MacGyver – “Pilot” Advance Review. Tinfoil and Paperclips.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Friday, September 23, 2016, 8/7c on CBS

Rating: ★★★★★

“Clock’s ticking, it’s time to get to work.” – Patricia Thornton

Jack Dalton and MacGyver

The Department of External Services (DXS) is a top-secret organization that protects the United States’ interests both domestic and abroad. The only difference between the DXS and other government agencies is nobody knows it exists. But when a routine mission involving Angus MacGyver (Lucas Till) and Jack Dalton (George Eads) goes horribly wrong, millions of lives are put in jeopardy. It’s a race against time as MacGyver and Dalton must join forces with an unlikely ally in an attempt to stop an impending catastrophe.

Whoever said you only have one chance to make a first impression never met showrunner Peter Leskov and the writing team behind CBS’ reboot series MacGyver. The original series, starring Richard Dean Anderson, ran for seven seasons from 1985-1992. The first pilot for the MacGyver reboot, which filmed earlier this year, was scrapped and the entire cast was let go, with the exception of Till and Eads. Eads’ character’s name was changed from Lincoln to Jack Dalton, the name of the character Bruce McGill played on the original series.

Instead of the lone wolf agent fans of the original series may remember, MacGyver now works for the DXS as part of a team headed by Patricia Thornton (Sandrine Holt). Patricia is the gender-flipped role of Peter Thornton played by Dana Elcar back in the day. Unlike Anderson and Elcar, Till and Holt seem to have zero chemistry, making their scenes together feel forced.

Justin Hires would make a better Jack Dalton

As far as pilots go, MacGyver is an enjoyable hour of television. While Anderson will always be the real MacGyver to many, Till makes for a worthy surrogate. “Pilot” is filled with lots of action and Till doesn’t disappoint. The chemistry between him and Eads feels real, making the banter between the two particularly enjoyable. Yet, as much as I got a kick out of Eads’ performance, his renamed character is part of the problem I have with MacGyver. As good as Eads is, he’s no McGill and doesn’t fit the Dalton mold. Eads’ isn’t miscast; he’s misnamed. At the same time, Justin Hires, who plays Wilt Bozer, seems underutilized, especially considering his comedic talents. I would have rather seen Hires and Eads as the same characters but with each other’s name.

MacGyver was a household name for a kid growing up in the ‘80s, especially in my neighborhood of Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Anderson grew up just down the road and attended the local high school; needless to say, his rise to fame made him a local hero. My love of the MacGyver character wasn’t just because Anderson grew up nearby but because MacGyver’s origins were filled with Minnesota connections. I enjoyed MacGyver so much, the first professional hockey game I ever attended included a celebrity game that Anderson played in.

Interestingly, the team behind the rebooted series reached out to Anderson to see if he would appear on the new series. Unfortunately, Anderson made it clear he wouldn’t be a part of the production, citing his loyalty to his fans and how the project has overlooked their allegiance to the original character without considering how and why they became, and remained, so loyal.

Taking out the trash.

It’s always tough to judge a new series and some might think it’s unfair to compare a premiere to a beloved series that ran for seven seasons. Spanish writer Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra once wrote, ”Words have meaning and names have power.” This rings especially true for MacGyver. By calling the show MacGyver and including characters like Dalton, CBS has opened itself up to such a comparison, both good and bad.

As much as I enjoyed the adventure ”Pilot” provides, the look, feel, and storyline of the episode seems more in line with a Mission Impossible reboot rather than MacGyver. What made Anderson’s MacGyver special was MacGyver finding himself in unlikely situations, using whatever was around him to survive. With the reboot, MacGyver’s team has unlimited resources and tech but as the rest of the team grabs the right tools and weaponry for the mission, MacGyver seems content grabbing a handful of paperclips and figuring things out when he gets there.

While the series has been given a high-tech upgrade, the ‘MacGyverisms’ still remain as MacGyver is back with his trusty Swiss Army Knife and tin foil. The use of a voiceover by Till to help explain what MacGyver is doing is nicely done but I could have done without the on-screen words letting the audience know the paperclip MacGyver is using is indeed a paperclip.

I enjoyed watching the series premiere of this reboot and will continue to watch. But, as well as Till does carrying the mantle, it’s not the MacGyver I was longing for. Despite using familiar names and recreating iconic images from the original series, what’s missing from the character and series is Anderson’s heart and charisma.

Tune in to the series premiere of MacGyver Friday, September 23 at 8/7c, only on CBS.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about MacGyver – “Pilot.”

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.