What are Cast and Crew up to? Some of the MacGyver cast were back on our TV screens in recent weeks. Meredith Eaton was on NCIS while Levy Tran was a guest-star on Magnum PI. We got some nice BtS photos by their co-stars; e.g. by Elle Graper, Jason Her or Rich Ting.
BtS photo of Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (via Jason Her)
Interestingly, Levy didn’t post or re-post any of the Instagram posts or tweets. While the ratings weren’t high, most fans loved Levy’s episode. Minor Spoiler Alert: Her character could return if the show is renewed.
ICYMI: Henry Ian Cusick has been filming a movie in Phuket which seems to have wrapped by now. We got some more BtS photos; e.g. by Evan Williams.
Tristin Mays keeps being active on social media. She showed us her tin can collectibles and her plants. She seems to have stored up a lot of creative energy, but no upcoming acting job as an outlet.
BtS photo of Henry Ian Cusick (via Evan Williams)
Justin Hires posted the first videos for his new podcast. We don’t know yet if there are any upcoming episodes with the MacGyver cast and/or crew.
Lucas Till visited the UK and Scotland; trying to find Nessie. Meanwhile, Levy Tran was out and about in Atlanta.
George Eads is set to attend a golfing event (Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am) on April 11. Let’s hope he will also attend the photo call.
Posing for a photoshoot (via Tristin Mays)
CBS Pilot Season It looks like CBS has mostly put together the casts for their Pilot Season dramas. Here’s an overview of the drama pilot orders:
Cal Fire (CBS)
Early Edition (Sony/Affirm/CBS)
East New York (Warner Bros./CBS)
True Lies (20th Television)
Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama (CBS)
CBS also ordered 4 comedy pilots. By ordering 9 pilots in total, the upcoming Fall Season schedule might look quite different when it’s being presented at the Upfronts in May.
Promo for Son of the South (via Heritage Films)
While none of the former MacGyver cast members seems to be attached as regulars or recurrings, they might still get a guest star spot in later episodes. I’m not sure what their chances are and if the outcome of the lawsuit will matter.
Other MacGyver-related News MacGyver-creator Lee David Zlotoff was a guest on the Making fun of MacGyver podcast. Talking about the musical, he revealed that they’re going to put together a concept album of the songs. They’re also looking into other possible venues for the next productions (maybe even internationally). The next MacGyver novel should be released this year. Lee is also working on a MacGyver VR experience.
Levy Tran in Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (CBS via SpoilerTV)
French fans get a lot of Lucas Till lately: French Channel M6 airs up to 6 MacGyver Reboot episodes on Saturdays. Also, Son of the South premiered as Un Fils Du Sud on March 16.
Back in May 2016, The Hollywood Reporterannounced Lucas in Sci-Fi Thriller Spectrum. The project has been laying dormant after CBS picked up MacGyver to series (with no changes on IMDb since July 2017). This week, it’s been showing up in the upcoming projects list of Lucas’ IMDb page. There has been no news about it, so it’s possible that someone attached Lucas to the project page again despite no change in production status. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
BtS photo of NCIS 19×13: The Helpers (via Elle Graper)
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
After almost two years, Richard Dean Anderson posted a photo on Instagram. It’s a photo of his 16-year-old dog Andy.
FX Series The Spook who sat by the Door is being redeveloped with a new showrunner.
As The Hollywood Reporterwrote last month, the profits fight over the MacGyver reboot will probably go to trial.
What are Cast and Crew up to? Meredith Eaton was a guest-star in the most recent episode of NCIS; reprising the character of immunologist Carol Wilson. Before the episode aired, Meredith posted several new BtS photos as Instagram Stories.
BtS photo of NCIS 19×13: The Helpers (via Meredith Eaton)
Levy Tran will guest-star in tonight’s episode of Magnum PI. She was part of one of the Sneak Peeks, which got fans pretty excited. The storyline for the episode is similar to one used for Original MacGyver, so I’m curious how they’ll approach it.
Recently, Levy cleaned up her Instagram account some more; deleting the majority of her posts and unfollowing some accounts. Her feed consists mostly of Carlos now.
Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via Black History Matters)
Tristin Mays was quite active on social media in recent weeks. She teased us with another project “coming soon” and revealed that she found her new favorite pants (that she’s been wearing for almost all of her latest photoshoots) at Goodwill.
She answered some fan questions as well; revealing that George Eads had wanted to name her dog “Cool” and that she was the one eating the most on set of MacGyver. She also stated that the relationship between Riley and MacGyver was her favorite and that it mirrored her friendship with Lucas; an understanding that didn’t need to be communicated.
BtS photo of Henry Ian Cusick (via Sanni Antikainen)
ICYMI: Henry Ian Cusick has been filming a movie in Phuket. I still haven’t found out what the project is called, but it kept him from attending Pensacon in Florida. Several of his co-stars and crew members posted BtS photos.
We also got a new photo of Lucas Till presenting his next reading choice. It’s interesting to note that a few posts further down, Lucas’ manager Tom Sullivan also posed with the print editions last December, so that might be the connection how Lucas became aware of the book series.
Lucas Till with the next book on his reading list (via The Drakoneborne)
ICYMI: Of all interviews and clips that Justin Hires posted on the YouTube-account of his Urban Legendz Podcast, the interviews with Lucas Till and Tristin Mays are on Rank 1 (about 4100 hits) and 2 (about 3900 hits) when sorting for most-watched videos. He announced that more interviews and a new podcast are coming soon, but we don’t know yet if there are any upcoming interviews with the MacGyver cast and/or crew.
MacGyver Profits Lawsuit The Hollywood Reporter published an article on February 23; reporting that the profits fight over the MacGyver reboot is one step closer to trial.
The 2018 suit stems from a TV producing deal in the mid-1980s (involving producers, Paramount and Major Talent Agency) that preceded the original MacGyver show. After the series was rebooted in 2016, Hanzer Holdings and Arlita sued CBS; claiming they’re entitled to a share in profits for MTA’s work for the OG show.
Levy Tran in Magnum PI Episode 4×15: Dead Man Walking (CBS via SpoilerTV)
CBS Pilot Season Here’s an overview of the CBS drama pilot orders for the upcoming Fall Season:
Cal Fire (CBS)
Early Edition (Sony/Affirm/CBS)
East New York (Warner Bros./CBS)
True Lies (20th Television)
Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama (CBS)
Additionally, CBS ordered 4 comedy pilots. By ordering 9 pilots in total, it seems like they’re ready to overhaul their schedule for Fall and want a good variety of projects to choose from.
Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via FYE Images)
It would be nice to see some former MacGyver cast members attached as regulars/recurrings or at least getting some guest star spots next season. I’m not sure what their chances are and if the outcome of the lawsuit will matter.
Other MacGyver-related News French Channel M6 premiered MacGyver Reboot Season 4 last Saturday. They aired 3 episodes of Season 4; followed by episodes of Seasons 2 and 1. They will air another 3 episodes of Season 4 tomorrow; again followed by 3 more episodes of former seasons. France sure loves their MacGyver episodes, huh.
French Promo for Son of the South (via Starinvest Films)
ICYMI: FX Boss John Landgraf said to Variety that The Spook who sat by the Door is not moving forward and being redeveloped. According toDeadline, they’re looking for a new writer to pen another pilot. With Leigh Dana Jackson out as writer and showrunner, there’s a good chance that the cast and crew of the current pilot might not be part of the project anymore once it finds its way forward.
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
The MacGyver The Musical will have their last show tonight. Despite some difficulties (they had to cancel several showings due to Covid), they managed to pull through. Overall, reviews were good.
Lucas Till’s movie Son of the South will premiere in France on March 16.
What are Cast and Crew up to? Both Meredith Eaton and Levy Tran will guest-star in upcoming CBS shows. Meredith will reprise the character of immunologist Carol Wilson. Her episode of NCIS will air on February 28. The press release came out on February 10. Meredith got a special mention and an official still.
Meredith Eaton in NCIS Episode 19×13: The Helpers (Michael Yarish/CBS via SpoilerTV)
Levy Tran will guest-star in an episode of Magnum PI. Her episode will air on March 4. We got a press release on Valentine’s Day; alongside several official stills a day later. The storyline is oddly similar to one used for Original MacGyver:
When Magnum balks at notorious crime boss Osi Shima’s (Eijiro Ozaki) request to find his missing son, Magnum learns he’s been poisoned and has only eight hours to locate Shima’s son to earn the antidote, or else he dies.
Tristin Mays posted a few more photos and videos in recent weeks; e.g. of a photoshoot she did for her mom’s website Black History Matters or a video of her “first” ballet lesson. She also did another photoshoot with FYE Images and updated her YouTube account after a break of 6 years. Looks like she’s ready for another job; updating her portfolio?
Henry Ian Cusick during a fitting (via Daniel Limbuprasert)
Henry Ian Cusick was supposed to appear at Pensacon (Florida), but his visit has been cancelled – presumably because Ian has been filming a movie in Phuket. I’m not sure yet what project he’s working on, but he’s going to wear a nice suit. Several of his co-stars and crew members posted BtS photos.
Justin Hires keeps doing comedy shows. He also did a podcast episode with Craig Shoemaker (who’s apparently a neighbour of Meredith Eaton); talking about the different approaches to learning lines by the MacGyver Cast.
Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via Black History Matters)
We also got a new photo of Lucas Till modelling knitted gloves for Mama Till. She’s still recovering after surgery and did finish several different knitting projects in recent weeks.
CBS Pilot Season Here’s an overview of the CBS drama pilot orders for the upcoming Fall Season:
Cal Fire (CBS)
Early Edition (Sony/Affirm/CBS)
East New York (Warner Bros./CBS)
True Lies (20th Television)
Untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama (CBS)
So far, nobody of the former MacGyver cast and crew is officially attached to any CBS show in development. Even if they don’t get a regular job, we might hopefully see them as guest stars in one of those if the show gets picked up.
Glove Model Lucas Till (via Dana Till)
ICYMI: A few weeks ago, CBS announced that the Flashdance Reboot for Paramount+ would be helmed by Justin Simien instead of Tracy McMillan, Angela Robinson and Lynda Obst. Now that the reboot gets a new script and showrunner, we can only hope that Tristin Mays (who has been taking dance lessons for about a year) still has a chance of being considered for the lead, a regular or at least a recurring role.
At the TCAs this week, Paramount announced a TV movie for Seal Team and another NCIS Spinoff set in Australia. On Paramount+, shows like NCIS, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods are in the Top 10 of viewing hours. Considering how many pilots CBS has ordered, it’s possible that another show on the current schedule might get pushed to streaming to make room for a rookie show.
Tristin Mays posing for a photoshoot (via Kevin Bennylee)
Other MacGyver-related News MacGyver The Musical premiered on February 4; with an official Opening Night on February 10. They had to cancel several showings for a few days this week due to Covid. I’m not sure if they will expand the run or not.
In interviews after their TCA presentation, FX Boss John Landgraf said to Variety that The Spook who sat by the Door is not moving forward and being redeveloped. Sadly, there’s a good chance that the project stays in “developmental hell” for quite a while; meaning that Lucas Till and the rest of the cast and crew involved in filming the pilot might not be part anymore in its new form.
Comedy Line-Up in LA (via Justin Hires)
Other MacGyver-related news you might have missed:
Richard Dean Anderson did a podcast interview with Stargate Co-Creator Brad Wright on The Companion. You can watch an excerpt for free here.
Of all interviews and clips that Justin Hires posted on the YouTube-account of his Urban Legendz Podcast, the interviews with Lucas Till and Tristin Mays are on Rank 1 and 2 (about 3700 hits) when sorting for most-watched videos.
Lucas Till’s movie Son of the South will premiere in France on March 16.
After a recent fan inquiry on Twitter, ex-showrunner Peter Lenkov posted several script pages of his season/series finale vision in an Instagram post.
What are Cast and Crew up to? The Reboot cast has more or less disappeared from social media in the last few weeks – only for most of them to show up again within days of each other.
Henry Ian Cusick had initially planned to attend German Comic Con in Dortmund this weekend. His appearance was cancelled (probably due to rising numbers of covid cases in Germany and its surrounding countries).
Levy Tran on set of Expendables 4 (via Cheung Lap Fung)
Levy Tran filmed more scenes for Expendables 4 in Bulgaria and in Greece. We recently got some new BtS photos of her wearing the blonde wig (e.g. by Cheung Lap Fung or by Alan Ng). On November 30, she posted from Bulgaria again; stating that she has two more days of filming before wrapping her character.
ICYMI: When fans lamented on missing her face on screen, Meredith Eaton teased on November 6 that we would see it again “soon”. On December 1st, she posted an Instagram video taken on the set of the CBS show NCIS. Apparently, she will reprise the character of Carol Wilson (who was on both NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans) in presumably Episode 19×13; written by NCIS-actor Brian Dietzen (who also provided a BtS photo).
Meredith Eaton on set of NCIS (via Brian Dietzen)
Meanwhile, Tristin Mays attended an LA screening this week for “Silent Night”, a film with Keira Knightley.
Lucas Till seems to have disappeared; at least from social media. There have been no sightings for Thanksgiving festivities with the family, either.
ICYMI: Ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov started answering fan questions on Instagram Stories. While he shares some interesting character and storyline tidbits every now and then, he also throws shade at both Lucas Till and Meredith Eaton.
Tristin Mays at the LA screening for Silent Night (via Getty Images)
Here’s a few of his answers regarding the MacGyver Reboot:
His intended endgame was Mac and Riley.
If George Eads hadn’t left, Jack’s storyline would have included more military flashbacks and finally meeting Bruce Willis.
He had been looking for a co-showrunner to hand the show over to since Season 4.
When asked about the character of Samantha Cage, he evaded an answer; stating that “it’s a secret” why she was written out of the show.
Peter Lenkov Q&A (via Instagram Stories)
The #SaveMacGyver Movement Another round of digital billboards has been launched last month. The locations are Orlando (FL), Westampton (NJ), San Antonio (TX), Houston (TX), Hawthorne (CA) and West Haven (CT). We got a first glance at the Houston billboard on November 30.
If you manage to be in the area, go snap a picture and share. The official SaveMacGyver website and social media accounts get updated regularly; so check there to keep up with news and to find out about the exact locations of the billboards.
Tech Consultant Rhett Allain for MacGyver Con (Screenshot via SaveMacGyverHQ)
CBS Fall TV Season Ratings There were several reruns lately. For now, there are two more episodes of SWAT on Fridays 8pm. Starting in January, SWAT will air on Sundays 10pm to make room for reality shows (Undercover Boss and Celebrity Big Brother) on the midseason schedule.
Fun Fact: SWAT is still the only scripted CBS show gaining in demo ratings this season (+8%) compared to last year and also one of only two shows gaining in audience ratings (the other one is comedy United States of Al which gained 1% in viewer numbers).
Storyboard excerpt of Episode 5×06: Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance (via Jasmine Alexia)
Of the 19 scripted shows on the current CBS Fall schedule, Magnum PI reaches the lowest demo of the Friday line-up (Rank 16), followed by Blue Bloods (Rank 14) and SWAT (Rank 13). They still seem to favor the latter shows for promo while neglecting Magnum.
Other MacGyver-related News On IMDbTV, the MacGyver Reboot has been in the Top 10 section for 70 days; hovering between Rank 5 and 6 in the last few weeks.
MacGyver The Musical Design Contest (via the official MacGyver Instagram)
Other MacGyver-related news in recent weeks you might have missed:
In Italy, Son of the South was released yesterday. Due to rising numbers of covid cases in Europe, access to cinemas will be limited soon if you’re not vaccinated.
The Season 5 Finale will premiere on Swiss FreeTV tonight. There are still reruns of earlier seasons on German, Austrian and Swiss TV.
ICYMI: The design contest for the MacGyver Musical is still running. You can win over 2500 US Dollars in cash prizes. If interested, check the entry information here.
What are Cast and Crew up to? ICYMI: Sadly, it looks like FX has passed on The Spook who sat by the Door, the pilot for a series that Lucas Till has filmed in Baltimore back in May. There has been no official news about it and no information if the series is going to be shopped somewhere else.
Levy Tran filmed more scenes for Expendables 4 in Sofia (Bulgaria). On November 8, she posted a workout video; hinting that she’s staying in Greece. I’m curious where she’ll pop up next.
When fans lamented on missing her face on screen, Meredith Eaton teased on November 6 that we would see it again “soon”. There has been no signs on what she’s working right now. Interestingly, she recently started following the official Instagram account for The Good Doctor. The ABC series is filmed in Vancouver, so it’s possible that Meredith might make a guest appearance (in person or on screen). Of course, “soon” in fandom time can mean anything from two weeks to two years.
ICYMI: Tristin Mays got into the Halloween Spirit a few days early; filming a short clip tackling crow problems. She has more or less disappeared from social media since then.
Tristin Mays for Halloween 2021 (via Tristin Mays)
Last weekend, a clean-shaven Henry Ian Cusick attended Liverpool Comic Con. Next month, he will attend German Comic Con in Dortmund (3.-5. December). You can book your autograph signing or photo op here. According to IMDb, he’s attached to 7 upcoming projects.
Justin Hires keeps doing stand-up-comedy-shows, podcasts and working on his music. His new album will be released on Christmas.
Last week, Ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov started answering fan questions on Instagram Stories. While he shared some interesting tidbits over several days, he also got a lot of heat from both Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver fans. He tagged Lucas Till in several of the posts; also throwing subtle (and not so subtle) shade at both Lucas and at MacGyver co-star Meredith Eaton.
ICYMI; here’s a few of his answers regarding the MacGyver Reboot, the characters and the storylines:
His intended endgame was Mac and Riley.
His favorite characters were Murdoc, Riley and Bozer.
The Codex storyline was the idea of co-showrunner Terry Matalas. Lenkov believes that Codex would have come back at some point (though he hasn’t watched Season 5).
If George Eads hadn’t left, Jack’s storyline would have included more military flashbacks and finally meeting Bruce Willis.
Lenkov also stated that even if the show had continued, he wouldn’t be showrunning anymore because he had been looking for a co-showrunner to hand the show over to since Season 4.
International Season 5 Promo (via FOX Spain)
Here’s a few of his answers regarding the Reboot cast:
He’s working on a book that will include details about his “relationship” with Lucas Till. The book should be released next year.
According to Lenkov, Lucas struggled with being the Number 1 on the call sheet and showed some “questionable behavior” (without elaborating). Lenkov added that he ignored said behaviour to keep the show going.
He’s harrassed regularly by Lucas Till fans (which seems odd, considering he blocked most of them on social media months ago).
He claims that Mac and Riley didn’t date because Lucas didn’t support the storyline.
There were several reasons for George Eads leaving; one reason being to spend more time with his daughter.
He offered Meredith Eaton to write in a cane after her hip surgery (while not revealing if she declined the offer) and claims that all scenes in the script had Matty sitting. He brushed off accusations regarding Meredith because he wasn’t the director of said episode.
While he admitted on being a tough boss, he claims that Lucas wasn’t prepared for the amount of work that is required for being a lead actor on a TV show.
He calls Ian a “breath of fresh air” who should have his own TV show and recalls finding Tristin on YouTube and immediately knowing he wanted to cast her.
It’s interesting to note that while Lenkov is willing to publish written conversations between him and Lucas, he said he’s disappointed he can’t share the messages between him and Meredith Eaton. He’s also wise enough to not mention CBS in a negative way.
Episode 5×10: Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower (video screenshot via Levy Tran)
Considering that he keeps flip-flopping on answers, changes the narrative, avoids the f-word (as in “fired”) and keeps posting hinky statements and blatant lies, I’m not sure this book can be published without a hitch (aka a ton of revisions – which shouldn’t be a problem for a writer, huh).
Also, he tagged long-time friend Ingo Rademacher to back him up in saying he always supported Lucas. (Note that a few weeks ago, Rademacher lost his long-time gig of 25!! seasons on ABC soap General Hospital after not complying with the Covid Vaccine Mandate on set and posting anti-transgender memes.)
Lenkov will probably try to get more friends and ex-co-workers to back him up for the book, but I doubt that most of the people still supporting him are ready and/or willing to do so in public.
Lee David Zlotoff for MacGyver Con (Screenshot via SaveMacGyverHQ)
CBS Fall TV Season Ratings On November 10, CBS released their midseason schedule. Surprisingly, they’re still going through with their initial idea; pulling off SWAT in January and shoving it to Sundays 10pm to make room for reality shows (Undercover Boss and Celebrity Big Brother).
Considering that SWAT is their only scripted show gaining in demo ratings this season compared to last year, this is a disappointing move for fans. But hey, at least the show isn’t cancelled.
Storyboard excerpt of Episode 5×06: Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance (via Jasmine Alexia)
Of the 19 scripted shows on the current CBS Fall schedule, Magnum PI reaches the lowest demo of the Friday line-up (Rank 15), followed by Blue Bloods (Rank 14) and SWAT (Rank 13).
Other MacGyver-related News On IMDbTV, the MacGyver Reboot has been in the Top 10 section for 55 days.
ICYMI: The official MacGyver website launched a design contest for the musical. You can win over 2500 US Dollars in cash prizes. If interested, check the entry information here. A few days ago, MacGyver-creator Lee David Zlotoff shared a short announcement.
MacGyver The Musical Design Contest (via the official MacGyver Instagram)
Last month, I finally found out which show is filmed in the Reboot’s former location (Mailing Avenue Stageworks): Ordinary Joe. Considering the ratings and the show not getting a backorder, it might be done after the first season.
Other MacGyver-related news in recent weeks you might have missed:
Yesterday and today, Lucas Till’s movie Son of the South is screened in competition at the “Festival du Film d’Histoire de Pessac” in France. The release date has been pushed to March next year.
Son of the South will be released December 2 in Italy. It’s possible the date gets pushed again if they have close cinemas due to rising numbers of covid cases in Europe.
(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.)
About the Season 5 Premiere Promo There hasn’t been as much promo as for Season 4 – until today. Here’s an overview of what we got as promo for Season 5:
Previews and Teasers: We got the first Season Preview Trailer on November 20, with a shorter version (presumably the TV spot) posted on November 30.
While they had used material from the first four episodes for the Season 4 Preview, they mostly used material from Episode 5×02 this time. Also, many fans weren’t too happy that the promo focused a lot on Desi, but not on the long-time-regulars like Bozer and Matty. Not to mention that it was too short anyway.
Season 5 Promo (via MacGyverCBS)
GlobalTV (Canada) also put a Season Teaser Trailer out on November 26. It only used scenes from Season 4, but focused on MacGyver instead which in my opinion worked better.
Character Teasers: Later, there were several teaser videos of the characters announcing countdowns. We got a teaser of Russ Taylor (2 Weeks left), a teaser of Desi (1 Week), one of Matty (5 Days), one of Bozer (3 Days), one of Riley (2 Days) and one of MacGyver (Tomorrow).
It was nice to get a few additional teasers with material from the “real” Season 5. Besides Russ, they all looked way too serious though.
Season 5 Promo (via MacGyverCBS)
While they posted the videos on Instagram, they often posted a screenshot photo on Facebook.
Character Posters: We got a character poster of Russ (put together with a shot from Episode 4×01), of Desi (Episode 4×07), of Matty, (taken from the portrait photoshoot they did during Season 4), of Bozer, of Riley and… none of MacGyver (at least not when writing up this post).
To me, these character posters weren’t all that interesting since they were put together with material used more than half a year ago.
Sneak Peeks: On Wednesday, we got 3 Sneak Peeks and the Opening Scene as an exlusive clip by ET Online. They chose a variety of clips featuring all the regular characters.
Back when I still thought they would air the “leftover” episodes of Season 4 first, I speculated in several blog posts that they might add another time jump for easier transition.
Lucas Till in a Zoom Call Interview for Good Day Sacramento
As ET Online reveals with the Opening Scene, we will indeed get another time jump – just not how I expected it. More about that further down.
On-Set-Interviews: Yesterday, Lucas Till did a short Zoom Call Interview on Good Day Sacramento. He was also part in the CBS Friday-Line-Up Preview; revealing that we will see even more depth of character this season. Today, local station CBS58 (Milwaukee) aired another interview; with Lucas stating that MacGyver fans are the best. There was also a short segment for CBS LA where he talked about the covid safety protocols a bit.
For the interview with CBS58, Lucas revealed that brother Nick is still his assistant; driving him to set every day and taking a daily covid test like the rest of the cast and crew.
Lucas Till in a Zoom Call Interview for The Talk
Of course, the live-video quality over Zoom Calls is not the same that we’re used to, but it’s nice that they still get a promo cycle on so many local TV stations.
Off-Set-Interviews: Lucas Till had an interview with Matt Weiss for CBS62 (Detroit); stating that Season 5 is the best season he ever had. He also did a longer interview with Parade that was released today. A few hours ago, Lucas did an appearance on The Talk; alongside Magnum PI lead actor Jay Hernandez.
They touched again upon a potential crossover between the two shows; with Lucas repeating that he’d really like to drive that Ferrari.
All you need to know about Episode 5×01 (MAC415)
Episode 5×01 (Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness) airing tonight is the “leftover” episode that was initially filmed with production number 415. It was written by Stephanie Hicks and directed by Avi Youabian. We got 16 Official Stills in total and 4 Sneak Peeks.
Season 5 Promo (via MacGyverCBS)
If you need a refresher, here’s the synopsis for the Season Premiere:
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.
Lucas Till talked about the episode in his promo interviews; mentioning that it is a nod to John Wick and that he had a lot of fun filming it.
Guest Star Jean Brassard posted several new BtS photos; e.g. one photo with director Avi Youabian and one with co-star Jessie T Usher. He added some old BtS photos as well, but added statements about the actors he worked with. Jessie also posted old and new BtS photos; e.g. a group photo with Tristin Mays, Lucas Till and Henry Ian Cusick.
Director Avi Youabian posted a BtS photo of Levy Tran waiting all suited up, one of Lucas on screen, and a new/old one with Lucas, Meredith, Justin and Ian in the War Room.
Today, he added more BtS photos of Tristin with Jessie plus a few great ones of Levy in front of the bullet-riddled car; alongside a bunch of new/old Instagram Story photos.
Guest Star Eugenie Bondurant also added a few BtS photos via Instagram. Meanwhile, CBS mostly re-posted material seen before. Hopefully, we’ll see some additional BtS stuff while the episode airs. It’s nice to see everyone getting excited about watching an episode filmed almost a year ago.
Season 5 Promo (via MacGyverCBS)
What you need to know about Episode 5×02 (MAC414)
Next week, we’ll get Episode 5×02 (Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice). This is the “leftover” episode that was filmed first when production restarted in January; using production number 414. It was written by Peter Lenkov and Andrew Klein and directed by Duane Clark. Here’s the synopsis:
When Taylor’s former protégé is killed while preventing a bio-weapon from falling into the wrong hands, Mac and the team must find the weapon so Desi can pull off the ultimate heist before it’s sold to a terrorist cell.
CBS released 16 Official Stills. On Getty Images, you can find 6 (tagged) Stills since the untagged Stills apparently still haven’t been released yet.
Production during a Pandemic: The LA Unit
The producers decided to slide the newly-filmed episodes between the old ones. As mentioned in my latest blog post, one reason could be that some of the main or recurring cast members can sit out for an episode without making it too obvious. I also mentioned to note that even after two weeks of production, we still didn’t know if Meredith Eaton has been back on set.
On December 1, CBS posted a BtS photo of Meredith holding the slate for the episode with production number 501; dated for November 30. Interestingly, the slate says “LA Unit”; confirming that Meredith stayed back in LA. Considering that filming for Episode 501 in Atlanta finished on November 20, I’m assuming that director David Straiton finished up in Atlanta first before travelling back to LA to direct Meredith’s scenes.
Meredith Eaton on set of Episode 501 (via MacGyverCBS)
We will see if they cut the scenes together (by re-building a duplicate of the War Room and some clever editing) or if they have Matty call in via screen. It’s worth noting that they could have gone the easy way and written Matty temporarily out if they had aired the “leftover” episodes first. They could have let her film a few scenes now to explain her absence for the rest of the season (e.g. prolonged mission-absence or beaurocracy stuff in Washington) or simply explain her absence as narration.
Production during a Pandemic: The Time Jump
According to the Opening Scene clip by ET Online, 10 months and a pandemic have passed since the Season 4 Finale events. As I wrote in my Update Posts No. 101 and No. 102 back in January and February, time jumps are not a rarity in TV-Show-Land. With a time jump, the writers and producers usually get a “blank slate” to change and shape the show into whatever they wanted from the beginning.
BtS photo of Season 5 (via Justin Hires)
It’s possible that with the depart of co-showrunner Terry Matalas, now-ex-Showrunner Peter Lenkov put in a short time jump of one or two months to get things “back on track” the way he wanted. But I doubt he had planned for such a big one.
The switch of showrunners in the middle of a season is difficult enough, but adding a season cut short, 6 months in between filming plus the pandemic is not easy to handle. Granted, since Episode 5×01 is set in Zurich anyway, the climate back then isn’t as different as it is now. And with the leftover episodes in between, they couldn’t do such an extensive time jump as for Season 4. But they might use the time jump to set up upcoming storylines in advance that haven’t been thought about when writing the “leftover” scripts a year ago.
For example, they might use the new episodes to pretend that the pandemic is almost over. Therefore, they don’t have to explain when people aren’t wearing masks in the old episodes. (Depending on where the mission is set, the pandemic might already be over in the country of the week.) Otherwise, they are again able to tweak the history of the characters and the relationships between them to get where new showrunner Monica Macer wants. They can just tell us it happened off-screen with a few flashbacks and we have to accept it.
For now, I expect some adjustements to the relationship between MacGyver and Desi and to the living situation in Mac’s house. I guess we’ll know soon if Riley moved out or not. (With so much promo material out today, I can’t cover it all, but will probably adress it in next week’s post.)
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 or by an anonymous source (episode titles), by social media accounts or IMDb (cast and crew info), by SpoilerTV (press releases) and The Futon Critic (airdates).
5×01 (filmed with production number MAC415): Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (December 4)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by Avi Youabian
5×02 (MAC414): Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (December 11)
Written by Peter M. Lenkov and Andrew Klein, directed by Duane Clark
5×03 (MAC501): Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + MA (December 18)
Written by Stephanie Hicks, directed by David Straiton
5×04 (MAC502): Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance (tba for 2021)
Written by Stephanie Hicks and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by Andrew Ahn
Remember that the episode titles and their order is not definite until an official Press Release by CBS. It’s difficult to predict where the new episodes will be filed in between.
Lucas Till in a Zoom Call Interview for CBS LA
For now, the order of the other upcoming episodes is just an assumption; so I sorted them by production number:
(filmed with production number MAC416): Jack + Kinematics + MgKNO3 + GTO
Written by Jim Adler, directed by Ericson Core
(MAC417): Golden Lancehead + Venom + Blood + Baggage
Written by Joshua Brown and Andrew Karlsruher, directed by David Straiton
(MAC418): SOS + Hazmat + Frequency + Malihini
Written by Cindy Appel, directed by Yangzom Brauen
(MAC419): Banh Bao + Drill + Burner + Mason
Written by Justin Lisson and Sophia Lopez, directed by Peter Weller
(MAC420): Rails + Pitons + Pipe + Salt (unfinished production)
Written by Rob Pearlstein, directed by Christine Moore
(MAC503): Telescope + S-218 + Amplifier + Frenemies + Fog
Written by Jim Adler and Stephanie Hicks
We still don’t know yet how many episodes we’ll get. According to SpoilerTV, production dates are November to March.
Working on Episode 502
(Note: Since we don’t know the order of the episodes yet, I will continue to refer to the to-be-filmed-episodes by their production number.)
Filming for the episode with production number 502 started on November 23. According to the MacGyver Writers, the episode was written by Stephanie Hicks and Andrew Karlsruher and is directed by Andrew Ahn. Due to Thanksgiving, cast and crew got to enjoy a long weekend in the middle of production.
On December 1, we got a BtS photo of Meredith Eaton with Alessia Costantini (presumably back in LA). With Atlanta getting snowfall, Meredith sure has the better weather conditions for filming at the moment. There was no new BtS material from set until today, when Tristin posted a few Instagram stories. As Lucas told CBS LA, they filmed a stunt scene with a garbage truck. Ian also just posted a story from set while sitting in a car; joined by Levy, Tristin and Lucas.
Lucas Till in an Interview for CBS Baltimore
Cast, Crew and other MacGyver-related News
There have been no new (public) Casting Calls.
The first MacGyver Novel (MacGyver: Meltdown) was released on November 27. Both the book and the kindle version can be ordered here.
On Tuesday, we finally got a first Trailer for Lucas Till’s upcoming movie Son of the South. It’s by the Australian distributor Heritage Films, so I hope that the US distributor also will release a trailer soon. There’s a release date for March 21 in France, but depending on the pandemic, the movie might not be released in theatres.
Did you miss Part 1 (Episodes 1 to 5)? Or Part 2 (Episodes 6 to 10)?
You know the drill: I’m looking back at the Official Stills for each Episode; picking my favorites and writing down some of my thoughts. (Because I just can’t keep quiet, as you all know by now.)
Episode 1×11: Scissors
We got 3 Official Stills for this episode via SpoilerTV. Wow. There were a few BtS pictures and even some “paparazzi” pictures via Just Jared, but that’s not the same. One of the stills is MacGyver fiddling with a microwave. I can’t even remember if and where that scene took place. That’s a first.
Episode 1×11: Scissors (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: Not that much to choose from, is there? I guess the one of Jack and Diane. It’s nice to see one of the guest stars in a Still. Riley’s mom seemed to be an interesting character, and I like the actress (although I only know Michael Michele from Emergency Room). Too bad she just disappeared, despite implying that she and Jack might try dating again.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: Only 3 Stills. That’s how you do promo? And still no SAK.
Episode 1×12: Screwdriver
Ah. The episode that screwed with everything. For this episode, we got 6 Stills via SpoilerTV. Half of them feature the prison scene with Murdoc, Bozer and Riley. No Still of Thornton as if she’s already eliminated.
Episode 1×12: Screwdriver (via CBS)
MY FAVORITE: Hm. Maybe the one in the church that was also used by CBS for the Press Release. My second pic would have been the one of Riley and Bozer in profile.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I don’t really like the episode that much. And I’m not very fond of the Stills for this episode, either.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade
For Episode 13, we got 5 Stills via SpoilerTV. 3 of them are about MacGyver in the woods, which makes it automatically interesting if you’re a fan of the Original Show.
Episode 1×13: Large Blade (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: Of course one of MacGyver out in the woods, doing “outdoorsy” survival stuff.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: 5 Stills isn’t all that much, but luckily they’re interesting. Still no SAK, although there’s such a pivotal scene with it. At least you can guess MacGyver is using one in the Still where he’s building the crutch.
Episode 1×14: Fish Scaler
This episode granted us 5 Stills via SpoilerTV. Again, not really that exciting.
Episode 1×14: Fish Scaler (via CBS Express)
MY FAVORITE: Look, there’s an SAK in full view! I mean, I HAD to chose this one. Right? This was also used for the Press Release. My second pick would have been the one of Mac and Jack walking in the parking garage, because I like the lighting in that one.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: 5 Stills in total, and 3 of them feature the same location. Come on. Give us something to get excited about. You already made some progress by including an SAK into one of the Stills.
Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass(Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema)
The only episode in this blog post that lists the Still Photographer on IMDb. Maybe the other episodes didn’t have one? We got 7 Official Stills via SpoilerTV; featuring 2 different scenes.
Episode 1×15: Magnifying Glass (via SpoilerTV)
MY FAVORITE: This Still just screams “Crime-Scene-Investigation”, doesn’t it? If I remember correctly, that was also used for the Press Release. The peek at the location is exciting. Even without a trailer, these stills would have peaked my interest in watching this episode.
NOW THAT’S DISAPPOINTING: I like Meredith Eaton, but it feels like Matty was featured in more Stills for this episode than Thornton in the whole Series. (Probably not true, just feels that way.)
Filming continues on Season 2. According to the BtS pictures and videos, we’ll get to see a lot of exciting locations and props this season!
Episode 2×03: Mustang + Paper Clips (via Lucas Till)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Season 2 News
Filming for Season 2 started four weeks ago. While we got some pictures and Instagram Live Stories by cast and crew over the first few weeks, it wasn’t nearly as much as for Season 1. During the last week, the rate of pictures and videos being uploaded has picked up, though. It looks like we’ll get a lot of new and interesting locations next Season – and some exciting vehicles as well!
According to Executive Producer Peter Lenkov, there will also be more paperclip art.
Episode 2×02: Roulette Wheel (via Justin Hires)
In a talk show interview done back at Corus Upfronts in Toronto in June, Lucas Till talks about his Dad MacGyvering, about producing and financing his own movies in the past and about maybe directing an episode of the Reboot this season. I certainly wouldn’t mind!
It feels like they have invested more time on the Season Premiere Episode than they do on “normal” episodes. Also, because they use a lot of different locations and because we don’t know much about the storylines yet, it’s sometimes difficult to attribute the pictures to the right episode – but this only adds to the excitement and curiosity expressed by the fans.
Fun on Set
It’s nice to see that cast and crew are still having a lot of fun despite the long hours and the weekends they’re on set. Justin Hires posts many Instagram videos with cast and crew goofing around. Maybe it’s because of all the puppies on set that everyone’s so happy? Besides Production Office Dog Clover and Wardrobe Protection Dog Maggie, there’s another cutie on set (Einstein) who loves to pose for pictures as much as to take naps.
Dogs on Set (via Lucas Till, Brittany Lathan, Cornell Willis, Isabel Lucas, Roxanne Paul)
Apparently, the crew also hands out trophies. According to Brittany Lathan, crew member Hailey Porch already won the first trophy of the season (in the category “you’re the worst”). This could be a story worth hearing about.
Filming the Casino Episode
Episode 2×02 (Roulette Wheel) is the infamous Casino Episode. We did get some BtS pictures and BtS videos that hinted at the Casino Episode being filmed – but we never got a good overview of the whole set (which was set up at the Biltmore Ballrooms).
Both Lucas Till and Justin Hires posted pictures of themselves with a yellow Lamborghini. It looks like Bozer (who’s wearing an overall) is pretending to be a mechanic. Several crew members posed in front of the car as well (e.g. Robert Ratner or Brandon Smith), although many of the crew have recently worked on the sets of The Fate of the Furious and Baby Driver (and therefore get to see fast cars up close quite often). In a post by Lamborghini Allstar, it’s hinted at that this will be an “Overseas Russian Scene”.
Where’s a casino, there’s also money. So while Bozer is probably taking care of the Lamborghini, Mac and Jack might be invading the vault. It’s not clear yet if the BtS picture by Lucas Till (that seems to take place in a cave) has anything to do with this. It reminds me of the pilot episode of the Original Show and has a certain Indiana-Jones-vibe to it. I like it.
The same week, Peter Lenkov posted a BtS picture of Mac and Jack in the hospital, both wearing hospital gowns. I hope this is part of an episode and not just a short sequence of an opening gambit. Since it looks like Jack somehow hurt his butt while MacGyver looks guilty as hell, this might be a funny scene – especially since Justin was nice enough to post a short BtS video for us to learn what George Eads is wearing under said hospital gown…
BtS picture of Season 2 (via Peter Lenkov)
Other posts last week consisted of BtS pictures by Justin Hires of the team in the War Room (both most likely from Episode 2×01), a picture of a smiling Lucas Till with Boom Operator Robert Maxfield or a glimpse at the hotel lobby or the props (e.g. a “throne“).
This Monday, Patrick Kral posted an interesting picture from inside the studio. It looks like another “Antarctica”-Set. Hopefully not more scenes of MacGyver dropping biological weapons into ice crevices. (Or bad guys getting the bio-weapon out of that crevice.)
On August 1st, we got a BtS picture of an Arcade Set. As Peter Lenkov revealed, there’s a mascot involved. Lucas additionally uploaded a video sequence that shows him playing an arcade game against Justin, Tristin and Meredith’s husband Brian. Justin posted another picture of Bozer at the Arcade Set just a few hours ago.
Arcade Set (via Peter Lenkov)
On the same day, they also shot some night scenes in a library. Lucas Till willingly posed for more fan pictures with Extras and with people working in the building. Meanwhile, the 2nd unit filmed in warehouses that made it necessary to wear masks again.
Mustangs and Airplanes
The people involved in the show sure like their cars – especially classic cars. As Tristin Mays revealed in an Instagram Live Story, Episode 2×03 might be called “Mustang + Paper Clips”. (It’s currently titled “Muscle Cars + Paper Clips” on IMDb.) The episode is directed by Ericson Core (Point Break). On August 3rd, Patrick Kral posted a slightly spoilery BtS picture that involves a Mustang and probably MacGyver with Agent Carmen, trying to save someone’s life.
Let’s hope the Mustang survives because rebooted MacGyver is notorious for taking cars apart – and while I’m in general not a big fan of cars, I really like this one. A few hours later, Lucas uploaded a BtS picture of him sitting in the Mustang; confirming that the BtS pictures were from the set of MacGyver although they have been filmed on the Walking-Dead-Set. Camera Operator Anthony Kountz granted a closer look at the car just a few hours ago.
Around the Fire Pit (via Justin Hires)
The cast has also been filming on an Airplane Set this week. There is a Green Screen involved that will probably be necessary for a tropical location. I’m assuming the skeleton sitting in an airplane (posted by several crew members from various angles and distances) belongs to the museum and not to the Reboot Set. (Although: Skeletons, Russians and airplanes remind me of a certain episode of the Original Show.)
Cast, Crew and Character News
As with Season 1, the Extras have probably been advised to keep quiet for now. There were only a few tweets or posts that revealed people being part of an episode; e.g. Daisy Pareja (as Mrs. Diaz in 2×01), Jeff Glover (who’s also been in two episodes of Season 1), Gabrielle LaFaye or JP Valenti who revealed being on set with Karolina Wydra (Quantico, Twin Peaks).
A month ago, we got some exclusive spoilers by Moviehole about the storyline of Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) and about two new recurring female characters for Season 2. There’s still no official cast announcement yet, but looking back at all the social media posts so far, I’m assuming that Karolina Wydra will play Olivia Cage while Isabel Lucas will play intel extraction specialist Agent Carmen.
It never made much sense to me that Nikki was never mentioned after Episode 12 (Screwdriver). They made it look like her and Mac intended to see each other again – plus she wanted to take down the Organization, so she should have been involved in every episode that dealt with the Organization; but especially in the Season Finale. I wonder if they’ll address it if she doesn’t come back this season.
Episode 1×10: Pliers (Amiah Miller with John Heard)
Reruns
There is no rerun today. Next week, you can catch a rerun of Episode 1×10 (Pliers) with the late John Heard (who sadly passed away two weeks ago). Amiah Miller (who had played Valerie) posted some new BtS pictures with her and John on set on July 23.
The rerun of Episode 1×06 (Wrench) on July 28 managed to get 3.89 million live viewers (with 0.5 in the important demo group of 19-49 year-old viewers) which is even a bit better than the rerun of Episode 1×02 (Metal Saw) two weeks earlier.
MacGyver in Germany – Ratings
Two episodes of the Reboot air in Germany each Monday, 8.15 pm and 9.15 pm on channel Sat.1. Against predictions on social media and the constant negative reviews, the show continues to earn good ratings.
Episode 2×02: Roulette Wheel (via Lucas Till)
Episode 12 on July 25 earned 840’000 live viewers with a market share of 9.3% within the important demo group of 14-49 years (which is a market share of 5.7% in total viewers, meaning 1.7 million viewers older than age 3). The following episode even managed 970’000 live viewers (with a market share of 10.1% in demo). For comparison: The episode of Hawaii Five-0 (that aired at 22.15 pm) had a market share of 8.8% in demo.
MacGyver in Germany – Skipping Episodes
It’s a bit sad that Germany won’t air Episodes 11 (Scissors), 16 (Hook) and 19 (Compass) yet. The reasons are still unclear because the episodes have already been dubbed into German. Sat.1 claims “program-planning reasons”. The fact that they’re skipping random episodes instead of the last 3 indicates that this hasn’t been planned in advance, though. The fact that Rush Hour was pushed to midnight after only 3 aired episodes and Hawaii Five-0 took its place at 22.15 pm (and therefore premiered months sooner than initially planned) might have messed things up in their schedule.
BtS picture of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)
MacGyver in Austria
If you missed any of the German-dubbed episodes that aired so far, you’re lucky: Austrian channel ORF1 starts the show on Saturday, September 2nd (7.10pm). It will be interesting to see if ORF1 has its own licence and will air the three “missing” episodes before Germany.
Filming has started on Season 2. In other news, the show has been nominated for an Emmy!
BtS of Episode 2×02: Roulette Wheel (via Peter Lenkov)
(Spoiler Alert: You will get spoilered about Season 2 by reading this post and its comments or by clicking on the links provided!)
Emmy Nomination for Season 1
An Emmy Award (or simply Emmy) is an American award that recognizes excellence in the television industry, and corresponds to the Academy Award aka Oscar (for film), the Tony Award (for theatre), and the Grammy Award (for music).
Back in June, Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe had posted a compilation of the stunts in Season 1 as an Emmy Reel onto his Facebook page. A few weeks later, it was confirmed that CBS had handed in the Reboot for consideration. To be honest: Because there were 179 other TV shows in competition as well, I didn’t get my hopes up.
Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Stunt Coordination (via Craig O’Neill)
But as it turned out, the show has indeed been nominated for an Emmy – in the category “Outstanding Stunt Coordination”. The ceremony will be held on September 17. Let’s hope for a win!
Fun Fact: While the original show has been sadly overlooked for awards in general, it did get nominated for four Emmy’s over the years – for Episodes 2×20: Friends (Outstanding Makeup for a Series), 4×14: Gold Rush and 5×18: The Lost Amadeus (Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series) and for Episode 7×07: Good Knight MacGyver Part 1 (Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costuming for a Series).
Season 2 News
Filming for Season 2 started on Thursday, July 6. While we got some pictures and Instagram Live Stories by cast and crew, it’s not nearly as much as for Season 1. To be fair, we were spoilt last year when the pilot episode was being filmed; especially by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov.
Filming Episodes 2×01 and 2×02 Meredith Eaton joined the cast on July 7. She was “introduced” by Justin Hires in an Instagram video in which he revealed that unlike Meredith and Tristin Mays, he can’t stand coconut water. Justin posted a BtS picture on July 11, revealing that not everyone of the cast listens to the director when he’s giving directions. He also posted another video that day which showed him and Tristin strapped into chairs; joking that they had him sitting in a booster seat. Because people kept asking about Lucas’ whereabouts, Justin made sure to include the lead character in his next video.
George Eads suffering in HOTlanta (via Lucas Till)
Justin Hires had already mentioned Atlanta being “hot as hell” in one of his first videos when they had just started filming. Meredith Eaton posted a picture of herself with Cornell Willis on July 15, hinting at HOTlanta once again. Lucas Till revealed on July 20 how George Eads deals with the heat when they’re filming outside.
Besides human visitors (in the form of Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe’s kids), they had also visitors – or rather background actors – of the animal kind. Who doesn’t like baby goats?
BtS of Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Justin Hires)
Filming the Casino Episode
It looks like Episode 2×02 will be the Casino Episode we have been promised. According to IMDb (which isn’t always accurate), the episode is titled “Roulette Wheel”. Although cast and crew had posted several pictures of the location (Hyatt Regency) from either outside or through a window, we never got to see the set itself.
We did get some BtS pictures that hinted at the Casino Episode being filmed – mainly because both Lucas as MacGyver and Justin as Bozer are wearing suits while Tristin – seen in another one of Justin’s BtS videos – has sleek hair (like she did in Episode 1×08: Corkscrew). She seems to be wearing a golden dress that matches the color of Bozer’s suit.
On July 19, Peter Lenkov posted a fun picture of “James Blonde” to let us guess what MacGyverism might be used in this episode.
Visitors on set (via Jeff Wolfe)
Cast, Crew and Character News
We got some exclusive spoilers about the storyline of Episode 2×01 (DIY or DIE) by Moviehole a while ago, yet we still don’t know who will play the new recurring characters Olivia Cage and intel extraction specialist Agent Carmen. What we do know is that Marco Sanchez plays the role of “Mr. Diaz”, the father of a Navy Seal (played by Ricky Russert). Young Diaz had been kidnapped by terrorists two years ago, so it’s safe to assume that “Team Phoenix” will stage a rescue mission in the season premiere.
Fun Fact: It seems that at least one family member of Lucas Till is working on Season 2 while at least one friend of the Till family has been working on Season 1. Atlanta and Georgia are deemed as the “New Hollywood”; so it makes sense that some family members and friends of the Till family are involved in the movie business as well. Still, it would be interesting to know if it’s actually Lucas’ career that made them consider working in film even before the rise of “ATLwood”.
Reruns
There is no rerun today since Big Brother is taking up your favorite Friday spot on CBS. Next week, you can catch a rerun of Episode 6 (Wrench). After another short break, there will be a rerun of Episode 10 (Pliers) on August 11.
The Friday reruns continue to earn good ratings, although the number of viewers is getting a bit lower every week and the show doesn’t always earn the top spot in its time slot anymore. The rerun of the Pilot Episode (The Rising) on July 7 had 4.05 million live viewers (with the usual 0.5 rating in the demo group of 14-49 years). Considering this was at least the 3rd airing of the Pilot since its premiere, that’s not bad. A week later, the rerun of Episode 1×02 (Metal Saw) managed to get 3.81 million live viewers (with 0.5 in demo).
Overall, the reruns have made an average of 4.25 million live viewers (with a rating of 0.6 in demo) per episode so far.
BtS of Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Justin Hires)
MacGyver in Germany – Ratings
Two episodes of the Reboot air in Germany each Monday, 8.15 pm and 9.15 pm on channel Sat.1. Against predictions on social media and the constant negative reviews, the show continues to earn good ratings.
On July 14, the reboot earned the second highest ratings since its German premiere – despite having a lot of competition in its time slot and many people catching up on Game of Thrones that evening. Episode 9 had 1.03 million live viewers with a market share of 12.4% in its demo group (which is a market share of 6.6% in total viewers, meaning 1.81 million). Episode 10 earned 1.02 million live viewers (with a market share of 11.5% in demo).
With these numbers, MacGyver made rank 3 and 4 in prime time – being beaten by a soccer game and episodes of The Big Bang Theory. It’s also possible the numbers influenced the ratings of Hawaii Five-0 which managed a market share of a surprising 9.2%.
Screenshot of the German Opening Title Sequence
MacGyver in Germany – Episode Titles
It’s a bit sad that Germany won’t air Episode 11 (Scissors) next week. It’s possible that they don’t believe in aring a Christmas Episode in summer time. The episode has been dubbed into German; being titled “Schnee in Kalifornien” (Snow in California). Weirdly, they also won’t air Episodes 16 (Hook) and 19 (Compass). Neglecting Episode 16 feels like a big faux-pas to me, considering the whole episode is an Easter Egg for fans of the original show.
We’ll see if they will air Episode 11 as a Christmas Special this year or if the German-speaking premiere will happen on DVD.
The upcoming German episode titles:
1×12 (Screwdriver): Chrysalis
1×13 (Large Blade): Camping in Kasachstan
1×14 (Fish Scaler): Auf der Flucht (On the Run)
1×15 (Magnifying Glass): Zodiac-Mörder (Zodiac Murderer)
1×17 (Ruler): Tickende Bombe (Ticking Bomb)
1×18 (Flashlight): Ärger im Paradies (Trouble in Paradise)
1×20 (Hole Puncher): Der Architekt (The Architect)
1×21 (Cigar Cutter): Der Fluch von Kairo (The Curse of Cairo)
BtS of Episode 2×01: DIY or DIE (via Justin Hires)
What are cast and crew up to?
While filming for Season 2 started on July 6 in Atlanta, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov was in Hawaii to attend the annual celebration by cast and crew of Hawaii Five-0 before starting Season 8. Lenkov was already back in Atlanta on July 9. He had an exciting week ahead with the premiere of his other show Salvation on July 12. He’s in San Diego right now and will probably attend the panel for Salvation at Comic Con on Saturday.
Lucas Till and George Eads have already another project lined up together: They will voice characters in a Michael-Jackson-themed Halloween-Special that will air on CBS.
On July 12, Holly Dowling had uploaded an audio-interview she had done with her brother David Dastmalchian (who plays our most favorite villain in the show). For 48 minutes, David talks about his struggle with mental health, addiction and self-medication in the past. It’s a great interview and thankfully, David is able to celebrate 15 years of sobriety this year. You can listen to it here via Soundcloud or subscribe to Holly’s podcast on iTunes.
Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on May 12, 2017. I made some minor changes (e.g. grammar or source corrections, link corrections, additional pictures) before re-posting it on my own blog for safe-keeping.
With only two months left until filming for Season 2 starts, the writers are working on new scripts.
BtS of Season 1 (via Pius Pietrzyk)
Crisis averted
Thankfully, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) managed to secure better working conditions for script writers during weeks of tense negotiations, therefore avoiding a strike that would have resulted in TV show productions coming to a grinding halt and being stopped for weeks, maybe even months.
Production should go on as planned. As David Slack tweeted on May 2nd, he’s already writing on a new episode for Season 2.
Season 2 News
As Executive Producer Peter Lenkov confirmed on May 10, Season 2 will start in September.
What are cast and crew up to?
Peter Lenkov is gearing up for the premiere of his CBS Summer Show “Salvation” in July. Justin Hires is busy polishing his career as a stand-up comedian. Tristin Mays and Meredith Eaton recently visited one of his shows.
Comedy Club (via Justin Hires)
Because of the DVD-Release of Monster Trucks, Lucas Till had been doing promo for this movie back in April. In a video interview with TVs Talking Pictures, Lucas also talked about filming MacGyver. He revealed that George Eads is one of his best friends, that he fell asleep several times while trying to memorize his lines and that he was stressed out 8 of 9 months while shooting because he put too much pressure on himself, trying to fill RDA’s big shoes by taking on such an iconic role.
What’s going to happen now?
Next Wednesday, CBS will present their 2017-2018 TV Schedule at the Upfronts in New York. Since both Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods have been renewed as well for another season, the reboot airtime schedule probably won’t change.
Both Peter Lenkov and Lucas Till will be at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in June. Lenkov is listed as a member of the festival’s jury while it is not clear yet in what capacity Lucas will be there.
Monster Trucks Promo (via Instagram)
There has been no word yet if there will be another promo event at Comic Con San Diego (July 20 to 23) this year.
MacGyver around the world
The Reboot is or has been airing in several countries by now; e.g. Australia, Turkey, the UK, the French speaking region of Switzerland, New Zealand or the Netherlands. The show is airing soon in Japan and in France. The premiere for Germany (on Sat.1) is set for June 19.
The German dubbing of rebooted MacGyver is done by Ozan Ünal who funnily also voiced Nicholas Hoult’s character of “Beast” in the X-Men movies with Lucas Till and David Dastmalchian in “CSI Cyber“. Ünal otherwise regularly dubbs Emile Hirsch, Logan Lerman (in the Percy Jackson Series) or Ian Somerhalder. On German TV, he’s probably best known for voicing Johnny Galecki in all episodes of “The Big Bang Theory“, so this is going to be weird and interesting for me.
The Vault: Unaired Pilot
A year ago, Meg London-Boche – Assistant of Director David Von Ancken – tweeted about the MacGyver Pilot being done. Little did we know back then that the pilot would be scrapped and reshot, earning the title of being an Unaired Reboot Pilot that got rebooted.
BtS of the Unaired Pilot (via Adam Michna)
The Unaired Pilot has more or less disappeared. The IMDb page was deleted rather quickly, along with every official material that had been posted by CBS on social media. It’s difficult to predict if we’ll ever get to see this Unaired Pilot that shall not be named. It’s probably futile to hope for it being released on the Season 1 DVD.
Original Author’s Note (May 12): This is my last Update for the MacGyver Reboot – for now. I will probably continue posting somewhere else, but I have to set it up first and I don’t know yet when it’s going to be ready. (I have been writing in German on my own blog for 11 years, but I don’t want to mix up blog posts in different languages.)
A big THANK YOU to Nicholas Sweedo for letting me write on his blog. I wouldn’t have dared to do it on my own. I never thought I would be able to write so many blog-posts in another language and I learnt A LOT while doing this.
A big THANK YOU for you readers as well. I never thought these blog-posts would get so many hits. Hopefully read you soon! If you need a quick fix of MacGyver Reboot News until my next Update, you can find me on Twitter.
Original Editor’s Note (May 12): A big thanks to Andrea (Dashboard) for all her great posts and for being really nice to work with! I decided that I wanted to distance this blog from the reboot since I don’t like it and am not watching it any more. But for fans of the reboot, Andrea really is the best person out there to follow for the latest news and information, and I’m sure that her new blog will be an awesome place to go for that!
Dashboard On Fire 