MacGyver EP Peter Lenkov Talks Original Show Connections

An updated take on TV classic MacGyver premieres tonight (September 23) at 8PM on CBS — you can read all of our previous coverage about the series here. The new show stars Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class) as Angus “Mac” MacGyver with CSI favorite George Eads as Jack Dalton, the character originally played by Bruce McGill in the original series.

The show itself is what one would expect MacGyver to be: It has explosions, it has gadgets, and it has intrigue. And — if viewers listen closely enough — they’ll spot some references and connections to the original show that they might be expecting. For example, Sandrine Holt’s character Patricia Thornton is named with a nod to MacGyver’s original closest ally and contact Pete Thornton, as played by Dana Elcar in the first series.

“If you’re a fan of the original show, you’ll see a lot of those kind of references,” Executive Producer Peter Lenkov told us at the CBS portion of the Television Critics Association press tour in August. The naming of that character isn’t the only nod to the late Dana Elcar – in the first episode, Thornton actually uses the alias of “Elcar.” “If people know the show, they’ll make those connections,” Lenkov said.

Unlike the original show, which mostly featured MacGyver, Pete Thornton, and the occasional appearance by the Jack Dalton character, the new series is a bit of an ensemble, as Lenkov sees family and a support system as a vital ingredient for the new show. “I just wanted to have MacGyver be able to interact with people on a regular basis and grow a family and really, from that, it’s trying to give characters that you tune in for every week, that you find interesting, and grow with the lead,” he explained.

Such an approach to an ensemble has worked well for Lenkov in the past on his other big CBS show, Hawaii Five-0… and yes, there’s a reference to that series on MacGyver as well. “There is a little wink to it, yeah,” Lenkov confirms. Would there be any legal hurdles to jump over to do an actual crossover? “No,” the producer told us. “We’d just need CBS to say yes.”

Ultimately, Lenkov is confident that fans of the original series will enjoy the new one, and he promised that the people involved take this legacy very seriously. “Everybody making [MacGyver] is a fan of that show, so it’s really coming from the right place,” he assured.

MacGyver airs Friday nights at 8PM on CBS.