'' was an
American Adventure Television Series about a laid-back, extremely resourceful ex-
Secret Agent named Angus "Mac" MacGyver, played by
Richard Dean Anderson . The series was created by
Lee David Zlotoff and executive produced by
Henry Winkler . It ran from
September 29 1985 to
May 21 1992 on the
ABC network. It was filmed primarily in
Vancouver ,
British Columbia ,
Canada . Two made-for-TV movies were produced in
1994 . In 2006 Richard Dean Anderson reprised his role as MacGyver in a Debit MasterCard
Superbowl XL TV commercial.
MacGyver's main asset is his practical application of scientific knowledge and inventive use of common items – along with his ever-present
Swiss Army Knife and
Duct Tape , and the usual coincidence of being locked up in a room full of useful materials. The clever solutions MacGyver implemented to seemingly intractable problems — often in life-or-death situations requiring him to improvise complex devices in a matter of minutes — were a major attraction of the show, which was often hailed for generating interest in basic science as well as providing entertaining storylines. All of Mac's exploits on the show were ostensibly vetted to be based on real scientific principles (even though, the creators acknowledged, in real life one would have to be extraordinarily lucky for most of MacGyver's ideas to succeed); in the rare cases where MacGyver used household chemicals to create
Poison s or
Explosive s or other things deemed dangerous to describe accurately on television, details were intentionally fudged or altered.
The use of mundane items to build jerry-rigged devices shows an influence from ''
The A-Team '' (though MacGyver eschewed the use of firearms) and has entered
U.S. Popular Culture and are referred to as "
MacGyverisms ".
'' can also be used as a
Verb meaning to fix, repair, rig, solve, build, invent, or otherwise save the day, as MacGyver did.
Angus MacGyver is a highly intelligent
Action Hero who prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible, and refuses to carry or use a gun due to a childhood accident with a
Revolver that resulted in the death of a friend; the character is portrayed as an outspoken
Gun Control advocate as well as being politically
Liberal in other respects. Even in cases where his improvised devices are used to attack hostile opponents, he is always shown doing so in self-defense and, if possible, subduing or disabling rather than killing. He is often suspicious of militaristic attitudes within the government; he sees his ''Phoenix Foundation'' employer as an alternative to the more conventional (and violent) means of law enforcement.
He was born and raised in
Minnesota on either Jan 23, 1951 (per his Passport in ''Everytime She Smiles'') or Mar. 23, 1951 (by working back from dates given in the episodes ''Thin Ice, Passages, Friends, Runners, ''&'' Phoenix under Siege''). His Minnesota heritage explains why he speaks with a Minnesota accent. (
Richard Dean Anderson himself was born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota ). MacGyver lived his childhood in Mission City. Like Anderson, MacGyver was an avid hockey player as a child, and competed in his local hockey league, continuing to play the game as an adult. He graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in
Roseville, Minnesota . His character is a graduate of a fictitious technical school called Western Tech where he earned a degree in physics.
MacGyver's first name is Angus and remained a mystery until the final season; whenever he's asked about it, he says he dislikes his first name and changes the subject. The
Script for the series
Pilot gave MacGyver's first name as "Stace", but this information did not appear in the finished episode, although it was mentioned in promotional material for the series. His first name was finally officially revealed in "Good Knight, MacGyver", in which he learns of a
Seventh-century Scottish ancestor, Angus M'Iver, and admits that they share their first name; and repeated in the series finale, which introduces MacGyver's son, whose middle name is Angus.
During seasons 4-7, the show revolved more around social issues such as guns and runaway teens than did the episodes in seasons 1-3, which were mostly about MacGyer's adventures working for the United States government, and then later the fictional Phoenix Foundation.
Other notable recurring characters include:
;Pete Thornton (
Dana Elcar )
:MacGyver's boss and best friend. Pete was an operative at the ''Department of External Services'' (DXS), which is where he was impressed by Mac's ingenuity while tracking down Murdoc, an international assassin. When Pete took the position of Director of Operations at the ''Phoenix Foundation'' seven years later, he brought MacGyver into the program.
:Pete has a son named Michael, from a previous marriage.
:In the pilot episode, actor Dana Elcar played a completely different character named "Andy Colson". The Pete Thornton character didn't appear until episode 1.11, "''Nightmares''".
:Elcar appeared in the
Dream Sequence /
Time Travel episode "Good Knight, MacGyver" as
King Arthur ; whether this is because Pete is one of Arthur's distant descendants or because Mac subconsciously based his
Hallucination of Arthur on him is uncertain.
:In 1991, actor Dana Elcar began to develop
Glaucoma , a degenerative condition of the eyes that causes
Blindness . This condition was written into the show, and Elcar's character also developed the disease. A number of
Public Service Announcement s were composed and shown at the end of many of the later episodes, encouraging viewers to get checked early and often for the condition.
:Sadly, Dana Elcar died on
June 6 ,
2005 in
Ventura, CA due to complications from
Pneumonia . He was 78.
;Jack Dalton (
Bruce McGill )
:An aviator and old friend of MacGyver's with a weakness for
Get-rich-quick Scheme s that invariably got him (and usually Mac) into trouble. He always wore a peaked cap and twitched an eye when lying.
;Murdoc (
Michael Des Barres )
:MacGyver's most commonly recurring opponent, a master assassin who never failed--except when MacGyver got involved. His first appearance in the series was presented as his second run-in with MacGyver. Murdoc returned for revenge for their first encounter--to the surprise of MacGyver, as Murdoc had apparently been killed while escaping on that occasion. Murdoc's revenge scheme not only failed, but resulted in him being apparently killed again. This became a recurring theme: each of Murdoc's subsequent appearances ended in another "death", in which-- at the moment of his "death", he always screams ''"MACGYVER!"'' (Note the exception made in episode 89 "Halloween Knights", when he dies without screaming that phrase, ostensibly because he and MacGyver were acting as allies in the episode). Then, in a later episode, we invariably learn he had once again incredibly survived.
:Murdoc was associated with the ''Homicide International Trust'' (HIT), an organization of assassins, until being excommunicated for his failures at MacGyver's hands.
;Penny Parker (
Teri Hatcher )
:Penny Parker and MacGyver met in line in an airport in
Bulgaria ("Every Time She Smiles") when she tried to smuggle some jewels out of the country in his pocket. Of little talent but with big dreams, her pursuit of a show business career got her into trouble more than once; she was sometimes used by Murdoc as the unwitting pawn in his plans to eliminate MacGyver.
;The Coltons (
Della Reese ,
Cleavon Little ,
Richard Lawson ,
Cuba Gooding Jr. )
:A family of
Bounty Hunter s (Mama Colton, Frank, Jesse & Billy), introduced one at a time - the only episode in which more than one appeared was their collective final appearance in the final season, on which occasion they took over the episode entirely, relegating MacGyver to a
Cameo Appearance . This episode, called "The Coltons", was actually intended as a pilot for a spin-off which would star the Coltons, but nothing ever came of it.
;Harry Jackson (
John Anderson )
:Harry Jackson, MacGyver's grandfather, became MacGyver's "father" after his grandmother and real father were killed in a car accident. Seven years later, he left MacGyver. After another sixteen years, Harry and MacGyver met again in the season one episode, "Target MacGyver", in which MacGyver and his grandfather worked together to defeat an assassin named Axminster (played by D'Mitch Davis). Sometime between the fifth season episode "Passages" and the sixth season episode "Harry's Will", Harry died of a heart attack.
;Nikki Carpenter (
Elyssa Davalos )
:Nikki Carpenter joined the Phoenix Foundation in the
Third Season .
;Mei Jan (
Michele Chan )
:Initially calling herself Sue Ling, the name of MacGyver's foster daughter, Mei Jan enlisted MacGyver's help in completing her mission for the Chinese student movement.
;Wilt and Milt Bozer (
Robin Mossley ,
Robert Donner )
:Milt Bozer's brother, Wilt, was MacGyver's neighbor at the marina.
Throughout the series, MacGyver drove a number of vehicles; most frequently a
Jeep Wrangler (YJ) of grayish-green color. ''(actual color unknown)'' Among the other vehicles he drove in the series were a
Jeep Grand Wagoneer , a
Jeep Cherokee Chief , a
1942 Chevrolet pick-up truck, and a
1957 Chevrolet Nomad willed to him by his grandfather Harry in the episode "Harry's Will".
was an important component of his unorthodox solutions.]]
The spontaneous inventions have come to be nicknamed ''MacGyverisms'' and even led to the verb, 'to MacGyver' or 'to MacGyver-ize'. This word was used in Richard Dean Anderson's project, ''
Stargate SG-1 '', in a postmodern moment in the first episode, when the character
Samantha Carter (portrayed by
Amanda Tapping ) comments on the time and effort that had been required "to MacGyver" a replacement for the
Stargate 's long-lost
Control System . However, "MacGyverism" was used long before that, in, appropriately enough, a ''MacGyver'' episode. It was used by Joanne Remmings (played by
Pamela Bowen ) in the second-season episode #3 "Twice Stung", in which MacGyver must con a con man. (The episode title is a reference to ''
The Sting '', with
Paul Newman ,
Robert Redford , and, strangely enough, Dana Elcar.)
As of
2005 , he is the subject of a
Hoax Presidential Campaign , as a
Spin-off of a similar and popular hoax concerning actor
Christopher Walken . The campaign started at the website
MacGyver 2008 .
In , uses an ordinary
Tube Sock as the
Pulley for a
Zipline , and somehow repairs and
Hotwire s a nonfunctional
Truck using a
Paper Clip ,
Ballpoint Pen ,
Rubber Band ,
Tweezers ,
Nasal Spray and a
Turkey Baster . In contrast to previous Mastercard commercials showing people making somewhat extravagant purchases to accomplish some mundane task, MacGyver is here portrayed as escaping from some sort of deathtrap using less than $20 worth of common household items -- the commercial ends by showing him purposefully buying an assortment of such things at a department store with his credit card (as a tongue-in-cheek explanation for how Mac seems to always have items he needs on hand no matter where he goes).
MacGyver is frequently referenced - usually somewhat parodically - on ''
The Simpsons '', as being the favorite television show (and Richard Dean Anderson the frequent object of lust) for
Patty And Selma Bouvier ,
Marge Simpson 's sisters. In fact, he appeared in an episode of
The Simpson's titled
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore , which first aired April 6, 2006.
magazine.]]
- MacGyver's producers had an odd tendency to use the same actor in multiple roles through the series. Actor played "Lisa Kohler/Kosov" in Lost Love: Part 1 & 2 (Season 3), then just a few episodes later (in the same season) reappeared as Nikki Carpenter, a role which she reprised in several more episodes.
- Christopher Judge , who costared in '' Stargate SG-1 '' along with Richard Dean Anderson, appeared in the season five episode "'Live and Learn" as a high school football player named "Deron".
- Don S. Davis (also on ''Stargate SG-1'') appeared on ''MacGyver'' multiple times, in the season three episodes "Blow Out" and "The Endangered", as a cement truck driver and Wyatt Porter, respectively. Additionally, he was Dana Elcar's stunt double.
- Peter Jurasik , MacGyver's shortlived ornithologist friend from "Trumbo's world", became Londo Mollari on Babylon 5 .
- MacGyver's Swiss Army Knife went through a few changes over the early episodes. His first and most often used knife was a "Tinker" model from Victorinox . In "Thief of Budapest" he gives it away; in the next episode he is using a "Traveler" model from Wenger . He is soon back to his "Tinker." At one point he uses an Orange Peeler blade; probably from a Victorinox "Executive." He may have used an older model "Explorer" from Victorinox later in the series. He also used the Sportsman "Lost Love pt. 1 and 2", the Recruit "GX-1", and the Climber "Three for the Road." In "Tough Boys" he uses a Tinker (with the key ring removed) to unlock a large padlock. He also had a couple of non-production models that were obviously modified for the series. In "Serenity," he has a knife with wood handles on it, to flow with the time setting of the episode. In "Strictly Business" he used a knife with the Victorinox shield on the back handle of the knife instead of the front. He seems to have used all of the slimmer models available at that time. The Tinker was (and still is) available in a slightly smaller model, which he may have used. The Sportsman, Tourist, and Spartan are virtually indistinguishable with the blades closed, so he may have used any one of these three, or only one.
- MacGyver is also known well for his incumbent " Mullet " (short on the sides, long at the back) hairstyle which has spawned many popular sites which humour this particular subculture.
- MacGyver, '' Miami Vice '', '' Magnum, P.I. '' and '' Knight Rider '' are still extremely popular in many countries such as Indonesia , The Philippines , Finland , Ukraine , Hungary and Argentina and are regularly aired on Prime-time slots.
- In the season one episode titled "" from , Peter writes a letter to Richard Dean Anderson asking him to save his dog using the enclosed items from the envelope: a rubber band, a paper clip and a straw. Anderson puts these together and hits himself in the eye with the rubber band.
- The Theme Song was written by Randy Edelman .
- The series was heavily referenced in many episodes of '' The Simpsons '', primarily detailing Patty and Selma 's obsession with the show and crush on the character, with their regular viewings of the show an unalterable element of their daily schedule. In the episode "The Black Widower" Sideshow Bob plots to kill Bart 's Aunt Selma by taking advantage of this rigidity of routine. The plan was foiled when Bart realised Selma's post-MacGyver cigarette (her only cigarette of the day, as well as after meals, since "quitting" for Bob) would ignite the gas left on by Bob. Coincidentally, Anderson is a fan of ''The Simpsons'', as is his '' Stargate SG-1 '' character, Jack O'Neill .
- Richard Dean Anderson appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons. When Patty and Selma discover he is no longer interested in MacGyver they quickly kidnap him and he is then forced to MacGyver his way out just to rekindle his interest in MacGyver.
- Richard Dean Anderson 's future ''Stargate SG-1'' co-star Michael Shanks decided to become an actor after seeing an episode of ''MacGyver'' being filmed.
- During the 2-hour pilot episode, MacGyver actually fires an AK-47 in the opening rescue sequence. His unwillingness to use guns was not yet included in the pilot, and instead became a staple of the show's subsequent episodes. (Although he refuses to fire on other people, MacGyver frequently triggers a weapon remotely, to act as a distraction for enemy guards or otherwise uses guns for inventive results.)
- In the Pilot episode, MacGyver apparently lives at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California.
