Television series

MacGyver

Name: MacGyver
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure
Released: 2016
Cast: Lucas Till, Justin Hires, Tristin Mays, Meredith Eaton, George Eads

Other titles called MacGyver: the 1985 series (ABC).

A slick reboot of the '80s classic, this MacGyver follows a brilliant young problem-solver using improvisation and science to complete covert missions. It's zippy, globe-trotting action with a lighter touch than prestige drama—fun rather than gritty, emphasis on ingenuity over gunplay. For anyone who wants spy thrills without the torture or existential dread.

TVMaze rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a lone-genius problem solver who fixes a dire situation with whatever is lying around, and you're happy for the cleverness to be the main event rather than the characters' inner lives.

Skip it if you want a show that's sharp about its emotions or grounded in realism, since the gadget-improvising can stretch credibility and the team banter often plays lighter than the stakes.

What it asks of you: An hour per episode and a long run of them, 94 in all across five seasons. Its pace is brisk and episodic, so you can dip in and out without losing the thread.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Leverage2008

A tight ensemble pulls off impossible heists with brains and charm. Like MacGyver, it's about clever people solving problems creatively, and it shares that same *just barely pulled it off* energy that makes you smile.

But The con-artist formula repeats; if you need plot surprises over watching smart people work, you'll feel the repetition by season three.

The A-Team1983

The spiritual grandfather of this show: a ragtag team, improvised solutions, practical effects you can actually see working. MacGyver owes it everything. Pure escapism with genuine affection for its characters.

But It's 40 years old and looks it. The pacing is slower, the action less polished. You're watching TV from a different era.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout2018

Tom Cruise doing practical problem-solving under pressure at a blockbuster budget. Real stunts, real ingenuity, high stakes. This is what MacGyver episodes aspire to look like on a movie budget.

But It's a two-and-a-half-hour commitment and relies on knowing the previous films. The plot is less important than the set pieces; some find that exhausting rather than exhilarating.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from MacGyver

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mythbusters2003

Both celebrate practical problem-solving and unconventional resourcefulness. MacGyver dramatizes the fantasy; Mythbusters shows the reality. Same instinct, different delivery.

Adam and Jamie solve real-world problems through experimentation, improvisation, and scientific method. It's the pure essence of MacGyver's DNA—the joy of seeing *how things actually work*—without the spy plot wrapper. Hypnotic if you like watching people think.

But It's not narrative television. There's no story, no character arc, no conflict beyond 'will this work?' Some find that boring; it requires a different kind of attention than drama.

Arrow2012

A globe-trotting vigilante with a team, weekly high-stakes missions, and genuine emotional stakes. Shares MacGyver's structure: diverse ensemble, exotic locations, problems solved through creativity as much as action.

But The first season is clunky; it finds its groove later. Also, it leans into superhero melodrama, which is a different tone than MacGyver's lighter adventure.

The Equalizer2014

Denzel Washington as a problem-solver who uses ingenuity and resourcefulness as much as force. Methodical, clever action filmmaking with a real moral center. Smart spy-craft without the espionage bureaucracy.

But It's grittier and more serious in tone. If you're watching MacGyver for the lightness and humor, this won't feel like a natural companion.

Chuck2007

A comedic spy-adventure about regular people in extraordinary situations, with genuine heart and humor balancing the action. It nails the tone MacGyver reaches for: thrilling but never grim.

But It's network TV comedy that ages visibly; some jokes land flat now. The first episode is rough; it takes time to find its footing.

Person of Interest2011

A team using surveillance and smarts to stay one step ahead of threats. Premise-driven, morally complex, and the ensemble builds genuine chemistry. Like MacGyver's best missions: problem-solving under pressure with real consequences.

But It gets darker and more serialized as it goes; early-season standalone episodes are more fun than late-season mythology-heavy arcs.

Severance2022

Both feature ensembles of talented underdogs working in secret against larger institutions. But where MacGyver is about winning through ingenuity and teamwork, Severance is about moral compromise and systems that can't be beaten.

A sci-fi thriller about a team using ingenuity to uncover a conspiracy within their corporate overlords. Visually stunning, genuinely unsettling, and structured around clever problem-solving under impossible constraints. Prestige production design meets puzzle-box plotting.

But It's deliberately mysterious and withholding—some answers never come. The tone is tense and eerie, not fun. If you want resolution and lightness, this offers neither.

Midnight Run1988

Both hinge on resourcefulness and improvisation in high-stakes situations, but Midnight Run does it through character and dialogue rather than gadgetry. It's MacGyver's emotional cousin: problems solved because these people are clever and quick-thinking, not because of plot devices.

Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin on a cross-country chase: two people with competing agendas forced to rely on quick thinking and improvisation. It's a two-hour buddy action-comedy that feels like a perfect MacGyver episode blown up to feature scale, with genuine heart underneath.

But It's 35 years old and unmistakably '80s. The pacing is leisurely by modern standards, and if you need constant action beats, you'll find stretches slow.