Paramount released MacGyver: The Complete Collection on DVD on April 7.
Is there any fictional character so ubiquitous as MacGyver? Maybe Jesus, or Batman, but how often do you hear the last names of these gentlemen being used as a verb? Most earthbound people have read or heard a bible story, or seen a cartoon, film or comic book involving Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego, but no one needs to have watched a single episode the show that made Richard Dean Anderson famous to know what it means to “MacGyver it”. Hell, how many television shows can boast that kind of titular appropriation? It’s not like every time you mistake a conversation you overhear for crazy sex, people say, “Dude, you totally Three’s Company’d that.” Now, this worldwide phenomenon is available in an all-new DVD release at a lower price, and I was thoroughly charmed and intrigued by the many episodes I selected to familiarize myself with the series.
Macgyver premiered on ABC in 1985, and it slowly gained a sizable fan base by the middle of its second season. Creators Lee David Zlotoff, Henry Winkler (yes, THAT Henry Winkler) and John Rich selected Richard Dean Anderson as the series’ soon-to-be iconic protagonist for a fairly simple reason: he played the character like a normal guy. Apparently most of the hopeful actors offered boatloads of machismo to the role, and I can’t imagine how ridiculous that would be. Masculine bravado seems completely unfitting for the character, compared to the instant appeal of Anderson’s calm, unassuming confidence. He just an average man (except for his being a walking physical science textbook), and he can fix any problem with any tool.
That seems to be a kind of subtext to the show’s central draw. Viewers showed up every week to see what MacGyver’s latest insane troubleshoot would be, but I can see how the character might be held aloft as the ultimate blue collar, middle class hero. In the mid-80s, while only the wealthy thrived, here was a guy on TV, mullet-clad, who could save the day, every time, using only the seemingly worthless crap which surrounded him. Stuck in any environment, he could affect change worldwide simply because he was handy. He almost made it look too easy. Okay, he did make it look way too easy. The series dials down the ridiculous slightly as it moved along, but the earliest episodes featured a lot of successful experiments that bordered on pseudo-science. The fundamental elements were usually right, but there were always a few too many other factors the show ignored that would have collapsed his brilliant schemes. Not only did his jury-rigging always work, it always worked perfectly. Is there a more classic male fantasy than that?
Next to its eponymous hero, the troubleshoots were practically the only new developments the writers offered on a weekly basis. In a series with only one constantly recurring cast member (MacGyver, himself), we aren’t treated to whole lost of character development, or lofty story arcs. For seven seasons, MacGyver mostly found himself in a new pickle (or an entire jar of them), and he found his way out (often with the help of some colorful loner… this show loved loners). Apparently, that was enough for the majority of the viewership. Hey, it’s an entertaining and imaginative shtick. Who wouldn’t keep coming back for more? The series was at its finest, however, when the most important recurring character would return, usually with the biggest pickle jar MacGyver ever faced.
Murdoc, the possibly indestructible arch nemesis, first appeared toward the end of the second season. Played by big-hair, glam-rock, British-force-of-nature, Michael Des Barres, Murdoc brought darker tones, higher stakes, and way more intensity with him in only one episode per season until the show was canceled. He was a perfect nemesis to MacGyver. He was clever, methodical, good with elaborate schemes, and he even had a mullet. But, he was evil! I wasn’t kidding about his being indestructible. Murdoc died (or DID he!?!?!?) at the end of every episode in which he was featured, usually screaming, “MACGYVER!” on his painful way out (we’re talking like… “falling off a mountain” painful). I cannot describe to you what a joy the Murdoc episodes are. You could practically watch all six of them and forget about the rest of the series, especially once you reach the crowning achievement, “Cleo Rocks”. Featuring Teri Hatcher as an old friend of our hero, Murdoc has written, cast, and directed an entire rock opera about Cleopatra all for the sake of capturing MacGyver! That insanity is only the beginning of this truly incredible 45 minutes of television.
The series might not have been masterfully edited, shot, acted, or written, but the entertainment value is more than obvious. This low-rent 007 understandably had little trouble creating an enduring legacy in American popular culture at a time when there was still a distinct line drawn between television and cinema. Today, shows like BURN NOTICE (clearly influenced by MacGyver) demonstrate what a series like this could have done with the higher standards of modern techniques. Who knows, maybe the line will be further blurred in the near future…
… when a new MacGyver movie is released in theaters. That, my friends, is the word on the street.
THE PACKAGE
This neat little set comes in a relatively slim package. The lid reveals two little duct-taped “bomb” boxes containing the many discs. They fold out, rolodex-style, for easier disc selection. I’m afraid this meager design has caused a good deal of scratching, just in the process of delivering the set to my door. Fortunately, I can say the damage must only be cosmetic, since every disc played perfectly. The image looks about as good as a show from the ’80s would look without any remastering on DVD. Can’t really complain.
It may not offer an overwhelming amount of special features, but you do get the complete series, plus the two feature length films produced for TV a couple years after the show came to an end. I watched The Lost Treasure Of Atlantis which cast none-other-than the amazing Brian Blessed alongside MacGyver. These movies are every bit as much fun as the original series.
The package also includes a handy episode guide in case the owner isn’t aware of the Internet. Since you are reading this, you must be aware, so go buy: here.
