Notes: The new “MacGyver”, with Lucas Till as the adventurous nerd, is a demonstration of how TV has changed since Richard Dean Anderson was demonstrating the many uses of common household objects.
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To answer this question, first understand that Patty and Selma Bouvier, twin sisters of Marge Simpson, are defined by a handful of traits: their low voices, raspy from a smoking habit, their jobs as public servants at the DMV, and their undying love for “MacGyver” and its original star, “the three greatest names in the history of television”, Richard Dean Anderson. I think that is so unique in a world of so many superheroes and in a world of James Bond and Jason Bourne and all that, it’s so cool to have a guy like this that is nearly like a throwback Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones-esque character in a lot of ways.
The bad guys are so bad they are British and say things like “hand it over”; the good guys are nearly undone by their goodness, and for some reason, Mac feels he must dissolve “tin foil” in homemade acid to create the smoke that sets off the distracting fire alarm. Lifting more than a few swerves from the Mission Impossible franchise, this new MacGyver somehow even manages to make the science gimmick tiresome. But in the new version, however, the chemistry between Dalton and MacGyver seems to be better-friendlier. Sadrine Holt plays Patricia and she shares that her character is the serious one. “It’s not impossible what we’re doing, but it’s highly improbably we’d be able to accomplish those things”. “Maybe even sort of like the parent, the voice of reason”.
But never mind. Logic doesn’t come into play much in MacGyver’s pretty, shiny and completely weightless world, where little makes sense and even less matters. I know the good stuff coming up. I give Mac some type of normalcy.
Which, one assumes, is why CBS thought it would be a grand idea to bring the series back. He gets to be around a regular human being. In the trailer for the new “MacGyver”, a pair of hands are seen assembling an explosive device from a battery, a bullet, a lightbulb, and piece of wire. It’s spray cheese on saltines.
After playing a supporting mutant, Havok, in the latest trilogy of X-Men movies, Lucas Till is stepping into the lead with MacGyver, CBS’s new dramatic remake of the 1985 action series, making him one of ET’s fall TV breakout stars.
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The more critical question of cast chemistry is ultimately what sinks the ill-conceived reboot, with Till struggling to find an easy rapport with his onscreen partners. He discourages the desire for viewers to look for too many match-ups with the original show – emphasizing that for all the action components seen in the promotional footage, the new “MacGyver” will face tests of character as well.
