 million viewers).
CBS sure likes to keep the fans waiting. Although the preview for Episode 14 (Fish Scaler) had aired after last weeks rerun of Episode 9, the video wasn’t available on the official YT-Account until February 1st. Additionally, we had to wait until two days before the premiere to finally get stills and sneak peeks.
CBS Watch! Magazine and other Promo
On January 24, CBS Watch! Magazine released the interview and the photo gallery for the shoot they had done back in October in the midst of a heat wave. Lucas Till revealed that some of the gadgets can be really challenging, but that this is what makes so much fun while filming. George Eads stated that Lucas’ enthusiasm and passion about doing the show kinda “rebooted” him after spending so many years on the same set (for CSI: Las Vegas). They also revealed that they practically spend all day together because they’re roommates.
via CBS Watch! Magazine
On the same day, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain shared another blog post – this time about Leyden Jars like the one used in Episode 13 (Large Blade).
The premieres in Namibia and New Zealand brought on another wave of promo pictures, interviews and articles. In an interview with stuff, George Eads declared rebooted Jack Dalton as “halfway nuts”. He revealed that due to the aggressive nature of his character, he’s already paying the price for avoiding using stunt doubles wherever possible: “It’s killing me, let me tell you. I’ve been head butted about four or five times, punched in the face, cut at least five or six times, I’ve had at least 40 or 50 bruises.”
Cast and Character News Central Casting Georgia had difficulties finding their pool shark and also took several tries to find European Bicycles. Additionally, they put out casting calls for Dutch Citizens and Students, an African-American Female in her 20ies and small cars. The most recent casting call is especially interesting, since they’re looking for Asian Extras (e.g. EMTs, nurses, doctors, paramedics, tactical and other military guys), in particular Hawaiian-looking Extras. We all remember Peter Lenkov talking about the possibility of doing a crossover with Hawaii Five-0 and that he still wants to do it. In fact, he had already laid the ground-work for it in the pilot episode, but the scene got cut.
Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass (via SpoilerTV)
Since the return of the Coltons was revealed, fans of the original show have been asking about Frog Dog. While no dogs have been spotted on set for Episode 16, Zoom Groom Zoom revealed they have been grooming an adorable looking dog (called “Chewy”) for filming scenes recently. I have to admit to being a bit shocked for a few seconds after Justin Hires posting a short video from set, referring to his co-star as “Deborah” and praising her for “killing” her scenes. Good to know that “Deborah” is the actresses name, not the name of her character (Deborah + Upscale Set + adorable little dog + killing it… Fans of the original show will know what whacky conclusion I had made in that instant!)
A look onto the IMDb cast-list reveals: Penny Parker (Bianca Malinowski) will be back in Episode 1×18! Hopefully, she will play a bigger part this time. If you throw characters of the original show into the reboot, you might as well start using them!
Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on January 20, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.
Although the next Episode won’t air until February 3, Cast and Crew are busy filming the residual episodes for Season 1. Also, there’s a certain Family of Bounty Hunters on set!
Episode 1×13: Large Blade (via Gabriel Beristain)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Working on Episodes 14, 15 and 16
After a premiere break of 3 weeks, cast and crew took their time to join in the promo of Episodes 12 (Screwdriver) and 13 (Large Blade). On January 6, Justin Hires posted some interesting pictures of Bozer and Riley in undercover costumes while Tristin Mays shared a rather disturbing video of herself walking around the set. Seems like she got herself a new face for the day!
Despite the high ratings of Episode 12 on January 6, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov didn’t have much time to celebrate. He spent the weekend editing and sharing teasers on Instagram Stories. One of these teasers was a short video of MacGyver being handcuffed in an out-of-control car going backwards. Looks like an exciting Opening Gambit! The other videos consisted of a fight in a parking garage and of MacGyver mentally gearing up to work with his new boss.
Bounty Hunters on Set
On Monday, production moved to “Louisiana” (aka Dolly’s Farmhouse Restaurant in Austell, Georgia) to start shooting for another episode. Several bypassers got a look at the filming process in front of the restaurant. Dolly’s also shared some pictures on Facebook; stating that well over hundred people were swarming the location.
Episode 16 might be a special one for fans of the original show, because a well-known family of Bounty Hunters is back in town! Jermaine Rivers revealed on January 16 that he has been cast as Frank Colton. After asking if he might be one of the Colton’s, Lance Gross confirmed to me on Twitter that he has been cast as Billy Colton. It didn’t take long for Mama Colton (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Jesse Colton (Javicia Leslie) to reveal themselves.
Episode 1×16: Hook (via Sheryl Lee Ralph)
Interestingly, the restrictions of posting on social media seems to have been lifted. All members of the Colton family are posting on social media; sharing tons of pictures or videos from set and from inside the make-up trailer. It’s nice to see that the new cast members did some homework and know the Coltons and the names of the actors who played them in the original show.
Premieres of Episodes 12 and 13
During the premiere of Episode 12 (Screwdriver) on January 6, Extras and cast members shared some more BtS pictures of the filming process back in November. Briana Lamb had been able to stand in (or sit in) for Amy Acker (she was usually Sandrine Holt’s Stand-In) – which meant she got to wear a wedding dress and the crew to “play-fight” about who would be walking her down the aisle for practice. Preston Hillier posted a picture of the happy couple.
The premiere of Episode 12 not only brought recurring characters and surprising plot-twists, but also the third-highest ratings (8.42 millions) so far. The ratings for Episode 13 (Large Blade) weren’t as high (7.64 millions), but these two episodes are also the best user rated episodes on IMDb. Also, the Hashtag #MacGyver keeps trending on Twitter, even long after the show has aired.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade (via Zulay Henao)
Andrew Karlsruher, writer of Episode 13, tweeted along with the other MacGyver Writers; sharing some of the science behind this episode, but also a warning not to try THIS at home.
Overall, the ratings and the 18-49 demographic numbers are relatively solid (for now, the mean is 8.1 millions viewers / 1.14 per episode). If the numbers stay that way, chances are good for the show being renewed for another season.
Stills, Sneak Peeks and Press Releases
Only 3 days before its premiere, we got the first stills for Episode 13 (Large Blade). Just hours before the premiere, we got two additional sneak peeks.
Production Assistant Kait C. shared the information that Episode 15 will be directed by Stephen Herek again (who had directed Episode 11 and the unaired “Young MacGyver” pilot back in 2003) while SpoilerTV revealed the title for Episode 17 (Ruler).
On January 19, CBS Express delivered the press release for Episode 14 (Fish Scaler). It will air on February 3 and was directed by Eagle Egilsson (CSI: Miami). I still don’t know why they felt the need to rush production so they can premiere the show in September – only to take so many breaks in between anyway. I think it’s quite annoying to wait so long; especially after a new regular cast member has joined the team.
Episode 1×14: Fish Scaler (via CBS Express)
SAK Huntsman ad and other Promo Blue Barn Creative recently had the opportunity to create a promo for CBS and Victorinox for the Huntsman Boy Scout Swiss Army Knife. They used the tagline “Always Be Prepared” and footage from the Pilot Episode.
On January 13 – right before the premiere of Episode 13 – ET Online aired a promo video including a greeting from new regular cast member Meredith Eaton.
The video granted another glimpse at the Photoshoot for CBS Watch! Magazine. The Magazine will feature Lucas Till (Dresscode: Suit and Parachute) on the cover and will be available on January 23. Understandably, Lucas is very grateful to be on a major magazine cover for the first time. Justin Hires also gets a full photo-page in this issue.
CBS Watch! Magazine (via ET Online)
Cast, Crew and Character News
As noted above, the Coltons are coming back! Jermaine Rivers had revealed that his role as Frank Colton is a recurring one; so we should be prepared to see them again. You might have noticed that Jesse Colton is played by Javicia Leslie, which means Jesse is a girl in the Reboot. So far, we haven’t seen a dog on set, though. I really hope they bring back Frog, too!
Central Casting Georgia is still looking for a professional pool shark. Other casting calls were made for Armenian men to portray bad guys, for upscale Dutch citizens and for adults with Beachcomber Bicycles (whatever that is).
On January 11, Meredith Eaton (NCIS, Boston Legal) had announced that she’s joining the show. Two days later, it was confirmed that she will be the new head of the Phoenix Foundation.
Many fans were unhappy or even outraged about Sandrine Holt leaving the show and how her storyline was handled. How can the reinvented character of Pete Thornton be declared as a baddie without further explanation? It is worth to note that new boss “Matty Webber” is a clear notion to the original episode “Early Retirement” (Episode 3×12) and that Peter Lenkov has planned to bring Sandrine back soon. Do I smell a Season Finale Plot Twist coming? I sure hope so.
Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on December 23, 2016. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.
Production of the reboot is on hiatus until next year. The premiere of Episode 12 will be on January 6.
via Kirk Riley
(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any pictures that are too revealing, but you will get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)
Work hard and you shall be rewarded…
… with an SAK! Back in November, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov had posted a picture of an SAK with the official logo for Season 1. Every now and then, other pictures showed up on social media by script writers and cast members – but it was still unclear if it was an exclusive gift for the crew or if eventually everyone would be able to get one of these as an official merchandize tool.
It looks like several more of these SAKs were handed out before Christmas Break because many pictures have popped up over the last few days (e.g. by Script Writer Brian Durkin, Co-Executive Producer David Slack, Assistant Sean O’Reilly, Composer Keith Power, recurring cast member Aina Dumlao, Stuntman Michael Li or crew members “etc317“, Cornell Willis and Kirk Riley). It is quite a dangerous gift, though – Publicist Beth Haiken already suffered her first puncture wound.
Working on Episodes 12, 13 and 14
Peter Lenkov confessed that Jack’s selfie habit with bad guys (before punching them) is getting out of hand. By posting a short video of David Slack demonstrating a MacGyverism involving a film cannister to the prop departement, he revealed why the show is so much fun to write for.
Lenkov shared a picture and a short video for Episode 13 on Instagram. He posted some scenes for Episode 12 on Instagram Stories (where videos disappear after 24 hours), but several fansites managed to snag the material and put screen shots online. Another scene for Episode 12 with MacGyver and Jack all dressed up in church and an additional Instagram-Stories-Teaser for Episode 13 were just posted today. Seems like Mr. Lenkov is hard at work to get as much editing done as possible.
Justin Hires was very excited for his character Bozer joining the team. He also posed for BtS-pictures with Bozer’s Elf Apron. In a video by Tristin Mays, Lucas Till tests the Golden Magic Slingshot that she got him as a gift. He doesn’t succeed on the first try, but he does succeed. Even New MacGyver needs some training, after all.
via Brian Durkin
Cornell Willis shared several nice pictures of the nature surrounding the set. After fighting the heat wave in summer while filming the pilot episode, fog and cold temperatures were a nuisance while filming. DP Gabriel Beristain posted pictures of him with Lucas Till and crew members on Facebook.
The glossy black helicopter for Episode 13 still garnered attention among the crew. Jeffery Ellis provided a look at the crashed version of it. And it was looking so nice and pristine before! Besides filming on a roof, they also built an extra set for the scene.
Extra Michael Tow showed us what serious agents Cho and Brooks look like while getting ready for filming. Meanwhile, crew member Jes tested a creepy mask – another one of Bozer’s creations?
Premieres of Episodes 10 and 11
After the high ratings of Episode 9 (Chisel, 8.12 millions), Episode 10 (Pliers, 7.42 millions) wasn’t as good in numbers. Overall, the ratings are still steady, though with Episode 11 (Scissors) as the Christmas Episode at 7.67 millions.
via Sean O’Reilly
Interestingly, Episode 11 was trending much earlier (at least 5 minutes) on Twitter than Episode 10. The writers again live-tweeted during the airings; e.g. providing us with research information about the Elephant Toothpaste MacGyverism (and what happens when they test it in the backlot) or that they spent hours researching the air-raid-siren. They also provided a nice sketch by Writer John Turman that they sent to the props departement so they could build the GPS-Satellite. (At least one of them has sketching skills!).
Extra/Stuntman Simon Rhee posted BtS-pictures of Episode 11 with the main cast.
Stills and Press Releases
On December 13, CBS shared more first-look-pictures of Episode 11 (Scissors). SpoilerTV provided us with a press release for Episode 12 (Screwdriver) that will air after the Christmas Break on January 6. It is written by Lenkov, Craig O’Neill and David Slack and confirms that three major recurring characters will be back: Murdoc (David Dastmalchian), Nikki (Tracy Spiridakos) and Sarah Adler (Amy Acker).
Belle revealed the name for Episode 13 (Large Blade) while Extra Michael Tow provided us with the name of Episode 14 (Fish Scaler).
On December 22, CBS Express published the press release for Episode 13. It’s written by Andrew Karlsruher (CSI: Cyber) and directed by Sylvain White (Hawaii Five-0).
via David Slack
Sneak Peeks and Previews
We got two clips for Episode 11 (Scissors) via SpoilerTV. Additionally, ET Online shared an exclusive clip that reveals more of Jack’s history with Riley’s mother.
Soundtrack, Google and other Stuff
If you’re interested in the songs used in Season 1, there’s a neat little site that has it all in one place.
As Google’s Year in Search revealed, MacGyver was one of the most-googled search words in September.
In an Interview with Matt Carter, Peter Lenkov talked about why he brought the character Bozer into the show and why he thinks that “personal stuff” makes an episode stronger.
StuntTeam and crew engaged in the project “Toys for Tots” to collect Christmas gifts for children who otherwise wouldn’t have any this year. What a nice gesture!
via Junior
Cast, Crew and Character News Central Casting Georgia has made several casting calls; e.g. for bus passengers and administrators, for Atlanta Policemen, for “great drivers who can parallel park like experts” and for people in their 20s-40s that can portray mourners.
As already revealed above, we will get Murdoc, Nikki and Sarah Adler back for Episode 12. Reads like danger and action and plot twist.
Peter Lenkov confirmed to a fan that MacGyver’s grandpa will make an appearance on the show “at some point”. Sounds like we might have to wait for the second season for this, though.
Dashboard On Fire 