MacGyver, Jr.?

When a show gets a reboot, there's always going to be some internal conflict if the viewer watched, and liked the original. Should they like the new one, and if they do, are they disloyal to the original? If they think it is bad, is it because it is bad, or because they have such fond memories of the original? Of course, if the original was bad and the reboot is better (okay, it is rare, but it happens), then no guilt trip is necessary.

In the case of MacGyver, I have mixed feelings about the reboot. First off, I was not a major fan of the original. I remember watching the show occasionally, but I was not that into it. That struck 2016 me as strange since it is a genre (action) I happen to like especially when the hero uses brains as much or more than brawn.

I have been skimming through the original series and watching random episodes just to see what it was that made the 1980's me ambivalent about the show. Watching the first episode some memories flooded back and I had an, aha! moment. I realized I had never gotten too excited about any of the 1980's era shows. In my opinion, the 1980's was just starting to get into what I consider more mature and modern day themes. However, 1980's TV was still, for the most part, far, far away from the maturity many shows of the last decade and a half have shown.

The 1980's MacGyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson) was an aww shucks kind of guy with an almost eternally optimistic outlook. Nothing wrong with that but it tends to clash with reality and annoy people with less sunny dispositions. However, he was likable enough to be on the air from 1985 to 1992.

In the 2016 version of MacGyver, the character (played by Lucas Till) is younger, may have a few more demons and quirks than the 1980's version, and seems to be less self-confident. Of course, having a love of your life betray you, fake her death, and leave you to die, would probably shake anyone's self-confidence.

However, MacGyver is still a problem-solving genius who works for a super-secret organization that solves problems no other agency can.

Sound like a common theme?

That is one of the potential problems with the 2016 reboot. The stories so far have been routine, light, and try to show how smart, and brave (reckless?) MacGyver is under a variety of circumstances. Is it realistic? Probably not any more than the 1980's version was which after seven seasons was running out of new ways to show how brilliant the main character could be.

There has been so many brilliant problem-solving characters over the last couple of decades that the modern viewer may be a bit numb. It would be like watching magician after magician perform the same illusions over and over until after a while the awe wears off.

So far, the 2016 MacGyver episodes have not been brilliant, but they are easy to watch, and for viewers who are looking for lighter fare, this might be for you.

It is still early in the first season, but I believe that this show will only make it if the writers pull a "MacGyver" and come up with some brilliant shows that have a chance to show that MacGyver, Jr. can grow into the more mature and self-confident man that allowed the 1980's version to last for seven seasons.

If you have never seen the older version of MacGyver, what do you think of this show, and if you have seen the older show, do you think this is a reboot that has a chance of being as good or better than the original?

Check out the intro's below.