How could anyone NOT be a fan of MacGyver? For the seven seasons it aired (1985 – 1992), audiences were treated to a hero who didn’t drink, didn’t smoke and didn’t even carry a gun. He was able to find a way out of almost any bad situation using only his wits and whatever everyday objects he could find around him. Science was his weapon, and he wielded it well. Need an explosive device? Just hand the man a stick of chewing gum. “MacGyver” starred a then unknown Richard Dean Anderson in the title role as an agent of sorts who worked for a group known as the “Phoenix Foundation.” Every episode would pit him against some villainous corporate type or drug dealer (who are basically the same thing anyway) and would typically get himself caught in some deadly trap. But that was never a problem for our resourceful here. If there was a stick of chewing gum, a paper clip and a shoelace around, he’d find a way to use them to get out of whatever scrape he was in.

Last year, Paramount Home Entertainment released the 1st season of “MacGyver” in a massive 6-disc set, and I for one could not have been happier. I have been a huge of Anderson’s for quite some time, most recently enjoying his portrayal of Colonel Jack O’Neill on the superlative “Stargate SG-1.” Oddly enough, his character there is similar to MacGyver, at least when it comes down to his attitude. The highlight of either series is often his character’s innate sarcastic sense of humor. Never the one to back down from anyone, he’s always ready with a great insult. (I do want to mention in the 1st season of “Stargate” there was a great comment thrown out by one of the other lead characters commenting on O’Neill’s ability to ‘MacGyver’ himself out of a situation.)

Now Paramount is following the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th seasons with a brand new DVD set which includes all 19 episodes from the 5th season, set up in air date order. Continuing to watch the series again, after so many years, I was reminded that it was indeed a guilty pleasure. While the science used to explain MacGyver’s devices was generally correct, the show itself was a little on the cheesy side. Sometimes the special effects were hindered by budget, and the guest stars were a little less than stellar in the acting department, but still the show had heart, and it was a heck of a lot of fun to watch. Admittedly a big part of the draw was Anderson himself, who is ultimately always watchable.

The 2nd and 3rd seasons had firmly established the series, but with the 4th season I was admittedly starting to see a little bit of a lull in the overall plotting. The episodes were still enjoyable, but in some areas were getting a little more far-fetched. The 5th season doesn’t really fair much better, BUT the overall fun of the series still makes it worth a watch.

The episodes are presented in full screen, which I expected as they were shot for TV, but I was a little surprised that the transfers weren’t all that polished. They definitely are watchable, but there didn’t seem to be an attempt to clean them up. After the first couple of sets I thought Paramount might try to improve the overall look, but there is still a lot of grain evident in a most of the episodes. There are also more than just occasional specks and spots, but not so much as to be overtly annoying. It just would have been nice to have pristine copies of the series, taking full advantage of the DVD format.

Another small setback for the set is the lack of special features. This has been the case with a lot of the older TV series releases from Paramount, I’m sure in an attempt to keep costs down for shows that might not have a huge consumer appeal. But still, since fans are really the ones who are going to buy these sets, having an interview or commentary (especially if they could snag Anderson) would go a long way to making the purchase an even more worthwhile one. This is the 5th season without extras, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed we’ll see some in future sets.

Ah well, aside from these little nitpicks, I enjoyed being able to revisit an old favorite series like “MacGyver” and will welcome the eventual release of all seven seasons.

Episodes:
The Legend of the Holy Rose, Part 1
The Legend of the Holy Rose, Part 2
The Black Corsage
Cease Fire
Second Chance
Halloween Knights
Children of Light
Black Rhino
The Ten Percent Solution
Two Times Trouble
The Madonna
Serenity
Live and Learn
Log Jam
The Treasure of Manco
Jenny's Chance
Deep Cover
The Lost Amadeus
Hearts of Steel
Rush to Judgment
Passages

Starring: Richard Dean Anderson
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital English Mono
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 3/14/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give MacGyver: Season 5 a B-.