MacGyver – The Complete First Season
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: C+
Hoping to cash in on the following for Indiana Jones,
Henry Winkler co-produced an hour-long action show created by Lee David
Zlotoff, about a Mr. Science-type who was very able-bodied for action. Before Martha Stewart put things together in
ways no one could have ever expected, here was Richard Dean Anderson in the
title role of MacGyver, who could stop nuclear reactions with chocolate
bars and was a walking encyclopedia of science knowledge.
I always thought the show was very contrived, and now
looking back at The Complete First Season, I can see that only the Cold
War made this feasible to viewers. The
show launched in 1985 and was a moderate hit for a very troubled ABC
Network. They stayed with moderate hits
when cable and NBC were killing them.
With Capital Cities having bought them, budgets were cut to nothing and
the network barely got by until Disney bought them up. The show had a troubled start, as the pilot
show and later show The Heist had the pseudonym of Alan Smithee used
where the director’s name belonged.
These are the following shows from the first season,
including key stars and directors, plus airdates:
1) MacGyver
Pilot (9/29/85, guest stars Michael Lerner & Dana Elcar)
2) The
Golden Triangle (10/6/85, directed by Donald Petrie)
3) The
Thief Of Budapest (10/13/85, guest stars Michael Constantine)
4) The
Gauntlet (10/21/85, guest stars John Vernon and Robin Curtis)
5) The
Heist (11/3/85)
6) Trumbo’s
World (11/10/85, directed by Donald Petrie)
7) Last
Stand (11/17/85)
8) Hellfire
(11/27/85)
9) The
Prodigal (12/8/85, directed by Alexander Singer)
10) Target
MacGyver (12/22/85)
11) Nightmares (1/15/86)
12) Deathlock (1/22/86)
13) Flame’s End (1/29/86, guest stars
Robert Englund)
14) Countdown (2/5/86)
15) The Enemy Within
(2/12/86, guest stars Lynn-Holly Johnson)
16) Every Time She Smiles
(2/19/86, guest stars Teri Hatcher)
17) To Be A Man (2/2/6/86, guest stars
Persis Khambatta & Sid Haig)
18) Ugly Duckling
(3/12/86)
19) Slow Death (2/26/86, directed by
Don Weis)
20) The Escape (4/2/86, guest stars
Kristine Wayborn and John DeLancie; directed by Don Chaffey)
21) A Prisoner Of Confidence
(4/30/86)
22) The Assassin
(5/7/86)
Terry Nation, a veteran of Dr. Who and The
Avengers, wrote some of the early “gambit” segments that opened the show to
see if “Mac” as he was known, could get out of trouble and how. This was enough of a hook to get the show to
run for seven seasons, but it was never that good a show and meant for younger
audiences, though not too young. The
show never had any edge, and Anderson always slept-walked through his dialogue
and was the George Lazenby of U.S. action TV, even if he survived better.
The show somehow survived the fall of The Cold War, but
these episodes sure don’t, especially when “Mac” goes in and out of The Middle
East at will. At times, it is almost
insulting, though not intended that way.
Also, to spoon-feed the audience, “Mac” over-explained everything too
much, which always held back any potential action edge. Anderson himself ended the show, knowing he
would have pushing it too much and went on to the bizarre TV version of Stargate
that was also inexplicably a big hit on cable TV. This is at least a good nostalgia piece for fans.
Tak Fujimoto, who remains Jonathan Demme’s main
cinematographer on his feature films ranging from classics like The Silence
Of The Lambs to disastrous remakes like The Manchurian Candidate and
horrid Charade remake The Truth About Charlie, shot the full
frame 1.33 X 1 image early on for the show.
The color is not great on any of these prints, but the show was never
very colorful. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Mono is not bad, better than usual for Paramount’s recent releases. The Randy Edelman theme is cheesier than
ever, though maybe that is part of the appeal of this show to fans. There are no extra, but maybe something will
surface on later boxed sets. For now, MacGyver
- The Complete First Season is a basic set that should make fans happy.
- Nicholas Sheffo
