MacGyver Reboot Update #200

While the news flow has been slower than ever (at least that’s what it feels like), we did get some exciting news regarding the main MacGyver cast.

Welcome to Levy (via Levy Tran)

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The Abandons with Lucas Till
Lucas has boarded Netflix’ western series The Abandon. Season 1 has ten episodes and is filmed in Calgary and Oregon. According to Deadline, Lucas’ character name is Garret Van Ness. Main star Gillian Anderson plays Constance Van Ness, the matriarch of the wealthy Van Ness family. Aisling Franciosi will play Trisha Van Ness; so possibly the sister or wife of Lucas’ character.

Filming was delayed for almost a year due to the SAG-Aftra strike. The filming dates for Calgary listed on the official IATSE Local 212 website says May 14 to October 15. In recent weeks, several of Lucas’ future cast mates uploaded Insta stories of “Cowboy Camp”; training for horse riding and bull catching. We don’t know if Lucas did a refresher course too (as he has done horse riding training for the role in Hannah Montana many years ago and did horse scenes for Season 2 of MacGyver).

BtS photo of Justin Hires in Half Baked: Totally High (via Michael Tiddes)

Half Baked: Totally High with Justin Hires
Several years ago, Justin Hires wrote the first draft of a script for a sequel to stoner-movie Half Baked. They announced a straight-to-video-release for April 16, so there wasn’t any promo. You can also stream it on Tubi in the US. Justin has a cameo as a character named Curtis.

It’s not clear how much of his original script was changed in the rewrites. In a podcast episode last year, Justin hinted at wanting a producer credit the next time he sells a script because it would give him more creative control.

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Due to the SAG strike last year, the season orders for TV shows were much shorter this time. “Fall Season” (pushed to midseason) is almost over; and the studios have started ordering pilots for the next season. As far as I know, there haven’t been any official TV show casting news for the rest of the regular main cast.

Levy Tran taping an episode for the Reel Rolling Podcast (via Levy Tran)

On March 3, Levy Tran posted an Instagram Story about her reading a book. It looked like she was inside a trailer. She has been tagged twice in Instagram posts regarding action comedy Trouble Man, which was filmed in Atlanta last November. She’s not listed yet on IMDb, though.

A few months ago, I noticed that Levy had started following several AA accounts on Instagram. On April 3, she talked about her struggles with alcohol on the Reel Rolling Podcast.

She revealed that her audition scene for MacGyver was of Desi eating potato chips and that she was so nervous that the chips stuck in her dry mouth in a way that she couldn’t deliver the lines properly. The character was initially to be a guest-star role and she got offered a series regular role a few episodes in.

Levy stated that she has been auditioning a lot lately, but that it’s hard to book a job. Nevertheless, she seems happy; recently posting several photos with family, Carlos and boyfriend Mark celebrating her birthday.

George Eads and ex-wife Monika Casey enjoying a night out (via Fortune Feimster)

We got a rare sighting of George Eads who visited a comedy show of Fortune Feimster (FUBAR).

Henry Ian Cusick has been working on several things. Episode 2×01 of The Wingfeather Saga was released on April 5. According to TV Insider, he will be in the Season 3 Finale turned Series Finale of NCIS: Hawaii (the first episode of the two-parter airing tomorrow). The show got cancelled this week, but maybe his character might pop up in one of the other NCIS shows still on air.

Tristin Mays continued streaming on Twitch every now and then; with the breaks in between getting longer. In one of her streams, Tristin revealed that she’s writing a TV series and working on projects she can’t talk about yet. She also started playing the guitar again.

Video screenshot of Tristin Mays streaming on Twitch (March 13, 2024)

ICYMI: Tristin has moved back to LA a few months ago. Her Atlanta residence had been listed as available to rent since February 15; with the price being reduced before the listing was removed on April 17. Justin Hires just sold his house in Atlanta.

Wedding and Baby News for Lucas Till?
Last June, Lucas Till‘s then-girlfriend Skyler Samuels flashed an engagement ring while doing promo for her new movie of the Aurora Teagarden Series. Due to the SAG strike, Skyler got out of having to do the promo circuit for “The Meg 2” and pretty much disappeared off social media. In a photo posted by her brother back in August, I had a hunch she might be pregnant (as her face looked a bit fuller than usually).

In Episode 43 for the Wizards of Waverly Place Podcast (uploaded on March 4), Skyler referred to Lucas as her “now-husband”. One of the podcast hosts stated she was “glowing”. Skyler recently filmed the next two installments of Aurora Teagarden on Vancouver Island. When director Jessica Harmon posted an Instagram Story of Skyler and a co-star on set with the caption “Two new moms trying to make it to lunch”, that already raised eyebrows.

Proud Mama Skyler and baby (via Skyler Samuels)

Skyler was recently announced as the new brand ambassador for Charles & Colvard; a jewelry company that specializes in lab-grown diamonds. The first campaign video released for Mother’s Day promo has her interact with a baby; and the fact that the campaign was most likely filmed in their own farmhouse sent the fandom in a hubbubb of speculations, questions and excitement.

On April 21, Skyler posted photos of her with the baby; taken for the official photoshoot. Dedicating the post to “all my fellow mamas out there” was as good as confirmation that this wasn’t just the usual “stunt baby”. This week, People Magazine posted an online article about it. Charles & Colvard linked to this post on an Insta story, which was reposted by both Skyler and Skyler’s mom. Interestingly, Skyler chose a cover for “Isn’t She Lovely” as the underlying music. So maybe a baby girl?

Mama Skyler and baby (via Skyler Samuels)

Upcoming Projects for the main MacGyver Cast
Several main cast members of the MacGyver Reboot have movies in post-production or projects listed as completed:

• 1 Million Followers with Henry Ian Cusick: Has one distributor listed, but still no release date.
• Bang with Tristin Mays
• Fluxx with Henry Ian Cusick: The film was screened at the Mammoth Film Festival last month.
• For Cory with Levy Tran
• Short Film Hopeless Romantic with Tristin Mays
• Jamojaya with Henry Ian Cusick: Has been screened at several festivals, but never got an US release date.
• The Comic Shop with Tristin Mays

Other MacGyver-related News
Ende of March, Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson was at Paris Comic Con. You can find photos of his panel and photo sessions here. The weekend of April 20 and 21, he was at Comic Con Holland. You can find the panel video and photos of the photo and autograph sessions here.

Richard Dean Anderson at Paris Comic Con (via Roster Con)

David Dastmalchian has been busy. Recently been cast in Apple TV series Murderbot, he filmed a two-parter of ABC series The Rookie and a new commercial for Titan Casket. This week, he started the podcast Grave Conversations where he talks to his guests while both are in a coffin.

The release date for the exclusive BluRay box set of the Original MacGyver series in Germany was pushed back from March 28 to May 16. You can find all information here.

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to appear at some more conventions this year. The next ones are German Film and Comic Con (Dortmund, May 4 and May 5) and Basingstoke Comic Con (London, May 10 to 12). You can find his full schedule here.
• Henry Ian Cusick attended the 20th anniversary concert for LOST yesterday.
• The Collective with Lucas Till is available on several streaming services (e.g. Hulu and Paramount+ in the US); and the first official trailer by US distributor Quiver Distribution still gains views. It has almost 650’000 hits by now.

MacGyver Reboot Update #196

The writers are back at work. Meanwhile, fans are waiting for the SAG strike to be over, too.

Levy Tran in Expend4bles (via CSFD)

(For more material and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

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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.

MacGyver Reboot Update #188

Reboot fans are waiting for news regarding release dates and promo for new projects. Meanwhile, the OG fans got some nice goodies in recent weeks.

Corin Nemec and Richard Dean Anderson at Prague Comic Con (via Extra CZ)

(For more material and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

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Conventions around the globe
Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson attended Steel City Con (March 31 to April 2) in Pittsburgh. He was excited to attend his first convention in four years and did photo shoots with his co-star Teri Hatcher (who played Penny Parker in the original show).

Two weeks later, RDA attended Comic Con Prague (April 14 to 16); doing photo shoots and a panel with his Stargate SG-1 co-star Corin Nemec. You can find photos and videos of the event here.

Richard Dean Anderson at Prague Comic Con (via Extra CZ)

There are more conventions planned in the next few months:

• David Dastmalchian will attend Amazing Comic Con in Las Vegas (April 29 and 30); presenting his current comic issue of Count Crowley.
• Henry Ian Cusick is scheduled to attend the German Comic Con Spring Edition (May 6 and 7) in Dortmund.
• Richard Dean Anderson is scheduled to attend SciFi Convention FedCon in Germany (May 26 to 28).

The Collective with Lucas Till
There haven’t been many news regarding The Collective with Lucas Till in the last few months. But according to IMDb, Première TV Distribution will handle distribution in Belgium and the Netherlands. According to their website, they set a VOD release date of September 21.

Potential Lucas Till in The Collective (via Tom Denucci)

They’ve also added a new synopsis:

In this high-octane action thriller, an elite group of secret agents called “The Collective” operates in the shadows of the international underworld. Headed by Liam James (Don Johnson), the group’s newest recruit is Sam Alexander (Lucas Till), a former District Attorney disillusioned by the justice system. Sam’s first assignment is to rendezvous with in-hiding Collective member Hugo Fredericks (Tyrese Gibson). Together, their mission will be to take down a human trafficking ring – fronted by the vicious Daisy (Ruby Rose) – that has nabbed a government whistleblower and set him on an auction block for the highest bidder. If the Collective agents are unable rescue their asset in time and his intel falls into the wrong hands, their failure will have perilous consequences and send shockwaves across the globe.

Première TV Distribution Website

Director Tom DeNucci just finished filming a movie and will start filming a webseries on Sunday. It seemed like he put The Collective on the back burner for a while, but he posted a few Instagram stories indicating that he’s still doing post-production regarding ADR and sound effects.

Video screenshot of Justin Hires in podcast All Hustle No Fear (via YouTube)

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Rebooted Murdoc actor David Dastmalchian did the promo cycle for Late Night with the Devil; a movie that was co-produced by his production company Good Fiend Films. He’s also spotted (for a second) in the trailer for horror film Boogeyman (which will be released on June 2nd in the US).

Henry Ian Cusick keeps himself busy. In my last blog post, I wondered why he was sporting a mustache and a shorter haircut and if he’s working on a new project. Turns out he is listed for the two last episodes of NCIS: Hawaii this season (although he’s not wearing the mustache on the BtS photos). Additionally, animated show The Wingfeather Saga has been renewed for Season 2, so there’s more Peet The Sockman coming.

Tristin Mays at the premiere of Dungeons and Dragons (via Bianca Malinowski)

On April 1st, Tristin Mays posted the video of another self-made project with Marlon Webb. She attended several carpet premieres in the last few weeks; e.g. posing with Bianca Malinowski (rebooted Penny Parker) at the premiere of Dungeons and Dragons or a special screening for Season 2 of sci-fi horror series FROM. Deadline mentioned her in an article posted on April 14; revealing the synopsis for indie movie The Comic Shop.

Justin Hires once mentioned a planned release date of April 20 for Half Baked 2. So far, there’s no trailer, poster or distributor news. In a recent podcast episode with Mike Eshaq, he stated that he doesn’t know when it’s coming out and that he’s involved in developing several TV projects (one a game show, another one a scripted show) that he will pitch to networks soon. In a recent episode of his own podcast, he talked about why he had turned down a comedy special.

David Dastmalchian at the IMDb Portrait Studio Photo Call at SXSW 2023 (Robby Klein/Contour via Getty Images)

Other MacGyver-related News
On March 25, MacGyver Writers Teresa Huang and Jim Adler attended a TV writing panel at Wonder Con. The organizers said it would be online about a week later, but so far I wasn’t able to find it.

Back in December, Ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov did an episode of the Sensory Deprivation Podcast. He was quite open and reflectful in some moments; e.g. talking about being OCD and ADD and a micro-manager, and stating that he needed to change his behavior. But the host didn’t hide the fact that he is a big fan and clearly in favor of Lenkov regarding of what happened at CBS, which influenced the episode in my opinion. And in instagram stories last month, he just indicated that Meredith Eaton and Lucas Till are “terrible people”.

Teresa Huang and Jim Adler at WonderCon (via Chad Kennedy)

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• Sandrine Holt has been cast in David Cronenberg movie The Shrouds; alongside Guy Pearce, Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger.
• Costume Designer Sarah Downer started her own Etsy Shop; selling “all things retro and kitsch”.
• Both MacGyver stores on the CBS merch page still seem to be deactivated; with “broken” images on the stores overview page.

MacGyver Reboot Update #181

It’s been confirmed that Lucas Till is working on several projects; including an action movie. Meanwhile, Tristin Mays explored more of her creative side.

BtS video screenshot for The Collective (via Tom DeNucci)

(For daily news and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

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New Projects with Lucas Till
It has been an exciting time for Lucas Till fans. After a long drought, it’s been confirmed that he is working on several projects. For episode The War Bride of the podcast True War Stories: Mission Report, Lucas voices parts of the narration of war veteran Stephen Spencer. In the BtS interview for the episode, he talked with producer Nat Mundel about several topics (e.g. about finding a Boston accent and taking care of his garden).

Video screenshot of Tristin Mays being creative (via Instagram)

On November 7, we realized that Lucas is working on a new movie in Boston. In the following weeks, we got several exciting material via social media:

• A photo of Lucas posing with co-star Holly Sullivan on Rexhame Beach.
• A glimpse of Lucas in an Instagram video; wearing a white suit (with stains looking like fake blood).
• An impressive pre-production video of Lucas doing stunt rehearsals.
• Several BtS clips by director Tom DeNucci; e.g. a BtS video of Lucas preparing to film a driving scene.
• An Instagram Story showing a Make-Up Work Station with a Call Sheet on it.

There are several projects called The Collective on IMDb, but only one entry has been updated recently (on November 10). In case you missed it, here’s the synopsis:

A young recruit to a mysterious agency of assassins finds himself going rouge on his first assignment, tracking down a dangerous group of human traffickers.

The Collective (IMDb)

There’s still no cast attached to the IMDb entry. Considering that there’s no entry for Tristin Mays’ movie Bang either (which was filmed in early Summer), it might take a while.

Henry Ian Cusick in a BtS photo on set of Big Sky (via Angelique Cabral)

What are Cast and Crew up to?
Meredith Eaton tweeted on November 19 that she has several projects in the pipepline and that she can’t wait to share them with us.

According to IMDb, Levy Tran is part of action movie For Cory, which is already in post-production and was filmed in Atlanta this fall. The BtS photos and clips I’ve seen on Instagram look very action-heavy, but I haven’t seen Levy in any BtS stuff. She plays a coroner, so it’s possible that her role isn’t as big as we’d like. Several names of the cast members are familiar, as they have been in the stunt crew on the MacGyver Reboot.

BtS photo of Half Baked 2 (via Justin Hires)

Filming for Justin Hires’ Half Baked 2 wrapped on November 11. There’s no release date yet. In the latest episode of his Urban Legendz podcast, he talked to Diallo Riddle about just returning from Atlanta to film his pilot presentation (it’s not stated when the podcast episode was recorded).

There was a rerun of The Christmas Sitters with Tristin Mays on ionTV on November 27. There will be another rerun on December 24. The movie is also available in German (e.g. on DVD via Amazon or on streaming via YouTube or Amazon Prime).

Tristin also picked up a new hobby in creating charcuterie boards (which she sells in her new Etsy Shop). The first batch has already been sold out.

DVD Cover for The Christmas Sitter, German Version (via Amazon Germany)

Paramount+ launching in Europe
ICYMI: CBS streaming service Paramount+ was launched in France yesterday. It will be available in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on December 8.

I haven’t seen anything about the availability of the MacGyver Reboot (since it’s currently available on Amazon Prime in Germany), but Levy Tran’s movie Secret Headquarters will be available.

Other MacGyver-related News
Reruns of the MacGyver Reboot keep airing ionTV. Reruns of FBI starting in January will air on Mondays, so the reboot is probably safe for now with its episodes airing on the weekends. Since November 12, German FreeTV channel Kabel 1 airs four episodes back to back on Saturdays.

Brad William Henke as Jonah Walsh in MacGyver (via MacGyverOnline)

In sad news, guest star actor Brad William Henke has passed away at the age of 56. He played Jonah Walsh in Episode 2×23 (MacGyver + MacGyver). In April last year, he revealed in a tweet that the initial idea had been to bring back his character in Season 3:

(…) they told me they were going to bring me back the next season for five episodes and then they just ghosted me.

Brad William Henke, via Twitter (April 30, 2021)

There’s no further information about why the character had been dropped. Nevertheless, it sparked several ideas for FanFiction as many fans lamented a missed opportunity on a very interesting storyline idea. My guess is the constant rotation of writers and the difficulties in the writers room due to ex-showrunner Peter Lenkov.

One of the writers of this episode (David Slack) didn’t come back for Season 3. It’s possible that the character for this storyline had been his idea and therefore, it “disappeared” – similiar to the character of Jill Morgan, played by his wife Kate Bond (the character was written off in the first episode of Season 3).

Tristin Mays in Sweeney Todd (via Kevin Bennylee)

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• Citing a “restructuring and streamlining of leadership at CBS Entertainment”, Kelly Kahl has been let go as CBS Entertainment President by the end of the year. It’s not clear if this might affect the MacGyver franchise in any way.
• The first episode of Henry Ian Cusick’s The Wingfeather Saga airs today.
• Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson and his Stargate SG-1 co-star Amanda Tapping will attend the Paris Manga Sci-Fi Show (on December 3rd and 4th).
• The German DVD/BluRay of Levy Tran’s movie Secret Headquarters will be released on January 19, 2023. There’s no information regarding bonus material yet.

MacGyver Reboot Update #179

Several of the MacGyver cast made themselves scarce on social media in recent weeks. Meanwhile, fans are still waiting for casting news regarding their favorite cast members.

Slate for Half Baked 2 (via Justin Hires)

(For daily news and to discuss your favourite topics, you can find me on Twitter and on the MacGyverOnline Forums.)

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What are Cast and Crew up to?
ICYMI: Almost two years ago, Justin Hires had written a first draft for movie Half Baked 2. Filming started on Monday, October 17. Justin travelled to the set in Louisiana; meeting up with several crew members beforehand. He also revealed that he filmed a little cameo (as a character named Curtis).

Otherwise, he’s regularly doing Stand Up shows and podcast episodes. Among other topics, he talked about auditioning for SNL (and not getting the job), about getting sexually harrassed by a male producer once and about someone on set (most likely the MacGyver set) touching him inappropriately.

Justin Hires attending the premiere for a Netflix Comedy Special (Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images)

Henry Ian Cusick’s The Wind & The Reckoning won 8 awards at the Boston Film Festival and was screened at several film festivals this month. According to this tweet, the movie was rejected by over 40 Hollywood distributors (because they didn’t think there is an audience for a movie spoken largely in Native Hawaiian).

We got a new Instagram sighting of Lucas Till at a dentist’s center in Atlanta. Sightings have become rare since he is still taking a break of his own social media accounts (and some of his friends, too). Fans keep hoping he has a new project lined up, but so far, there’s been no news.

Lucas Till sighting (video screenshot; via ACCD Smiles)

A month ago, MacGyver stunt coordinator Daniel Hargrave posted a 2nd Unit BtS photo; tagging Levy Tran alongside several stunt people. I initially thought it might be a new/old photo from the Secret Headquarters set, but I later realized that Hargrave is the stunt coordinator on CBS rookie show True Lies (which is filming in Atlanta and will presumably premiere midseason). And several of the (stunt) crew from the MacGyver days work on that show, as well. So it’s actually possible we might see Levy in one of the episodes next year, yay!

We also got a new/old BtS photo of Levy in the make-up trailer for Secret Headquarters. On social media, she has been very quiet; enjoying some holiday time with a friend.

Levy Tran preparing for Secret Headquarters (via Ashley Levy)

Tristin Mays revealed that her upcoming movie Bang (with ex-showrunner Peter Lenkov attached as producer) will be released in April next year. I assume it will be on a streaming platform. There’s no further information since the project still doesn’t have an IMDb page.

Tristin posted several social media posts; e.g. with her dog Sergeant for dog food. On Tuesday, she uploaded her Sweeney Todd tribute video on Instagram. We also got the first photo of Tristin in that pirate project (filmed September last year), but there’s still no further information about it.

Interestingly, she reactivated her Twitter account and updated her profile photo about two weeks ago. But she didn’t share the Sweeney Todd video nor any BtS material on her Twitter or YouTube accounts.

Tristin Mays and Marlon Webb as pirates (via IMDb)

As Deadline reported, MacGyver showrunner Monica Macer got a multi-year overall deal with MGM Television. She will create, develop and produce original scripted programming. She recently also did an interview for the Navigating Hollywood podcast.

Paramount+ launching in Europe
After successfully launching in the UK earlier this year, CBS streaming service Paramount+ will launch in France on December 1 and in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on December 8.

In Germany, the MacGyver Reboot is currently available on Amazon Prime, so I’m not sure if the original show and/or the rebooted show will even be accessible on Paramount+ or not. Since the cinematic release was scrapped, Levy Tran’s movie Secret Headquarters might be available, though.

Other MacGyver-related News
ICYMI: Since September 10, ion Television airs the third cycle of MacGyver Reboot episode reruns. The Season 5 finale should air mid-November. Sadly, they have stopped advertizing the show on social media since pushing the reruns to weekends.

Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:

• The first episode of Henry Ian Cusick’s The Wingfeather Saga will air on December 2.
• Original MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson and his Stargate SG-1 co-star Amanda Tapping are scheduled to appear at the Paris Manga Sci-Fi Show (on December 3rd and 4th).

MacGyver Reboot Update #125

Less than two weeks left until the Premiere of Season 5!

Team Phoenix back on set (via MacGyverCBS)

(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 Promo News
By now, you all should have heard the news: Season 5 will premiere on Friday, December 4! All the MacGyverCBS social media accounts got a new header and profile photo for the occasion.

Downside of being back as a “Fall” show: There’s a lot more competition within your network. While MacGyver got sort of “punished” when being pushed to midseason for Season 4, they still got a lot more promo for both the Premiere and the Season Finale than back for Seasons 2 and 3. After all, there were only two midseason shows having a premiere in February this year.

The Countdown has started (via MacGyverCBS)

On November 17, the official MacGyverCBS account started tweeting short videos; e.g. Justin Hires talking about what makes Bozer tick and that he’s excited to meet Bozer’s parents this season. On Friday, they posted a very short teaser of Russ announcing that the show will premiere in two weeks.

Tristin Mays did a 40-minute-interview with re:imagine/ATL, talking about what’s different when filming a TV show during a pandemic, about her dog Sergeant and about her work experiences as an actress. She confirmed my suspicions that due to the long break, most of the former crew members started looking for work elsewhere and that there are a lot of new people on the show – which might be another explanation for the lack of BtS material.

Current MacGyverCBS Facebook Profile Photo (via CBS)

Otherwise, there’s not much promo yet. Even the order of the episodes is a bit difficult to predict at the moment (more about that further down). But we finally got the first Season Preview Trailer on Friday; which contains mostly scenes from the first two “leftover” episodes. While many fans lamented the lack of Bozer or Matty, the video excited the fans no less; earning more than 46’000 views (and counting) in less than 24 hours. Since it hasn’t been uploaded on an official CBS channel yet, the cast members have reposted the video by TV Promos (who were the first to upload it).

What you need to know about Episode 5×01
On November 9, we got the synopsis and the First Official Still for Episode 5×01 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness) via SpoilerTV. Keep in mind that this is the “leftover” episode that was initially filmed with production number 415 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Witness) back in January.

Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (Mark Hill/CBS via KsiteTV)

Here’s the synopsis:

Mac and the team infiltrate a glamorous hotel used as an international hideout for criminals to find a woman with vital information on Codex. However, their target has a new secret identity, including a completely new face.

We got 16 Official Stills in total via KsiteTV. There are only 5 of them on Getty Images; confirming that most of the other photos are screenshots and were not taken by Still Photographer Mark Hill.

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

What you need to know about Episode 5×02
On November 19, we got the synopsis and two Stills for Episode 5×02 (Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice) via SpoilerTV. Keep in mind that this is the “leftover” episode that was filmed first when production restarted in January; using production number 414 (Thief + Painting + Viro-486 + Justice). I hope we get a bunch of Official Stills soon.

Production during a Pandemic
I speculated in my latest blogpost that they might slide the newly-filmed episodes between the old ones. This turned out to be true; confirming that this is why they kept the hairstyles so similar to Season 4.

Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (via Avi Youabian)

I’ve always been curious about the transition between the seasons since they don’t have a clean break. Maybe they couldn’t or didn’t want to build directly upon Ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov’s storylines before being able to go into the direction they wanted. Or they didn’t want to add an “artificial” cut (e.g. in the form of another time-jump). Maybe they’re trying to “defuse” the previous storyline a bit before venturing into new territory.

While this might make the showrunner transition a bit easier for the viewers, it creates a new problem with episodes switching in between non-covid and covid-related storylines and environments. There might be masked background actors in one episode and none in the next – but after all, stranger things have happened on TV and we might have to cut them some slack. It’s difficult (and sort of crazy) enough to keep filming during a pandemic while case numbers are still rising.

BtS Instagram Story Screenshot Compilation while filming Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (via Avi Youabian)

There might also be another reason for mixing old and new episodes: The higher costs when producing a TV show during a pandemic. Back in Spring, I speculated about the episode orders being potentially shorter due to safety protocols leading to higher expenses. We already know that CBS has ordered shorter seasons this year; e.g. 16 episodes each for Magnum PI and Blue Bloods. It’s worth noting that according to an article by Deadline, implementing COVID safety protocols adds up to half a million dollars to the budget per episode for a drama/crime show.

Maybe sliding in new episodes in between old ones is also a way to cover up for the new episodes being produced with lower budgets spent on stunts, for example. It’s possible that the new episodes have less action scenes (which are the main reason for high costs when producing action and crime shows) and will focus more on character development. That way, it’s less obvious with a better balance.

Justin Hires and Lucas Till joking around on set of Season 5 (via Justin Hires)

Season 5 Overview
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 + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (December 11)
  Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Andrew Klein, directed by Duane Clark
• 5×03 (501): Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + MA (December 18)
  Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by David Straiton
• 5×04 (416): Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO (tba)
  Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
• 5×05 (417): Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage
  Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
• 5×06 (418): SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini
  Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen
• 5×07 (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?? (502): Telescope + S-218 + Amplifier + Frenemies + Fog
  Written by Jim Adler and Stephanie Hicks

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

BtS Instagram Story Screenshot Compilation while filming Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (via Hussein Agamiri)

Working on Episode 501
(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. It might be a bit confusing, but this seems to be the best option for now.)

Filming for the episode with production number 501 started on November 11. It’s directed by David Straiton, who has already directed several episodes for the show. During the first few days, we got several BtS photos with Lucas Till, Tristin Mays, Justin Hires, Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick on set. They had a Porsche and several planes as their “co-stars”.

On Friday, November 13, we got a quick message by Justin and Tristin plus a group photo via CBS. In the afternoon, filming continued outside. Tristin uploaded a video (filmed by Lucas) that looks like Riley is having a picnic event in a park.

BtS photo of Episode 501 (via Tristin Mays)

On November 17, Tristin posted a photo of her in front of a jet. The next day, she was very happy to find another tiny door (that are hidden in and around Atlanta). We didn’t get much more BtS stuff material. Justin was nice enough to deliver us a short BtS video of him with Lucas; talking about Justin’s assistant that recently reached internet fame.

On November 20, new Showrunner Monica Macer tweeted that Episode 501 is “in the can”. It took them 8 days to film the episode – which is well within pre-covid production time.

Working on Episode 502 and beyond
On November 16, Monica Macer tweeted a photo to show us what socially distanced location scouting looks like. We can assume that production on Episode 502 will start on Monday. There have been no casting calls at all since my last blog post, but they will probably film the episode that was deemed the Season Opener by TV Guide Magazine.

BtS photo of Season 5 (via Monica Macer)

According to a recent Instagram post, David Dastmalchian has been visiting Vancouver. Let’s hope he finds his way to Atlanta soon to resume the role of our favorite villain.

As mentioned last week, 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), and Lucas’ usual Stand-In Matthew Albright also stated in an Instagram post that he’s currently not working on the show.

Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (via Henry Ian Cusick)

Season 4 Reruns
The rerun of Episode 4×12 (Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire) on November 13 brought 2.70 million live-viewers with a demo of 0.3, which is about the same as other CBS reruns. This Friday, the rerun of the Season 4 Finale (Save + The + Dam + World) got 2.803 million live-viewers in the preliminary ratings; also with a demo of 0.3.

It’s worth noting that these rerun ratings are better than what SWAT achieved for their “normal” episode premieres in the last two weeks. Compared to last year, SWAT lost about 36% in demo and 38% in audience numbers. CBS might decide to pull the show off schedule or drop it somewhere else, but I think the Friday Line-Up will be safe from any big schedule shake-ups.

On November 27, CBS has a special line-up (e.g. with “Frosty the Snowman” at 8pm), but we should get more reruns on December 25 and on January 1st.

BtS photo of Season 5 (via Hussein Agamiri)

Other MacGyver News
ICYMI: On November 12, we got a first look at the cover of the upcoming first MacGyver Novel (MacGyver: Meltdown) that should be released end of November. You can find more information here.

So far, there’s no information about a release date of the Season 4 DVD. Sadly, it doesn’t look like it will come out before the Season 5 Premiere.

MacGyver Reboot Update #124

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.

Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (Mark Hill/CBS via KsiteTV)

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.

Episode 5×01: Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (Mark Hill/CBS via KsiteTV)

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.

MacGyver Reboot Update #91

Filming for Season 4 continues. Meanwhile, CBS keeps promoting the upcoming Fall shows with Trailers and Featurettes.

Header for CBS All Access

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

 

Season 4 Overview
Only 2 weeks left until the premiere of the CBS Fall Friday Shows. They’re all getting the enhanced promo treatment now; with Trailers and Featurettes. Sadly, there’s still no release date for MacGyver; neither for the new season nor for the last season on DVD.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)

Before we delve further into the shooting days during the last two weeks, here’s an overview of the upcoming episodes so far. As you can see, they’re still rather reluctant to reveal information. We probably have to wait for the first official press releases, and that might take a while.

• 4×01: (title tba)
  Directed by Alexandra La Roche
  Guest Appearances by Camille Mana (as Hannah), Braxton Alexander (as General Acosta’s Grandson) and  Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Major Frost).
• 4×02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix
  Written by Terry Matalas, directed by David Straiton
  Guest Appearances by Michael Wayne Foster (as “The Russian Bear”) and Fernando Martinez (as Lazlo Carver).
• 4×03: (title tba)
  Directed by Lily Mariye
  Guest Appearences by Christopher Convery (as Asher), by Sawyer D. Jones (as Little Mac) and by Colbert Minga (as Otto).
• 4×04: (title tba)
  Directed by Eagle Egilsson
  Guest Appearances by Hauke Bahr (as German Police Chief) and Emil Beheshti (as Dr. Zachary Tutelman).
• 4×05: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan
  Directed by Duane Clark
  Guest Appearances by Amanda Ayres as Soccer Coach and by James Callis.
• 4×06: (title tba)
  Directed by Roderick Davis

To recap my last blog post about the ongoing production: Filming for Episode 4×05 had started around August 21; with the cast doing a Casino sequence and several days of filming in Boulevard Crossing Park, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground and on Turner Field.

BtS photo of Episode 4×05: Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan (via Jade Albany)

According to IMDb, the title for the episode directed by Duane Clark is “Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan”. On Tuesday, Jade Albany uploaded a new BtS photo of her with Levy Tran and dog Carlos.

Working on Episode 4×06
Filming for Episode 4×05 was wrapped up on August 31; cast and crew ready for Labor Day Weekend and DragonCon in Atlanta.

Some of the cast started filming for Episode 4×06 on September 3. Justin Hires had the day off; doing an Instagram Live Story with Lucas Till popping in for a few minutes. As they revealed, this episode provides some background story for Henry Ian Cusicks character and is directed by Roderick Davis (who already directed Episode 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit).

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Justin Hires)

The next few days, the fans were treated to lots of BtS photos and Instagram Stories by the cast, the crew and by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov, who had flown to Atlanta and visited the production on set. They filmed in the War Room, in a car on stage, on the Phoenix Jet (which champagne being served) and in the woods.

Lucas had to work on Saturday, September 7 as well; doing stunt work with the Hargrave brothers. Both Justin Hires and Meredith Eaton weren’t on set much for this episode, but they kept posting older BtS photos and videos nonetheless, e.g. of Bozer all dressed up, handling (or rather not-handling) potentially explosive things or working on Sparky. Meredith uploaded an old BtS photo of Episode 2×19 (Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle) of her with the make-up applied after Matty got into a car “accident”.

BtS photo of Episode 2×19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle (via Meredith Eaton)

This week, they filmed both on stage and on location, e.g. in the Phoenix Interrogation Room or on sets dressed up as hospitals or as upscale restaurants.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
ICYMI: Levy Tran has been added to the MacGyver bio page for the regular cast members on CBS Press Express. Reign Edwards as Leanna on the other hand might be out for good. Reign filmed a pilot for a new TV show in Auckland last year and revealed on September 3 that she is back in New Zealand. There’s no information yet about how many episodes “The Wilds” will have, but I reckon she will be busy until at least the rest of the year while MacGyver will wrap up at the end of November.

The cast lists on IMDb for the single episodes are still rather empty. The most interesting guest apparence might the the one by a young actor listed in the role of “Little Mac” for Episode 4×03. Also, a lot of the upcoming guest stars have worked with Co-Executive Producer Terry Matalas before. Tate Donovan (who plays James MacGyver) still hasn’t been seen back on set so far; raising suspsicion that the unexptected fall-out between Mac and MacSenior in the Season 3 Finale was a last-minute addition because Tate was not available this season.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Tristin Mays)

In the last two weeks, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Family Members and Hostages, for Rebels, Workers, for Nurses and Townspeople, for Servers and Upscale Restaurant Patrons and for a Kitchen Staff. They also had Casting Calls for Guards, Photo Doubles (e.g. for Brian Quinn) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Rob Giumarra and David Shae).

In other news, they changed the header of the show website on CBS All Access with another promo photo made back in the Season 1 photoshoot.

MacGyver in Germany and Austria
In Germany, the show had lost a bit of steam after the episodes are now followed by a new episode of Hawaii Five-0 instead of by Celebrity Big Brother, but then the ratings started rising again. Like in Season 2, the second episode tends to have a bigger audience than the first.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)

Episode 3×13 (Wilderness + Training + Survival) on September 3 had an audience of 1.53 million live-viewers with a demo of 7.5 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. The following Episode 3×14 (Father + Bride + Betrayal) managed 1.65 million live-viewers. Despite “only” an average demo of 7.4, this episode had the highest audience number of the current season so far.

Episode 3×15 (K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit) on September 10 had 1.52 million live-viewers with a demo of 8.1 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. An hour later, Episode 3×16 (Lidar + Rogues + Duty) got 1.58 million live-viewers; also with a demo of 8.1.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Levy Tran)

The upcoming German Episode Titles:

• 3×17: Tod im Tresor (literal translation: Death in the Safe, original title: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather)
• 3×18: Der Psychopath und sein Lehrer (The Psychopath and his Teacher, Murdoc + Helman + Hit)
• 3×19: Grenzerfahrungen (Borderline Experiences, Friends + Enemies + Border)
• 3×20: Die No-Go-Challenge (The No-Go-Challenge, No-go + High-voltage + Rescue)
• 3×21: Hochverrat (High Treason, Treason + Heartbreak + Gum)
• 3×22: Auge um Auge (Eye for an Eye, Mason + Cable + Choices)

Austrian Channel ORF1 started airing Season 2 on August 31. They air two episodes on Saturdays; starting around 4pm. As expected, the ratings weren’t as good as when they aired Season 1 on Saturdays 7pm back in 2017.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Peter Lenkov)

On average, every episode of Season 1 had garnered about 82’000 live-viewers. Episode 2×01 (DYI or DIE) managed 33’000 viewers, Episode 2×02 (Muscle Car + Paper Clips) only 22’000. Apparently, people have now caught on about the show being on air again after a break of almost two years. Episode 2×03 (Roulette Wheel + Wire) got 88’000 live-viewers; probably profiting off the Formula 1 race that had aired before. Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny) dropped down to 40’000 viewers.

Award Shows and other MacGyver Promo
ICYMI: The official voting window for the People’s Choice Awards opened on September 4. Sadly, neither the show nor the actors got any nominations.

The release date for “The Official MacGyver Survival Manual: 155 Ways to Save the Day” is still for September 17. So even if we don’t get new episodes next month, the fans still get a new goodie that even fans of the Original Show can enjoy. Make sure to get a copy and tell all your friends about it! Maybe the book will be published in another language for international fans as well if it gets a large number of sales in English.

Henry Ian Cusick is set for several convention appearances this winter. If we’re lucky, he will talk a bit about his upcoming role in the reboot.

MacGyver Reboot Update #90

Filming for Season 4 continues. Meanwhile, CBS is promoting the upcoming Fall shows with Press Releases and Official Stills.

BtS photo of Episode 4×05 (via Lucas Till)

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

 

Season 4 Overview
Only 4 weeks until the premiere of the CBS Fall Shows. They’re all getting the promo treatment now; with Press Releases and Official Stills and a release of the last season on DVD. Sadly, there’s still no release date for MacGyver; neither for the new season nor for the last season on DVD.

Before we delve further into the shooting days during the last two weeks, here’s an overview of the upcoming episodes so far. As you can see, they’re still rather reluctant to reveal information.

• 4×01: (title tba)
  Directed by Alexandra La Roche
  Guest Appearances by Camille Mana (as Hannah), Braxton Alexander (as General Acosta’s Grandson) and  Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Major Frost).
• 4×02: Fire + Ashes + Legacy = Phoenix
  Written by Terry Matalas
  Directed by David Straiton
  Guest Appearance by Michael Wayne Foster (as “The Russian Bear”).
• 4×03: (title tba)
  Directed by Lily Mariye
  Guest Appearences by Christopher Convery and Joe Williamson (as son and father) and by Colbert Minga (as Otto).
• 4×04: (title tba)
  Directed by Eagle Egilsson
• 4×05: (title tba)
  Directed by Duane Clark
  Guest Appearance by James Callis.

To recap my last blog post about the ongoing production: Filming for Episode 4×03 had started around July 31. The cast filmed most of the episode at Fulton County Airport.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Justin Hires)

Working on Episode 4×04
Episode 4×04 is presumably set in Germany. Filming had started around August 8; with the cast hiking up to Stone Mountain and filming additional scenes “underground” and in Downtown Atlanta. Cast and crew suffered through the infamous HOTlanta weather with temperatures reaching up to 40°C. Lucas Till was lucky this year to not having to work on his birthday, but the production still offered him a pre-birthday cake.

The cast filmed War Room scenes for several days and kept a bit more quiet than before. For one, Levy Tran stated in her Instagram bio that she’s taking a break from social media (which she finished after almost a month on August 24). Nevertheless, they still had some fun. They also wrapped earlier on several occasions than we’re used to; e.g. already at lunchtime on August 20.

BtS photo of Episode 4×05 (via Levy Tran)

Working on Episode 4×05
Filming for Episode 4×05 had started around August 21. It’s directed by Duane Clark (who already directed Episodes 2×03 and 3×02). The cast filmed a day in the War Room before they continued with a Casino sequence on August 23. Lucas Till got dressed up as “James Blonde” again; sporting a rope and a wedding ring. Cornell Willis had dressed up as well, sporting a bow tie instead of a normal tie on Tie Friday. Levy Tran and Henry Ian Cusick posed for a photo in their Casino guest attire; indicating that they might pose as a couple undercover. Both Meredith Eaton and Justin Hires each uploaded a nice Team Phoenix photo.

On August 26, filming continued in Boulevard Crossing Park standing in for a soccer field. Instagram stories indicated that one of the female soccer teams plays for Milano. The next days, filming moved to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground and to Turner Field.

BtS photo of Episode 4×04 (via Cornell Willis)

Lucas filmed a scene in front of several green screens with what looks like a self-made glider. They had a lot of extras on set; at least two teams of female soccer players in blue and yellow shirts, reporters, soccer fans and a VIP area with the soccer trophy.

Last week, Justin Hires had uploaded a photo of a Team Phoenix member holding up a soccer ball to Bozer. Maybe there’s a camera hidden inside? Justin has been on set wearing sportsy and elegant clothes while Levy Tran has been spotted wearing a Milano soccer uniform. It’s very likely that Desi and Riley might go undercover; infiltrating the female soccer teams?

Season 4 BtS Instagram Live Story Screenshot Compilation: Day 37 (via Lucas Till)

Technical Consultant Rhett Allain added a blog post for the MacHacks for Episode 2×23 (MacGyver + MacGyver); finishing up his notes for Season 2. He already stated that he will do posts for the upcoming season as well.

Other Cast, Crew and Character News
Levy Tran has been added to the MacGyver bio page for the regular cast members on CBS Press Express. For her profile photo, they cropped an Official Still from her first episode (3×15: K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit).

The cast lists on IMDb for the single episodes are still rather empty. As Co-Executive Producer Terry Matalas had revealed on August 22 (in a tweet he later deleted again), we will get guest appareances by Amanda Schull and James Callis, who both had worked on Matalas’ show 12 Monkeys. Interestingly, we might get to see another flashback episode since there is an actor listed in the role of “Little Mac” for Episode 4×03. As Justin Hires revealed, we will also see Sparky again.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Justin Hires)

Tate Donovan (who plays James MacGyver) still hasn’t been seen back on set so far which has been leading to speculations that Henry Ian Cusick or Matty will be the new Oversight or temporarily step in for James.

In the last two weeks, Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Formal Casino People and for Poker, Black Jack or Roulette Dealers, for Real Referees and a Real Female Soccer Player, a Soccer Coach, for Stadium Patrons, for Soccer Fans, for Bodyguards, Phoenix Security, Police, a Waitress, for a a Female DJ and for Photographers. Additionally, they also needed Dignitaries, Rich Donors (with Upscale Cars), Catering and Medical Staff plus Photographers in a VIP Area. They also had Casting Calls for Lab Techs, for Photo Doubles (e.g. for Fernando Chien) and for Stand-Ins (e.g. for Levy Tran).

BtS photo of Episode 4×05 (via Levy Tran)

MacGyver in Germany and Austria
The show does still pretty good in Germany, despite not getting much promo.

Episode 3×09 (Specimen 234 + PAPR+ Outbreak) on August 20 had an audience of 1.4 million live-viewers with a demo of 7.4 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. Episode 3×10 (Matty + Ethan + Fidelity) managed 1.57 million live-viewers and a demo of 8.5; reaching the second-highest audience number in total and the highest audience number in the target group this season. The episode was followed by an hour of Celebrity Big Brother, then reruns of Episodes 1×19 (Compass) and 1×21 (Cigar Cutter).

The ratings for the next week weren’t as good: Episode 3×11 (Mac + Fallout + Jack) on August 27 had 1.37 million live-viewers with a demo of 7.6 in the target audience of 14-49-year-olds. An hour later, Episode 3×12 (Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241) got 1.4 million live-viewers and a demo of 7.3. The episode was followed by a new episode of Hawaii Five-0.

BtS photo of Season 4 (via Meredith Eaton)

The upcoming German Episode Titles:

• 3×13: Überleben in der Wildnis (literal translation: Surviving in the Wilderness; original title: Wilderness + Training + Survival)
• 3×14: Die Hochzeitsfeier (The Wedding Party, Father + Bride + Betrayal)
• 3×15: Cody gegen die Schmuggler (Cody against the Smugglers, K9 + Smugglers + New Recruit)
• 3×16: Systemausfall (System Failure, Lidar + Rogues + Duty)
• 3×17: Tod im Tresor (Death in the Safe, Seeds + Permafrost + Feather)
• 3×18: Der Psychopath und sein Lehrer (The Psychopath and his Teacher, Murdoc + Helman + Hit)
• 3×19: Grenzerfahrungen (Borderline Experiences, Friends + Enemies + Border)
• 3×20: Die No-Go-Challenge (The No-Go-Challenge, No-go + High-voltage + Rescue)
• 3×21: Hochverrat (High Treason, Treason + Heartbreak + Gum)
• 3×22: Auge um Auge (Eye for an Eye, Mason + Cable + Choices)

Austrian Channel ORF1 will air Season 2 for the first time starting tomorrow, August 31. They will air two episodes on Saturdays; starting around 4pm. Since the show is rated FSK16 (16 years and older) in German-speaking countries, it’s possible they will have to cut out certain scenes like they did for Season 1 back in 2017. There’s no information yet if they will continue with airing Season 3 as well.

BtS photo of Episode 4×05 (via Steven Serna)

Also, channel Rai4 will air Season 3 in Italy, starting September 19. This is a bit of a step down to a lesser known channel since the previous seasons had aired on Rai2.

Award Shows and other MacGyver Promo
ICYMI: The Reboot won a Teen Choice Award in the category Teen Choice Action TV Show. Sadly, the cast hadn’t been invited to the event; missing the opportunity for a blue carpet appearance and promotion. Nominations for the People’s Choice Awards ended on August 16. The official voting window will open on September 4.

There’s no news yet about the DVD release of Season 3, but the release date for “The Official MacGyver Survival Manual: 155 Ways to Save the Day” is still September 17. So even if we don’t get new episodes next month, the fans still get a new goodie that even fans of the Original Show can enjoy.

MacGyver Reboot Update #89

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The upcoming German Episode Titles:

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

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

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

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

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

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