When the television series MacGyver first came on the air in 1985, few could’ve predicted
what a pop-culture sensation the show was going to become.
The series aired on ABC and became a gigantic hit for the network.
A big part of the show’s appeal was the star who played its titular character.
Of course, that star is Richard Dean Anderson, and he’s still around today!
While MacGyver arguably could’ve lasted much longer due to its immense popularity,
the show ended up coming to an end after its seventh season.
Many fans have wondered over the years why the show ended its run so abruptly during
what was arguably the height of its popularity, and Richard Dean Anderson has never been afraid
to answer.
Join Facts Verse as Richard Dean Anderson confirms why MacGyver had to be canceled.
MacGyver Preferred Gadgets to Guns MacGyver premiered on the ABC network in 1985
and lasted for seven seasons before coming to an end in 1992.
Over the course of those years, it seemed like the popularity of the show and its titular
character was going to be unstoppable.
However, all good things come to an end!
Despite the fact that the show came to an end in 1992, its impact on popular culture
will likely continue to be seen for some time.
Even for audience members that have never seen the show, the general conceit of MacGyver
is so ubiquitous that it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t have at least a cursory
awareness of both its premise and its main character.
That main character would be the titular Angus MacGyver, who preferred the use of gadgets
to guns.
One of the reasons that MacGyver became such a hit with audiences was because of the cleverness
of its main character.
MacGyver was a spy with an aversion to using traditional firearms.
Instead of resorting to brute force to take down the bad guys, each episode of MacGyver
showcased its titular character using some kind of homemade contraption, fashioned out
of whatever inane objects happened to be lying around him at the time, to save the day.
This gimmick drew audience members in with ease, as viewers were always excited to see
what random objects MacGyver would make use of to save the day the next time.
MacGyver certainly had a great titular character at its disposal, but that main character would’ve
been nothing without the actor who portrayed him.
The actor who portrayed the character of MacGyver over the course of the show was Richard Dean
Anderson.
Before MacGyver came on the air, Richard was a relatively unknown soap-opera star that
was looking to make it big.
MacGyver and its titular character paved the road for Richard to live his dreams, and the
actor remains incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play his iconic role on the
series.
Despite this, Richard wasn’t even remotely upset when MacGyver came to an end after seven
seasons, and completely refused to have anything to do with the show’s modern reboot, which
has recently been canceled.
While one might assume that Richard’s attitude towards MacGyver indicates that he doesn’t
have fond memories of the show, the actor actually refused to participate in the reboot
out of respect for fans.
Richard Dean Anderson Refused to Approve of the Reboot
Richard Dean Anderson refused to return in any capacity for the recent MacGyver reboot
because he felt that the reboot wasn’t showing enough respect to fans.
The reboot came on the air in 2016 and featured actor Lucas Till taking over the titular role
from Richard.
While Richard only had well wishes for Lucas, the star claimed that he wanted nothing to
do with what he felt was going to be a disastrous reboot.
Richard was particular worried that fans would be rubbed the wrong way if they caught wind
of his involvement.
Of course, Richard being involved with the reboot in any capacity would’ve indicated
to fans that the new show had his approval, which it apparently did not.
The reboot went through production hell before finally seeing the light of day in the mid-2010s,
and Richard expressed disdain at the lack of a cohesive vision behind the scenes of
the new series.
Given Richard Dean Anderson’s reasoning for not wanting to be involved with the recent
MacGyver reboot, it’s not hard to see that the original MacGyver actor has a good deal
of integrity and plenty of loyalty to his fans.
Believe it or not, this integrity and loyalty also played a part in the original series
coming to an end when it did.
While MacGyver was popular enough that the series could’ve lasted for many, many more
years and still turned a profit, Richard Dean Anderson and the rest of the show’s creative
staff felt that the program had run its course after seven seasons and wanted to ensure that
the program went out on a high note.
The fact that MacGyver went out on a high note after only seven seasons may be why the
show has preserved in the popular culture for so long!
Beyond the recent reboot, some big nods that have been given to MacGyver over the years
include the “MacGruber” series of sketches, which aired on Saturday Night Live.
These sketches featured Will Forte in the role of MacGruber, who was a parody of MacGyver.
The character of MacGruber was even given his own movie, which would’ve never happened
without MacGyver!
Another reason that Richard Dean Anderson wanted MacGyver to come to an end was because
the titular role was physically demanding.
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Why Was the Original MacGyver Cancelled?
MacGyver ended up airing its final episode in the spring of 1992, and fans were devastated!
The show was arguably as popular at the time as it had ever been, and it has continued
to be popular in reruns since coming to an end.
As established, it wasn’t poor ratings or an excessive budget that caused MacGyver to
come to an end, but rather a mutual feeling amongst the show’s cast and crew that the
series had simply run its course creatively.
Of course, it’s possible that the writers simply ran out of ideas for new, inane objects
for MacGyver to save the day with…
While everyone involved with MacGyver felt that the show was simply ready to end by 1992,
star Richard Dean Anderson had another reason for wanting the seventh season of the popular
series to be its last.
According to Richard, the physical demands of playing the show’s titular character
could be a little much.
Richard was already well into his 30s by the time he was given the chance to play the show’s
titular character.
Meanwhile, Lucas Till was nearly a decade younger when it came time for him to take
over the titular role on the 2016 MacGyver reboot.
By the spring of 1992, Richard Dean Anderson was 42 years old and no longer felt like convincing
audiences that he was in good enough shape to be a superspy.
This conviction is another thing that shows how much Richard has always respected MacGyver’s
audience, as it could be argued that he didn’t feel that the show’s target demographic
would be willing to buy him in the role of its main character any longer.
Although Richard Dean Anderson had enough of the role of MacGyver following MacGyver’s
end in 1992, the actor continued working consistently up until the early 2010s.
Since MacGyver, Richard’s most notable work has been his role on the series Stargate SG-1.
That series came on the air in 1997 and stayed on the air until 2007.
Since the end of Stargate SG-1, the show has lived on in the form of several continuations,
which have also featured Richard in his role.
Richard Has Found Plenty of Success Since MacGyver
The show Stargate SG-1 was based upon the 1994 science-fiction film Stargate, which
was a major success and starred Kurt Russell in the role of Jack O’Neill.
When it came time for the film to be turned into a television series, movie star Kurt
Russell wasn’t interested in committing.
Instead, the producers of the new series looked at veteran television actor Richard Dean Anderson
to take his place.
Thus, Richard stepped into Kurt’s shoes and took over the role of Jack O’Neill.
Today, it’s arguable that there are just as many fans of Richard Dean Anderson’s
portrayal of Jack O’Neill as there are of his portrayal of Angus MacGyver.
Richard Dean Anderson’s last work on the screen came via an appearance on the now-cult-classic
television series Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.
Richard appeared as himself in a 2013 episode of the short-lived show, which premiered in
2012.
The MacGyver reboot would then come on the air several years later, and it’s not clear
how much of a part the producers of that reboot wanted to give Richard when they extended
their offer for him to be involved.
According to Richard, his intended involvement in the recent reboot series may have been
purely on a promotional level.
Still, Richard flat-out refused to be involved in any capacity whatsoever.
The MacGyver reboot was recently cancelled, with its fifth and final season have finished
its run in 2021.
Richard Dean Anderson is now 72 years old, and it seems that he spends most of his current
days attending fan conventions and reliving his glory years.
With the actor having portrayed the lead character on two major shows, Richard certainly isn’t
without his fair shares of fans.
The integrity that Richard has displayed over the years has only made his base of fans grow
stronger, though it remains to be seen if the aging actor will ever return to television.
Although Richard Dean Anderson wanted MacGyver to end after seven seasons and refused to
be involved with the show’s recent reboot, it seems that the actor has nothing but the
utmost respect for the original series and the titular role that he played on it.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Richard Dean Anderson refused to
participate in the recent MacGyver reboot and that the original MacGyver star is still
around today at the age of 72?
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