MacGyver Reboot Update #117

Everything seems quiet. Cast and Crew are waiting for the green light to start filming for Season 5.

BtS photos of Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Sarah Downer)

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You might get spoilered about Season 5 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.)

 

All you need to know about Season 5
The MacGyverWriters have been back in the (virtual) office since June 12. They are quite active on Twitter; liking and sharing posts. They also tease us a lot – but so far, they haven’t revealed anything significant about the upcoming season. In fact, there’s barely any news about Season 5 for now – but behind the scenes, they must be preparing as much as they can so they’re ready to start filming when they get the green light.

According to this Facebook post, they are in the process of scouting potential filming locations; e.g. at the New Covenant Church. It’s probably weird to scout locations when you’re not sure in what season and weather condition you’ll start filming, tough. It’s possible that they’ll have a very different climate that they had initially planned for when writing the scripts.

Tristin Mays for Paradise Earth Survival

ICYMI: On July 20, an article by Vanity Fair revealed the extent of the toxicity and abuse surounding cast and crew when working on a show run by Peter Lenkov. Since the article came out, they added an audio version (with a runtime of 37 minutes). The author of the article also got promoted as contributing editor on Vanity Fair, which hints at the success (and also the truthfulness) of this well-investigated article.

What’s going to happen now?
Several CBS shows were listed with production dates for August and September. On August 5, Deadline reported that SWAT successfully finished their first day of filming for the new season. Although Magnum PI was supposed to start filming in August as well, Hawaii just went into another 3-week-lockdown. Interestingly, most shows with an official filming start date listed are not produced in-house, but are co-studio productions – which hints at other studios wanting to go ahead faster than CBS.

BtS photo of Episode 4×09: Code + Artemis + Nuclear + N3mesis (via Joanne Sanders)

According to an article by Deadline just released yesterday, the shows of the NCIS franchise are planning to start in September while the FBI franchise is going for October.

While MacGyver has the advantage of having some finished “leftover” episodes from Season 4, we haven’t seen any official promo yet. CBS is probably still figuring out what to air in Fall. While some networks relied on buying Canadian TV productions and delaying their Fall Season to January next year, others like CBS relied on being able to air new episodes of their own shows in the next few months. At the moment, it’s not looking good.

BtS photo of Episode 4×09: Code + Artemis + Nuclear + N3mesis (via Digital Ignition)

We did get some new/old material in recent weeks; e.g. a few BtS photos from filming Episode 4×09 (Code + Artemis + Nuclear + N3mesis) with a nice group photo intitially posted by Joanne Sanders back in February. Sarah Downer took pity on the fans suffering from a lack of new content and posted a BtS photo collage of Lucas Till in his Halloween costume for Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet).

While browsing the IMDb crew list, I also managed to find some new/old concept renderings and props illustrations and set photos of Season 4. On this Phoenix Offices plan, you can see that both Russ and Matty are supposed to have offices. Maybe we’ll finally get to see them in Season 5.

Tristin Mays and Sergeant for Melted Fit (posted in May)

Here’s the upcoming reruns schedule:

• Friday, August 21: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan (4×05)
• Friday, August 28: Right + Wrong + Both + Neither (4×06)
• Friday, September 4: Father + Son + Father + Matriarch (4×08)
• Friday, September 11: tba
• Friday, September 18: tba

What are Cast and Crew up to?
A few weeks ago, Levy Tran was looking at new apartments in Atlanta. According to her realtor, Levy is a proud homeowner now. Justin Hires is back in the studio; producing his third mixtape. Tristin Mays has been helping advertizing both her brother’s and her sister in law’s webstores. Lucas Till took a short hiatus from his road trip across the country to do some ADR for his upcoming movie Son of the South. Since the days leading up to his 30th birthday, there hasn’t been any new photos or videos about his whereabouts or how he spent his big day.

Levy Tran as a homeowner (via Jeannie Morgan)

Story Editor Teresa Huang attended a screenwriter panel for WeScreenplay. She revelead that she attended MIT and got a degree in chemistry, so it will be interesting to see if the show turns a bit more scientific over time.

Sad news for Leanna fans: According to this article, Reign Edwards will head back to her former job at CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful, so more appearances on MacGyver seem rather unlikely. Interestingly, the post has been deleted.

MacGyver in Germany
To Recap: Episode 4×03 (Kid + Plane + Cable + Truck) did very well in Germany with 1.53 million live-viewers and a market-share of 5.8%. Episode 4×04 (Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin) is set in Germany. As expected, there were quite a few comments about it on social media (especially due to the episode being set in Karlsruhe, but using footage of Heidelberg). The episode had 1.42 million live-viewers and a market-share of 5.4%.

Lucas Till in the studio for “Son of the South” (via Abbey West Recording)

On contrary, Episode 4×05 (Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan) got the smallest audience for this season; reaching 1.25 million live-viewers and a market-share of 4.9%. In my opinion, this is not very surprising since the TV channel has been gearing up for their new season of Promi Big Brother; completely neglecting to promote MacGyver on their social media accounts since Episode 4×02.

The lack of promo combined with hot weather and the possibility to watch the new episodes a week beforehand on their own media library seems a weird strategy to me; especially when considering that the first few episodes of Season 4 had very good ratings.

BtS photo of “Son of the South” (via Onye Eme-Akwari)

The upcoming German Episode Titles:

• 4×06: Deal mit dem Teufel (literal translation: Deal with the Devil; Right + Wrong + Both + Neither)
• 4×07: Mörderisches Date (Murderous Date; Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey)
• 4×08: Akte 47 (File 47; Father + Son + Father + Matriarch)
• 4×09: Kernschmelze (Meltdown; Code + Artemis + Nuclear + N3mesis)
• 4×10: Shiva (Shiva; Tesla + Bell + Edison + Mac)
• 4×11: tba

You can google it (Part 2): About Samantha/Olivia Cage

It’s been more than a year now since I’ve started blogging about the MacGyver Reboot on this WordPress blog. Most people land here via Twitter or Tumblr, but some also by using search engines. The top 3 list of search terms is still pretty unspectacular:

1. dashboardonfire
2. dashboard on fire wordpress
3. george eads

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. Google, for example, has been encrypting the vast majority of search terms since 2013. So WordPress often can’t specify which search terms were used by visitors who arrived at this site from a search engine. That’s why the majority on my list – over 2500 by now – are unknown search terms.

Lucas Till and Isabel Lucas in Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (Screenshot)

Still, there’s a couple of search terms I want to address in blog posts and maybe help the unknown searching beings to get answers for their questions. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. Today, I’m looking back at search terms regarding Isabel Lucas’ character of Samantha Cage.

(Minor Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

macgyver diy or die who played agent cage
If you’re looking for a cast member of a specific episode, you might be faster if you head over to the official reboot page on IMDb than trying to Google it. Visiting the site, you’ll find Isabel Lucas’ IMDb page very easily and can check what other projects she has done already.

For example, she is credited for 259 episodes of the Australian TV Show “Home and Away” or for American movies like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) or “Red Dawn” (2012). She has also appeared in the Music Video for “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran.

On IMDb, you can also find trivia or biographical information, for example:

• Isabel’s mother is Swiss, her father is Australian, so she speaks Swiss German and German as well
• she was born in Melbourne and moved to LA in 2008
• Along with other protesters (e.g. Hayden Panettiere) of Sea Shepherd, she paddled out on surfboards off the coast of Japan to protest the killing of dolphins in 2007. They had to turn around to avoid being arrested for trespassing. (According to Wikipedia, there is still an outstanding arrest warrant for her in Japan.)
• she was involved in a car crash with Transformers-Star Shia LaBeouf in July 2008 (his car had been hit by another vehicle running a red light)
• she has sectoral heterochromia (her right eye has a noticeable brown spot)

FunFact: Isabel has been with Sea Shepherd since 2010. The organization is very close to Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson’s heart, so it’s actually possible they’ve met each other before.

Similar search terms:
macgyver blonde agent 2017
isabel lucas macgyver 2018

BtS of Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Isabel Lucas)

is isabel lucas a permanent cast member on macgyver
Isabel Lucas is a regular cast member in the first half of Season 2. She appeared in 12 episodes.

We can assume it doesn’t apply to Lucas Till since the show is named after his character, but in general, no cast member is 100% safe on a TV show. There are never permanent, only current cast members. It’s possible that some actors coming on a show for a new character have a contract for just half the season or a certain amount of episodes so the producers can “test the waters”.

I’m not sure if either Sandrine Holt as Patricia Thornton or Isabel Lucas’ character of Samantha Cage had been meant to stay on for an entire season initially or not. Both characters got mixed reviews, and some negative comments were quite “loud”, so it’s possible that this is one of the reasons both characters “disappeared” after 12 episodes each.

Similar search terms:
why isn’t isabel lucas in the second half of season 2 of macguyver
why is isabelle lucas in so few macgyver episodes?
why hasn’t isabel lucas been on mcgyver lately
what happened to cage on macgyver

Isabel Lucas in Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (Screenshot)

olivia cage macgyver
The character of Olivia Cage seems to be a unicorn: Some believe she exists, but it looks like she only exists in theory because no one has ever really seen her.

In an article by Moviehole in July 2017, they revealed that Season 2 would have TWO new female characters: Olivia Cage and an intel extraction specialist named Agent Carmen. While Olivia Cage should have been a “woman to be reckoned with and someone we will get to know well”, Agent Carmen has been described as “late twenties, fierce, focused and utterly fascinating”, being ex-CIA and having history with Matty.

As we know now, this news was either aquired via old and unredacted scripts or had been somehow messed up and mixed.

BtS of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Patrick Pierre)

Many have landed on my blog while looking for one of those two women, though; leading to an array of similar search terms like “agent carmen macgyver” or “agent olivia cage macgyver”.

So far, we can say that there isn’t an Olivia Cage on the show currently, but it seems like Isabel’s character was indeed called “Olivia” in the beginning. In fact, I’ve seen a BtS video on Instagram where it says “Olivia Cage” under Isabel’s photo. Sadly, I was never able to get a clear screenshot while on holiday and since Costume Designer Sarah Downer locked her profile to private a few months ago, I was never able to go back and try again.

Another hint is a set report done by Radio TV Talk (presumably on set of Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil), posted online on September 29 in 2017:

While the “MacGyver” revival wasn’t a super smash hit last season, it did just fine in its Friday night slot. The bottom line: it’s considered fun, escapist drama that isn’t too taxing on the noggin.

Till said blow back from traditionalists of the Richard Dean Anderson version wasn’t as harsh as he had anticipated. And he’s now more comfortable in his role. “We know what we have now and can build a foundation,” Till said. “The stunts are bigger and we have a new cast member.” CBS indeed added Olivia Cage to their team, played by Aussie actress Isabel Lucas. “She’s a CIA operative,” Till said. “She kicks a lot of a**. Kind of like what Jack does, female version.”

Fun Fact: They might have changed it to Samantha so that it could be shortened to “Sam”. I’ve had the theory in the beginning that Cage might have been a relative to Mac (e.g. a half-sister). Since Original MacGyver got to meet his son S.A.M. in the series finale, that would have been kinda funny.

With Einstein on set of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Isabel Lucas)

when does cage come back in macgyver
Well, I don’t know. Since her character didn’t die in the show so far, Isabel could pop up in another episode. In fact, it happens on Peter Lenkov’s other show Hawaii Five-0 quite often that characters show up again after a season or two. The chemistry between her and the cast seemed good, so I don’t think that would be a problem.

In my opinion, the storyline of Cage wasn’t resolved satisfactorily. She was almost shoved aggressively into the team at first; making her a regular instead of a recurring character before joining Phoenix – then as the character finally seemed to work it fizzled out, almost being overlooked in some episodes and after a plot twist that was never explained either, she wasn’t seen or talked about again.

Also, Murdoc hinted at her not using her real name and having secrets that her friends (aka Team Phoenix) would not approve of. Of course, this could have been a joke regarding the character’s name change after they had started filming, but it rather feels that some of the writers didn’t really know what to do with her, while other writers had had some ideas for the character that somehow didn’t turn out since Isabel’s guest stint was cut short.

BtS of Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil (via Brandon Smith)

While I didn’t like how her character was introduced and used in the first few episodes, I wouldn’t mind if she showed up this season for another episode or two. Maybe another showdown with Murdoc or Harper (from Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet)? Though now that they added Leanna as another field mission regular, this might be rather unlikely.

similar search terms:
is cage leaving macgyver
cage leave mcgyver
is isabel lucas leaving macgyver season 2
does cage die on dec 15 finale of macgyver?
isabel lucas returning to macgyver
macgyver 2018 will cage return

Looking Back at Season 2 (III) – The Official Stills (Part 1)

I’ve always been a bit puzzled about the release of the Official Stills. Maybe that’s just how it works with TV shows in general, but: Sometimes we get 20 Official Stills for an episode – another time only 3. Or worse – none. Sometimes we would get several, but all of them looking very similar.

I’m still not sure who actually chooses them – according to Set Photographer Guy D’Alema, it’s not the photographer himself. So either the director of photography, the director of the episode or the producers? Or someone higher up at CBS who’s responsible for TV show promo in general? No clue.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (via SpoilerTV)

In Season 1, there weren’t many in the bunch that actually sparked my interest, but it was fun to look over them months after the episodes had aired.

As with Season 1, I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode of Season 2; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)

One thing I have noticed: While for Season 1, there had sometimes been 2 or even 3 Still Photographers, it’s usually only one person now (mostly Guy D’Alema who works on a bunch of other TV shows as well at the moment).

 

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
We got 5 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. Three of them feature MacGyver, one Jack all on his own and one has Mac and Jack in trouble.

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Seat42F)

MY FAVORITE: Probably the one with Mac and Jack in trouble. We’ve seen BtS pictures of the scene before and I was curious what this was all about.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: We already knew about Isabel Lucas being a new regular cast member, but there was no Official Still of her (or the other cast members). Funny thing though that the person grabbing Jack’s leg IS actually Isabel as Samantha Cage.

 

Episode 2xo2: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (Guy D’Alema)
For the second episode of Season 2, we got 4 Stills via SpoilerTV. Interestingly, they are all about the same scene with Tristin Mays as Riley; but one Still features a guy that isn’t all that important in the end.

Episode 2×02: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Not much to choose from, huh? I guess the one with Riley on the computer *heh*.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: As mentioned above, all of  the Stills advertize the same scene. The episode is clearly centered around Riley, but I always think it’s weird when the protagonist that lends the show its name isn’t seen anywhere. Also, given the episode title, I had actually expected that the Muscle Car (a Mustang in this case) being featured.

 

Episode 2xo3: Roulette Wheel + Wire (Quantrell Colbert)
The third episode delivered 10 Official Stills via SpoilerTV. Besides Matty, everyone of Team Phoenix is in more than one of the pictures, which is nice.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel +Wire (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: Mac always talks about Bozer being his best friend – but since he joined Team Phoenix, Lucas Till and Justin Hires didn’t have many scenes together. Although this scene features the entire field team, it’s nice to have two Stills with just the two of them – I think that might actually be the first time since the Pilot Episode.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Nothing, really. The cast is very pretty to look at; the women all dolled up and the men all sharp dressed. In a Still that was added later on, there’s even a SAK featured. Isn’t that great? It’s actually my runner-up choice, so it needed to be shown as well (right at the beginning of this blog post).

 

Episode 2xo4: X-Ray + Penny (Guy D’Alema)
We got only 3 Stills via SpoilerTV. All of them feature the scene with Mac and Murdoc.

Episode 2×04: X-Ray + Penny (via SpoilerTV)

MY FAVORITE: The one with Mac and Murdoc, of course.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: There’s the promise of Mac!Whump; so for me, not disappointing at all. There was even a BtS video after Entertainment Tonight had visited the set when this episode was being filmed.

 

Episode 2xo5: Skull + Electromagnet (Guy D’Alema)
The Halloween Episode brought 9 Official Stills via SpoilerTV plus additional versions of the group photo with everyone besides Matty dressed up in their Halloween costume.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (Official Still via Seat42F)

MY FAVORITE: It’s either “Jungle” or “Costumes”, so probably the group photo with everyone trying to look scary.

NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: For the costumes being featured in so many pictures, it was a bit disappointing we didn’t get to see them properly in the episode itself. But when it comes to the Official Stills, everything’s fine. Maybe a Still with the villain would have been a nice addition.

 

(More coming soon.)

MacGyver Reboot Update #43

Last Friday’s Episode managed to reach more than 7 millions live viewers, setting a new live audience record for Season 2. Also, “Original Jack Dalton” Bruce McGill will guest-star in an upcoming episode!

BtS of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Work, work, work
It looks like production is gearing up for a well-earned holiday break because filming continued on the last two weekends. Due to evening and night shoots, cast and crew didn’t get to watch the latest episodes because they were still on set when the show aired.

They still take the time to post some pictures for us and thankfully, George Eads hasn’t lost his new-found love for Instagram yet. On October 26, he revealed that Jack Dalton will have to wear a suit again. On a photo posted on November 1, he joked that Jack at least was trying to help. The BtS picture shows cast and crew filming on and under a soundstage. Judging by other location pictures and Instagram Live Stories, it looks like MacGyver is trying to defuse a rather large bomb. Eads also pleased the fans by posting pictures of him doing ADR (Automatic Dialogue Recording) and thanking for the great ratings last Friday.

BtS of Season 2 (via Justin Hires)

Justin Hires shared a picture of Bozer being in trouble again, getting interrogated in prison. At least he had some beautiful company on set, even if one of them has a habit of trying to look into his phone. Justin also shared a picture of him and Lucas on set, their characters apparently taking a break from playing Ping Pong in the lab.

Meredith Eaton just posted an Instagram Live Story today, revealing that she’s doing ADR for Episode 2×09.

Filming in “Afghanistan”
On October 25, Tristin Mays had shared a video of her driving a Sanitation Truck. As it turned out, this scene will be part of another “explosive” Episode because Emerson Brooks (who played Charlie Robinson in Episode 1×06: Wrench) was back on set and most likely, “The Ghost” will make a comeback as well.

Last week, they had lots of Extras on set; mainly SWAT, FBI and Bomb Techs. Meredith Eaton called it “a situation”, so I guess there will be lots of action.

BtS of Season 2 (via Garfield Wedderburn)

On November 7, George Eads posted several pictures of him and with Lucas Till in “Afghanistan”. Back in October, we had already seen BtS photos posted by Garfield Wedderburn that featured him with Lucas and George in soldier gear.

Months ago, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov had promised we would get to know how Mac met Jack. The fact that both Tristin Mays and Justin Hires have been on this desert set as well means the episode is set in current time, but set location pictures, Instagram Live Stories by Lucas and and the most recent BtS photos by George hint at flashback scenes to Afghanistan when Jack was still with Delta and Mac an EOD Tech.

Isabel Lucas doesn’t post much, but shared a BtS-picture of Episode 2×06 that shows her on the hood of a car. Interestingly, she hasn’t been seen on set pictures or videos for weeks. Either Samantha Cage has very good Ninja Skills or she went to travel the world with Murdoc.

Official Stills, Press Releases and Sneak Peeks
On November 3, we got the Press Release for Episode 2×08 (Packing Peanuts + Fire) and a first Still of Riley with her father. On November 7, CBS added more Official Stills for Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack). We also got the title for Episode 2×09: CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil.

Episode 2×07: Duct Tape + Jack (via SpoilerTV)

Sadly, we got no Sneak Peeks in advance of Episode 2×06, although they had only released one single Offical Still beforehend. There were no Sneak Peeks for today’s Episode 2×07, either.

Thanks to the cast, we got some more BtS material of the episodes, e.g. the stunt-scene of Bozer’s stunt double being on fire in last week’s episode 2×06.

Interviews and other Promo
On October 26, CBS Watch! Magazine had posted 14 BtS Set pictures of Justin Hires with various cast members;  giving a “tour of typical MacGyver moments”.

Some of these photos are on-set-pictures from last week’s Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck); making up for the lack of Official Stills. We also got a glimpse of Jack Dalton’s “homebase” that we will visit in tonight’s Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack).

George Eads and Justin Hires on Set of Season 2 (via CBS Watch! Magazine)

On October 27, CBS shared a short interview with Meredith Eaton about her character Matilda “Matty” Weber. Asked about her favorite scene she has filmed so far in Season 2, Meredith answered:

One of my favorite scenes that Matty has in Season 2 is with Murdoc’s son. There’s a real poignant moment where she’s talking to him, and Matty reveals part of her own past to his son. It’s a really sweet scene between the two of them. That was really enjoyable.

(Meredith Eaton for CBS)

Interestingly, that’s actually a scene for Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny) we never even got to see. It’s still a possibility that it ends up in a later episode, but more likely as a Deleted Scene on the Extras of the Season 2 DVD.

For Halloween, CBS additionally posted an interview with Sarah Downer, Costume Designer on the Reboot. Besides giving tipps on Halloween costumes (e.g. which substance to use for fake blood), she also talked about how they had decided which costume of the “Zombie Wizard of Oz” theme to use for each actor.

Season 2 Ratings
While the Season 2 ratings for the first four episodes hadn’t been overwhelming, they were stable: On average, every episode pulled in 6.65 million live viewers per episode so far with a rating of 0.8.

BtS of Episode 2×06: Jet Engine + Pickup Truck (via Isabel Lucas)

The Halloween Episode on October 27 aired an hour later than usual and took over the time slot of Hawaii Five-0. Furthermore, there was a World Series Game going on that evening and Season 2 of Stranger Things had just dropped on Netflix, so ratings weren’t really predictable. Yet, we were in for a surprise:  Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) reached 6.45 million live viewers with a rating of 0.9 in the important demo-group (18-49).

Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck) last week was the first Season 2 Episode to reach more than 7 million viewers; managing 7.09 million live viewers with a demo of 0.8.

Cast, Crew and Character News
Today, TV Insider revealed more infos about Bozer’s new love interest, an ambitious operative-in-training called Liana. Reign Edwards will join the cast for at least 3 episodes “and possibly more”, starting on November 17. It’s possible they’re testing the waters with Edwards as a potential recurring (or even regular) cast member since many fans didn’t take Isabel Lucas joining Team Phoenix so well.

As I mentioned, Emerson Brooks has been back on set as Charlie Robinson, Mac’s fellow EOD friend. Other upcoming guest-stars are Billy Baldwin as Riley’s father (in Episode 2×08: Packing Peanuts + Fire), Eddie McClintock and Ashley Tisdale as a CIA Agent. Both Justin Hires and Lucas Till shared BtS pictures and videos of them with Ashley on set and having fun.

BtS of Season 2 (via Ashley Tisdale)

Probably the most exciting casting news is that none other than “Original Jack Dalton” Bruce McGill will guest-star in an upcoming episode! On November 3, news about Bruce McGill’s appearance in the reboot hit the internet. As Entertainment Weekly reported, McGill will play Detective Greer, a seasoned LAPD veteran who reads MacGyver his Miranda Rights for murder. Greer believes that MacGyver is a bomb maker who took down a warehouse, killing someone, and intends to charge him with domestic terrorism.

In the press release, McGill said:

I was happy to make a guest appearance on MacGyver. It’s unusual for an actor to be on the original series and then, 30 years later, be on a newer version. The cast and producers were warm and embracing, and I enjoyed being a part of the new show.

(Bruce McGill for CBS)

Lucas Till posted a picture of him with rebooted and Original Jack Dalton on Instagram, stating his excitement about working with another actor of the original cast. TV Line had added an Official Still to their post, stating that the episode will air on December 15. The description for the Still reveals that it’s Episode 2×11 (Bullet + Pen), directed by Carlos Bernard. It’s not clear yet if this will be the Midseason Finale or if they will additionally air Episode 2×12 just before Christmas.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (Guy D’Alema for CBS)

Interestingly, the storyline for this episode reminds me of the background story James Wan had intended for a MacGyver movie back in 2012, in which MacGyver was wanted for terrorism and had to clear his name.

Of course, it’s not just about guest-stars. After all, TV wouldn’t work without Extras. Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Photo Doubles, a Bomb Squad, Men who are currently or have been real Firemen, for Soldiers, FBI & Police, SWAT and Agents or for LAPD Bomb Techs. They’ve also been looking for a Man with a Car, Bartenders, Men and Women who portray Middle Eastern or East Indian for a small Bazaar Scene, Office Workers and Men with military or tactical experience.

MacGyver in Latin America
The Reboot started airing in several Latin American countries recently. There were some screening events beforehand. Depending on the venue, journalists gathered to conquer “MacGyverland” (Colombia) or had to disarm bombs (Argentina), solve puzzles, crack open a safe or to step over laser lights without getting “harmed”. There were fake missiles, confetti bombs and fighting stunt men. They also got their own paperclip goodie to take home or were able to visit the “spy van”.

BtS of Season 2 (via Garfield Wedderburn)

MacGyver in Austria
Episodes 1×07 (Can Opener) and 1×08 (Corkscrew) garnered 69’000 resp. 73’000 viewers. Episodes 1×09 (Chisel) and 1×10 (Pliers) reached 76’000 resp. an impressive number of 105’000 viewers.

Tomorrow, Austrian channel ORF1 will air the German-speaking TV-Premiere of Christmas-Episode 1×11 (Scissors). There will be no episodes for the next few weeks due to the upcoming Winter Sports Events. There’s no information yet when fans finally get to see the German-speaking premieres of Episodes 1×16 (Hook) and 1×19 (Compass).

MacGyver Reboot Update #42

Everything’s different on Halloween. Tonight, the newest Episode of MacGyver airs an hour later than usual; making way for the Michael Jackson Halloween Special with characters voiced by Lucas Till and George Eads.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (Official Still via Seat42F)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Work, work, work
Looking at the upcoming schedule, episodes are airing weekly up until at least mid-November, so filming goes on without too many days off, as well. Cast and Crew weren’t seen outside very often, but Mike Martinez revealed on October 18 that they had done more water tank work.

Every now and then the cast keeps posting pictures of different episodes – Meredith Eaton provided several with her co-stars (e.g. with Tristin Mays and Lucas Till).

BtS of Season 2 (via Meredith Eaton)

George Eads was on a roll and posted more pictures than ever; e.g. an old BtS picture of him with the Aston Martin in Episode 1×17 (Ruler), in a stare-down with Matty or of him with the crew, looking all dangerous. Justin Hires keeps uploading short videos from set and BtS pictures of aired episodes, but he also posted a picture of the upcoming Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck) or of Bozer posing with Matty.

Isabel Lucas doesn’t post much, but shared a picture of her on the hood of a car. Justin reminded us that Sparky is part of Team Phoenix as well. Tristin shared a video of her driving a Sanitation Truck.

BtS of Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via Carlos Bernard)

Despite all the work, the crew still has fun on set – e.g. by working in their pyjamas, creating graffiti together on their breaks or playing puppy with the slate.

So this is Christmas…
Episode 2×11 (Bullet + Pen) is the Christmas Episode, directed by Carlos Bernard. While we don’t know anything about the story yet, it brought us some hilarious BtS pictures – mainly of Mac & Jack wearing Christmas-appropriate costumes.

George Eads was the first to post pictures of him wearing a Rudolph costume. It didn’t take long for Executive Producer Peter Lenkov, Director Carlos Bernard and Lucas Till to join in. Lenkov also posted a picture of a train powered Record Player – definitely something you would find in MacGyver’s home.

BtS of Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via George Eads)

Interestingly, David Dastmalchian has been on set again recently. He posed for a Snapchat video with Justin Hires, looking all nice and normal. It’s most likely that Murdoc makes an appearance either in the Christmas Episode or in Episode 2×12 as the Midseason Finale.

Official Stills and Press Releases
On October 11, TV Guide Magazine had revealed the first picture for the Halloween Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) with the cast dressed up to fit The Wizard of Oz. We had already gotten to read the Press Release on October 9 and several Official Stills on October 17.

Since the episode will air after the animated Michael Jackson Halloween Special (with Lucas Till and George Eads voicing characters; playing father and son), they take up the time slot of Hawaii Five-0 at 9pm. Of course, H50 fans are not happy – especially since the show has already shared BtS pictures of the traditional Halloween Episode.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via Seat42F)

On October 23, CBS released the Press Release for Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck). There are no Official Stills yet, but fans of the Original Show might think the storyline reads a bit familiar because Mac and Team will travel to Nigeria to “stop a massive oil well fire”. This is an episode we got many BtS pictures of – mainly because of the Extras.

According to SpoilerTV, Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack) will be aired on November 10. Episode 2×08 is titled “Packing Peanuts + Fire”; airing on November 17.

As Justin Hires revealed in a recent Instagram Live Story Video, his character Bozer will have an exciting story arc through Episodes 8 to 10. We don’t know much about it yet besides Reign Edwards playing his potential love interest. We have seen pictures of them holding hands during filming, so we’ll see how this turns out. It looks like Reign has finished filming in Atlanta, so this might be another unhappy love story for Mac’s roommate.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (Screenshot of Sneak Peek 2)

Previews and Sneak Peeks
For Episode 2×03 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips), we got a trailer, Official Stills and 3 Sneak Peeks.

ET had visited the set while Lucas Till was working on Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny). In the video, Lucas is crawling out of a manhole and stumbling alongside a traffic-heavy road. Last Friday, we were finally able to watch the episode this scene belongs to.

Sadly, while we had a trailer and Official Stills (all of MacGyver and Murdoc), there were no Sneak Peeks before Episode 2×04 aired. Luckily, the cast sweetened the days before and after the Premiere with some more BtS pictures. David Dastmalchian posted one of him and Lucas. Justin Hires posted several; e.g. of Bozer and Riley or of Bozer doing more detective work. Director Bethany Rooney provided a BtS picture of Dastmalchian working in front of a green screen and of Lucas wearing the headgear-camera during MacGyver’s stint in Murdoc’s lair.

BtS of Episode 2×04: X-Ray + Penny (via Bethany Rooney)

As already mentioned above, TV Guide Magazine had revealed the first picture for the Halloween Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) on October 11. Four days later, TV Insider uploaded the picture online, sharing the little information box below the picture for everyone to read:

Gadgets wizard Mac (Lucas Till) and his special-ops team play undead versions of the beloved Wizard of Oz characters to entertain—or terrify?—trick-or-treating kids in the hit series’ special Halloween episode. “The cast was excited to dress up, but Justin Hires was plucking loose hairs out of his eyeballs all day!” costar Meredith Eaton recalls. “His costume was so hairy.” Sadly, the gang’s holiday plans are interrupted. Executive producer Peter Lenkov teases: “They’ll head into the Bermuda Triangle to retrieve the vice president’s son, whose plane disappeared.” Now that’s scary!

(TV Guide Magazine, October 2017)

We also got some BtS picture in advance; e.g. of Director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum posing with Isabel Lucas or of Isaiah Stratton with Jeananne Goossen.

Yesterday, we got 3 Sneak Peeks. One has Mac, Jack and Riley playing a prank on Bozer. Another one is the mission briefing in the War Room. The third one by TV Line shows Mac taking a phone call in the Bermuda Triangle.

Behind the Set
On October 26, CBS Watch! Magazine posted pictures of Justin Hires giving a “tour of typical MacGyver moments”. The short article helds 14 BtS Set pictures of Justin with various cast members.

Lucas Till and Justin Hires on Set of Season 2 (via CBS Watch! Magazine)

Some are of next week’s Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck). We also get a glimpse of presumably Jack Dalton’s “homebase”. We saw BtS pictures of the cast doing a photoshoot on this set a while ago. It’s not yet clear if those were done for another photoshoot and if they also did interviews for more promo that day.

Season 2 and Reruns Ratings
While the recent ratings haven’t been stellar or overwhelming, it’s interesting how stable they are: Episode 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire) managed 6.74 million live viewers with a rating of 0.8 in the 18-49 demo; winning the 8pm time slot.

Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny) reached 6.77 million live viewers, also with a rating of 0.8 in demo; again winning the time slot for total viewers numbers.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel +Wire (via SpoilerTV)

On average, Season 2 pulled in 6.65 million live viewers per episode so far with a rating of 0.8. As expected, that’s less than for Season 1 (7.73 million live viewers per episode with a demo of 1.08), yet the show didn’t lose as many viewers as other Non-Friday-Shows. Compared to another Reboot, Lethal Weapon already lost 1.5 million live viewers since last season. Other CBS shows like Scorpion lost almost 2 million live viewers per episode.

The Rerun of Episode 1×11 (Scissors) on Saturday, October 14 generated 2.6 million live viewers with a demo of 0.4. That’s only half of the viewers that reruns usually generate on Fridays, but it was also in competition with sports programming.

Cast, Crew and Character News
Although Isabel Lucas has the third spot in the opening title credits, there’s still no picture of her and no information about her on the official show website. Considering that she’d joined the team as a regular, that seems a bit unfair; even if they decide to write her off within the Season (which probably won’t happen).

Emerson Brooks (who played Charlie Robinson in Episode 1×06: Wrench) was back on set yesterday. He posted a picture with Tristin Mays and Justin Hires today and was in some of Justin Hires’ recent videos. There have been Casting Calls for Bomb Squads recently, so it’s safe to assume that “The Ghost” will be back.

BtS of Season 2 (via Emerson Brooks)

Interestingly, Zoe Addison Smith (who had played Annabella Pena in the same episode), will be back for next week’s Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck). We don’t know yet if there’s a longer story-arc about MacGyver’s EOD teacher and commanding officer Pena or not.

Someone had asked Anthony Starke (who played the “Bad Teacher” Fletcher in last week’s Episode 2×04) if he will be back. Anthony answered he doesn’t know, so apparently Fletcher didn’t make it into Murdoc’s collective after all.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Photo Doubles, recurring Techs and Agents, Lab Techs, Fit Models (male and female), Bad Guys, Police, Desk Sergeants and Detectives, a hispanic Woman and kids for a Photo Shoot, female Agents, Policemen, Cops, LAPD, Bomb Squad, a Suspicious Man, FBI Agents and Office Patrons. They’ve also been looking for a Caucasian Man with darker hair for a Photo Shoot and for men with real military or tactical training.

MacGyver in Latin America
The Reboot starts airing in several Latin American countries this month. There were screenings recently – and in contrast to the US, distributor Universal Channel was quite inventive for these events. The press kits contained goodies like hats, licorice dynamite and even SAKs.

Screening in Argentina (via María Gabriela Losino)

Depending on the venue, journalists gathered to conquer “MacGyverland” (Terra Mágica, Colombia) or had to disarm bombs (Argentina), solve puzzles, crack open a safe or to step over laser lights without getting “harmed”. There were fake missiles, confetti bombs and fighting stunt men. Must have been a fun event for journalists and reviewers to attend.

The show aired the first two episodes for its premiere and managed to trend on Twitter in Venezuela. (If you remember: Episode 1×02 is set in Venezuela.)

MacGyver in Austria
Episodes 1×05 (Toothpick) and 1×06 (Wrench) managed 78’000 resp. 71’000 viewers. Episodes 1×07 (Can Opener) and 1×08 (Corkscrew) garnered 69’000 resp. 73’000 viewers.

BtS of Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via Lucas Till)

Since German channel Sat.1 skipped 3 episodes in total, the German-speaking TV-Premiere of  the Christmas-Episode 1×11 (Scissors) – titled “Schnee in Kalifornien” (Snow in California) – will happen in Austria on November 11.

MacGyver Reboot Update #41

Who said Friday 13th is an unlucky day? A new episode airs tonight, so many people consider this as a win. While promo has quieted down a bit, cast and crew are busy filming more episodes.

Episode 2×04: X-Ray + Penny (via SpoilerTV)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Season 2 Premiere Promo
There wasn’t much promo until Premiere Day. It was kind of a special date because back in 1985, the Original Show also premiered on September 29.

On September 21, the official Instagram Account by CBS had asked the fans to ask questions. There were over 370 comments when I was writing my last update two weeks ago, but it was only Meredith Eaton who had answered some of them via Instagram Live Videos shortly before the Premiere. Seems like CBS forgot about the rest.

George Eads and Lucas Till doing Promo for Season 2

George Eads and Lucas Till did many video interviews for the local TV channels. They mentioned doing about 20 of these interviews, so it’s no wonder they seemed oddly hyperactive in some of them; probably suffering from lack of sleep. Talking about upcoming car chases with News Channel 5, Lucas joked that he doesn’t know why they keep letting George drive.

In the segment for CBS Denver, they revealed that Murdoc will assemble several bad guys, so we might get to see more familiar sounding character names this season. In the interview with CBS Baltimore, Lucas admitted that he didn’t let himself have that much fun on Season 1 because he took it much more seriously.

In an interview with Philly Today, Lucas Till revealed his favorite upcoming premise of Season 2 he has filmed so far:

I used Jack’s heart to keep a heart alive. It’s like a heart in a box pump that keeps hearts alive instead of transporting live organs on ice and it all ends up not being able to work and I use Jack’s heart to keep the heart pumping alive so we can get it into someone else.

(Lucas Till for Philly Today, September 29)

George Eads in Episode 2×07: Duct Tape + Jack (via Peter Lenkov)

We can assume Lucas refers to Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack) – which means that “Jack” in the episode title is indeed Jack Dalton and not just another tool out of the tool box.

Radio TV Talk visited the set for another interview while George Eads and Lucas Till were filming some car chases. Lucas revealed that he had spent the off season doing a lot of yoga because he was feeling plenty of soreness and fatigue from the very physical workload of Season 1:

I”m a lot better with my preparation. I had problems with my knees. But I’m all good now. Yoga really works. I’m on my feet 14 hours a day. It’s a beast.

(Lucas Till for Radio TV Talk, September 29)

Tristin Mays with Einstein (via Einstein’s Set Life)

In an interview with CBS Local, George Eads revealed that he didn’t sleep much last year due to putting so much pressure on himself; partially because he had worked with CBS for so many years (on CSI: Las Vegas) and wanted to do a good job. He also talked about how he and Lucas make the bromance work:

Me and Lucas are just good friends. It starts with respect. When you spend as much time as we do on the set with one another, he knows how hard it is for me, and I know how difficult the show can be for him. We try to pick each other up, bring each other a protein shake, or take a break if one of us needs one. There’s been times when I’ve been missing my daughter so bad that I’ll be in an emotional state, and Lucas will hold up production until we can talk it out and maybe even cry it out in the trailer. I confide in him as a close friend, and I think he’s done the same for me. I’ve gotten to know his mom and dad and his brothers. When you spend a lot of time working, you cross your fingers that you’re gonna like each other, and we’ve just been lucky when it comes to that. And the more our friendship evolves, the more our characters do too.

(George Eads for CBS Local, September 29)

Stills and Press Releases
On October 3, SpoilerTV presented us Press Releases and Stills for Episodes 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips), 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire) plus 2×04 (X-Ray and Penny). In Episode 2×04, we’ll encounter David Dastmalchian as Murdoc again and will meet Michael O’Keefe as Harry MacGyver.

Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (via SpoilerTV)

On October 9, we got the Press Release of the Halloween Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet). Since the episode will air after the animated Michael Jackson Halloween Special (with Lucas Till and George Eads voicing characters), they will take the time slot of Hawaii Five-0 at 9pm. H50 also filmed a Halloween Episode, but apparently they’ll have to wait.

Previews and Sneak Peeks
On Premiere Day, SpoilerTV had released three Sneak Peeks for Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE).

BtS of Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Nelson)

I had been wondering about the lack of promo for the second episode and them deleting the preview that had already aired after Episode 2×01. As it turned out, CBS had changed the episode order for several shows (probably due to recent events in Las Vegas). They uploaded a generic preview we’ve already seen for last season. Sadly, there were no additional Stills or Clips besides the four Stills of Riley in the bad guys’ lair.

For Episode 2×03 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips), they re-uploaded the preview we’ve already seen, but with a slightly different background music. Additionally, we got 3 Sneak Peeks today. One has Mac and Jack stuck in an Ice Cave, trying to turn a snow mobile into a radio. This might turn out as the Opening Gambit and reveals another tidbit about MacGyver Senior’s watch he left behind. Another one has Team Phoenix trying to overcome several obstacles in their Casino Heist. The third clip has Riley and Mac pretending to be a couple who needs some help with their handcuffs shenanigans gone wrong.

The clips are interesting, but I find it odd that they’ve chosen to show an entire Opening Gambit again.

Other Promo and BtS Stuff
ET visited the set and did a short interview with Lucas Till who was working on Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny).

Screenshot of ET’s set visit of Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny)

In the video, Lucas is seen crawling out of a manhole and stumbling alongside a traffic-heavy road. The segment was rather short, but we also got to see his Stunt Double Mike Wilson.

Since the Premiere, many took the opportunity to post new BtS pictures of Episode 2×01; e.g. Danny Boushebel (posing with Isabel Lucas) or Ricky Russert who shows in a video why it takes over 3 hours to get him a beard worthy of a long-term prisoner.

On October 11, we got a first picture for the Halloween Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) via TV Guide Magazine. As suspected, the cast will dress up in an impersonation of The Wizard of Oz.

Episode 2×05: Skull + Electromagnet (via TV Guide Magazine)

Working on Episodes 2×09 and 2×10
The main unit had been filming outside a lot on some interesting looking sets; e.g. on an obstacle course and at Atlanta Water Works. Director Bobby Roth posed for pictures with George Eads, Isabel Lucas or Tristin Mays while director Stacey Black started post production on Episode 2×08.

Justin shared more BtS pictures of Bozer and various team members of Team Phoenix in the War Room. Judging by recent BtS pictures and videos from set, his character will undergo some physical training and find a new love interest.

BtS of Season 2 (via Justin Hires)

Grip Thomas Doolittle and Boom Operator Robert Maxfield shared some pictures while filming more car scenes. Cast and Crew also continued posing for pictures with set dog Einstein. If there are no dogs available to play with, there’s also Lego sets. Today, Tristin Mays uploaded a video of Lucas building a Lego NinjaGo pirate ship.

Meanwhile, Peter Lenkov was busy editing. He didn’t share many pictures and videos, but quite a few Instagram Live Stories of the editing process. We will see Jack and Riley in trouble, Bozer sneaking around houses in the dark and another stare-off between MacGyver and Murdoc.

Before the premiere of Episode 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips) on October 6, cast and crew shared some more BtS material. It seems like Lucas was especially fond of the Mustang that played an important part in this episode. Meredith Eaton shared a picture of the Arcade scene; George Eads on of Mac and Jack sitting in a car.

Episode 2×02: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (via Lucas Till)

Season 2 Ratings
Season 1 had an average rating of 1.08 in the important demo group (18 to 49-year-olds) and about 7.7 million live viewers per episode.

The Season 1 Finale had a rating of 0.9 and about 6.6 million live viewers. Rating pages like The Grim Reaper claim that Season Premieres nowadays usually reach the same ratings as the last Season Finale. This seems to be true for the Reboot: Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) managed 6.7 million live viewers with a rating of 0.8 in demo; winning the 8pm time slot.

Episode 2×02: Muscle Car + Paper Clips (via SpoilerTV)

Episode 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips) reached 6.4 million live viewers, also with a rating of 0.8 in demo and winning the time slot for total viewers numbers.

Cast and Character News
Although Isabel Lucas got the third spot in the opening title credits, there was no official press release about her joining the Season 2 cast.

In TV Guide Magazine (released online on TV Insider), Lucas Till and George Eads talked a bit what Season 2 will bring. George stated that we will meet Riley’s dad (which was recently mentioned by Executive Director Peter Lenkov on Instagram as well). There has been some speculation that Roger Floyd would play Riley’s father, but as it turns out, it’s actually Billy Baldwin. As we can see in BtS pictures, there might be some fists and black eyes.

BtS of Season 2 (via Billy Baldwin)

As seen in Instagram Videos by Peter Lenkov and through various Instagram Live Stories and pictures, we will also meet Bozer’s new love interest, played by Reign Edwards.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov again said that Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson won’t play Mac’s father because it would be too obvious. He also teased that “it’s not who you think it is” which probably means that MacGyver Senior has already been cast since we will meet him at the end of the season.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Photo Doubles, SWAT People, for Arcade Employees, Upscale Restaurant Patrons and Hostesses, Goons, Bartenders and Waitresses, Rural Country Vehicles, Trainees, College Students and for Techs and Agents.

Crew and Director News
On September 27, Tawnia Canell McKiernan had revealed that she’s packing to leave for Atlanta to direct Episode 2×10 (War Room + Ship). Episode 2×11 (Bullet + Pen) will be directed by Carlos Bernard who just came back from Hawaii after directing an episode on Hawaii Five-0.

George Eads with Einstein (via Einstein’s Set Life)

Season 1 Reruns and DVD News
There will be a rerun of Episode 1×11 (Scissors) tomorrow Saturday (October 14, 8pm). There is still no US-release date for the Season 1 DVD although fans keep asking about it.

MacGyver in Austria
While Episode 1×04 (Wire Cutter) reached 56’000 viewers, Episodes 1×05 (Toothpick) and 1×06 (Wrench) managed 78’000 resp. 71’000 viewers.

Contrary to German channel Sat.1, Austria won’t skip episodes. Therefore, the German-speaking TV-Premiere of Episode 1×11 (Scissors) – titled “Schnee in Kalifornien” (Snow in California) – will happen in Austria on November 11.

MacGyver Reboot Update #39

One week left until the Season 2 Premiere! The cast is even more excited than their fans and spoils them with daily set pictures!

BtS of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 and the Season 2 Premiere Episode by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)

 

Season 2 News – 2×01 Promo
The Season 2 Premiere is approaching fast and Promo has been picking up. CBS finally managed to upload the Teaser Trailer for Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) that has been airing on TV since last week. There’s also an Official Preview on YouTube that’s slightly different; focusing a bit more on new cast member Isabel Lucas.

On the official CBS show website, they posted a write-up for Episode 2×01 and Season 2:

At the end of MacGyver Season 1, Murdoc came after every agent in the Phoenix Complex to exact murderous revenge —and he’s still on the loose. Now we’ll learn how MacGyver and Jack will follow the trail of the deranged killer. Naturally, the explosive show is back with a bang on Friday, Sept. 29 8/7c on CBS.

Meanwhile, Matty’s personal friend—and an exceptional International agent—asks for the Phoenix Foundation’s help in a non-government sanctioned recovery mission in the Middle East. Using only a soccer ball and a cell phone, Mac and Jack assist in the extraction to bring home a Navy SEAL believed to be alive and held captive.

In other news, the MacGyver Reboot was nominated for an Emmy in the category “Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie”. Sadly, Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe didn’t snag the award this time around – but maybe next year? An Emmy Award sure would have been the best promo for the upcoming season.

Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Seat42F)

Season 2 News – Episode Titles
On September 15, SpoilerTV revealed the title for Episode 2×07 (Duct Tape + Jack). Based on former Episode Titles, we should assume that they mean the tool and not Jack Dalton (unless they’re implying that he’s a tool as well). It’s interesting to note that this means we have two episodes in Season 2 that could either feature tools or a character – Penny in 2×04 and Jack 2×07. Could be coincidence, of course – but you never know.

We’ve already learnt about the other Episode Titles through IMDb and Instagram, although it seems that the titles for 2×02 (formerly “Roulette Wheel”) and 2×03 (formerly “Mustang and Paper Clips”) have slightly changed. Most of these scripts have been written before filming started and went through several revisions, so changes in the titles wouldn’t be that unusual.

So far, we have following Episode Titles to look forward to:

• 2×01 – DIY or DIE
• 2×02 – Roulette Wheel + Wire
• 2×03 – Muscle Car + Paper Clips
• 2×04 – X-Ray + Penny
• 2×06 – Jet Engine + Pickup Truck
• 2×07 – Duct Tape + Jack

Interestingly, they haven’t released the title for the Halloween Episode (2×05) yet. I remember an Instagram Live Story from July 18 by Justin Hires, in which he quickly swept over his script title pages. Justin made sure it was too fast and too blurry to read instantly, but the title for 2×05 was the only one I could decipher after making a screenshot: Skull + Electromagnet.

Season 2 Script Title Pages (via Justin Hires)

On September 17, George Eads shared another picture of Episode 2×05 with the new field mission trio on a roof. It could be very well some kind of electromagnet that MacGyver is carrying. Apparently, they don’t feel too happy when stuck together in a car, though.

Location, Location, Location
Cast and Crew seem to be constantly on the move, shooting in many different locations. 2nd Unit had been filming a stunt scene in Havana (Cuba) on September 3. The main unit has been filming outside a lot; on sets dressed up as “Cuba”, “Nigeria” or “Ecuador”.

They’ve also been back filming at the Fox Theatre, in Bozer’s old Burger Joint and in a new appartement location. Two days ago and yesterday, there were sightings of production filming on Paper Mill Road in Marietta.

BtS of Season 2 (via Isabel Lucas)

Today, Isabel Lucas revealed that they have been filming in a combustion tank. Apparently, the cast needs the opportunity to get wet and cool themselves down as often as possible.

Mac and Jack, hanging in a Tree…
On September 15, Madeline Grayson posted a picture of an interesting prop that had me immediately thinking of MacGyver. Because many of the Reboot crew members work simultaneously on different projects, you can never be sure if a picture really is related to a certain show.

BtS of Season 2 (via Madeline Grayson)

Peter Lenkov confirmed my suspicions just a day later, though: It’s a MacGyvered parachute for a scene that culminates with Mac and Jack hanging in a tree. Looks like an interesting episode and reminds me of the Original Show.

The cast has started to upload BtS pictures almost daily. So far, they’re doing a better job at promoting than CBS. Justin Hires shared another picture of him and Tristin on the Nigeria Set. It looks like Bozer and Riley are tied up (and judging by the picture he posted today, they aren’t the only ones). On the same day, George Eads posted a picture of him and Lucas getting readied by their Stunt Doubles. There’s also a short video via George and another picture via Lucas just before they prepare themselves to jump off with that paracute.

BtS of Season 2 (via Peter Lenkov)

On September 16, Lucas posted another BtS picture of him and George wearing the Lapland Folklore Costumes which earned a lot of likes and comments.

Justin shared BtS pictures of Bozer, Jack and Riley in the War Room, of Bozer and Mac in the War Room and of Bozer and Jack in Nigeria.

Cast and Character News
The main cast welcomed Isabel Lucas last week. Back in July, Moviehole had released some exclusive details for the storyline of the Season 2 Premiere Episode and about the new female cast members:

We will see 2 new female characters in Olivia Cage and an intel extraction specialist named Agent Carmen. Carmen has been described as “late twenties, fierce, focused and utterly fascinating”. She’s also got history with Matty. Olivia Cage is “a woman to be reckoned with” and someone we will get to know well.

According to Moviehole, Agent Carmen was supposed to join Team Phoenix on a rescue mission in Turkey. She was to be discharged by the CIA for her involvement in the mission, therefore free to join Phoenix.

For almost two months now, C.C. Ice has been listed as stunt double for “Samantha Cage” on IMDb. I always assumed they somehow confused Cage’s name – because IMDb isn’t always the most reliable source and anyone with an account can add more info. As it turns out, Isabel Lucas will actually play (soon-to-be-Ex-CIA-Agent) Samantha Cage.

Either Moviehole had inaccurate info or they switched names/characters at the last minute – like changing Episode Titles, this isn’t such an unusual thing to happen in TV show production.

Screenshot of the Preview for 2×01 (DIY or DIE)

Some people have been worried about Riley and Bozer getting less screentime, now that another field agent joined the team. Peter Lenkov continues to praise Justin Hires’ acting chops as Bozer, so I doubt his character will be written out over the season.

Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Techs, a father with his 10-year-old daughter, Hispanic Guards and Fit Students and Instructors. They’ve also been looking for Cars, Joggers, Bikes and Parents, Upscale Patrons and Armed Security and Vape Patrons and Hookah Smokers.

Crew and Director News
Gabriel Beristain, who usually fills the position of Director of Photography, directed an episode (presumably 2×07) last week.

This Monday, filming for Episode 2×08 has started. Like the other directors, Stacy Black  had some help from Einstein. They have been filming on Stone Mountain and in Grant Park.

BtS of Episode 2×08 (via Einstein)

Another upcoming director for an episode is Bobby Roth (who has already directed Episode 1×05: Toothpick).

Reruns
There’s a rerun of the Season 1 Finale (Cigar Cutter) today. I think it’s a good idea to show the Season 1 Finale again; giving new viewers a chance to catch up and getting interested in Season 2.

Season 1 DVD News
The Season 1 DVD has been released in some countries (e.g. Australia, UK) last week. The Special Features on the UK Version are listed as follows:

• MacGyver it! The Making of the Pilot
• Watch Magazine Photo Shoot (with Lucas Till and George Eads)
• Interview with Prop Master Kate Guanci
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel

If you’ve been following the show closely, you’ve probably seen a lot of it already, but I’m looking forward to the deleted scenes especially.

Season 1 DVD Cover (UK Version via DVD Wholesale)

MacGyver in Austria
The Austrian Channel ORF1 airs the Reboot on Saturdays (7.10pm). I don’t know much about regular TV ratings in Austria. The show seems to do well enough, although ratings have been dropping. While the Pilot Episode and Episode 1×02 reached 93’000 resp. 81’000 viewers in demo, Episode 1×03 (Awl) last week only managed 51’000 viewers on average. Compared to other shows, it’s still within the same range as episodes of The Big Bang Theory or The Simpsons that just aired before.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
George Eads uses Instagram very frequently at the moment. The account just got verified recently, so maybe he’s definitely here to stay? On Saturday (September 16), George revealed that he’s busy doing the voice-overs for his cartoon character in the Michael Jackson Halloween Special. He stated being happy about it because his daughter will love it.

Lucas Till is also involved in this project, but he we haven’t seen any news that indicated if he’s already finished doing his part.

Interestingly, CBS just added the date for this Halloween Special: Friday, October 27 – during the same time slot of the Reboot. It’s actually a possibility that the Halloween Episode 2×05 – who was initially supposed to air on that day – won’t air until after Halloween.