"MacGyver" (1985) TV series 1985-1992

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Lee David Zlotoff

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | unknown

Release Date:

6 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime

Tagline:

His mind is the ultimate weapon.

Plot:

The adventures of a secret agent armed with almost infinite scientific resourcefulness.

Plot Keywords:

Science | Gadget | Terrorist | Famous Opening Theme | Hero

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Dean Anderson	...	MacGyver (139 episodes, 1985-1992)
Dana Elcar	...	Pete Thornton / ... (92 episodes, 1985-1992)

Also Known As:

"Ihmemies MacGyver" (Finland) (rerun title) [fi]
"Ihmemies" (Finland) [fi]
"MacGyver" (France) [fr]
"MacGyver" (West Germany) [de]
"MacGyver" (Spain) [es]
"MacGyver" (Hungary) [hu]
"MacGyver" (Greece) [el]
"Mc Gyver" (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

45 min (139 episodes) | USA:60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (seasons 1-3) | Stereo (seasons 4-7)

Certification:

Brazil:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-18 (2005) (DVD) (self applied) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Henry Winkler/John Rich Productions

Trivia:

In the late '80s, two teenage boys made a bomb in their garage which went off, killing one of them. The surviving boy said they learned how to make the bomb from an episode of the show. However, the show was quickly exonerated after it was discovered no such episode existed.

Quotes:

MacGyver: Sometimes I just hate it when I'm right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tangents (1994)

A True Treasure!

As a kid, I was brought up with a couple of TV-heroes that I adored over all, and that I wanted to be just like. One of these heroes was special agent/survival-expert Angus MacGyver, a guy that, unlike other action-series heroes, didn't grab the nearest firearm when things got hot. For him, an used paper clip, the wrap from a bubblegum, a spring from the bottom of a rusty old bed and his trusty Swiss army knife (which has become MacGyver's trademark) would do the job.

The thing with MacGyver is that it's original. Rare to any other series today, it focuses on the brain instead of brute force, which is actually a good thing, considering that television today is heading for a more "brains-off, action-on"-attitude. Angus MacGyver hates weapons and therefore never uses them, but instead, combining limited resources, he finds simple and elegant ways of dealing with the problem at hand. And the best part is, that (atleast in theory) MacGyver's inventions would really work, making it even more fascinating (even though some of them are not to be recommended to try).

Admittably, some of the episodes may not feature the best acting according to modern-day standards, and some of the ideas and solutions may be slightly used up, but seeing as the series aired in the mid-80's, I don't find it in anyway disturbing, rather the opposite, I find MacGyver to be a true treasure among the TV-series of today, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys wit, humor and a good time spent getting surprised by the geniousness of MacGyver's contraptions!