MacGyver Reboot Update #80

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of editing Season 3 (via Peter Lenkov)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Sarah Downer)

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Schedule Update March/April/May 2019

There has been a bit of confusion about the episode schedule for the MacGyver Reboot. In some sort of last-minute-rescheduling, CBS opted to preempt the episode last Friday for an interview with R. Kelly instead.

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

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

To top it all, the official accounts never informed the fans about the next episode. So let’s do a short recap of all the information I have gathered so far for the remaining episodes. Note that this is still a presumed schedule that could change at all times.

• 3×17: Seeds + Permafrost + Feather (March 15)
  Written by Nancy Kiu and Lindsey Allen, directed by Alexandra La Roche. The Press Release with the first Official Still came out on February 15 with more Stills added on March 5. There’s guest appearances by Carsten Norgaard and Carlos Leal. CBS just uploaded a newer, shorter version of the Preview.

After next week’s episode, there will be the March Madness Break; meaning the entire primetime schedule is a bit different for several weeks.

• 3×18: Murdoc + Helman + Hit (April 5)
  Written by MacGyver creator Lee David Zlotoff, directed by Roderick Davis. Guest appearances by Michael Des Barres, Andre Reed and David Dastmalchian. The first Official Still was released on February 28 with more Stills added on March 6 (sadly, none of them feature MDB). Channel CBS46 had been on set for that episode; doing on-set interviews with the cast.
• 3×19: Friends + Enemies + Border (April 12)
  Guest appearances by Odelya Halevi and Nick Massouh.
• 3×20: tba (April 19)
  Directed by Eagle Egilsson. Guest appearances by Andrew Brodeur and Emily Marie Palmer.
• 3×21: tba (April 26)
  Presumably directed by Maja Vrvilo. Presumed guest appearance by Emerson Brooks.
• 3×22: tba (May 3)
  Not much is known yet about the Season Finale. There might be a black chopper 😉

That’s it for now.

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

The new Reboot Update post (No. 78) will be out next Friday as planned (and no, there’s no danger of me writing a blog post about R. Kelly instead).

Stay tuned.

MacGyver Reboot Update #76

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Meredith Eaton)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Christopher Jon Duddy)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Marty Lindsey)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The show made it into following categories for Round 2:

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

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

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Update #75

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Justin Hires)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Michael Des Barres)

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

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Jason Tubbs)

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

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

CBS46 on set of Season 3 (via Astrid Martinez)

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

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

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

CBS46 on set of Season 3 (via Astrid Martinez)

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

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

BtS photo of Season 3 (via Steven Serna)

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

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

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

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

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

MacGyver Reboot Update #49

Filming for Season 2 continues, often even on the weekends. Tonight, Michael Des Barres will guest-star in Episode 2×15!

BtS of Michael Des Barres in Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via David Dastmalchian)

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

 

Cowboys, Mexico and more Wedding Dresses
Since they continued filming in January after Christmas Hiatus, there aren’t that many new BtS pictures provided by the main cast anymore. Both Lucas Till and George Eads go for weeks without posting anything at all, while Justin continues uploading BtS pictures of (the still untitled) Episode 2×16.

Of course, this led to speculations by fans what’s going on. On the one hand, they often work on the weekends as well – they’re just too busy to post. On the other hand, they’re working on Episodes 2×19 and 2×20 at the moment which means they’ll soon start gearing up for the Season Finale. If they have actually planned on revealing Mac’s father (like Lenkov promised in an early Season 2 interview), they might keep up the secrecy for a while longer.

BtS picture of Jack Dalton in Season 2 (via George Eads)

One “secret” has already been hinted at by Executive Producer Peter Lenkov: We will see George Eads in chaps. According to his Instagram Live Story, this will be part of a scene with Matty and Jack – and as crew member Kate Roberson revealed, that’s probably the story how Matty got to see Jack’s butt for the first time (as mentioned in Episode 2×03).

Besides Jack in chaps, we will definitely see other interesting clothes for undercover missions this Season. Justin Hires posted another picture of Riley in a wedding dress; posing with her “husband” Bozer. Even if the wedding won’t be real, it looks like they had at least giant lobster for their “work-slash-honeymoon” meal. We’ve seen many BtS pictures of Episode 2×16 so far, but also of the Coltons-Episode (2×18: Riley + Airplane). Interestingly, there aren’t many infos on Episode 2×17 – it doesn’t even haven an entry on IMDb yet.

BtS picture of Season 2 (via Steven Serna)

For a few days, they filmed scenes in “Mexico”. It’s not clear yet if this is tied to the Cowboy Jack scene, but there had been horses and mules on set as well. As Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe promised, there will be some interesting stunts soon.

Two days ago, they filmed what looked like a sequence of the animated movie “Up”. Several crew members shared pictures and videos of the colorful balloons that seem to be tied to a trampoline. For once, the sun was shining. Today, they’re filming at Pullman Rail Yard again – and as Tristin Mays reveals in her Instagram Live Story, it’s very cold. Last week, we’ve seen how the crew deals with ice and sleet on the streets for outside filming.

Yesterday, Lucas posted some Instagram Live Stories, showing lots of money hiding behind the set walls. This week, Justin Hires also posted Live Stories that featured duffle bags filled with money – very fitting for the title of Episode 2×19 (Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle).

BtS video screenshots of Episode 2×19: Benjamin Franklin + Grey Duffle (via Lucas Till)

Cast and Crew posted some older pictures as well; e.g. Boom Operator Robert Maxfield of Riley in her Halloween costume or of Isabel Lucas in the water tank while filming the Halloween Episode (2×05: Skull + Electromagnet).

Official Stills, Press Releases and Sneak Peeks
On January 12, CBS officially announced via TV Insider that Michael Des Barres will guest-star in tonight’s Episode 2×15 (Murdoc + Handcuffs). Four days later, we got the official Press Release, revealing that MDB will actually play Nicholas Helman, Murdoc’s mentor. On January 25, they released a handful of Official Stills.

There were no Official Sneak Peeks for Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair) and the Previews kept being very short for the last few episodes. The Preview for 2×15 is also only 10 seconds long, but there is an additional “long” version of a Preview Trailer. Today, we got 3 Sneak Peeks in total, but interestingly none with Michael Des Barres.

Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via Seat42F)

MDB has been hyping up his fans for tonight’s episode for days, now. Yesterday, he did some promo on Yahoo! Entertainment: During a very interesting, 40-minutes-long interview, he talked about the Reboot cast and the filming experience, about his craziest scene for the Original Show and about many other things.

A Rerun of Episode 1×17 (Ruler) is scheduled to air on Saturday, February 10. It has been re-scheduled twice so far, so we’ll see if it works out this time. A Rerun of the Season 2 Premiere Episode (2×01: DIY or DIE) is scheduled for the following week, so Saturday, February 17.

Reruns might actually be the only thing fans get to watch after tonight: For the rest of the February Fridays at 8pm, there’s Celebrity Big Brother scheduled; meaning Episode 2×16 won’t air until March 2nd. This is apparently standard procedure during the Olympics: There won’t be any new episodes for most current TV shows so it doesn’t hurt the ratings. Sure, one could argue that non-regular viewers might lose interest on the show or forget to tune in when it comes back. On the other hand, this also means that the cast might get to enjoy one or two free weekends again while editors and post-production have more time to do their final touches.

BtS picture of Episode 2×16 (via Justin Hires)

There is a small consolation prize for fans, though: Season 2 will definitely get an additional episode, so a total of 23 episodes. The information has been up on the CBSSI show page for several weeks, but it wasn’t until Wednesday we got confirmation via SpoilerTV.

Apparently, SpoilerTV also got some scoop on Episode 2×21: It’s set in post-hurricane Puerto Rico, there’s one of Mac’s old friends named Carlos, and there will be at least two kidnappings.

Season 2 Ratings
Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch) had reached a new record for Season 2: 8.14 million live viewers with a rating of 1.0 in demo. The Reboot hadn’t reached more than 8 million live viewers since Episode 1×15, so I was curious about the numbers for the next episode.

Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair) didn’t quite match 2×13 – but it kept the 1.0 demo-rating while reaching an audience of 7.68 million live viewers.

BtS picture of Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via Michael Des Barres)

Cast and Character News
Besides Michael Des Barres, tonight’s guest-stars for Episode 2×15 (Murdoc + Handcuffs) are Michael Michele as Riley’s mother Diane, Murdoc’s son Cassian (played by Brady Bond) and Anthony Starke (the teacher “hired” by Murdoc in Episode 2×04).

Reign Edwards will return as Bozer’s love interest Leanna (in Episode 2×16), helping with an undercover mission by posing as MacGyver’s wife.

In Episode 2×18 – called “Riley + Airplane” – we will meet up with the Coltons again. It’s a nice surprise that they managed to get all actors from the last Colton-Episode (1×16: Hook) back on set. All of the actors – Jermaine Rivers (Frank Colton), Lance Gross (Billy Colton), Javicia Leslie (Jesse Colton) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Mama Colton) –  uploaded several pictures and videos on social media for the fans to enjoy.

BtS picture of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via Jermaine Rivers)

Soap Opera star Joel Rush has been filming on January 19 and will be probably part of the Coltons-Episode. American football running back Latavius Murray has been on set as well – but it’s not clear yet if he was just visiting or actually working.

Extras are important, too – and the Casting Calls often give insights on the upcoming locations the episodes will be set in. Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Mexico Kids and Mexico Patrons, for a family of a mother and two children who portray Caucasian in family photos, Stand-Ins, Female Techs, good-looking agents or CIA Office Workers. They’ve also been looking for more Techs, Bad Guys who are comfortable wearing a Hazmat Mask, a male Drug Store Clerk, Nurses, Asian Business People, Police and Peru Pedestrians.

How to deal with Ice: MacGyver Style (via Thomas Doolittle)

MacGyver in Austria
Austrian channel ORF1 finally managed to air the German-speaking premiere of Episode 1×16 (Hook). It managed to pull in a live audience of 123’000 people; setting the audience-record so far. Episode 1×17 (Ruler) garnered 81’000 viewers, which is actually not that bad, either.

MacGyver Reboot Update #48

Unless production is halted due to heavy snowfall every now and then, filming continues as planned on Season 2. Also, we finally got the confirmation about Michael Des Barres guest-starring in Episode 2×15!

BtS of Michael Des Barres in Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via David Dastmalchian)

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

 

Russia, Bikes and Wedding Dresses
After Christmas Hiatus, filming was officially resumed on January 5, presumably for Episode 2×17. Lucas Till’s Stand-In Matthew Albright had revealed how many layers he’s wearing at the moment because of the cold. They’ve been filming in “Russia” until last week. The Location was an old warehouse with actors milling around in white hazmat suits à la “Back to the Future”. Tristin Mays donned one of these suits as well; stealing a truck with “plutonium”.

BtS of Season 2 (via Tristin Mays)

Tristin recently revealed on social media that she’s been taking motorcycle lessons. On January 7, she posted a short video of her riding a motorcycle. She didn’t think it looked as cool as she wanted it to be, but Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe and other crew members complimented her; stating that she “kicked ass” (despite not wearing a helmet).

A day later, Tristin posted a BtS video of her and Reign Edwards dancing around in Wedding Dresses; presumably for Episode 2×16. Executive Producer Peter Lenkov topped that post on Tuesday, January 16: In the Instagram Story he uploaded while editing, Mac and Leanna are posing for wedding pictures; gazing lovingly into each others eyes. Yesterday, Justin Hires posted a photo of Bozer and Riley posing for their own set of wedding pictures.

BtS video screenshots of Episode 2×16 (via Peter Lenkov)

A few days ago, production continued at the Delta Flight Museum – with a “Mini-Hiatus” on Wednesday due to heavy snowfall.

In general, cast and crew battled the cold all week. Maybe that’s what led to the “atomic sneeze“? Although it’s cold, the cast was excited that the show is back on production and on air. It’s not quite clear if they’re just so busy or if they’re trying to keep the lid on recent sets, but there aren’t that many BtS pictures since they started filming again. They do provide older BtS pictures, though – especially on Fridays. Meredith Eaton posted some BtS pictures from Episode 2×13: One is her, Tristin and Lucas posing with the little monkey from the Opening Gambit; another one is her with Ashley Tisdale.

It seems like 2×16 is one of Justin’s favorites, since all recent pictures he has been posting were made while filming this episode. One BtS picture features Mac, Leanna, Bozer and Riley in their “honeymoon/spy-op-suite“. Another shows Bozer and Riley taking up Yoga Lessons. Yesterday, he uploaded a picture of Mac and Bozer flashing their wedding rings.

Episode 2×14: Mardi Gras Beads + Chair (via SpoilerTV)

Official Stills, Press Releases and Sneak Peeks
After 4 Sneak Peeks for Episode 2×12 (Mac + Jack), we only got a single one for Episode 2×13 – but cast and crew provided lots of new BtS pictures (e.g. of Meredith Eaton with Ashley Tisdale) while Lenkov teased that Mac “loses it tonight”.

A Rerun of Episode 1×17 (Ruler) had been scheduled for December 29 last year. CBS then re-scheduled the rerun for Friday, January 26. A look at the TV programme reveals that the rerun has been dropped off the schedule again; airing a Bruno Mars concert instead. At the moment, the episode is scheduled to air on Saturday, February 10.

On January 17, we got additional Stills for Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair). Peter Lenkov also provided some sneak peeks via Instagram Live Stories – one of the Opening Gambit (in what looks like a “flying toilet box”) and some more with scenes between Jack and his “wife” (played by Amy Smart). Sadly, there were no Official Sneak Peeks.

Michael Des Barres in Episode 2×15
We had already put together enough pieces to know about it, but it wasn’t until January 12 that CBS officially announced via TV Insider that Michael Des Barres will guest-star in Episode 2×15 (Murdoc + Handcuffs). Besides giving us a first Still, they also revealed that MDB will play a mentor of rebooted Murdoc (David Dastmalchian) and that apparently, Murdoc doesn’t like that his mentor decides to retire and plans on killing him.

Episode 2×15: Murdoc + Handcuffs (via TV Insider)

Both Michael (MDB) and David posted some great BtS pictures on social media, stating that it had been immensely fun and educating to film this episode.

On January 16, we got the official Press Release, revealing that MDB will actually play a character named Nicholas Helman. In case the name sounds familiar: it’s another nod the the Original Show. Nicholas Helman was the Chairman of the Board for the Homicide International Trust (HIT), a criminal group who contracted assassins all over the world. Helman himself was a first rate assassin who had trained OG Murdoc in the “art” of killing.

Interestingly, the scoop by TV Insider must have been wrong, because the Press Release states that Helman is the one trying to get rid of Murdoc, not the other way around.

BtS of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via Jermaine Rivers)

Season 2 Ratings
Episode 2×12 (Mac + Jack) had managed 7.83 million live viewers with a rating of 0.9 in the important demo group (14-49 years old). That’s almost a million live viewers more than for Episode 2×11.

Episode 2×13 (CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch) reached a new record for Season 2: 8.14 million live viewers with a rating of 1.0 in demo. The Reboot hasn’t reached more than 8 million live viewers since Episode 1×15, so I’m already curious what will happen ratings-wise for the next few episodes.

Interestingly, #Blindspot had trended on Twitter above #MacGyver. It had also generated more traffic on voting sites asking what people will be watching tonight. Apparently, higher social media traffic doesn’t automatically generate higher audience numbers.

BtS of Episode 2×13: CO2 Sensor + Tree Branch (via Meredith Eaton)

It might be a while until we hear about a potential Season 3 renewal. Fact is, CBS wins every week with their Friday Evening Line-Up. Unless someone of the main cast drops out, it seems like a no-brainer that all Friday shows (MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods) will be renewed for another Season. Interesting fact: The Season-2-Order had initially been for 22 episodes. But I recently noticed that the CBS Studios International website lists Season 2 with 23 episodes now. Other shows like Hawaii Five-O, NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans already got an extended order for 24 episodes last November. Looking at recent ratings, it makes sense that CBS wants to bank on the Reboot’s ratings success as well. It’s just a bit strange that there was no official news about it so far.

Cast and Character News
Tonight’s guest-stars for Episode 2×14 (Mardi Gras Beads + Chair) are Garrett Morris as the proprietor of “Willy’s House of Voodoo” and Amy Smart as Jack’s “wife”.

BtS of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane  (via Jermaine Rivers)

Riley’s mother Diane (played by Michael Michele), Murdoc’s son Cassian (Brady Bond) and Anthony Starke (the teacher “hired” by Murdoc in Episode 2×04) will be back in Episode 2×15 (Murdoc + Handcuffs). Reign Edwards returns as Bozer’s love interest Leanna (presumably in Episode 2×16), helping with an undercover mission by posing as MacGyver’s wife.

Peter Lenkov had revealed in an “inside scoop” via TV Line on January 2nd that Riley will take up a relationship with one of the Colton brothers. Jermaine Rivers (Frank Colton) had hinted that he might be the lucky one, but deleted his comment afterwards. Both of the Colton Brothers are attached to other shows filming in Atlanta, but since Jermaine’s The Gifted (FOX) has already wrapped its first Season while Lance Gross (Billy Colton) is still filming for Star, there were speculations that Billy might be absent this time.

Javicia Leslie (Jesse Colton), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Mama Colton) and Jermaine started filming this week; already uploading some BtS pictures and videos. As Jermaine Rivers revealed, Episode 2×18 will be called “Riley + Airplane”. A few days later, Lance Gross joined the crew; therefore completing the Colton Family. Sadly, there were no sightings of a rebooted version of Frog Dog.

BtS video screenshot of Episode 2×18: Riley + Airplane (via Sheryl Lee Ralph)

Extras are important, too.  Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Guys in Hazmat Masks, Skater Boys, more Bad Guys, a Photo Double for Michael Des Barres and High End Vehicles. For this week, they’ve been looking for airplane passengers and a Flight Attendant, for Weightlifters, Stand-Ins, for people appearing as homeless and for Extras filming a mansion scene: Caterers, Waiters, Valets, a Big Guard, Security and Mansion Guests.

MacGyver in France
Two weeks ago, Episodes 1 to 3 premiered on French channel M6. The Pilot Episode had reached 4.11 Million live viewers and won second place on French TV that Friday.

Episodes 4, 5 and 6 premiered last week. As with the premiere of the Pilot Episode, new French articles with short interviews have been posted online, but they’ve all been done back in Monte Carlo last summer. While we’ve heard the soundbites before, Téléstar posted a new picture of George Eads that had been done in the official CBS portraits series.

George Eads as Jack Dalton (via TéléStar)

On the day of the premiere, the Hashtag #MacGyver had started trending even before the Pilot Episode had begun and kept trending for almost 10 hours in France. It also trended for episodes 4 to 6; although not for as many hours.

MacGyver in Austria
Episode 1×15 (Magnifying Glass) had managed to pull in 73’000 viewers. Because the episodes weren’t aired regularly anymore due to the interfering Winter Sports Events, it’s gotten a bit more difficult for viewers to catch the show. After several reschedulings, ORF1 finally managed to air the German-speaking premiere of Episode 1×16 (Hook).

Apparently, the preceding Sports Event helped with the ratings, because 2×16 brought in a whopping 123’000; setting the audience-record so far.

MacGyver Reboot Update #45

Two Episodes left before Christmas Break. Cast and Crew filmed some action scenes with rebooted Murdoc – and Original Murdoc might show up as well!

BtS of Season 2 (via George Eads)

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

 

Filming on a Cemetery
Cast and Crew got to enjoy a 4-day-weekend recently, so they crammed in as much as possible before the short break. After Thanksgiving, the crew continued filming for Episode 2×14 (Marti (sic!) Gras Beads + Chair), directed by Michael Martinez.

Production set up at the Historic Oakland Cemetery to film, creating a spooky environment with lots of fog. Crew members posted pictures while planting gravestones during the day and filming at night. Lucas Till uploaded a BtS-video to show his Late Night Stunts. People passing the area posted pictures as well, commenting on the spooky set and revealing that a SWAT car had been on the scene as well.

BtS picture of Episode 2×14 (via Thomas Doolittle)

On December 4, production moved to the Pullman Rail Yard and the Southeastern Railway Museum. Last year, they had also filmed Episode 1×05 (Toothpick) there. So far, we don’t know much about what’s going to happen besides that there will be trains involved – and Mac and Jack trying to protect Murdoc! For some scenes, they recycled the “trashed” helicopter prop they already used in Episode 1×13 (Large Blade). Let’s hope Mac and Jack don’t have to suffer from another plane crash.

Also, there might be a Jeep involved in this episode – finally. It’s been too long since we saw Mac’s Jeep for the first (and only) time.

Working on other Episodes
Executive Producer Peter Lenkov hasn’t posted much that’s MacGyver-related since he’s probably busy writing the Pilot Episode for the Magnum Reboot. On November 29, he posted a picture of George Eads as Jack Dalton, apparently lying in a coffin. This isn’t just a nod to Original Jack Dalton, but also to CSI where Eads’ character Nick Stokes was buried alive in the Double Feature “Grave Danger”, directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Episode 2×10: War Room + Ship (via SpoilerTV)

We got some nice and interesting BtS pictures and videos of the main cast during the last two weeks; e.g. of Bozer and Jack (in Episode 2×05), of Jack (who apparently pissed somebody off again), of Delta Jack, of George being supported by the Make-Up people, Meredith Eaton working on a Saturday, of Justin and Lucas in front of the Phoenix van, of Tristin Mays having fun with the crew, of Mac, Jack and Murdoc (who still thinks it’s funny when Jack points a gun at him) or of Bozer and Leanna.

Crew Members and Extras posted fun stuff as well; e.g. Kevin Marshall (Stand-In of George Eads) in the Rudolph costume we get to see next Friday.

 

BtS picture of Season 2 (via Bruce Giglio)

Let it Snow!
I don’t know how often it snows in Atlanta, but it’s snowing today and almost every cast and crew member on set at the moment is posting pictures and videos. Everyone seems to be excited. Well, most of them at least.

Lucas Till posted several Instagram Live Stories, as did his Stand-In Matt Albright and several others. George Eads posted pictures of Mac, Jack and Murdoc almost hidden by the heavy snowfall. These troopers don’t even look overly cold; laughing at the camera.

Hopefully, this episode isn’t supposed to be set in California because Riley would have missed her White Christmas again. As it is, Tristin Mays seems to have the day off – as does Justin Hires, who’s travelling back to Florida to visit his family.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via SpoilerTV)

Official Stills, Press Releases and Sneak Peeks
After getting no Official Stills for Episode 2×09 (CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil) at all, we got several Stills for tonight’s Episode 2×10 (War Room + Ship) and for next Friday’s Episode 2×11 (Bullet + Pen).

Just five hours before the premiere, CBS released two Sneak Peeks for tonight’s Episode 2×10. In both clips, we see George handling the “Elwood-Situation”.

In next week’s Episode 2×11, we will get both David Dastmalchian as Murdoc and Bruce McGill as LAPD Detective Greer. Since 2×11 is the Midseason Finale, we might end with a cliffhanger just before Christmas Break. Episode 2×12 will air on January 5, but you can catch Episode 1×17 (Ruler) as a Rerun on Friday, December 29.

Episode 2×10: War Room + Ship (via SpoilerTV)

Season 2 Ratings
The Season 2 ratings have been stable so far: On average, every episode pulled in 6.8 million live viewers per episode  with a demo-rating of 0.83. Ratings for Episode 2×09 (CD-Rom + Hoagie Foil) dropped a bit by reaching 6.61 million live viewers with 0.8 in the important demo group (18-49), yet it still won the 8pm time-slot.

Even with lower ratings, last Friday must have been a sweet event since the writers got to eat a special-themed cake for dessert.

BtS of Season 2 (via Lucas Till)

Cast and Character News
Tonight, both Reign Edwards and Billy Baldwin have their third appearance. Other upcoming guest-stars are “Original Jack Dalton” Bruce McGill as Detective Greer and David Dastmalchian as Murdoc (both in Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen next week), Emerson Brooks as EOD-Specialist Charlie Robinson (in Episode 2×12), Ashley Tisdale as a CIA-Agent (in Episode 2×13) and Garrett Morris as the proprietor of “Willy’s House of Voodoo” (in Episode 2×14). Riley’s mother (played by Michael Michele) will also make an appearance again since she’s been on set recently.

 

Sneaky Picture in the neighborhood vs. BtS picture via Michael Des Barres

Fans of the Original Show might be in for a pleasant surprise: There’s (almost-confirmed) rumors that Original Murdoc Michael Des Barres will also show up soon. Michael revealed on social media last weekend that he’s travelling to Atlanta to play a villain on TV. (Note: His last TV appearance according to IMDb was in 2014.) He also mentioned that it will air on CBS. So that’s a lot of coincidences and there aren’t that many CBS shows that are currently filmed in Atlanta (the other one being Dynasty).

There’s no official confirmation yet, but in one of his set pictures you can see that the house behind him is the very same that a neighbor photographed, stating that they are filming for MacGyver Season 2 right next door.

Since David Dastmalchian has been on set as well, we might get to see both rebooted and Original Murdoc not only in the same episode, but maybe in the same scene which is pretty exciting to me.

BtS of Season 2 (via Brady Bond)

Further proof comes from Camera Assistant Mike Torino. He posted a picture with David on December 4 and one with Michael on December 7. They might hold off the news for a while longer since the other guest-stars deserves some spot-light as well, but I think there will be a press release next year. Michael also posted pictures of himself posing at a make-shift fotostudio, so there might be pretty pictures and an interview, too.

To put a cherry on the top, Brady Bond revealed today that he has been back on set as well. He played rebooted Murdoc’s son Cassian in Episode 2×04 (X-Ray + Penny), but his scene had been edited out. (Meredith Eaton had actually talked about that scene in an interview; stating that this had been her favorite part to film for the second season of the Reboot so far.) Having rebooted Murdoc, Murdoc’s son AND Original Murdoc in the same Episode makes me even more curious what role MDB will play.

Mike Torino posing with Original Murdoc (Michael Des Barres) and rebooted Murdoc (David Dastmalchian)

Apparently, Isabel Lucas hasn’t been on set since she left for Australia. I don’t know if she’s still a member of the regular main cast and will come back (e.g. for the Season Finale). Since her character was never added to the CBS show main page (contrary to the new cast members of Hawaii Five-0), I guess she was probably never meant to stay the whole season.

As always, it’s not just about guest-stars. Central Casting Georgia has been looking for Stand-Ins, Photo Doubles, Hand Doubles, EMTs, Police Officers, Agents, Techs, Neighbors, Feds and Bar Patrons. They’ve also been looking for European Hotel Guests, Yogi’s and a Yoga Instructor for a fun scene at a Winery. Additionally, they need a Winemaker, Party Guests, Chateau Guests, Wine Servers, Security Guards, Chateau Employees and Chateau Waiters.

Episode 2×11: Bullet + Pen (via SpoilerTV)

MacGyver in Austria
There were no episodes for two weeks due to several Winter Sports Events. ORF1 will continue with Episode 1×13 (Magnifying Glass) tomorrow. On December 30, they will air the German-speaking premiere of Episode 1×16 (Hook). There wasn’t much surprise in the German dubbing of Episode 1×11, but sometimes lines have to be changed and it’s always interesting to catch them.

MacGyver Reboot Update #17

Disclaimer: My original guest-post was first published on The MacGyver Project on November 25, 2016. 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.

While the reboot is taking a break and airing reruns, cast and crew are working on the mid-season finale. Also, Amy Acker and Tracy Spiridakos are back on set!

via Gabriel Beristain

(Spoiler Alert: To avoid spoilers, I won’t post any pictures that are too revealing, but you will definitely get spoilered by reading this post or by clicking on the links provided!)

Working towards Christmas Break
As I mentioned before, we don’t see much exclusive stuff anymore from the main cast. They’re busy bees to wrap up the initially ordered episodes before Christmas Break. As Tristin Mays revealed on Twitter, they’re often still filming while the new episodes air and don’t get to see the premiere.

Lucas Till posted more pictures of MacGyver doing bad, bad things like aiming a gun and being friendly with terrorists. Of course, this led to David Dastmalchian pulling out a big gun of his own (ahem, this doesn’t look as R-rated as it sounds). Tristin shared that Episode 9 (Chisel) has been her favorite episode to film so far besides Episode 4 (Wire Cutter).

Justin Hires’ Stand-In Kevin Marshall Pinkney posted a picture of him sitting in a 60’s Volkswagon while working on Episode 12. Guess we just got to see Bozer’s car? Interesting choice!

via Peter Lenkov

On November 14, Just Jared shared paparazzi pictures of Lucas on set. As several crew members (e.g. Cornell Willis or Kait C.) revealed, they were filming in a church on November 21. Thanks to Camera Operator Tiko Pavoni, we got a glimpse at MacGyver’s “back yard”.

Brian Durkin revealed how the writer’s crew tested MacGyver’s escape in Episode 8 (Corkscrew). The script writers also provided the original diagram of the Chinese Lantern Surveillance Drone in Episode 9 (Chisel) and the math equations that Tech Advisor Rhett Allain did to estimate how much paper MacGyver would need to stop a bullet.

On November 11, Lucas’ Mom had visited the set. She shared some pictures on social media. While filming outside on November 14, the set got visited by an elementary class. Learning about TV production directly from cast and crew on set is sure more interesting and memorable than regular class!

via MacGyverWriters

Premieres of Episodes 8 and 9
As expected, Episode 8 (Corkscrew, 7.65 million) got better ratings than the previous episode – although they weren’t as high as I expected (it was the return of beloved Murdoc, after all). Overall, New Murdoc’s first appearance was well received on Twitter and even got praise by Original Murdoc Michael Des Barres.

The most recent Episode 9 (Chisel, 8.12 million) made the third-highest ratings of this season.

Upcoming Episodes
SpoilerTV provided us with a press release for Episode 10 (Pliers – although thanks to the Phoenix Foundation Podcast, that episode will always be “Pilers” to me). Episode 10 will air on December 9 because the show is taking a break and CBS airs reruns on Fridays instead. Tonight, they will show Episode 3 (Awl).

Looking at the surprisingly high ratings from last week, I’m not sure if it’s a wise decision having a break of 3 weeks, now with so many people stating on social media that the episodes are getting better and that they finally started to like the show.

Interviews, Articles and other Promo
On November 16, CBS uploaded some more BtS-pictures; mainly from Episode 7 (Can Opener). They also provided a Survival Guide for Thanksgiving. The CBS Watch! Magazine provided another picture of their photoshoot with Lucas and George for #ManCrushMonday.

via CBS Watch! Magazine

ET Online visited Lucas Till in his Hometown. We got to meet his mom, his younger brother and a high school friend. In an interview with TVLine, Lucas talked about Nikki, Murdoc and his favorite MacGyverism.

The soundbites aren’t new, but in an interview with TV Insider posted on November 25, Executive Producer Peter Lenkov affirmed that he’s still planning on a crossover with Hawaii Five-O.

In case you wondered what had happened to the huge Wall Painting on Hotel Figueroa in LA that was made back in the first promo wave: It got painted over with an ad for Apple’s iPhone.

Cast, Crew and Character News
Central Casting Georgia has made several casting calls; e.g. for men who are trained with guns, for business men and women who own expensive luggage, for wedding guests, groomsmen and bridesmaids and for hispanic looking males with upscale wedding guest style attire.

The masks of the Asian General and George Washington were made by Larry Torro. He provided a picture of the president’s mask from Episode 8 on Instagram. I think the masks look very good and I really hope we’ll see more of them, now that Bozer has joined the team.

via Larry Torro

Amy Acker recently revealed at a convention in Asia that she will be back on the show. On November 18, Peter Lenkov posted footage of a scene of Amy’s character Sarah with Jack; confirming that she’s already been filming her scenes. On the same day, Tracy Spiridakos posted a picture on Instagram that confirmed she was also back on set.

Interestingly, Preston James Hillier (who’s played Amy’s boyfriend / fiancé Jeff on Episode 2) also tweeted on that day; saying that he enjoyed to work with Lucas and George again. What’s even more interesting is a comment on that tweet that was later removed (after I pointed out to this person that this tweet might be a spoiler – you’ve been warned!).

The deleted tweet complimented Preston and made a statement about being a proud mother of the groom. We already know that there will be a wedding scene in this season and that they’ve been filming in a church; so I’ll predict that Jack will get his heart broken in the mid-season finale (for now, Preston is listed for Episode 12 on IMDb).