The last time we saw MacGyver in any official capacity, he was walking along a sunset lit path by the Thames. There's long been rumors about our hero one day returning into our lives on a white horse, and it now appears that his return is closer than ever with both a movie and a television show in the works. The tv show's progress is further along with casting underway and may begin initial shooting later this month. If you ever wanted to read one fan's 1100+ word opinion on all this, you've come to the right place!
Let's start by saying that I have mixed feelings, but first the good (I'll refer to the tv show for now, but my thoughts about a movie are along the same lines). If I had to pick one side or the other and give a straight Yes or No opinion on a reboot, I'd give a definite Yes. I wouldn't expect the show to be good (mostly because I don't enjoy most of what's on tv today -- just like movies, it tends to move too fast and not spend enough time on characters and story), but I'm willing to risk it on the 5% chance that it actually is a good, enjoyable show.
I also like the thought of MacGyver being in the news and helping the original series to gain exposure among millennials and younger kids, many of whom have no idea who MacGyver is. Last year I gave a Season 1 MacGyver DVD as a gift to my two nephews (ages 16 and 12) who don't agree on much, yet they both LOVE it and often watch it together, and by now they have seen each episode on the DVD multiple times (I'm giving them Season 2 later this month). Like all series from 30+ years ago, MacGyver can sometimes feel dated in comparison to today's television, but it generally holds up remarkably well. It also has a positive message unlike much of what is on tv today, and so I believe that MacGyver getting back into the public awareness and reaching some new fans is a good thing for everyone.
As for the casting of the lead, I have no problem with MacGyver being recast. Now there will never be another Richard Dean Anderson -- his greatness and unique qualities in portraying, shaping, and embodying the character won't ever be duplicated, but I believe there are other strong actors out there than can bring something to the role and put their own personal spin on it. Just as I'm glad they have kept making James Bond movies and how I hope that they keep making Indiana Jones movies post Harrison Ford (provided they're better than Crystal Skull), I wouldn't let the lack of RDA prohibit my possible enjoyment of the new show, though obviously the casting of the lead will be very important and something that the show's success or failure will hinge on.
Most importantly, I am in favor of a reboot because there is nothing to lose. Even if it is the worst show in the history of television, it will never change my love for the original series. It's like when Michael Jordan returned to the Wizards and people thought he was ruining his legacy but now nobody cares. And my reference to Indiana Jones is another example -- Temple of Doom and Last Crusade are some of my favorite movies of all time, and that won't change no matter how bad the sequels are. And look at the pilot for Young MacGyver -- if you can make it past the first five minutes, you're a better man than I, yet this failed attempt at a reboot never enters my mind while watching the original.
With all that said, I saw an article about the proposed characters and plot, and it sounds like a borderline disaster. Besides the fact that it feels formulaic and also very reminiscent of Homeland, it also doesn't sound anything like MacGyver. There's one episode in Season 1 where MacGyver's military background is mentioned, but that is it -- when people think of MacGyver, they don't think of a soldier. Narrative consistency wasn't a strong point for the original show to say the least, and I'm not going to get my undies in a huge bunch if the new show takes some liberties with new characters and origin stories. But this pilot sounds like it's taking more than a few liberties, and at least a semblance of continuity would be nice.
I worry that the creators are just thinking of MacGyver as someone who makes something out of nothing and that they are looking to cash in on the MacGyver name without being aware or respectful of all the other things that made MacGyver (the show and the character) unique and special such as his humility, his lack of machismo atypical for an action hero, his passion for social causes and the environment, the show's great music, great locations, the Phoenix Foundation, etc. If you're going to make a show with a character and supporting characters that sound nothing like MacGyver, just call it something different. I've recently started watching Burn Notice thanks to Mark's recommendation, and the lead character in that series also likes to make something out of nothing. If they would have just renamed the lead character "MacGyver", would that be any different than what we will see with this pilot?
Even if the people behind the tv and movie projects end up straying from the original series, they owe it to the project and to MacGyver fans to at least put in the effort and learn as much about the original series as possible. Then they can choose what to keep and what to move on from. I've personally reached out to at least 6 people involved with creating the new show to offer up my knowledge (free of charge, of course!) in case they wanted to learn more about the old show. I'm not surprised that no one's responded, but I am surprised and disappointed that no one's talked to producer Mike Greenburg. If I were in charge of remaking an old show like Remington Steele, for instance, wouldn't I take the time to have a long talk with all the major players on that show and learn all that I could?
So in summary, I have some major doubts that a MacGyver television show or movie will be any good, in part because I am generally not that taken with most tv or movies today as I alluded to earlier. But I'm still in favor of a reboot because it will never change how I feel about RDA and the original series, so I have nothing to lose. And who knows, maybe the new show will pleasantly surprise us all.
They're calling the new show a 'prequel', yet it's set in modern times (all the refs to the Dept of Homeland Security, which didn't exist prior to 2001). That's not what 'prequel' means, folks. Also - who are Gunner and Mickey? Why not use Jack Dalton and Mike Forrester? MacGyver's actual friends from the show? I'm pretty sure there's an episode where it's mentioned that Mac's known Jack for a long, long time. (I thought he said they knew each other as kids, but I could be mis-remembering that bit.)
ReplyDeleteThey're also sort of writing themselves into a corner, b/c Mac's about 34 when the original show starts (he's 39 in s5's 'The Lost Amadeus'), so they only have about 10 yrs of his life to play with before they get into the overlap.
They'll also be missing out on key characters like Pete and Murdoc. And, if they want to hold to canon, Kate and Sam are parts of the timeline too.
But, yeah, it looks a lot like they're just slapping a name on something and forgetting to scribble the core tenets of what makes MacGyver 'MacGyver' on the big white board in the writing room.
I'd prefer, if they're going to do a reboot, then do a reboot. Doing that, they could change some elements of his past - the butterfly effect with a turning point somewhere - and move forward from that point of divergence in the timeline, but with the same core elements. From the bits and pieces you linked to, it looks like they're missing those core elements that make MacGyver unique. And that makes me sad. Esp'ly since LDZ seems to be hooked into the program somehow and he created the character.
You're right about Jack - there's an episode (can't remember which) where it's mentioned that he and MacGyver grew up together in the same town.
DeleteI remembered Mac saying something about Jack being back at the orphanage, but couldn't recall if they'd been childhood friends. All my MacGyver knowledge and *that* is the one thing I can't remember. /o\
DeleteMa Dalton. MacGyver asks Jack "Who were those people you lived with?" To which jack replies they were foster parents.
DeleteAnd don't forget "Legend of the Holy Rose, Part 1" when Zoe Ryan repeated Jack Dalton's quote when they were kids that "If you want MacGyver's help, first you have to get his full and undivided attention".
DeleteHighlander mentions how its a shame that even with LDZ on board it looks like the reboot is straying from its roots but I'm not sure it surprises me that much and I'm not sure how good it is that LDZ is involved. He 'created' the idea of the character, so gets credited in every episode but actually had nothing to do with the rest of the show, the development of the character or even his hatred of guns which evolved over the first few episodes.
DeleteI don't have a ton to add to this because you touched upon just about everything I've pondered. Just as was the case with "Young MacGyver" back in 2003, I went into the project with as low of expectations as possible determined not to let the legacy be ruined even if they completely botch it. I think the best example of a successful TV remake in recent years is "Hawaii Five-O". I've only seen bits and pieces of the original but I know the showrunners of the new series and carrying over some elements of the original including recurring villain Wo-Fat and whatever the name of Ed Asner's recurring villain was. If the updated "MacGyver" even managed that level of continuity with the original I'd be fine, but when the first guy cast is playing the role of a character we've never heard of before, it's definitely a red flag that we're looking at a project that somebody has been musing over for quite some time and are shoehorning it to fit the "MacGyver" lexicon.
ReplyDeleteI should withhold judgment until I've seen the upcoming series. They could well do the original proud or at least do a competent reboot of the franchise that doesn't embarrass fans of the original. I'd like to say I won't comment further on it until I've watched it, but considering more plot and cast details are likely to leak between now and the premiere, should it end up on the schedule, I'm not sure that's a promise I can keep.
H50 has kept the continuity pretty well. I *think* the current Steve is supposed to be a relative to the original Steve. And, when they were working on the theme song, the PTB were told v. specifically to NOT change it, b/c the theme is so iconic to the show. The show has some of its own issues, but not related to forgetting what it is. It's still a cop show about the 4 primary characters.
DeleteIt's gotten a little lackluster here in the last couple seasons - really repetitive storylines, like they ran really hard out of the gate and tied up too many loose ends, so now they're grasping at things to work with - but it's still doing okay. (I assume so, anyway - I'm about 4 or 5 episodes behind.)
Steve's not related to the old Steve, though that would have been cool if he was. H50 has gone a bit downhill as most shows do this late in their series, but I agree that it was a good reboot in that they at least kept the theme song and the concepts of the original characters. Even if all the MacGyver reboot kept was the theme song and some of the characters, I'd probably be ok with it -- and I'm not discounting the possibility that the proposed plan for MacGyver as a soldier coming home disillusioned from the war may just be a smokescreen or may change at some point before filming.
DeleteThe original MacGyvers had great diversity of storytelling -- some episodes in the inner city, some in the woods, some in other countries, and that is relatively unique to MacGyver and would be a great thing for the new series to pick up on.
I think Nick has pretty much summed it up for me too. Also see my reply to Highlander above. Its a shame that in this youth-obsessed age they are turning into a prequel with apparently little or no backwards continuity with the real thing. And why pick on the one back story of the original, Macgyer's time as a bomb technician in 'Nam, which was always an odd fit with the rest of the show and in spite of MacGyver's brilliance at bomb defusal, is never mentioned again after Countdown (albeit a great episode).
ReplyDeleteAs a recent convert to MacGyver, I don't have the knowledge or history with the series that you good men do but I have enjoyed it enough to feel a similar shudder of fear when reading about a new MacGyver. I think between you your comments cover all the concerns about how badly wrong this remake could go. It sounds like it might simply have the same name and the 'make something from nothing' premise but will that be enough to make it seem like MacGyver, I doubt it? I remember being intrigued when they tried remaking the detective series Ironside a few years ago, but that was such a disaster that it never even completed one season and didn't make it on to British television. It turned out that they had simply used the same name and the fact the chief detective was in a wheelchair but had not been faithful to anything else from the story or characters in the original 8 year run. Conversely, the recent short comeback of the X-Files carried on with the same actors and tried to keep things similar to the original series and yet here it ended up looking like some kind of comedy spoof. It was as if the original characters were having a laugh at the original character's expense! Sometimes things should just be left alone...
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