The Collective with Lucas Till The Collective was released digitally and on DVD in German-speaking regions on December 14. If you want to treat yourself with an After-Christmas gift, you can order it here. Sadly, the only bonus material is the trailer; and there’s no subtitles available.
If you prefer streaming, it’s available on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Maxdome and Sky in Germany. If you’re in Switzerland, you can buy it via BlueTV, AppleTV or GooglePlay.
BluRay Cover for The Collective (via Amazon Germany)
The trailer with the most views on YouTube is still the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution. It hit half a million views on January 1st and has almost 530’000 hits by now.
According to Flixpatrol, it was on Rank 68 for Amazon Prime in 2023; being in the Top 10 for more than 128 days. The Collective is currently on Rank 93 for Amazon Prime in 2024.
What are Cast and Crew up to? There hasn’t been much news regarding the MacGyver cast and crew. Although the SAG strike ended last year, neither Levy Tran nor Lucas Till went back online to promote their latest movies. Generally, most of them have been taking breaks on social media; some of them deactivate accounts temporarily or for good.
Lucas Till in The Collective (via Bryan Marchulaitis)
Tristin Mays did an interview for Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide. It was uploaded on December 20. She revealed that she only had to audition once for MacGyver to book the role, which is rather unusual for a series regular role.
Tristin finally released her Les Miserables Pirates Musical Short on December 24. You can catch a glimpse of Bianca Malinowski (who played rebooted Penny Parker in two episodes MacGyver). Tristin also set up a Twitch account; streaming her first live-stream on January 1st.
BtS photo preparing the costumes for the Pirates Musical Short (via Tristin Mays)
She recorded her second live-stream on January 5; playing some more Tomb Raider and chatting in between. Tristin revealed that she’s writing a TV series and that she has been sick just after catching Covid again. She also mentioned that while she’s in and out of LA, she still lives in Georgia.
According to a tweet by cast member Jason Antoon, Henry Ian Cusick‘s character will make another appearance on NCIS: Hawaii.
ICYMI: Production Designer Scott P Murphy uploaded several stills of Lucas Till in the unaired pilot for The Spook Who Sat By The Door to his website.
Levy Tran and Mark (via Levy Tran)
Upcoming Projects for the MacGyver Cast Several main cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production or projects listed as completed. Sadly, none of them have release dates or distributors yet:
1 Million Followers with Henry Ian Cusick
Bang with Tristin Mays
Fluxx with Henry Ian Cusick: Filming wrapped wrapped last month. We know some of his co-stars: Tyrese Gibson (The Collective) and Lucas Till’s friend and ex-roommate Mike Milligan.
Half Baked: Totally High with Justin Hires: News outlets reported a non-theatrical release and an R-rating.
Short Film Hopeless Romantic with Tristin Mays
Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick: Has been screened at several festivals.
Mock-Up for the German MacGyver BluRay Box (via Plaion)
Back in December 2019, Koch Films teased OG MacGyver fans about the German release of an exclusive BluRay box set. CBS and the pandemic halted the production several times. In the meantime, Koch Films has been rebranded as Plaion Pictures. On December 12, Plaionrevealed a mock-up box alongside its content and a release date: March 28 next year. Sadly, the box is rather pricy and the two TV movies are still missing as they weren’t able to get the rights from CBS. You can find all information here.
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
ICYMI: Justin Hires took part of a talks how episode of Gimme Five; available on Tubi now (although IMDb lists a release date of August 12, 2022).
David Dastmalchian has been cast in feature film Dust Bunny; acting alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver.
Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at German Film and Comic Con (Dortmund, May 4 and May 5) and at Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12).
The Collective with Lucas Till The Collective was released digitally and on DVD in Australia and New Zealand on November 8. The DVD and BluRay-Release for the German version is set for December 14. If you want to treat yourself with a little Christmas gift, you can pre-order it here. The only bonus material listed is the trailer; and it looks like there won’t be any subtitles available.
The German voice of Lucas was dubbed by Ozan Ünal, who also dubbed him in MacGyver. There’s a preview clip on YouTube and GooglePlay, and it should be available on iTunes and Sky in Germany. If you’re in Switzerland, you can buy it via BlueTV.
DVD Cover Preview for The Collective (via Amazon Germany)
The trailer used for the German streaming services is the international version that was released as the second trailer. The one with the most views on YouTube is still the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution. It has almost 460’000 hits by now.
With a limited release, it’s difficult to get numbers on how well it has been doing. Also, my usual source (Flixpatrol) is now restricting their information; providing certain data for Premium Users only. Before the restrictions, it has been listed in the Amazon Prime Top 10 in several categories (e.g. Rank 1 for more than 40 days in total, Rank 4 in calendar week 36, Rank 8 in September).
Lucas Till in The Collective (via Bryan Marchulaitis)
It’s currently on Rank 67 for Amazon Prime in 2023; being in the Top 10 for more than 108 days. The Collective also reached the Top Ten for iTunes in Argentina and Salvador and for GooglePlay in Paraguay.
Expend4bles with Levy Tran Since the release of Expend4bles, Levy Tran gained several thousand new followers on Instagram, even though she didn’t post much. On November 13, she posted an Instagram story about attending several weddings with her (presumed) boyfriend Mark – only to deactivate the account on the next day. It has been back up since December 4, but she cleaned up her archive and unfollowed many accounts.
Levy Tran as Lash in an Expend4bles photo shoot (Japan Promo)
It’s unclear if she got harrassed online or if she had simply deactivated to focus on her martial arts training. According to Team Traven, she recently achieved the blue belt in Jiu Jitsu.
What are Cast and Crew up to? Production Designer Scott P Murphy uploaded several stills of the unaired pilot for The Spook Who Sat By The Door on his website. Thankfully, three of them show Lucas Till. Although the project has been said to be in re-development, I haven’t heard any news about it. The status on the IMDb entry has been changed to “completed” on October 14.
Marlon Webb and Tristin Mays at the DREAM SCENARIO After Party in Los Angeles (Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images)
According toTristin Mays, her Les Miserables Pirates Musical Short with Marlon Webb will be released on December 24. She also set up a Twitch account; teasing that her first stream will drop next week. On November 6, Tristin and Marlon attended a Special Screening of A24s Dream Scenario; a movie with Nicolas Cage.
Justin Hires mostly used his social media accounts to promote the Stand-Up Comedy Special he had uploaded on YouTube on October 31st. There’s still no news regarding the release of Half Baked 2: Totally High (that he wrote the script for).
German DVD Back Cover Preview for The Collective (via Videobuster)
ICYMI: Rebooted Murdoc David Dastmalchian is the new brand ambassador for Titan Casket, a company that sells caskets online and helps with end-of-life planning. David has also been cast in feature film Dust Bunny; acting alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver. According to Collider, the story is about an eight-year-old girl who enlists the help of her intriguing neighbor to kill the monster under her bed that she believes ate her family.
NCIS: Hawaii started filming last week. We don’t have confirmation yet if Henry Ian Cusick will be back as character John Swift, but he’s currently sporting the right look for it. There haven’t been many news regarding the MacGyver crew, either. While some of the writers are back at work, others just lost their job as several shows got cancelled in the aftermath of the SAG strike (e.g. The Rookie: Feds).
Levy Tran presenting her blue belt (via Team Traven)
Other MacGyver-related News Back in 2019, Koch Films teased OG MacGyver fans about the German release of an exclusive BluRay box set. CBS and the pandemic halted the production several times. In the meantime, Koch Films has been rebranded as Plaion Pictures. This week, Plaion has been teasing the reveal of their next exclusive item in a live stream on December 12; providing several hints towards MacGyver.
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
Richard Dean Anderson attended Comic Con Brussels (November 4 and 5) and Hero Festival in Marseille (November 11 and 12).He is scheduled to appear at Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12, 2024).
Kate Bond (who played Jill on the MacGyver Reboot) was a guest star in the latest episode of Magnum PI. Episode 5×17: Consciousness of Guilt was co-written by her husband David Slack.
The Collective with Lucas Till The Collective was released digitally in the Netherlands and Belgium on September 21. The release date for Australia and New Zealand has been set for November 8. I haven’t found any information regarding release dates for Italy, France or Spain.
The US-Version of the DVD was released on September 19. For the Netherlands and Belgium, there’s a DVD- and BluRay version with a different cover (released on October 11). The DVD and BluRay-Release for the German version has been set for December 14. The only extra listed so far is the trailer.
Official Still of Lucas Till in The Collective (via Pathé Thuis)
The trailer with the most views on YouTube is the official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution; reaching 300’000 hits on August 30. It has almost 387’000 hits by now.
With a limited release, it’s difficult to get numbers on how well it has been doing. Also, my usual source (Flixpatrol) started restricting their information last month; only providing certain data for Premium Users now. Before the restrictions, it has been listed in the Amazon Prime Top 10 in several categories (e.g. Rank 1 for more than 40 days in total, Rank 4 in calendar week 36, Rank 8 in September).
It’s currently on Rank 32 for October and on Rank 66 for 2023; being in the Top 10 for more than 60 days.
Levy Tran as Lash in an Expend4bles photo shoot (via Line Today)
Expend4bles with Levy Tran Action movie Expend4bles with Levy Tran has been released internationally last month. Sadly, Levy couldn’t promote it due to the SAG strike. That’s why there were only a handful of video interviews (pre-recorded on set last year). She attended a screening with some of her Ju Jitsu friends in Atlanta.
Since the release, she has gained several thousand new followers on Instagram, even though she doesn’t post much. Otherwise, she’s been back in martial arts training.
What are Cast and Crew up to? Justin Hires posted a teaser trailer for his Stand-Up Comedy Special that will hit YouTube on October 31st. You can subscribe to his email-list to watch it early.
Screenshot of Justin Hires and Henry Ian Cusick for the Urban Legendz Podcast (via YouTube)
Justin also did a new episode for his Urban Legendz Podcast; this time with Henry Ian Cusick. They talked about MacGyver and the cancellation, about Ian leaving social media and what they’ve been up to lately. When Ian asked for any news regarding Lucas Till, Justin said he would tell him in private afterwards, but that he is doing very well.
MacGyver was the most fun I’ve ever had on a show.
Henry Ian Cusick; Urban Legendz Podcast, September 24, 2023
Rebooted Murdoc David Dastmalchian is the new brand ambassador for Titan Casket, a company that sells caskets online and also helps with end-of-life planning. David will appear in marketing materials and be the face of the company.
In recent weeks, David attended several conventions and carpet events; promoting his upcoming Count Crowley comic (to be released on November 8). On November 12, he will take part in the T21 Walk by the Down Syndrome Association Los Angeles.
David Dastmalchian attends Knott’s Scary Farm 50th Anniversary (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
Otherwise, there haven’t been many sightings of the MacGyver cast and crew:
David Dastmalchian and Tate Donovan volunteered at the local food bank in LA a few weeks ago.
Meredith Eaton added another puppy to her household.
Tristin Mays helped her mother with some painting events for Halloween.
After the writers strike was over, some of the MacGyver writers joined the SAG picketing sites in LA; e.g. Teresa Huang. As she posted on Instagram, she was back at work by October 10. She continues holding free crash courses for Assistant Writers.
Levy Tran in Expend4bles (via Aktualne)
Other MacGyver-related News Dick Butkus passed away this month. The NFL star played character Earl Dent in several episodes of Original MacGyver.
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at Comic Con Brussels (Belgium, November 4 and 5), at Hero Festival (Marseille, November 11 and 12) and at Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12, 2024).
Kate Bond (who played Jill on the MacGyver Reboot) is listed as a guest star for an upcoming episode of Magnum PI. Episode 5×17: Consciousness of Guilt was co-written by her husband David Slack.
Executive Producer Henry Winkler will start his book tour on October 31 in New York. Several event stops have already been sold out.
Ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov is attached to write the script for Demolition Man 2.
The Collective will be released in the Netherlands and Belgium next week. Meanwhile, fans are waiting for their favorite actors to pop up on social media soon.
Official Still of Lucas Till in The Collective (via Pathé Thuis)
The Collective with Lucas Till Since August 4, The Collective has been released in several countries. Turkey had an official premiere event for the cinematic release; with goodies (e.g. tote bags) for the attending guests. The movie aired on 89 screens on opening weekend and made about 6’800 USD in box office.
The trailer with the most views on YouTube is the official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution; reaching 300’000 hits on August 30. It has almost 345’000 hits at the moment.
BtS photo of Mercedes Varnado and Lucas Till in The Collective (via Frankie Tarr)
With a limited release, it’s difficult to get numbers on how well it has been doing. It has been listed in the Amazon Prime Top 10, though:
Rank 1 in several African countries; e.g. South Africa (29 days in total, six consecutive days on Rank 1), Zimbabwe or Kenya (each 25 days in total).
Rank 4 in calendar week 36
Rank 9 in calendar week 37
currently Rank 5 in September
How to watch The Collective with Lucas Till? US distributor Quiver Distribution lists several streaming services on their website: AppleTV, Amazon, Vudu-Fandango, Microsoft, Google Play, Comcast, Spectrum, Cox, DirecTV, Dish and Verizon. Other sites also list Hoopla and YouTube.
Blu Ray Cover Preview for The Collective in the Netherlands (via Bol)
There aren’t release dates for all the countries with distributors yet, but it will premiere digitally on September 21 in the Netherlands and Belgium. I haven’t found any information regarding release dates for Germany, Italy or Spain. France doesn’t seem to have a distributor listed yet.
The US-Version of the DVD will be released on September 19. Checking the backcover preview, it doesn’t look like there’s any bonus material included. For the Netherlands and Belgium, there’s also a Blu Ray version with a different cover preview (to be released in November). There’s no information about any bonus material as there’s no back cover preview yet.
Levy Tran in Expend4bles (via Ropa Carlo)
The Promo that was (Encore) We got many interviews with director Tom DeNucci for smaller outlets. Sadly, we didn’t get any promo by the cast due to the SAG-AFTRA strike rules.
On August 8, Tom DeNucci did a podcast episode about the movie, but he didn’t reveal much more than he already had in the interviews. Nevertheless, the episode is his second most-watched of all the podcast episodes (about 61) so far. He also mentioned in his latest podcast episode that he would love to do a sequel.
DeNucci made an appearance at the Brimfield Comic Con (September 5 to 10). He hasn’t posted any new material lately.
David Dastmalchian volunteering at the local food bank (via Box Lunch)
What are Cast and Crew up to? There haven’t been many sightings of the MacGyver cast:
Rebooted Murdoc David Dastmalchian volunteered at the local food bank in LA a few days ago.
Henry Ian Cusick attended DragonCon in Atlanta (August 31 to September 4).
Justin Hires continued with Comedy Stand-Up appearances and recording podcast episodes. Filming his Stand-Up Special in New York fell through.
The US release date for Expend4bles (aka The Expendables 4) is set for September 22, but Levy Tran probably can’t promote it (unless they pre-recorded some stuff on set).
It’s a pity that after Secret Headquarters, another big movie with Levy falls through regarding promo (last time due to Paramount pushing the movie to streaming instead of the cinematic released they had initially planned, this time due to the strike).
Levy Tran as Lash in an Expend4bles photo shoot (via Line Today)
ICYMI: A new credit has been added to the IMDb page of Tristin Mays recently: Short Film Hopeless Romantic, which was filmed in March 2022. It was screened at Climax Film Festival in November 2022). She postd a few photos from a Beyoncé concert but otherwise, she wasn’t as active on social media as usual.
Maureen Ryan is still doing interviews for her book Burn It Down. She mentioned Lucas Till in an interview with Adam Conover:
He actually said to me in our very first conversation: “I don’t care if I never work again. I cannot take the work environment my colleagues are being put through.” And then it came out what that work environment was doing to him.
Hollywood’s Toxic Underbelly with Maureen Ryan, August 23, 2023
There were some more sightings of MacGyver writers, cast and crew members and guest stars at the picketing sites in LA and NY though; e.g. Teresa Huang, Kate Bond, David Slack, Joy Sunday, Alexandra Grey, Tate Donovan or Jeri Ryan.
Levy in Ju Jitsu class (via Elen Catiuce)
Other MacGyver-related News Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
Movie Million Followerswith Henry Ian Cusick was shopped at TIFF (Toronto Film Festival, September 7 to 17).
Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at Comic Con Brussels (Belgium, November 4 and 5), at Hero Festival (Marseille, November 11 and 12) and at Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12, 2024).
Another volume of David Dastmalchians comic series Count Crowley hits stores on November 8. Unlike with movie projects, he’s allowed to promote the comic.
Kate Bond (who played Jill on the MacGyver Reboot) is listed as a guest star for an upcoming episode of Magnum PI. Episode 5×17: Consciousness of Guilt was co-written by her husband David Slack.
Upcoming Movie Projects for the MacGyver Cast Several cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production:
Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick premiered at Sundance Film Festival on January 23. There’s no cinematic release date yet. It might be screened at more festivals first.
The Collective with Lucas Till: I don’t expect a release date announced before early Summer. It’s probably a limited cinematic release or straight-to-streaming.
Bang with Tristin Mays: An Instagram post back in October stated “April”. Since then, there was no mention of it. The project doesn’t even have an IMDb page. I expect a release straight-to-streaming.
The Comic Shop with Tristin Mays has wrapped just before Christmas. I expect a limited cinematic release, though it might be shopped at film festivals.
For Cory with Levy Tran was made by stunt crew mostly. It’s a new production company, so they might try shopping it around at film festivals.
Expend4bles with Levy Tran: The release date is set for September 22. I expect an US and international cinematic release; including several press circuits.
The script for Half Baked 2 was written by Justin Hires (who also has a cameo in it). It is planned as straight-to-streaming, but could still get a limited cinematic release.
What are Cast and Crew up to? We got a few new BtS photos for The Collective; e.g. of the portraits photoshoot by Still Photographer Bryan Marchulaitis or by Sid O’Connell. Sadly, several crew members deleted BtS photos after excited fans had re-uploaded the photos across several social media platforms and websites without giving proper credit.
Henry Ian Cusick doing a photocall for Jamojaya at Sundance (Emily Assiran/Contour via Getty Images)
A second press release by Deadline announced Paul Ben-Victor and Mercedes Varnado as co-stars. In And Action! Podcast Episode 33 regarding stunts, director Tom DeNucci teased the fans that the movie will be very action-packed and stunt-heavy; and that he was very pleased with the first cut after the editing sessions.
It’s been about 3 years, but the promo for Son of the South hasn’t stopped. On February 4, Lucas Till will make an appearance at an honorary screening for Bob Zellner (who’s story the movie is based on) in Seattle.
In the past, the movie had had several screenings with Lucas either joining via video call or the organisators just playing a pre-recorded Q&A, so it will be nice to see him out and about again after such a long time.
Henry Ian Cusick attended the premiere of Jamojaya at Sundance; joining the photo calls and Q&As and enjoying several days at the festival. Including the premiere, there will be 7 screenings in total. The Season Finale of Big Sky aired on January 18. The show hasn’t been renewed yet.
According to Deadline, rebooted Murdoc actor David Dastmalchian has launched his own production company called Good Fiend Films. The company will produce character-driven projects across horror, sci-fi and fantasy for film, television, audio and publishing. The first project released will be horror movie Late Night with the Devil, starring David as a 1970s late-night talk show host. The film will make its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival in Texas this March.
Tristin Mays and Marlon Webb attending the premiere of The Last of Us (Rodin Eckenroth via WireImage)
On January 9, Tristin Mays attended the Los Angeles Premiere of the new HBO show The Last of Us. She was accompanied by Marlon Webb.
In a new episode of In My Feelings, Justin Hires talked about why he had stopped auditioning for a while in 2021. He mentioned that he’s developing and producing some shows that have A-list-actors attached. Justin is also working on the script for Homecoming again (a movie that has been in development for quite some time).
Yesterday, Levy Tran posted an Instagram Story with the statement “Yay for knee rehabilitation excercises”; hinting at hurting her knee a while ago. She revealed that she was barely able to walk stairs last month; finally being able to do squats again.
Eli Cusick and Henry Ian Cusick doing a photocall for Jamojaya at Sundance (John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images)
There’s still no news regarding Meredith Eaton or George Eads.
MacGyver The Musical ICYMI: The release date for the MacGyver Musical Album is set for today. You can find the track list and order the album here.
For people who have subscribed to Lee’s Musical Newsletter, an exclusive interview with Tristin and some BtS footage should drop today as well.
MacGyver The Musical CD Cover (via Broadway Records)
There have been hints about the musical launching stage productions in other cities for a limited run. Since then, there has been no concrete news regarding another stage run being planned or which city will be next.
I’d never produced a musical before. I’d never produced an album before. But I said, “Well, you know, we’ll just MacGyver our way through this.” And that’s exactly what we did.
Lee David Zlotoff, via TV Britanny F (January 25)
Other MacGyver-related News MacGyver Reboot guest star Sheryl Lee Ralph (Mama Colton) won a Critics Choice Award as “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” in Abbott Elementary.
Tristin Mays and Jesse Metcalfe in a BtS photo on set of The Comic Shop (via Jonathan Bowen)
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
Since January 6, ion Mystery airs reruns of ten episodes of the MacGyver Reboot on Fridays.
The German DVD/BluRay of Secret Headquarters with Levy Tran was released on January 19. The UK version was released on January 23.
Richard Dean Anderson will attend Steel City Con (March 31 to April 2) in Pittsburgh.
According to this tweet, RDA will also attend Comic Con Prague (April 14 to 16). He’s not listed on the website yet, but fellow actor Corin Nemec (Stargate SG-1) is.
Great news: Filming has finally started – and we have a premiere date for Season 5!
MacGyverCBS Twitter and Facebook Header (via CBS)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 5 storylines 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.)
Season 5 Premiere News and Promo On November 9, we finally got news about the premiere date for Season 5: The first episode will air on Friday, December 4! The official MacGyverCBS Twitter Account changed their profile photo and header with new key art. The header is a photoshopped version of a photo taken while filming Episode 4×08; inserting a paperclip into MacGyver’s mouth.
Just minutes later, they also revealed the Synopsis and the First Still for Episode 5×01 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness) via SpoilerTV. Interestingly, this is the episode that was initially filmed with production number 415 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness). As predicted, they changed the title; adding one ingredient to match it for Season 5. We got 16 Official Stills in total via KsiteTV, which were later reposted by SpoilerTV and What2Vue.
It’s interesting to note that the episode with production number 414 has been written by ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov. Actually, the Magnum PI Season 3 premiere episode was co-written by Lenkov, too. Maybe they felt that two episodes written by Lenkov was too much for one night…
Gearing up for Production
After waiting for months, we finally got proof of pre-production being in progress. On November 6, Heather Kritzer posted a photo of several crew members (e.g. Steven Serna) doing some location scouting. The next day, Sarah Downer uploaded a photo of her officially being back in the office for Season 5. Two days later, she showed us her new work attire: Corona Chic. (And if you look really closely, you can see a photo of our favorite villain Murdoc aka David Dastmalchian in the background.)
Back in the office at Mailing Avenue Stageworks (via Sarah Downer)
Like on other productions, the crew members are wearing masks and face-shields – plus being dressed in “suits” and gloves in some departments. I guess we won’t see too many smiles on BtS photos with the crew this season. Sarah also posted another photo that day, revealing that Lucas Till was back for his costume fitting.
On November 10, Justin Hires uploaded a photo of Lucas, Henry Ian Cusick and himself; masked up and presumably waiting to get a haircut. Many fans commented on the matching mullets of Lucas and Ian, hoping that they get to keep their longer quarantine locks. As Ian later revealed via an Instagram Story, they cut and dyed his Hawaiian sun-bleached hair a bit; matching the style with the one he had in Season 4.
Waiting for a new haircut (via Justin Hires)
Working on Episode 501
(Note: Since we don’t know the order of the episodes yet, I will continue to refer to the episodes by their production number. It might be a bit confusing, but this seems to be the best option for now.)
On November 11, Justin uploaded the first photo while being on set for the episode with production number 501. He didn’t look as excited as he said to be, but maybe simply because he was overwhelmed standing in front of yet another Porsche. According to a photo by Christopher Duddy, Tristin was on the set too that day. The slate revealed that the episode is directed by David Straiton, who has directed several episodes before.
Season 5 Premiere Announcement (via CBS)
In the Instagram Story by Hussein Agamiri, it looked like they re-created parts of the Phoenix Lab on a bigger, open soundstage so that the crew is able to film from a bigger distance. While Justin and Tristin kept a bigger distance as well, it’s not clear yet if they will put them closer together in post-production. Sarah Downer revealed in her Insta Story that instead of living and breathing Fit Models, they are using mannequins.
On November 12, production moved to an airport. We didn’t get to see much material, though. Later, Henry Ian Cusick posted two photos in his Insta Story. We didn’t get a good look at MacGyver’s new haircut, but it seems that despite being kidnapped, Russ Taylor will get out mostly unscathed (besides a small butterfly bandage on his forehead).
BtS photo of Episode 501 (via Christopher Duddy)
Season 5 Overview
As mentioned above, filming for about 10 more episodes started on November 11. For now, I’m assuming that CBS has planned for Season 5 to have 16 episodes (if they manage to continue filming without a bigger hiatus).
Since filming per episode takes about 8-10 days during the pandemic, they might finish about 4 episodes before Christmas break if all goes well – but with covid cases rising in all states, it’s possible that filming protocols will be tightened or that filming has to shut down again.
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 (episode titles), by social media accounts or IMDb (cast and crew info), from SpoilerTV (press releases) and The Futon Critic (airdates).
5×01 (filmed with production number 415): Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (December 4)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
5×02 (414): Thief + Painting + Viro-486 + Justice (tba)
Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Andrew Klein
5×03 (416): Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (tba)
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
5×04 (417): Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage
Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
5×05 (418): SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini
Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen
5×06 (419): Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason
Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller
5x?? (420): Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (unfinished production)
Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore
5x?? (501): Telescope + S-218 + Amplifier + Frenemies + Fog
Written by Jim Adler and Stephanie Hicks, directed by David Straiton
Remember that the episode titles and their order is not definite until an official Press Release by CBS.
Back in the office at Mailing Avenue Stageworks (via Sarah Downer)
Considering that the hairstyles of the main cast seems to match with Season 4, they could mix up the order; sliding newly-filmed stand-alone episodes in between of older ones to draw out the Codex story-arc. With only 10 more episodes to film, they probably won’t bother with setting up a second, bigger story arc with another main villain.
Other Cast, Crew and Character News
This week, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Science Types (for today), for Homeless Types (for Monday) and for Background Actors with Cars. The amount of Casting Calls has been toned down for most productions; especially for background actors. Covid tests two days in advance are mandatory, so there won’t be any Rush Calls anymore.
BtS photo of Episode 501 (via Henry Ian Cusick)
Since the IMDb entries for the leftover episodes had been wiped, we don’t have much information for upcoming cast and crew yet. Due to the new protocols, crossovers are very unlikely this season, but we already know from BtS photos in Winter and Spring that we will have Jorge Garcia (Lost, Hawaii Five-0) and Peter Weller in guest-appearances. For more information about the producers and directors assistants, we might have to wait a bit longer. Posts on social media confirmed that some former crew members won’t work on Season 5 (e.g. Haley Porch or Levy’s stand-in Amanda Mazonkey).
On Sunday, Henry Ian Cusick will attend virtual panels at the Dream It Convention. During hiatus, Tristin Mays filmed a movie called “The Christmas Sitters” that will air on the ion TV channel on December 13, 20 and 25. For the exact dates and more promo photos, you can check here.
Tristin Mays in The Christmas Sitters (via ionTV)
Season 4 Rerun and Season 5 Schedule Tonight, there’s a rerun of Episode 4×12 (Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire (4×12). Next Friday, we get a rerun of the Season 4 Finale (Save + The + Dam + World). The rerun on November 27 was dropped due to “Frosty the Snowman”, but it’s possible that they will add more reruns during Christmas break. In fact, it seems some networks are planning on bigger Christmas breaks than usual, so it’s not clear yet when the Friday shows will be back next year.
For now, we can safely assume that we will get to watch at least three new episodes in December. Ratings-wise, the other CBS Fall shows haven’t been doing well so far (especially SWAT), but I think the Friday Line-Up will be safe from any big schedule shake-ups.
Cover Preview for MacGyver: Meltdown (via Prince of Cats Literary Productions)
Other MacGyver News
Yesterday, we got a first look at the cover of the upcoming first MacGyver Novel (MacGyver: Meltdown), written by Eric Kelly and MacGyver-Creator Lee David Zlotoff. The book was to come out in October, but has been postponed to end of November. You can find more information here.
Last week, there were only two more episodes left to film for Season 4. But now, there’s suddenly 9 more, yay!
BtS photo of Season 4 (via James Callis)
(Minor Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about characters and storylines in Season 4 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided! For daily news and to join the discussion and/or speculate away, you can find me on Twitter and head over to the MacGyverOnline Forums.)
Season 4 Overview
Good news for MacGyver fans! On November 5, Henry Ian Cusick tweeted that the show got a full-season-order with CBS ordering 9 more episodes. There was no official press release as with the other back-orders a few weeks ago, but since Executive Producer Peter Lenkov retweeted the post as well, it seems to be a sure thing. Sadly, there’s still no release date yet.
(via Henry Ian Cusick)
Before we revisit the filming days during the last two weeks, here’s the usual overview of the upcoming episodes so far (with the latest news about writers, directors and guest stars). Since the IMDb entries still don’t go beyond Episode 4×06, it’s difficult to find more information.
4×01: (title tba)
Directed by Alexandra La Roche
4×02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix
Written by Terry Matalas, directed by David Straiton
4×03: (title tba)
Directed by Lily Mariye
4×04: (title tba)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson
4×05: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan
Directed by Duane Clark
4×06: (title tba)
Directed by Roderick Davis
4×07: Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey
Guest appearances by Tate Donovan (as James MacGyver) and Peter Weller (as Mason)
4×08: (title tba)
Presumably directed by David Straiton
Guest appearance by Keith David.
4×09: (title tba)
Written by Brandon Botta and Casey Tollett Botta, directed by Mike Martinez
4×10: (title tba)
Directed by Yangzom Brauen
4×11: (title tba)
Presumed guest appearances by Amber Skye Noyes and by Dawson Towery
To recap my last blog post about the ongoing production: Filming for Episode 4×10 started on October 15 in the War Room, followed by a 1920s party scene a few days later.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)
Apparently, the storyline is set in San Francisco in the roaring twenties, dealing with the history of the Phoenix Foundation and its predecessor DXS; somehow involving the scientists and inventors Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. This sure looks to be one of the most interesting episodes this season.
Working on Episode 4×11
Filming for Episode 4×11 started around October 25 with scenes in the War Room and in a parking garage. Peter Lenkov uploaded some editing scenes as Instagram stories; confirming that Peter Weller as Mason will definitely come back. Guest star Holly Deveaux posted a photo of her in prison garb.
On October 28, we got a special surprise: David “Murdoc” Dastmalchian was spotted on set. Back in June, David had auctioned off a set visit and apparently, now was the day to host it. In between, he took photos with Meredith Eaton and with Costumer Sarah Downer. Let’s hope he also found some time to film some scenes for the episode.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via David Dastmalchian)
The next two days, the cast continued to film War Room scenes. While the rest of the characters were dressed in “normal” clothes, both Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick were seen wearing black overalls, indicating an undercover mission.
Sadly, the cast and crew still mostly post Instagram stories instead of BtS photos in good quality. Levy Tran uploaded a short video of Lucas/Mac sleeping in Mac’s bed. It’s not entirely clear if she caught Lucas unaware napping away during set preparation or if this will be part of the episode.
On November 1, the rats (yes, the animals) were back on set. The cast and crew were partially enamored, partially a bit scared. Meredith Eaton posed with one of the rats, clearly liking them.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Justin Hires)
Filming continued for Levy on Saturday, November 2. Interestingly, it seems like crew member Haley Porch has a little part as well. Judging by a BtS photo with Lucas Till on November 4, it looks like James Callis will appear in more than one episode (unless they had to do some reshoots). Both Lucas and James look dirtied and a bit banged up.
The next day, production moved to film nearby the Historic Academy of Medicine. The sound crew was not happy since they had to film right next to an ongoing road construction site. Meredith Eaton posted two nice Instagram Short Stories of her character with Ian’s character all dressed up. Dinner Date or Undercover Mission? I guess we’ll see… sometime. Whenever that is *lol*.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Steven Serna)
Yesterday, they continued filming some more War Room scenes before relocating. They filmed car-driving scenes in front of green screens. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure if this was still for Episode 4×11 or already for Episode 4×12.
The most interesting casting call however was the one for a Caucasian male aged 20 to 30 to play a Phoenix. Yes, a Phoenix. I’m not sure if they simply scrambled up the call for a Phoenix tech or agent or if they really incorporated a methaphorical Phoenix aka a person (looking like maybe MacGyver?) dressed up as a Phoenix into an episode. Guess we’ll see “soon”.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)
MacGyver in Austria and Germany
In Austria, the ratings for Season 2 stayed pretty stable or once. To recap: Episode 2×16 (Hammock + Balcony) had 29’000 live-viewers, followed by Episode 2×17 (Bear Trap + Mob Boss) with 42’000 live-viewers. Episode 2×18 (Riley + Airplane) got 37’000 live-viewers, followed by Episode 2×19 with 38’000 live-viewers.
On November 23, German Free-TV channel Kabel 1 will start at the beginning; showing reruns of Season 1 at prime time and replacing reruns of Hawaii Five-0.
CBS Fall TV Season Ratings: Overview
It’s been almost two months of Fall TV. Due to the NFL games, CBS aired reruns of some shows last week. The next break with reruns will be around Thanksgiving.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Holly Deveaux)
Since CBS still hasn’t announced the midseason schedule yet (unlike FOX and NBC), lets take another look at the CBS ratings. Why should MacGyver fans care about the ratings of other shows? To recap: The ratings are interesting because…
…the demo ratings of the other CBS crime/drama shows – especially the rookies – will determine what timeslot Season 4 of the Reboot might air in and when the premiere will happen. The fact that Season 4 is a full season of 22 episodes now means that the show is more likely than ever to premiere in January.
…the average ratings of the other shows compared to the Reboot might determine if MacGyver gets another season or not. The better other shows do, the more dangerous for the Reboot; especially when the schedule is already packed.
…the average ratings of the other shows compared to the Reboot might determine how many episodes MacGyver gets for Season 5 in case it’s renewed. The more room on the schedule, the bigger the chances for a full season.
On October 23, CBS announced that they just handed out full-season back-orders to four freshman series; including crime show All Rise. That means that at the moment, there are only 3 timeslots that will be vacant in January/February (Wednesdays 8pm, Thursdays 10pm and Sundays 10pm) – unless CBS moves a low-rated show into a different timeslot to make room for the Reboot.
CBS Fall 2019 Schedule (via World Screen)
Three potential timeslots without a schedule tweak isn’t much, considering there’s 8 midseason shows still waiting for a slot. But the fact that CBS ordered more episodes without announcing Season 4 to be the last one means the show is still important enough for the network for now.
CBS Ratings: Monday
Rookie show All Rise (9pm) has an average demo of 0.65 and 5.28 million live-viewers per episode at the moment. Compared to the demos of all other CBS shows, All Rise is on Rank 13 (out of 20); just jumping ahead of Bull and SEAL Team this week. Because All Rise got a full season-order of 22 episodes, the timeslot will stay occupied into Spring with new episodes and probably with reruns during hiatus (unless the show gets cancelled; opening up the slot around April or May).
The average per episode for Bull (10pm) is a demo of 0.64 and 6.11 million live-viewers. Both demo and audience numbers had been rising until this week. Since the show is also a candidate for a syndication deal, it will most likely stay in this slot with reruns during hiatus.
Verdict: A Monday Premiere in January doesn’t seem very likely at the moment, but it can still happen. There’s a possibility for Bull being moved to Thursdays or Sundays, for example.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Meredith Eaton)
CBS Ratings: Tuesday
The newest season of NCIS (8pm) is doing very well with an average of 1.19 in demo and 11.56 million live-viewers per episode. NCIS is still the CBS Fall show with the biggest demo overall and also the lowest demo loss compared to last year. It’s getting old and expensive, but it’s also a money machine. It seems very unlikely that CBS would move the show anywhere else.
The average per episode for FBI (9pm) is a demo of 0.88 and 8.86 million live-viewers. Compared to last season, FBI has the second-lowest demo-drop and is almost even in audience. It seems very unlikely that CBS would move the show anywhere else – unless it’s for the midseason spin-off (FBI: Most Wanted).
NCIS: New Orleans (10pm) has a demo of 0.69 and 6.68 million live-viewers on average per episode at the moment. Compared to last season, the losses in both demo and audience are low. Its reruns could still get replaced with the FBI spin-off in Spring – or with FBI reruns so they can air the spin-off in the 9pm timeslot.
Verdict: No matter what, it doesn’t seem very likely for MacGyver to air on Tuesdays.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)
CBS Ratings: Wednesday
So far, I never touched upon the non-scripted show Survivor(8pm). It’s ratings are irrelevant – what’s relevant is that the show concludes on December 18; meaning that there’s another potential timeslot in January. Last year, the slot was occupied by The Amazing Race. There’s still a tiny chance that they’ll air MacGyver instead.
SEAL Team (9pm): At the moment, the average per episode is a demo of 0.65 and 4.65 million live-viewers. Audience numbers and demo aren’t that great, but CBS rarely cancels a show in its 3rd season. There is a chance that they put the show on a hiatus like they did this year already.
At the moment, the average per episode for SWAT (10pm) is a demo of 0.54 and 3.72 million live-viewers. Of the 20 CBS Fall shows airing at the moment, SWAT dropped to Rank 19 in demo and to Rank 20 in audience. Its fate might depend on the co-producing network. The timeslot is not a good option for MacGyver anyway, but the chances are getting higher that SWAT might have to endure a timeslot change and will be demoted to midseason if it gets renewed.
Verdict: Wednesdays are not doing that well. There’s a good chance that they’ll put SEAL Team and/or SWAT on a hiatus – most likely either for Criminal Minds or MacGyver.
BtS Instagram Story screenshot of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)
CBS Ratings: Thursday
Rookie show Evil (10pm) already got renewed for a second season. Since the first season will conclude after 13 episodes on January 30, there will be an available timeslot in February (unless they intend to air reruns).
Verdict: Although MacGyver is a candidate for this slot in February, it’s not a slot that would do the show many favors. Yet, there’s a good chance that CBS will put another show into this slot instead of Evil reruns since its ratings are not very good and still dropping.
CBS Ratings: Friday
Veteran show Hawaii Five-0 (8pm) has an average demo of 0.69 and 6.81 million live-viewers per episode. When looking at demo ratings of the Friday line-up, H50 is still the one doing best. If CBS insists on keeping Magnum as well, they might let H50 stay in this slot next year.
Magnum PI (9pm): The average per episode is a demo of 0.59 and 6.18 million live-viewers at the moment; still placing it at Rank 18 of all scripted CBS shows. Although Magnum is the only CBS Fall show to gain in audience numbers, the demo is rather low. Since it’s a co-production, the fate of the show might depend on how long NBCU is willing to pay for it. A renewal might not keep it safe from being demoted to midseason, though. They could also forego reruns in favor of reruns of H50 (like they will do for Thanksgiving) – or in favor of new episodes for MacGyver.
For veteran show Blue Bloods (10pm), the average per episode is 0.62 in demo and 7.48 million live-viewers. While the audience loss compared to last season is as expected (Rank 4), the demo dropped by 22% (Rank 16). Blue Bloods is old and expensive and the demo rating is being dragged down by its lead-in Magnum, but it has international and syndication deals in place and is still in a better position for a renewal than many other shows.
Verdict: The Friday 8pm timeslot is usually occupied by non-scripted shows in Spring and Summer. They could temporarily move it to 9pm again for reruns (which would mean no reruns of Magnum) or put MacGyver into one of the Friday slots in Spring. For January, a MacGyver premiere on Friday seems very unlikely, though.
BtS photo of Season 4 (via Cornell Willis)
CBS Ratings: Sunday
Veteran NCIS: Los Angeles (9pm) has an average demo of 0.70 and 6.33 million live-viewers per episode. The show does still well enough in a rather difficult timeslot. Apart from NCIS, it’s the highest-rated veteran crime show when compared for demo.
Madam Secretary (10pm) will be done after airing 10 episodes; meaning that there will be a vacant timeslot by January.
Verdict: It’s possible CBS will put another show there that isn’t doing well this season so they don’t have to cancel it yet – or choose a midseason show for it. As said before, it’s not a good slot for MacGyver – but it could definitely happen.
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.
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.
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:
There has been a bit of confusion about the episode schedule for the MacGyver Reboot. In some sort of last-minute-rescheduling, CBS opted to preempt the episode last Friday for an interview with R. Kelly instead.
Episode 3×17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather (Official Still via SpoilerTV)
Sadly, neither the producers nor the writers were aware of the schedule change and the pre-scheduled tweets by the official MacGyver accounts and by SpoilerTV just added to the confusion. Until the last minute, many fans and even the guest-stars didn’t know about the episode not airing; promoting the show and prompting the fans to watch. Understandably, fans were pretty upset and vocal about it.
To top it all, the official accounts never informed the fans about the next episode. So let’s do a short recap of all the information I have gathered so far for the remaining episodes. Note that this is still a presumed schedule that could change at all times.
3×17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather (March 15)
Written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen, directed by Alexandra La Roche. The Press Release with the first Official Still came out on February 15 with more Stills added on March 5. There’s guest appearances by Carsten Norgaard and Carlos Leal. CBS just uploaded a newer, shorter version of the Preview.
After next week’s episode, there will be the March Madness Break; meaning the entire primetime schedule is a bit different for several weeks.
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 feature MDB). Channel CBS46 had been on set for that episode; doing on-set interviews with the cast.
3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 12)
Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh.
3×20: tba (April 19)
Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer.
3×21: tba (April 26)
Presumably directed by Maja Vrvilo. Presumed guest appearance by Emerson Brooks.
3×22: tba (May 3)
Not much is known yet about the Season Finale. There might be a black chopper 😉
That’s it for now.
Episode 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (Official Still via SpoilerTV)
The new Reboot Update post (No. 78) will be out next Friday as planned (and no, there’s no danger of me writing a blog post about R. Kelly instead).
Filming for Season 3 has started. We have a Premiere Release Date, an Episode Order Number and lots of BtS photos and videos!
BtS photo of Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (via Lucas Till)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about main characters and storylines in Season 3 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Season 3 News The Premiere Date has been set for September 28. We also know that CBS has ordered a Full Season Order of 22 episodes.
The main cast started filming on Monday, July 9. In the beginning, it was mostly Justin Hires and the Stand-Ins that provided us with BtS material. By now, others of the main cast and some of the crew and guest-stars posted some photos or videos as well.
BtS of Episode 3×01: Improvise (via George Eads)
As every year, cast and crew are suffering in the Summer Heat – or get shut down due to rain storms and lightning. According to some crew members, they logged about 80 hours on the first week; working on the weekend as well.
Working on Episode 3×01
Episode (3×01: Improvise) is directed by Stephen Herek. SpoilerTV has released some very spoilery snippets for the Season 3 Premiere, so read at your own risk.
BtS of Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (via Justin Hires)
In total, the filming took about 9 days on various sets. Cast and crew have been filming in “Nigeria” again; bringing back some of the actors that have been on set of Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck). Hakeem Kae-kazim posted a short video of the set; revealing that he had worked with Sibongile Mlambo before.
Peter Lenkov posted a video of Lucas Till doing a stunt on a motorbike. The same scene of the stunt double on the bike was filmed by crew member Brandon Smith; using a different angle. George Eads had also posted a BtS photo of him on a bike; so this might have been a scene of them chasing the bad guys. They also filmed scenes at an airport set and in a “Russian” restaurant. They also had a helicopter on set for a few days, with Tate Donovan sharing temporary videos taken inside while flying as a passenger. Filming continued on Saturdays. Seems like there’s a lot going on in the Season Premiere.
BtS photo of Episode 3×02: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship (via Lucas Till)
Working on Episode 3×02 On July 19, cast and crew started working on Episode 3×02, directed by Ericson Core. As Justin Hires revealed, the title is “Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship”, written by Brian Durkin.
The Episode looks pretty exciting. Cast and crew have been filming at an airport, also using some nice vintage cars as props, been traipsing trough the woods and apparently, MacGyver makes “Bangalore Torpedoes“. Lucas Till also filmed a stunt of his character jumping out of an airplane; joking this was an audition tape for the new Deadpool movie. His Stand-In Matthew Albright complained in an Instagram Live Story that his actor gets to do all the cool stuff while he’s uploading videos of himself playing whith his hair.
BtS photo of Season 3 (via Steven Serna)
George Eads posted some photos as well, showing Jack in tac gear, in an Aloha shirt and carrying the big guns. He seems to need the big guns, according to the two videos Peter Lenkov posted on July 26. One has Jack Dalton dealing with some kind of hostage situation. The scene might be filming over several days. Some of the guest cast posted a few photos on social media; e.g. Josh Stamberg with George. Han Soto uploaded a Live Story of Lucas Till in slow motion that looks like an audition tape for a shampoo commercial; tagging it with “long hair, don’t care”.
It’s nice to see the cast and crew having fun, despite the heavy work schedule.
Lucas Till on set of Season 3 (via Han Soto)
On July 25, Justin Hires posted another photo of Team Phoenix in what looks like “funeral attire”. A few days before that, he had uploaded a video to reassure fans that George was still on the show. Though now, some fans are worried abut James MacGyver already being killed off (especially since Tate Donovan hasn’t been sighted on set this week).
Cast, Crew and Character News As the MacGyver Writers revealed, a new writer has joined their team: Jim Adler, who has written some episodes for Castle and Vegas.
During hiatus, some of the cast members have been busy, and we can finally see and hear some more about these projects. As Justin Hires revealed, he just landed his first feature as a Hip Hop Artist. Tristin Mays has been filming for a short movie with the working title “Breathe”; written and directed by Devon Deshaun Stewart. Her character Charlotte wears some pretty impressive make-up as a victim of violence.
Tristin Mays in “Breathe” (2018, via IMDb)
Season 2 News
According to The Futon Critic, CBS has planned 2 reruns in September, right before the Season 3 Premiere. There’s still no further information about what episodes they will air. I’m assuming it will be the Season 2 Finale the week before Season 3 starts.
For once, fans in the US are lucky, since they don’t have to wait until February again and get the Season 2 DVD on September 18, ten days before the Season 3 premiere. Let’s hope the DVD Special Features are included this time.
MacGyver in Germany Sadly, the ratings for the first two episodes of Season 2 on German TV weren’t too overwhelming and not as good as the ones for Season 1; most likely inflated due to the sunny, hot weather plus the ongoing Soccer Championship and the premiere of some reality show on another channel. Nevertheless, the numbers increased for the following episodes; surpassing recent episodes of Lethal Weapon or Hawaii Five-0 in the same timeslot on Mondays earlier this year.
To recap: Episodes 2×01 (DIY Or DIE) and 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips) had reached about 1.61 million live-viewers each, with a rating of about 6.7 in the demo-group (14-49 years old).
Episode 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire) managed 1.66 million live-viewers with a 9.6 in demo while Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny) had a demo of 8.7, but reached 1.81 million live-viewers in total. With these audience numbers, the episodes actually did better than their counterparts (Episodes 1×03 and 1×04) a year ago.
Promo for the German Premiere of Episode 2×03: Roulette Wheel + Wire (via Sat. 1)
Episode 2×05 (Skull + Electromagnet) reached 1.65 million live-viewers with a demo of 8.9while Episode 2×06 (Jet Engine + Pickup Truck) snagged 1.83 milllion live-viewers in (with the same demo). It’s clear that the episodes on 9pm do a lot better in Summer than the ones on 8pm. Sadly, I have no information about DVR numbers or how many people watch the episodes on the website (they are available for free a week after airing).
The upcoming German Episode Titles:
2×07: Herz und Helden (literally translated: Heart and Heroes; Duct Tape + Jack)
2×08: Der Turm der blauen Pferde (The Tower of Blue Horses; Packing Peanuts + Fire)
2×09: Die Regeln des Spiels (The Rules of the Game; CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil)
2×10: Verloren im Eis (Lost in Ice; War Room + Ship)
2×11: Unter Mordverdacht (Under Suspicion of Murder; Bullet + Pen)
Lucas Till and George Eads on Set of Season 3 (via George Eads)
Interestingly, they will air the skipped Episode 1×19 (Compass) after 2×07 next Monday.
MacGyver in Austria
Due to the soccer championship and Formula 1, the weekly episode on Austrian TV turned into a monthly episode. People might have forgotten the show still airs, but interestingly, the numbers are not too bad. For July, the two Season 1 episodes that aired (1×14 and 1×15) still reached 63’000 live-viewers each; despite being reruns.
Dashboard On Fire 