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| Lucas Till is CBS' new 21st-Century MacGyver. |
For
decades after the original MacGyver
hung up his tool belt, the character’s very name has remained as a verb in our
pop culture lexicon. This fall, CBS will
bring “MacGyver-ing” – meaning the creative use of science to escape a sticky
situation – back to the tip of everyone’s tongue.
“We
know just which touchstones to hit and boxes to check to make our new MacGyver satisfying to fans of the [1985-92]
original, and yet keep it slick and modern to entice new fans, too,” says the
2016 show’s executive producer Peter Lenkov, who successfully conquered the
reboot once before with Hawaii Five-0. To that end, Lenkov promises at least two “MacGyver-isms”
per episode – and a reprise of the character traits that made MacGyver unique
as a crimefighter.
“So
many shows today solve every crime with a keystroke, but MacGyver does things
differently,” Lenkov explains. “He’s a
guy who can get out of any situation without having to pull a gun or throw a punch,
and that’s fresh in the marketplace today.
I love the fact that, unlike any other hero on TV, his superpower is his
brain.”
Embodying
the leading man whom Lenkov calls “the best-looking science geek you’ll ever
meet” is Lucas Till, who has already earned his heroic stripes playing Havok,
most recently in X-Men: Apocalypse. He’s joined by former CSI star George Eads as the quippy ex-CIA agent Jack Dalton, a
character who made recurring appearances in the original series but now emerges
more in the forefront as a regular member of MacGyver’s team.
Although
he was born late in the original series’ run, Till had caught it in reruns, and
was soon a devoted fan. With a
background seemingly tailor-made for the character – Till’s mother is a
chemist, and his father in the military – the actor has quickly become
comfortable spouting chemical terms and working with improvised gadgets;
recently, in fact, he wowed friends by sparking a flame with just a gum wrapper
and 12-volt battery. It’s a party trick
he learned from his dad, whom friends had long ago nicknamed “MacGyver.”
“Growing
up, my dad would hijack some of my school projects that needed to be
‘MacGyvered,’ I guess you’d say. And I’d
end up walking into school with a Pinewood derby car that I really didn’t have
anything to do with,” Till remembers with a laugh. “My mom had been the one to take me to most
of my auditions as a kid, and to understand the ins and outs of my coming up as
an actor.”
“But
now,” he adds, “ever since I got MacGyver,
my dad has not only told all his friends, but he’s called me every day with a
new idea to put on the show.”
Fridays
at 8PM Eastern
Begins
September 23
