MacGyver Reboot Update #130

After two weeks of reruns, we’ll finally get new episodes starting next week! Meanwhile, Film and TV productions in LA are going into a prolonged Holiday Hiatus.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Viveca Mays)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 5 storylines and characters by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided. For daily news and to join the discussion, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

 

About Episode 5×03 (MAC501)
Two weeks ago was the premiere of Episode 5×03 (Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma); the first episode filmed for Season 5. It was written by Stephanie Hicks and Jim Adler and directed by David Straiton. They released 18 Official Stills and 3 Sneak Peeks beforehand.

We got several new/old BtS photos and Instagram stories just before and during the episode aired; e.g. by Tristin Mays, by Stephanie Hicks, by Justin Hires or by the official MacGyverCBS account.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Justin Hires)

As expected, Matty appeared on screen only since Meredith Eaton is filming on the LA Unit. With so many Riley-fans and MacRiley-fans being disappointed, the Writers appeased them by tweeting that there will be more MacRiley content coming and that Riley’s hacker-persona Artemis37 will make a return in an upcoming episode.

A few days later, we got new BtS photos by Guest Star Carmen Alexis (who played an FBI Agent). Tech Consultant Rhett Allain typed up a blog post about the MacGyverisms.

Episode 5×03 had 4.724 million live-viewers and a 0.5 rating in the important demo group of 18-49 year olds. Compared to the other CBS scripted shows (21 so far), it places Rank 12 in average demo and Rank 13 in average audience numbers per episode.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Tristin Mays)

At the moment, the average CBS Friday ratings per episode look like this:

• MacGyver (8pm): 0.51 in demo (-23.43% compared to last season), 4.802 million live-viewers (-21.03%)
• Magnum PI (9pm): 0.51 demo (-20.87%), 5.552 million live-viewers (-16.71%)
• Blue Bloods (10pm): 0.50 demo (-22.92%), 6.401 million live-viewers (-16.71%)

Several of the writers joined the live-tweeting, but interestingly none of the main cast besides Henry Ian Cusick. With about 845 estimated tweets per hour, it wasn’t enough for the hashtag #MacGyver to trend. But it did better than #BlueBloods with about 757 tweets per hour and #MagnumPI with about 389 tweets per hour.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Carmen Alexis)

Overall, the episode was not as well-received on social media as the former Season 5 episodes. But it got people talking a lot (with some discussions still ongoing). About a week later, Carmen Alexis also posted a video-log and more BtS photos on Instagram; revealing that she initially had more scenes (that apparently got cut).

What you need to know about Episode 5×04 (MAC419)
Next week is the premiere of Episode 5×04 (Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason). It was written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez and directed by Peter Weller, who already directed Episodes 2×20 and 4×03. This episode was filmed with production number MAC419 (Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason) back in March.

Episode 5×04: Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (via Henry Ian Cusick)

We got the Press Release and a first Official Still on December 21. Here’s the synopsis:

Mac’s meeting with Desi’s parents goes sideways when her brother finds himself in trouble and desperately needs their help. Also, Russ and Matty must ask an old nemesis for assistance when their new recruitment candidate is kidnapped.

This episode sees the return of Guest Star Peter Weller as Elliot Mason. For a refresher on Mason, you can find his character bio page here. Both Guest Stars Corey Jung and Dollar Tan praised Peter Weller’s work ethic as actor and as director.

Episode 5×04: Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (via Corey Jung)

In generally, there wasn’t much BtS material available when the episode was being filmed and so far, we didn’t get any new BtS material since then. I remember them filming scenes at a science fair and what looks like a car accident. There was no BtS material at all of meeting Desi’s parents. In fact, I remember Levy posting an Insta Story on March 5; stating that she had a week off filming.

The preview will hopefully be released tonight. Additionally, it’s the only CBS crime show besides NCIS LA that didn’t get any more Official Stills released yet. It’s a pity they treat the show as an afterthought; considering this episode was filmed about 10 months ago already.

Season 5 Overview
In his interview with Parade, Lucas Till talked about Season 5 being a “Frankenstein Season”, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Considering that some of these episodes were filmed almost a year ago, I keep wondering how the cast keeps track of the storyline.

Episode 5×04: Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (via What2Vue)

Here’s an overview of all the information about the upcoming episodes so far. The infos were either provided by CBS, by the website for the Writers Guild of America West or by an anonymous source (episode titles), by social media accounts or IMDb (cast and crew info), by SpoilerTV (press releases) and The Futon Critic (airdates).

• 5×04 (MAC419): Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (January 8)
  Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller
• 5×05 (MAC416): Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO
  Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core

Remember that episode titles and episode order are not definite until an official Press Release by CBS.

BtS photo of Season 4 turned Season 5 (via Lavonda Till)

For now, I sorted the other upcoming episodes by production number:

• (MAC417): Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage
  Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
• (MAC418): SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini
  Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen
• (MAC420): Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (unfinished production)
  Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore
• (MAC502): Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance
  Written by Stephanie Hicks and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by Andrew Ahn
• (MAC503): tba
  Presumed guest appearances by David Dastmalchian and Joe Pantoliano
• (MAC504): tba
  Presumably written by Teresa Huang

There’s still no official word on the episode number. With the 2-month-delay to start filming, it’s very likely that Season 5 will also have only 13 episodes. Most of the LA productions have agreed to extend their Holiday Hiatus. It’s not clear yet if the LA Unit for MacGyver (where Meredith Eaton films) will be affected. While Magnum PI is more or less safe, there might be a prolonged hiatus for Blue Bloods (that films in NY). They already scheduled a rerun in two weeks while there will be new episodes for the other Friday shows.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Carmen Alexis)

On Tuesday, TV Line posted some scoop about an upcoming episode (presumably the one with production number 502):

What can you tease about MacGyver‘s quarantine episode that’s coming up this season?  –Amel
If you loved seeing Henry Ian Cusick’s Desmond romance Penny on Lost, just wait until you see him “stuck” in quarantine with Sofia Walker (played by Camilla Arfwedson). I mean, there’s sword play, fierce drumming, rocking out…. All told, Russ’ romantic fling takes on a longer, and more complicated, turn when they then quarantine together. Meanwhile, Mac, Bozer and Riley witness from their own bubble — and then try to stop — a crime in progress at their neighbor’s house.

(via TV Line, December 29)

Season 4 Reruns
Last week, we got a rerun of the Season 4 Premiere (Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix). It brought 3.108 million live-viewers and got a 0.3 demo rating, which is better than the average Season 4 ratings so far.

Tonight, there’s a rerun of Episode 4×07 (Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey).

Episode 4×07: Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey (via SpoilerTV)

Working on Episode MAC503 and beyond
Filming for the episode with production number MAC503 started on December 7. To Recap: They filmed in Downtown Atlanta and in Marietta Square dressed as Mexico. Otherwise, it was rather quiet regarding BtS material.

On December 18, Steven Serna posted that they just wrapped for 2020. Yet Alessia Costantini still seemed to be scouting locations on December 21. A day later, Joe Pantoliano posted a photo of himself on set with Tristin Mays and David Dastmalchian, so it looks like his character Eric Andrews (aka General Ma from Episode 5×03) will be back for another guest appearence.

BtS photo of Season 5 (via Joe Pantoliano)

Writer Teresa Huang posted on December 11 that she’s remotely prepping her episode that will be filming in January (presumably MAC504). So far, there’s no information about on what day filming will resume.

Other MacGyver-related News 
December usually means lots of Best-Of-Lists. On SpoilerTV, the MacGyver Reboot was on Rank 15 for the list of most popular shows of 2020. The Popularity Score is based on a calculation of Page Views, Video Plays, Poll Votes, Comments, Facebook and Tweet Likes. Also, the poll about Episode 5×03 made Rank 4 on the list of most popular “What Did You Think Of” polls.

MacGyver Reboot Update #129

There’s only one new episode tonight before the Reboot (and my blog posts) go into Christmas Hiatus. It’s the first episode filmed under the new showrunner, so everyone is really curious.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (Tom Griscom/CBS via Seat42F)

(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 5 storylines and characters by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided. For daily news and to join the discussion, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

 

About the Season 5 Premiere Promo
Season 5 premiered two weeks ago. Most of the promo material was released and aired before the Premiere, but some stuff was kept to air before last week’s Episode 5×02. The biggest surprise was a video via ET Online about the Mays Family Road Trip: Back in July, Tristin Mays and her family plus the two family pets (Bird Pine and Dog Sergeant) travelled from LA to Atlanta.

Mays Family Road Trip (Screenshot via ET Online)

Because filming for Season 5 was delayed for another 2 months after arriving, Tristin had enough time to film a holiday TV movie (The Christmas Sitters) in Colorado. The movie premiered last Sunday on ionTV.

There hasn’t been any new interviews so far with Showrunner Monica Macer, despite the first episode filmed under her supervision airing tonight.

ICYMI: Tech Consultant Rhett Allain switched blogs. You can find his blog post about the MacGyverisms (aka MacHacks) used in Episode 5×01 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness) here and the ones used in Episode 5×02 (Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice) here.

Episode 5×02: Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (via Meredith Eaton)

About Episode 5×02 (MAC414)
Last week was the premiere of Episode 5×02 (Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice); initially filmed with production number 414. It was written by Peter Lenkov and Andrew Klein and directed by Duane Clark. They released 16 Official Stills and 3 Sneak Peeks beforehand.

We got new and old BtS photos and Instagram stories just before and during the episode aired; e.g. by Guest Stars Eden Harper or Mei Ritchart (Young Desi). Lucas Till also had some time to post on social media; using the Stills to tell a story.

Episode 5×02: Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (via Eden Harper)

A day later, Sarah Downer posted a compilation of guest star Sebastian Roche in costume plus one of Lucas and Levy in their auction costumes.

Episode 5×02 attracted 4.785 million live-viewers and got a 0.5 rating in the important demo group of 18-49 year olds. Compared to the other CBS scripted shows (21 so far), it places Rank 13 in both average demo and audience numbers per episode.

Several of the writers joined the live-tweeting again. With about 745 estimated tweets per hour on average, it wasn’t enough for the hashtag #MacGyver to trend. In comparison, #BlueBloods trended on Rank 11 US-wide with about 2900 tweets per hour, while #MagnumPI reached 269 tweets per hour. Overall, the episode was well-received on social media.

ADR for Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Carmen Alexis)

We’ve already reached Christmas hiatus for most CBS shows. At the moment, the average Friday ratings per episode look like this:

• MacGyver (8pm): 0.50 in demo (-25.37% compared to last season), 4.842 million live-viewers (-20.38%)
• Magnum PI (9pm): 0.50 demo (-23.08%), 5.591 million live-viewers (-16.13%)
• Blue Bloods (10pm): 0.50 demo (-23.08%), 6.410 million live-viewers (-16.59%)

What you need to know about Episode 5×03 (MAC501)
Tonight is the premiere of Episode 5×03 (Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma). This is the first episode that was filmed for Season 5.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (Tom Griscom/CBS via Seat42F)

We got the Press Release on December 10. Here’s the synopsis:

When Russ is kidnapped, Mac and the team must break out a previously murderous psychopath, now pacifist, from prison to help find him. Also, while on the run, Mac and Desi are forced to confront their relationship issues.

As mentioned last week, the storyline deviates from the exclusive Fall Preview for TV Guide Magazine – because they had announced that David Dastmalchian would return as Murdoc. As it is, the storyline has been re-written by using the character of Eric Andrews (played by Joe Pantoliano). This episode also sees the return of Guest Stars Tobin Bell (Leland) and Zach McGowan (Roman). For a refresher on Leland, you can find his character bio page here.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via TV Line)

On December 14, we got an exclusive First Look provided by TV Line with 3 Official Stills featuring Riley and MacGyver on what looks like a picnic date. Of course, the MacRiley fans were full of joy; reposting the photos on social media like crazy, but also speculating if this might be a dream sequence, a flashback or an undercover mission. 5 Official Stills were later uploaded on SpoilerTV. You can find 13 Stills (in smaller quality) on Seat42F. Two days later, we got 3 Sneak Peeks.

We got a few new and old BtS photos and Instagram stories in the last few days; e.g. by Christopher Jon Duddy. Guest Star Carmen Alexa (who plays an FBI Agent) uploaded an ADR Session video and several BtS photos of herself in the ADR studio. Even Justin Hires found the time to post new BtS photos today.

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

Season 5 Overview
In his recent interview with Parade, Lucas Till talked about Season 5 being a “Frankenstein Season”, and he wasn’t exaggerating: The next premiere after the holidays will be the episode that has been filmed with production number MAC419. Considering that these episodes were filmed almost a year ago, I keep wondering how the cast keeps track of the storyline. Judging by the episode title, we should see the return of Mason (played by Peter Weller). However: Unlike the other Friday shows, it didn’t get a Press Release yet.

As mentioned last week, animal wrangler Jamie stated on Instagram that her episode (MAC417) would be scrapped. For now, there’s no official statement if there are episodes being dropped or not. Let’s hope we get to watch them all (if not on TV, then at least on DVD).

Episode 5×03: Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (via MacGyverCBS)

Here’s an overview of all the information about the upcoming episodes so far. The infos were either provided by CBS, by the website for the Writers Guild of America West or by an anonymous source (episode titles), by social media accounts or IMDb (cast and crew info), by SpoilerTV (press releases) and The Futon Critic (airdates).

• 5×03 (MAC501): Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + MA (December 18)
  Written by Jim Adler and Stephanie Hicks, directed by David Straiton
• 5×04 (MAC419): Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (January 8)
  Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller

Remember that the episode titles and their order is not definite until an official Press Release by CBS.

Episode 5×04: Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (via Peter Lenkov)

For now, I sorted the other upcoming episodes by production number:

• (MAC416): Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO
  Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
• (MAC417): Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage
  Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
• (MAC418): SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini
  Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen
• (MAC420): Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (unfinished production)
  Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore
• (MAC502): Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance
  Written by Stephanie Hicks and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by Andrew Ahn
• (MAC503): tba
  Presumed guest appearance by David Dastmalchian
• (MAC504): tba
  Presumably written by Teresa Huang

During Christmas Break, we’ll get reruns of the Season 4 Premiere (Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix) and of Episode 4×07 (Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey).

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

Working on Episode MAC503 and beyond
(Note: Since we don’t know the order of the episodes yet, I will continue to refer to the to-be-filmed-episodes by their production number.)

Filming for the episode with production number MAC503 started on December 7. To Recap: David Dastmalchian arrived in Atlanta on December 8, but there has been no confirmation so far that he will be part of the episode. Last Friday, we got an Insta Story of Henry Ian Cusick with Lucas Till (who’s dressed in medieval knight armour).

BtS photo of Season 5 (via E Rickelle)

On Saturday, filming continued for 2nd Unit. They filmed in Downtown Atlanta and in Marietta Square dressed as Mexico; also with a stuntman on a motorbike (that said “policia”). Otherwise, it’s still rather quiet regarding BtS material. Monica Macer tweeted a photo in front of a mannequin wearing MacGyvered scuba gear.

Two days ago, David Dastmalchian posted a selfie; revealing that his blue hair is gone and stating that he’s an alien. Interestingly, Hussein Agamiri posted a Story the same day from set; showing a construction that looks a bit like an UFO.

Cast, Crew and other MacGyver-related News
There have been no new (public) Casting Calls since November 12. It’s still difficult to find out who’s on the crew at the moment and they don’t post much from set anymore. Levy Tran’s Instagram account is back up, but she’s not posting anything, either at the moment.

Episode 5×02: Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (via Lucas Till)

If you missed the premiere of Tristin Mays’ movie The Christmas Sitter on ionTV, you can catch the reruns on December 20 and 25. MacGyver Creator Lee David Zlotoff did an interview with SciFi4Me; talking about TV and his first novel (MacGyver: Meltdown). If you still need an idea for a (belated) Christmas Gift, it can be ordered here.

MacGyver Reboot Update #80

The main cast wrapped Season 3 on March 21. Luckily, we still have 4 more episodes to enjoy on TV.

BtS photo of Episode 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (via MacGyverCBS)

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

 

About Episode 3×18
Since CBS had opted to pre-empt Episode 3×17 and because of the March Madness break, fans had to wait for a long time for this episode. On March 29, CBS released a 10-second-preview for Episode 3×18. Contrary to the Official Stills, we finally got an official glimpse of Michael Des Barres’ guest spot as Helman.

MDB had continued to post a few BtS photos every now and then. He uploaded a BtS photo with David Dastmalchian‘s Murdoc on March 31st. David uploaded a photo of him with Lucas Till and with his stunt double on April 2nd. Again, CBS didn’t bother with Sneak Peeks. At least, they posted a few BtS photos.

BtS photo of Episode 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (via Michael Des Barres)

Let’s take a look at the recent ratings. To recap: Episode 3×17 had 5.623 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.6. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.655 million viewers (+29%), reaching a total of 7.295 million viewers with a demo of 0.98 (+54%).

Episode 3×18 had an audience of 5.570 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.6; marking it as the episode with the lowest ratings of Season 3 so far. In the +3 Days Ratings, it added 1.374 million viewers (+25%), reaching a total of 6.947 million viewers with a demo of 0.87 (+48%).

BtS photo of Episode 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (via MacGyverCBS)

On April 7, Technical Consultant Rhett Allain uploaded a blog post with science notes about the MacHacks in this episode. He also added blog posts for the MacGyverisms in Episodes 2×01 (DIY or DIE), 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips), 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire) and 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny).

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.214 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.71. Compared to the 24 scripted shows on CBS, the Reboot is at rank 21 in demo and at rank 14 in audience numbers. Comparing to last season, Season 3 lost about 14% in demo and about 0.61 million viewers or roughly 10% in live audience numbers.

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

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows. Magnum PI closed their first season at 5.992 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.89 demo-rating. They’ve been already confirmed for a 2nd season a while ago.

There still hasn’t been any official news yet about MacGyver, SEAL Team or SWAT being renewed. SEAL Team is at 5.241 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.79 on average. Compared to last year, they lost about 21% in both demo ratings and audience numbers. SEAL Team airs in a new timeslot after a 4-weeks-hiatus; losing quite a bit in the ratings departement lately. SWAT is at 5.337 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.79, ending the season on May 16. It lost about 16% in demo ratings and 9% in audience numbers compared to last year.

BtS photo of editing Season 3 (via Peter Lenkov)

All you need to know about Episode 3×19
Episode 3×19 is titled “Friends + Enemies + Border”, written by Justin Lisson and directed by Andi Armaganian. There are guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh. The first Official Still had been released on March 22 with more Stills added on March 28. Here’s the synopsis:

MacGyver and Desi help a group of Syrian refugees who are being pursued by human traffickers. Also, in Los Angeles, Bozer is trapped in Oversight’s car which is rigged to explode.

Again, the teaser is only 10 seconds long. There haven’t been any Sneak Peeks released yet.

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

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×20 to 3×22
The Season 3 Finale of MacGyver will air on May 10. Including today, we have 4 more episodes to enjoy. Let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for the remaining episodes:

• 3×20: No Go + High Voltage + Rescue (April 26)
  Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer. The Press Release was posted on April 8.
• 3×21: tba (May 3)
  Written by Jim Adler, directed by Maja Vrvilo. Guest appearance by Emerson Brooks.
• 3×22: Treason + Heartbreak + Gum (May 10)
  Written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen, directed by Stephen Herek. Guest appearances by Lance Gross and Brendan Hines.

That’s a Wrap… or not.
The last day of filming for the main cast occurred on March 21. The Wrap Party for the Atlanta Crew was celebrated on March 24. Apparently, there still hasn’t been one in LA like for Seasons 1 and 2.

Episode 3×20: No Go + High Voltage + Rescue (Official Still via CBS)

They continued filming some inserts and additional footage; closing the office on March 28. Interestingly, they had another Casting Call for a photo double for Justin Hires. Tristin May’s photo double Jordan has also been on set again. Executive Producer Peter Lenkov is still editing since Tristin did ADR in the studio for Episode 3×20 yesterday, so post-production is continuing for a few more weeks.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
As Lucas Till revealed in a radio interview with the Canadian Todd Shapiro Show, Peter Weller will have a guest spot in an upcoming episode. Emerson Brooks (as Charlie Robinson), Lance Gross (as Billy Colton), Sheryl Lee Ralph (as Mama Colton) and Brendan Hines (as Matty’s ex-husband Ethan) have been on set for the upcoming episodes.

In other news, Lucas recently started filming a new movie in Montgomery, Alabama. Both his brother Nick and friend Michael Aaron Millegan visited him on set. Lucas cut his hair for the role, meaning MacGyver will have shorter hair next season.

BtS photo of Episode 3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (via CBS)

MacGyver in France
French channel M6 started Season 3 on March 16. They changed the timeslot from Fridays (Seasons 1 and 2) to Saturdays; airing two episodes of Season 3 and then one or two episodes of S2 afterwards.

Sadly, the viewers still don’t appreciate the new timeslot and the ratings keep falling. Episodes 3×03 and 3×04 on March 23 had 1.70 and 1.47 million viewers. Episodes 3×05 and 3×06 on March 30 got 1.62 million and 1.34 million viewers.

In an old interview just released, Lucas Till talked about filming the 3rd season, the differences of filming Seasons 1 and 2 and being able to spend more time with his family.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sarah Downer)

Best of TV Awards and other MacGyver-related Promo
In an interview for Episode 3×18, Matt Carter talked with Michael Des Barres about music and MDBs role as Helman in the Reboot.

The Reboot was eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. Here are the final relevant results relevant:

• Best Action or Drama Program (Rank 3)
• Best Action or Drama Actress (Meredith Eaton, Rank 6; Tristin Mays, Rank 7)
• Best Action or Drama Actor (Lucas Till, Rank 4; George Eads, Rank 12)
• Best Recurring Actor (David Dastmalchian, Rank 6; Tate Donovan, Rank 19)
• Best Recurring Actress (Kate Bond, Rank 5)
• Best Guest Actor (Michael Des Barres, Rank 17)
• Best Guest Actress (Amy Smart, Rank 23)
• Best Writing (Rank 5)
• Best Stunts (Rank 4)
• Favorite TV Character (Angus MacGyver, Rank 6; Jack Dalton, Rank 27)
• Favorite TV Program (Rank 4)

MacGyver Reboot Update #79

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via MacGyverCBS)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sarah Downer)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Season 3 Wrap Party in Atlanta (via Sarah Downer)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Update #78

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Emerson Brooks)

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Mike Torino)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Maurice P Kerry)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Levy Tran)

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sheryl Lee Ralph)

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Update #77

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via tailormadegrip)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Robert Maxfield)

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The results should be posted soon.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Todd Amateau)

MacGyver Reboot Update #76

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Marty Lindsey)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The show made it into following categories for Round 2:

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

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

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Update #75

Cast and crew keep filming in cold Atlanta – even when they’re filming inside, they have “refrigerated” sets. We’ve glimpsed another familiar face and might have to say goodbye to Jack Dalton tonight!

Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

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

 

About Episode 3×13
Before and after the episode aired, director Brad Turner and most of the guest stars (e.g. Justin Welborn, Vanessa Garcia and Edward Gelhaus) posted BtS photos they had taken when filming back in November.

BtS photo of Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (via Vanessa Garcia)

Just as I was typing up on my last blog post, CBS finally uploaded 3 Sneak Peeks onto their media site. It’s a bit of a pity they decided to add the clips so late since there was only about 5 hours left before the premiere when they’ve finally hit YouTube; ready to be shared and discussed by the fans. To make up for it, they posted a few photos; e.g. a BtS photo with Lucas Till.

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain later uploaded a blog post about the MacHacks in this episode. On January 25, he also delivered one for Episode 1×10 (Pliers) and kept releasing blog posts for Season 1:  One for Episode 1×11 (Scissors), one for Episode 1×12 (Screwdriver) and one for Episode 1×13 (Large Blade).

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

Let’s take a look at the recent ratings. To recap: Episode 3×12 (Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241) managed to attract 6.577 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.7. The hashtag #MacGyver trended for almost an hour nation-wide in the top ten (on rank 6), just behind #Blindspot. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.617 million viewers (+25%), reaching a total of 8.192 million viewers with a demo of 1.11 (+48%).

Episode 3×13 (Wilderness + Training + Survival) had 6.895 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.8. This is the highest demo and audience number this season so far. In the +7 Days Ratings, it added another 1.583 million viewers (+23%), reaching a total of 8.482 million viewers with a demo of 1.16 (+43%).

BtS photo of Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (via Brad Turner)

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.214 millions live-viewers per episode with a demo-rating of 0.72. Compared to all scripted shows on CBS, the Reboot is at rank 20 (of 21) in demo and at rank 13 (of 21) in audience.

Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows in the same range. Thanks to a special airing after the AFC Championship, Magnum PI raised their average up to 6.074 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.96 demo-rating. Just last week, they announed that the show will get another season. SEAL Team is at 5.545 millions live-viewers (but is facing a 4-weeks-long break) and a demo of 0.84 on average while SWAT is at 5.338 / 0.76.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

At the TCA Winter Panel, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl seems confident about the show’s future in an interview with Deadline:

DEADLINE: What about MacGyver? Would it continue without George Eads?

KAHL: It’s doing terrific work for us on Friday night at 8 PM, which is a tough time slot, and certainly remains in contention for next year.

Of course, he isn’t saying anyhting we didn’t already know. While we can be confident about a renewal, it might be a while until it is announced.

All you need to know about tonight’s Episode 3×14
Episode 3×14 is titled “Father + Bride + Betrayal”, written by Sophia Lopez and directed by Avi Youabian. Here’s the synopsis:

An international crime boss offers Matty a deal she can’t refuse – he’ll surrender himself into her custody if he’s allowed to return to the United States to watch his daughter walk down the aisle. MacGyver and team crash the wedding to ensure the crime lord doesn’t run, only to discover they’re not the only ones lying in wait at the event.

On January 22, CBS released several Official Stills featuring Team Phoenix at a wedding. On an Instagram Live Video, Justin Hires revealed that he will have a lot of scenes with George Eads in the episode.

Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Fans were a bit stumped that they didn’t deliver a preview last Friday like they did for Hawaii Five-0. They gave us a preview on Saturday though, finally giving a hint how the character of Jack Dalton will be written out and confirming our suspicion that this will be George Ead’s last episode for now.

While typing up this blog post, no Sneak Peeks have been released yet. We did get a few hints in the last two weeks, though. Meredith Eaton posted a photo of Matty blindfolded; jokingly asking Siri where she was. The post garnered quite a few comments and jokes in relation to the Netflix hit movie “Bird Box”.

Justin Hires uploaded a BtS photo of Mac and Jack saying goodbye to each other in the War Room. Interestingly, this looks like a rather unemotional and distant goodbye so lets hope we actually get a good bromance scene to make up for it.

Director Avi Youabian posted some teaser photos via Instagram Live Stories, but also a nice photo with Team Phoenix. This might actually be the first time we have a group photo with all regular Team Phoenix Members this season.

BtS photo of Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (via Avi Youabian)

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×15 to 3×19
It’s easy to loose track of the upcoming episodes – it’s been a while since they filmed them and there are no further Press Releases yet. So let’s do a short recap of all the information we have gathered so far for the next handful of episodes:

• 3×15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit (February 15)
  Directed by Gabriel Beristain. Guest appearances by Presilah Nunez and dog Seven.
• 3×16: Lidar + Rogues + Duty (February 22)
• 3×17: tba (March 1)
• 3×18: tba (March 8)
  Guest appearances by Michael Des Barres and David Dastmalchian.
• 3×19: tba (March 15)

After the premiere of Episode 3×19, there will be a break for 3 weeks due to March Madness (Basketball). They already released the full schedule for the rest of the episodes, but there might be some more changes.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Michael Des Barres)

Interestingly, it looks like they’ve scheduled 23 episodes for all 3 Friday shows. So far, there was no notice about ordering an additional episode. There might be an extra timeslot for a rerun or re-scheduling when needed.

Working on Episodes 3×17 and 3×18
Filming for Episode 3×17 started around January 15. Justin Hires and Reign Edwards filmed some scenes in Bozer’s old-school car. On Wednesday, production moved to film in the Atlanta Stadium, making use of a “refrigerated” set. They also filmed on the Westview Cemetery and in Piedmont Park. Due to the cold, cast and crew were heavily bundled up, trying to enjoy some short breaks whenever the sun made an appearance.

Lucas Till revealed his “tiniest wound to date”, joking that he will put a compilation together of all his injuries from filming at the end of the season. Michael Des Barres arrrived early in Atlanta to learn his lines. He already posted a photo on January 25; posing with Costumer Sarah Downer in the Fitting Room.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Jason Tubbs)

On January 26 (Saturday), the crew filmed a stunt scene on the Atlanta Motor Speedway involving a helicopter and the appropriate gear for filming car chases. On the BtS photo by Jason Tubbs, there is one stunt double wearing prison garb. It’s safe to assume the stunt people represent Murdoc, MacGyver and MacGyver Senior. Showrunner Peter Lenkov posted some very blurry videos on Instagram that shows MacGyver jumping from a car onto another vehicle, plus a car chase with a chopper not far behind. He later added not-blurry a photo as well.

On Monday, they continued filming the corresponding scenes with the main cast. It looked similar to back when they’ve been filming Episode 1×13 (Large Blade). Interestingly, TV channel CBS 46 was on location for promo. Astrid Martinez provided photos and short videos via Instagram and Facebook; revealing that she did interviews with Lucas Till, Meredith Eaton, Tristin Mays and Justin Hires on the parking lot in front of the studio lot.

CBS46 on set of Season 3 (via Astrid Martinez)

As Justin Hires revealed, Bozer might hurt his arm on a mission soon. He filmed “elevator scenes” with Tate Donovan, Lucas Till and Levy Tran this week and posted today that he filmed some stunt scenes with his Stunt Double Tim R McAdams; both joking about Tim’s Bozer wig. Justin also went live on Instagram twice recently; answering fan questions as they were rolling in.

On Wednesday, Lucas Till filmed scenes with David Dastmalchian on location. They had set up several big green screens in the cold with David sitting in a crashed car, wearing a bloody face once again.

Some of cast and crew posted photos of older episodes; e.g. Sarah Downer who uploaded a sketch of the Unicorn Dress made for Episode 3×11 or Leon Ngo (also taken when filming 3×11).

CBS46 on set of Season 3 (via Astrid Martinez)

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
Since IMDb still isn’t up to date, it’s difficult to find out about guest stars in episodes that didn’t have a Press Release yet. Justin Hires uploaded videos on Snapchat and Instagram recently that revealed that Tate Donovan (as MacGyver Senior) has been on set for several days. We don’t know yet if it ties into the storyline about Walsh.

Central Casting Georgia had posted Casting Calls for Photo Doubles (e.g. for Levy Tran) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Rya Meyers or for Reign Edwards). The most interesting Casting Call was probably the one looking for males for Make-Up-Tests since the photos revealed that it’s for David Dastmalchian and Michael Des Barres. They’ve also been looking for their potential Stand-Ins. MDB mentioned he’ll be in Atlanta all week, so hopefully he has a bit more scenes this time.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Steven Serna)

Central Casting also been looking for Extras; e.g. for Men and Women who portray Caucasian to work with their European brand car, for a Painter and Balloon Artist, for Kids portraying an actor’s son and daughter, for Park Patrons, a Pilot, Bar Patrons, a Bar Doorman, Police, Coffee and Apartment Patrons, a group of 5 guards, two male Skateboarders, Nurses and Patients, more Guards, for Prison Guards and for Men with tactical experience.

Other MacGyver-related News
In case you missed it: On March 23, there will be a panel for all 3 CBS shows helmed by Peter Lenkov at the Paley-Fest LA. Publicist Beth Haiken had confirmed that besides Lucas Till for MacGyver also Alex O’Loughlin (H50), Jay Hernandez (Magnum PI) and Lenkov will attend. Tickets are already on sale, so take the chance if you want to enjoy this event up close and personal.

BtS photo of Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (via Justin Hires)

Reminder: The Reboot is eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. The show already made it into following categories for Round 2:

• Best Guest Actress (Amy Smart)
• Best Guest Actor (Michael Des Barres)
• Best Recurring Actor (Tate Donovan, David Dastmalchian)
• Best Recurring Actress (Kate Bond)
• Best Stunts
• Best Writing
• Favorite TV Programme
• Favorite TV Character

MacGyver Reboot Update #74

Cast and crew keep filming in the rainy cold and the muddy forest. We’ve glimpsed another familiar face and we’ll get to enjoy a new episode that takes place in the woods tonight!

Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

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

 

About Episodes 3×11 and 3×12
Despite the show coming back after a hiatus of several weeks, CBS didn’t provide any special promo for Episode 3×11. Justin Hires uploaded some more BtS photos of the B-storyline in advance, but most of the guest-stars posted material after the show had aired. The main cast didn’t even get to watch the episode because they were still filming.

Nevertheless, the episode caused quite a chatter on social media. The hashtag #MacGyver trended for almost an hour nation-wide in the top ten (as the only primetime TV show, actually).

BtS photo of Episode 3×12: Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241 (via Lucas Till)

After 3 episodes without any special promo, CBS took pity and provided 3 Sneak Peeks for Episode 3×12 on January 10. Meredith Eaton provided a new BtS photo of her with Bridget Regan when filming in the car. Justin Hires posted a photo of him posing at the airport, despite the rain and cold on that day. Lucas Till also found some time to post a few more BtS photos via Instagram Live Stories.

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain later uploaded blog posts about the MacHacks in these episodes – e.g. about how to open a door with thermal expansion in Episode 3×11 or about wall walking in Episode 3×12.

Let’s take a look at the recent ratings. To recap: Episode 3×10 (Matty + Ethan + Fidelity) on December 7 had an audience of 6.359 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.7. It added 1.611 million viewers (+25%) in the +7 Days ratings, reaching a total of 7.974 million viewers and a demo of 1.08 (+50%).

Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Episode 3×11 (Mac + Fallout + Jack) aired on January 4. It got 6.416 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.7, again beating Last Man Standing in audience numbers and winning the 8pm time slot. In the +7 Days ratings, it added 1.655 million viewers (+26%), reaching a total of 8.074 million viewers and a demo of 1.05 (+48%).

Episode 3×12 (Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241) managed to attract 6.577 million live-viewers and a demo of 0.7. While the preliminary demo of 0.8 was adjusted down in the final ratings, it’s still the episode with the highest audience number this season so far. Again, the hashtag #MacGyver trended for almost an hour nation-wide in the top ten (on rank 6), just behind #Blindspot.

Episode 3×12: Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241 (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

About the Season 3 Ratings
At the moment, the MacGyver Reboot has an average of 6.157 millions live-viewers with a demo-rating of 0.71. Compared to all scripted shows on CBS, the Reboot is at rank 20 (of 21) in demo and at rank 14 (of 21) in audience. Let’s take a look at some other CBS crime-action shows in the same range: Magnum PI is at 5.898 million live-viewers per episode with a 0.86 demo-rating on average. SEAL Team is at 5.584 millions / 0.85 in demo on average and SWAT at 5.338 / 0.77.

Don’t fret: The show might gain some ranks once the new Spring/Summer line-up has started. Last year, it ended on rank 19 resp. 11 (out of 26 scripted shows). Considering it only needs another season to reach syndication, all prediction sites still lock it as a sure renewal for Season 4. In fact, there’s a website that claimed on December 30 that the show has already been renewed.

BtS photo of Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (via Sailing Baylana

All you need to know about tonight’s Episode 3×13
Episode 3×13 is titled “Wilderness + Training + Survival”, written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Klein and directed by Brad Turner. Here’s the synopsis:

When MacGyver takes Riley and Bozer into the wilderness for a weekend of survival training, things take a turn when they run into a violent group of criminals who are searching the rugged backcountry for a lost crate of money. Also, Jack and Matty go on a road trip to place Matty’s ex-husband and his family in witness protection.

Many fans were pleasantly surprised to read that Jack will be in this episode since we never saw any indication for George being on set that week. On January 4, CBS released another 9 Official Stills. They all feature the A-storyline with MacGyver and the guest-stars traipsing around in the forest.

Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Before the episode aired, some of the guest stars (e.g. Justin Welborn) and the stunt crew (e.g. T Ryan Mooney) posted photos they took while on set. And just as I’m typing up on this blog post, they uploaded 3 Sneak Peeks onto the CBS Press Express media site. It’s a bit of a pity they decided to add them this late since there wasn’t even 6 hours left until the premiere. There will be even less time left for the fans to promote the videos after they’ve finally hit YouTube.

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×14 to 3×18
It’s easy to loose track of the upcoming episodes since it’s been quite a while since they filmed them. So let’s do a short recap of all the information we have so far for the next episodes:

• 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (February 1)
  Directed by Avi Youabian, written by Sophia Lopez.  Guest appearance by Roberto Sanchez. Possibly George Ead’s last episode this season. You can see the first Official Still along with the press release here.
• 3×15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit (February 15)
  Directed by Gabriel Beristain. Guest appearances by Presilah Nunez and dog Seven.
• 3×16: tba (February 22)
• 3×17: tba (March 1)
• 3×18: tba (March 8)

They already released the full schedule for the rest of the episodes, but there might be some more changes in the coming weeks. As expected, there will be a break for 3 weeks due to March Madness (Basketball).

Episode 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (Official Still via CBS)

Also, it looks like they’ve scheduled 23 episodes although there was no notice about ordering an additional episode. There might be an extra timeslot for a rerun or re-scheduling when needed.

Working on Episodes 3×16 and 3×17
Filming for Episode 3×16 started on Friday, January 4. Madeline Grayson worked on several syringes as props while the cast filmed scenes in the War Room and on location. As Tristin Mays and some of the crew members revealed, Billy Baldwin (as Riley’s dad) was back on set at, filming in the appartement used as Riley’s living place and in the War Room with Meredith Eaton.

On January 9, they set up in the woods early; waiting to catch some natural sunlight. They continued filming in the cold muddy area the next day; old cars and small tunnels to crawl in included. According to Lucas’ brother Nick, the location might supposed to be Israel.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Bruce Giglio)

Despite the unfriendly conditions, the crew (e.g. Bruce Giglio or Erik Kerr) continued to upload photos and videos from set. Although he had the day off, Justin Hires took over the official Instagram account to upload Live Stories from set and to answer fan questions. He met up with Lucas on set and introduced us to Levy Tran, which has been on set since Episode 3×15.

The crew continued filming on Saturday, uploading photos and live stories of filming car chases (e.g. by Steven Serna) and of spiders hiding in the mudd. Even the cameras got muddy that day. On January 15, Justin filmed some scenes with Reign Edwards in Bozer’s old-school car. On Wednesday, production moved to film in the Atlanta Stadium, making use of a “refrigerated” set.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Peter Lenkov)

Showrunner Peter Lenkov revealed that he just handed in the script for another potential TV series project. Maybe he will post a bit more often now. He already made the fangirls happy by uploading an editing screenshot of a shirtless Lucas in Episode 3×15. (He soon deleted the photo again, but uploaded another one two days later that has stayed up so far.)

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
We still don’t have any further information how Jack Dalton will be written out. George Eads was last seen on set for Episode 3×14, so this will probably be his last appearence.

Since IMDb still isn’t up to date, it’s difficult to find out about guest stars in episodes that didn’t have a Press Release yet. Justin Hires had uploaded a video on Snapchat that revealed that Tate Donovan (as MacGyver Senior) has been on set this week.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

Central Casting Georgia had posted Casting Calls for Photo Doubles (e.g. for Roberto Sanchez) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Rya Meyers). They’ve also been looking for Extras; e.g. for Middle Eastern or East Indian Soldiers, for Middle Eastern, Hispanic, East Indian or Native American Laborers, for a female Fit Model, Middle Eastern or East Indian Guards, Men for a scene of 30, for an Older Woman, for Diner Patrons (with or without a car), a Server, a Nurse, a male Patient, a Painter and a Balloon Artist, a female Phoenix Agent and for Lab Techs.

Other MacGyver-related News
CBS will have a panel at the Paley-Fest LA. The panel for the 3 CBS shows helmed by Peter Lenkov will take place on March 23. Publicist Beth Haiken confirmed that besides Alex O’Loughlin (H50), Lucas Till for MacGyver and Jay Hernandez (Magnum PI), Lenkov will also attend. Tickets are already on sale, so take the chance if you want to enjoy this event up close and personal.

Announcement for the Lenkov-Panel at Paley Fest LA on March 23 (via CBS)

On Wednesday, Hey U Guys uploaded the interview with Lucas they did for the premiere of Season 3 in the UK. We already got a similar write-up before, but this is a bit longer with more soundbites.

Reminder: The Reboot is eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. Voting for Round 2 started on January 7. I don’t know if all categories will get another round or not, but the Reboot already made it into following categories for Round 2:

> Best Stunts (max. 5 selections, voting still open)
> Best Writing (max. 5 selections, open)
> Favorite TV Programme (max. 10 selections, open)
> Favorite TV Character (max. 20 selections, voting closed)

MacGyver Reboot Update #73

Christmas Hiatus is finally over. Cast and crew started filming again today. We’ve already glimpsed a familiar face and we’ll get to enjoy a new and intense episode tonight!

Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

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

 

Working on Episode 3×15
Filming for Episode 3×15 (K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit) had started on December 10. They had a real dog (named Seven) on set, alongside a stuffed Stand-In lovingly carried around by the crew.

The 2nd Unit worked on Sunday (December 16) as well; probably to make sure they could finish the episode and leave for Christmas Hiatus on time. They filmed a fire stunt with dog Seven and had a car crashing through a garage door on the next day.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Bruce Giglio)

According to Executive Producer Peter Lenkov, he had planned to visit Atlanta on December 17, but we never saw any proof that he had actually been there. Justin Hires was already back in LA, but kept uploading BtS photos; e.g of him and George Eads while filming Episode 3×14 – the same episode that director Avi Youabian was editing on that day at the Paramount Studios.

On December 19, they had a little Wrap Party with Special Guest Grinch (aka Co-Executive Producer Jeff Downer). Of the main cast, it looks like it was only Lucas Till and Tristin Mays attending. Lucas was still in costume; posing for photos with Mike Martinez.

Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

After wrapping up, cast and crew enjoyed the filming hiatus; spending time with family or enjoying a short holiday. Justin Hires postes some new BtS photos, as did Meredith Eaton via Instagram Short Stories. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet during the hiatus.

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain wrote several more science notes blog posts about the MacHacks used in Season 1: One for Episode 1×07 (Can Opener), one for Episode 1×08 (Corkscrew) and one for Episode 1×09 (Chisel); adding videos with it as well.

BtS photo of Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (via Erik Kerr)

All you need to know about tonight’s Episode 3×11
Episode 3×11 is titled “Mac + Fallout + Jack”, written by Jim Adler and directed by Carlos Bernard (who also directed Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen). Here’s the Synopsis:

Mac and Jack hit the road for a weekend of relaxation in Las Vegas, but their mini-vacation is cut short when someone from their past abducts them and locks them in a concrete room. Also, Matty tasks Riley, Bozer and Leanna with stealing a diamond encoded with terrorist intel from a princess (Shani Atias) in Milan.

On December 18. CBS released 11 Official Stills in total. They all feature the A-storyline with Mac and Jack. On December 29, the preview was uploaded on YouTube. It’s quite dark and feels like an hommage to James Wan’s horror thriller “SAW”, so it sparked a lot of discussions among fans.

Episode 3×11: Mac + Fallout + Jack (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Yesterday, they uploaded a different preview onto Instagram, that is a bit less dark but not less menacing or threatening, confirming speculations by fans that the kidnapping will happen via car crash.

Back in December, Erik Kerr had posted a BtS photo of the prop rockets. Yesterday, director Carlos Bernard re-posted the BtS photo of George Eads and Lucas Till with Doug Savant and Seamus Patrick Dever. Otherwise, we almost have no BtS photos of the A-storyline with Mac and Jack.

Justin Hires provided some more BtS photos of the B-storyline that involves him, guest-star Shani Atias and a lot of other pretty actresses in what looks like a modelling setting. As Jonathan Horne revealed, he will play a designer named Marco.

Episode 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (Official Still via CBS Press Express)

Season 3 Overview: Episodes 3×12 to 3×16
It’s easy to loose track of the upcoming episodes since it’s been quite a while since they filmed them. So let’s do a short recap of all the information we have so far for the next episodes:

• 3×12: Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241 (January 11)
  Directed by Ron Underwood. Guest appearance by Bridget Regan. For the synopsis and the Official Stills, you can check up here.
• 3×13: Wilderness + Training + Survival (January 18)
  Directed by Brad Turner. Guest appearances by Vanessa Garcia and Justin Welborn plus Brendan Hines as Matty’s Ex-Husband Ethan Reigns. See here for the Press Release and the Official Stills.
• 3×14: Father + Bride + Betrayal (February 1)
  Directed by Avi Youabian.  Guest appearance by Roberto Sanchez. Possibly George Ead’s last episode this season.
• 3×15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit (February 15)
  Directed by Gabriel Beristain. Guest appearances by Presilah Nunez and dog Seven.
• 3×16: tba (February 22). Filming for this episode started today.

Apparently, CBS has already prepared for promo without George Eads when they introduced a new social media header this week.

New social media header for Season 3 (via CBS)

The photo was taken during the promo shoot for the official promo posters before the premiere of Season 1, back in August 2016. Interestingly, the original photo showed a bomb having been strapped onto MacGyver’s chest. The bomb is now hidden after digitally adding more ropes.

Working on Episode 3×16
Filming for this episode started today. Madeline Grayson already uploaded an Instagram Live Story early in the morning out of the costume-design-slash-prop-room, working on what looks like syringes. As Tristin Mays revealed, Billy Baldwin (as Riley’s dad) is back on set at this moment, presumably filming in the appartement that is used as Riley’s living place.

Episode 3×12: Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241 (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
News about George Eads leaving the show hit on November 26. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to announce it; with Deadline revealing that his character won’t be killed off for the possibility for him to return as a guest star.

So far, we don’t have any further information how Jack Dalton will be written out. After the preview for Episode 3×11 had been released, fans worried that Mac would have to kill Jack in order to save himself. But don’t be afraid:  According to the Press Release revealed yesterday, Jack is also part of the B-storyline in Episode 3×13. George Eads was last seen on set for Episode 3×14, so this will probably be his last appearence.

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

As it is, Justin Hires had posted a BtS photo on December 18, showing Jack and Bozer with Jack wearing a Military camo jacket. It’s possible that Jack will be called back into the Armed Forces – if it’s voluntarily or not remains to be seen.

Since IMDb still isn’t up to date, it’s difficult to find out about guest stars in episodes that didn’t have a Press Release yet. Before the Holiday Hiatus, Central Casting Georgia had posted Casting Calls for Photo Doubles and Stand-Ins (e.g. for Ashlee Heath and for a bald, African American man). They’ve also been looking for Extras; e.g. for a Phoenix Guard, Soldiers, an African American Military Man and Caucasian Agents.

Episode 3×12: Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241 (Official Still via SpoilerTV)

Other MacGyver-related News
On December 21, The Blast exclusively revealed that CBS is being sued by 2 parties because of the Reboot, claiming that they’re entitled to payments based on a deal dating from the original series. If you’re interested, you can read the full complaint by one suing party on here.

Briana Lamb – Stand-In in Season 1 (e.g. for Sandrine Holt, Amy Acker and others) – let herself being interviewed for a podcast episode, released on December 31st. At 1h 12min, she talks a few minutes about the experience of working on “MacGyver” and Lucas Till’s Pokemon obsession. She also talks about work as a Stand-In in general (she’s worked in over 50 productions) and the long gruelling hours the actors have to endure; most of them being overworked and missing their family.

With Sandrine Holt on Set of MacGyver Episode 1×08: Corkscrew (via Briana Lamb)

Mid-December, George Satsidis had added an excerpt of his recent interview with Lucas Till. Lucas talked about MacGyver being a dream role and how he filmed the “drone stunt” seen in Episode 3×10. Yesterday, GlobalNews Canada also uploaded a written interview, probably taken on that same press day. Lucas describes the Wine Bottle Rockets (in Episode 1×08: Corkscrew) as one of the most outlandish creation that MacGyver has made so far and how they only have a few minutes to prepare for the fight scenes.

Reminder: The Reboot was eligible for the “Best of TV Awards” held by Canada Graphs. Voting for Round 1 has closed and results will be announced soon. Voting for Round 2 will start January 7. I don’t know if all categories get another round or not, but I’m sure that at least some of the cast and crew made it for another round.