The TV Column

Rebooted MacGyver good enough for renewal

The new MacGyver stars George Eads (left) and Lucas Till. The series has already been renewed by CBS for a second season.
The new MacGyver stars George Eads (left) and Lucas Till. The series has already been renewed by CBS for a second season.

So. How has the MacGyver reboot stacked up for you?

Or, as CBS labels it, the "re-imagining."

The original MacGyver, starring a 35-year-old mulleted Richard Dean Anderson as secret agent Angus "Mac" MacGyver, debuted on ABC in 1985 and ran for seven seasons. The show's main shtick was that the gun-eschewing MacGyver could handle most life-or-death circumstances with a paper clip, bubblegum, a Swiss Army knife and roll of duct tape.

Really. Technical advisers tested and validated the efficacy of all MacGyver's gadgets and gizmos.

Last fall, CBS honchos felt enough time had passed for them to revive the series with a younger, hipper star in the title role for their latest ensemble action series.

And let's face it, CBS has a thing for action adventures and rarely strays far from the formula.

The new role was landed by 26-year-old Lucas Till, best known for playing superhero Alex Summers/Havok in the X-Men film series. His last one was X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016.

Fortunately, Till's MacGyver doesn't have access to Havok's plasma blasts, or the series would lose all its panache.

In the reboot, MacGyver still works for a clandestine government outfit where he saves the world by using his freakish talent for problem solving and his vast scientific knowledge.

Joining Mac as his partner on dangerous missions around the world is former CIA agent Jack Dalton, played with good ol' boy machismo by George Eads. The 50-year-old Eads is best known for his 15 seasons (335 episodes) as Nick Stokes on CSI.

Jack may be "The Muscle," and Mac "The Brains," but every TV action series worth its ratings these days needs demographic-pleasing, racially diverse, formulaic team members to spread the interest.

(See every show from Scorpion and NCIS to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Zoo.)

In the new MacGyver, we have "The Boss" Matty Weber (Meredith Eaton), the tough new director of operations at the Phoenix Foundation.

There's also "The Hacker" Riley Davis (Tristin Mays), a fetching young computer wizard with a chip on her shoulder.

And, for comic relief, MacGyver has his best friend and roommate, Wilt Bozer, who is played by actor/comedian Justin Hires from the short-lived CBS series Rush Hour.

Season 1 of MacGyver comes to an end at 7 p.m. Friday. If you've enjoyed it so far, you'll be happy to learn the series is on a long list of CBS shows that will be back next year.

In the past, most networks have waited until the May upfront advertising presentations to make their big announcements as to what is returning in the fall (or spring), which new series have been added to the lineup and which have been cancelled.

That seems to be slowly changing as early renewals are becoming increasingly popular.

On March 23, CBS announced 18 shows -- a good chunk of the schedule -- that will be returning. In addition to MacGyver, the dramas Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, and Hawaii Five-0 were renewed, along with the comedies Mom, Kevin Can Wait and Life in Pieces, and the workhorse reality show Survivor, now in its 34th season.

Also coming back are the freshman series Bull, Man With a Plan and Superior Donuts, as well as old favorites NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Scorpion, 48 Hours and the venerable 60 Minutes, which debuted in 1968.

The Big Bang Theory and NCIS had previously been announced as returning -- Big Bang getting a two-year commitment.

If your favorite CBS program is missing from the list, don't start to panic. Yet.

There could be any number of reasons -- from salary holdouts and licensing deals, to serious reconsideration -- for a series not to get an early renewal.

On the CBS waiting list are the dramas Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Elementary and Code Black. Also in the wings are the sitcoms 2 Broke Girls and The Odd Couple.

New series waiting to hear their official fates are Pure Genius, Training Day, Doubt, The Great Indoors and Ransom.

Doubt, starring Katherine Heigl, was unceremoniously yanked after two episodes because of low ratings, and Training Day was quietly eased over to Saturdays (where nobody watches) following the sudden death of star Bill Paxton.

Also out there in the wind is The Amazing Race, currently in its 29th season. The series has suffered declining ratings for several years and that's never a good sign.

At any rate, we still have about a month to wait. The upfronts begin May 15 with Fox. ABC follows on May 16, with CBS on the 17th, The CW on the 18th and NBC wrapping things up on May 18th.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

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Weekend on 04/13/2017

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