The MacGyver F.A.Q.
The MacGyver F.A.Q. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
The MacGyver F.A.Q.
Version 1.1
(last updated 08 February 1995)
This episode guide compiled by DXS (DXSMac[AT]aol.com) from episode guides written by Carolyn Craig, Gary Csillaghegyi (czillei[AT]aol.com), and Shari Feldman (shari[AT]cc.gatech.edu). Airdates compiled by DXS. Nielsen ratings compiled by Icecat (ap837[AT]freenet.hsc.colorado.edu).
What the Nielsen Ratings Mean-
Example: 13.8 rating, 26 share, 1st (15th overall). The first number (the rating) represents the number of households which tuned in to watch that episode. Each rating point represents about 950,000 households.
The second number (the share) is the percentage of households watching. The third and fourth numbers tell how the episode fared against its competition on the three other networks and against all of the other programs shown for the week.
(The four major U.S. networks typically show a total of about 70-80 programs each week.)
So, in this case, the series finale of "MacGyver" drew about 13.1 million viewers. 26 percent of the television sets on at the time were tuned to the show, which won its time slot and placed 15th for the week.
Regular Cast:
Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver
Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton (as of Season 2)
Recurring guest roles by:
Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton
Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker
Michael Des Barres as Murdoc
John Anderson as Harry Jackson
Created by Lee David Zlotoff
Title Theme by Randy Edelman
Executive Producers: Henry Winkler, John Rich, & Stephen Downing
FIRST SEASON
001 {untitled}
Airdate: 29 September 1985
Writer: Thackary Pallor
Director: Alan Smithee
Guest Cast: Michael Lerner as Gantner, Dana Elcar as Andy Colson,
Paul Stewart as Dr. Steubens, Michael C. Gwynne as Dr. Burke,
Olaf Pooley as Dr. Sidney Marlow, Shavar Ross as MacGyver's
"little brother," Darlanne Fluegel as Barbara Spencer.
Nielsen ratings: 10.9 rating, 17 share, 3rd (54th overall).
Opening Gambit: MacGyver rescues a downed Air Force pilot from his
Mongolian captors.
When the Government has an impossible mission, it calls on MacGyver,
a laid-back former special-forces agent. In the opener, MacGyver
is tasked to rescue scientists trapped in an underground lab protected
by a deadly security system.
002 Golden Triangle
Airdate: 06 October 1985
Opening Gambit Writer: Terry Nation
Opening Gambit Director: Donald Petrie
Writer: Dennis Foley
Director: Paul Stanley
Guest Cast: Joan Chen as Lin, George Lee Cheung as General Narai,
Clyde Kusatsu as Anek, Keye Luke as Prasert, Benjamin Lum as
Truang, Bryan Price as Chan, James Saito as Ming.
Nielsen ratings: 12.2 rating, 19 share, 3rd (51st overall).
Opening Gambit: In a junkyard, MacGyver uses a magnet to retrieve
stolen documents, then escapes a car about to be flattened.
MacGyver is mistaken for a narc when he tries to retrieve a canister
filled with a deadly chemical from the site of a plane crash in the
heart of Asia's opium trade, the "Golden Triangle."
003 Thief of Budapest
Airdate: 13 October 1985
Opening Gambit Writers: Terry Nation & Stephen Downing
Opening Gambit Director: Lee H. Katzin
Writer: Joe Viola
Director: John Patterson
Guest Cast: Michael Constantine as Jan Messic, Bruce Abbott as
Kossov, Kelly McClain as Yanna, Sue Kiel as Reena.
Nielsen ratings: 13.0 rating, 19 share, 3rd (47th overall).
OPENING GAMBIT: MacGyver retrieves a stolen horse and gets picked up
- literally - by a helicopter.
In Budapest, a young gypsy steals a watch containing microfilm that
MacGyver was supposed to receive from a Russian double agent.
004 The Gauntlet
Airdate: 21 October 1985
Opening Gambit Writer: Judy Burns
Opening Gambit Director: Lee H. Katzin
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Lee H. Katzin
Guest Cast: Robin Curtis as Kate Connelly, John Vernon as Ryerson,
Gregory Sierra as General Antonio Vasquez.
Nielsen ratings: 14.3 rating, 22 share, 2nd (44th overall).
OPENING GAMBIT: MacGyver retrieves a top-secret map, then uses it to
escape his pursuers in the desert.
MacGyver must help an investigative reporter get out of a Latin
American country with incriminating evidence which links a general
to an illegal arms dealer.
005 The Heist
Airdate: 03 November 1985>
Teleplay: James Schmerer
Writers: Larry Alexander & James Schmerer
Director: Alan Smithee
Guest Cast: Vernon Wells as Catlin, Victoria Bass as Tiffany,
John Carter as Senator Rhodes, Doran Clark as Chris Rhodes.
Nielsen ratings: 14.3 rating, 20 share, 3rd (46th overall).
In the Virgin Islands, MacGyver and a senator's daughter must
recover $60 million in stolen diamonds earmarked for an
African relief fund.
006 Trumbo's World
Airdate: 10 November 1985
Opening Gambit Writer: Stephen Kandel
Opening Gambit Director: Lee H. Katzin
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Donald Petrie
Guest Cast: David Ackroyd as Trumbo, Peter Jurasik as Dr.
Charles Alden.
Nielsen ratings: 15.6 rating, 22 share, 2nd (31st overall).
OPENING GAMBIT: In the Pyrenees, MacGyver rescues a prisoner, then
makes a daring escape with her by raft.
In Brazil, MacGyver helps a plantation owner defend his land
from an army of ants that threatens to destroy the jungle
(in clips from "The Naked Jungle," a 1954 George Pal movie).
007 Last Stand
Airdate: 17 November 1985
Writer: Judy Burns
Director: John Florea
Guest Cast: Harry Caesar as Al Tennyson, Steve Franken, Jackie
Earle Haley, Art Hindle as Dave Redding, Kay Lenz as
Kelly Nelson, Michael McGuire as Andrews, Anthony Penya,
Lewis Van Bergen as Buddy.
Nielsen ratings: 15.8 rating, 22 share, 3rd (36th overall).
MacGyver stumbles into a hostage crisis at a desert airstrip that
armored-car robbers have taken over.
008 Hellfire
Airdate: 27 November 1985
Teleplay: Stephen Kandel, James Schmerer, & Douglas Brooks West
Story: Douglas Brooks West
Director: Richard Colla
Guest Cast: Cooper Huckabee as Bill Farren, Nana Visitor as
Laura Farren, Rudy Ramos as Pete Torgut.
Nielsen ratings: 13.1 rating, 21 share, 2nd (48th overall).
In Wyoming, MacGyver visits a couple of old friends from his
hellcatting days, and turns "hellfighter" to cap an oil-well
fire that's burning out of control.
009 The Prodigal
Airdate: 08 December 1985
Teleplay: David Abramowitz
Story: Paul Savage & David Abramowitz
Director: Alexander Singer
Guest Cast: Robert Romanus as Frank Bennett, Richard Romanus
as Joey Bennett, Carl Franklin as Wiley, Angela Clarke
as Caterina Bennett.
Nielsen ratings: 11.6 rating, 17 share, 3rd (60th overall).
MacGyver is hired to arrange a new life for a protected Federal
witness, who's testifying against his mobster brother, and to
help him visit his sick mother before she dies.
010 Target MacGyver
Airdate: 22 December 1985
Opening Gambit Writer: Terry Nation
Opening Gambit Director: Lee H. Katzin
Teleplay: Mike Marvin, Stephen Kandel, & James Schmerer
Story: Mike Marvin
Director: Ernest Pintoff
Guest Cast: John Anderson as Harry Jackson, D'Mitch Davis as Axminster.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 21 share, 3rd (49th overall).
OPENING GAMBIT: Mac rescues a lady general at a beachhouse, then nabs
her kidnappers using common kitchen equipment.
While visiting his estranged grandfather in Colorado, MacGyver is
tracked and hunted down by a contract killer.
011 Nightmares
Airdate: 15 January 1986
Writer: James Schmerer
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Tammy Lauren as Lisa Allen, Dana Elcar as Pete
Thornton, Robert O'Reilly as Curt Neilson, J.P. Bumstead
as Barrett, Mike Mancini as Crisp.
Nielsen ratings: 15.9 rating, 23 share, 2nd (34th overall).
Returning from East Germany with information, MacGyver is captured
by German agents and given a mind-disorienting drug. He has 6 hours
to give up the information or die.
012 Deathlock
Airdate: 22 January 1986
Opening Gambit Writer: Jerry Ludwig
Opening Gambit Director: Cliff Bole
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Alexander Singer
Guest Cast: Wendy Schaal as Karen Blake, Christopher Neame
as Quayle, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton.
Nielsen ratings: 17.7 rating, 26 share, 1st (27th overall).
OPENING GAMBIT: Posing as a corpse, Mac escapes Berlin by
coffin-turned-jet-ski.
MacGyver is caught in a mansion that's been booby-trapped
electronically by an old nemesis.
013 Flame's End
Airdate: 29 January 1986
Teleplay: Stephen Kandel
Story: Hannah Louise Shearer
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Guest Cast: Tannis Montgomery as Any Austin, Conlan Carter as
Ed Train, Robert Englund as Tim Wexler.
Nielsen ratings: 16.0 rating, 23 share, 2nd (40th overall).
MacGyver's ex-college girlfriend discovers the theft of uranium at
a nuclear plant and thinks someone is trying to kill her.
014 Countdown
Airdate: 05 February 1986
Writers: David Ketchum & Tony DiMarco
Director: Stan Jolley
Guest Cast: Ellen Bry as Carole Tanner, Steven Williams as
Charlie Robinson, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton, Michael
Cavanaugh as Donahue.
Nielsen ratings: 15.2 rating, 23 share, 2nd (36th overall).
MacGyver and an ex-Army buddy have just hours to defuse two
sophisticated bombs aboard a cruise ship.
015 The Enemy Within
Airdate: 12 February 1986
Writer: David Abramowitz
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Victoria Fyodorova as Viktoria Tomanova, Lynn-Holly
Johnson as Ingrid Bannister, Michael W. Goodwin as Craig
Bannister, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton, Beau Starr as Lem.
Nielsen ratings: 14.9 rating, 22 share, 2nd (46th overall).
MacGyver must protect a defector who can identify the killer of
three DXS agents.
016 Every Time She Smiles
Airdate: 19 February 1986
Writer: James Schmerer
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Kai Wulff as Stephan
Frolov, Michael Fox as Burak, Milos Kirek as Petrovich.
Nielsen ratings: 15.2 rating, 23 share, 2nd (42nd overall).
MacGyver is in Bulgaria to obtain microfilm, but his plans for a
quick getaway are stymied by an American who involves him in her
lovers' quarrel with a Bulgarian security officer.
017 To Be A Man
Airdate: 05 March 1986
Writer: Don Mankiewicz
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Persis Khambatta as Zia, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton,
Sid Haig as Khalil, Allan Kolman as the Captain, Ajay Naidu as
Ahmed.
Nielsen ratings: 12.6 rating, 19 share, 2nd (47th overall).
Shot down and wounded by Soviets in Afghanistan while
recovering satellite, MacGyver is rescued, healed, and guided
out by Afghan woman and her son.
018 Ugly Duckling
Airdate: 12 March 1986
Writer: Larry Gross
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Darcy Marta as Kate Lafferty, Lee deBroux as Hatcher,
Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton, Richard McKenzie as Willis, Ned
Bellamy as Larkin.
Nielsen ratings: 15.3 rating, 23 share, 2nd (35th overall).
Black marketeers are after a 15-year-old genius who's the only one
capable of fixing their stolen missile's guidance system.
019 Slow Death
Airdate: 02 April 1986
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Don Weis
Guest Cast: Frances Bergen as Eleanor Kingman, Kenneth Danziger
as Peter Kramer, Anthony DeFonte as Hassan, Alan Fudge as
Paul Webster, Carrell Myers, Tracey Reed, Pamela Roylance
as Diana Kingman, Warwick Sims as James Grant, Mark
Tymchyshyn as Andy Ellis.
Nielsen ratings: 17.4 rating, 27 share, 2nd (23rd overall).
MacGyver's train trip through India is derailed by a hijacker seeking
revenge on two unidentified Westerners who sold his son, a
doctor, poisonous medicine.
020 The Escape
Airdate: 16 April 1986
Writers: Fred McKnight & Stephen Kandel
Director: Don Chaffey
Guest Cast: Kristina Wayborn as Sara Ashford, Paul Verdier
as Francois, John De Lancie as Brian Ashford, Miguel
Fernandes as Khan, Vic Polizos as the Commandant.
Nielsen ratings: 15.7 rating, 25 share, 1st (21st overall).
In North Africa MacGyver is hired by woman to spring her brother,
a missionary, from prison. But the scheme turns out different than
MacGyver expected.
021 A Prisoner of Conscience
Airdate: 30 April 1986
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Elya Baskin as Demetri, Larry Dobkin as Alexander
Karsoff, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton, Marvin Kaplan as
the Chess Master, Paul Koslo as Dr. Suvarin, Sharon Maughan,
Jane Merrow, Tim Rossovich as the Political Prisoner.
Nielsen ratings: 13.3 rating, 22 share, 2nd (34th overall).
MacGyver and Thornton infiltrate a Soviet mental hospital to rescue
a friend who's being held as a political prisoner.
022 The Assassin
Airdate: 07 May 1986
Writer: James Schmerer
Director: Charles Correll.
Guest Cast: Corrine Bohrer as Terry Ross, Anthony DeLongis as
Piedra, Richard Yniguez as Emilio, Dana Elcar as Pete Thornton.
Nielsen ratings: 13.6 rating, 24 share, 2nd (30th overall).
MacGyver tries to prevent the assassination of an archbishop
by a killer who's a master of disguise.
SECOND SEASON
(Note: Dana Elcar joins Richard Dean Anderson among regular cast members.)
023 The Human Factor
Airdate: 22 September 1986
Writer: Robin Bernheim
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: June Chadwick as Dr. Jill Ludlum, Peter Haskell
as Col. Scott Woodward, Peter Kwong as Steven Lee.
Nielsen ratings: 15.4 rating, 24 share, 3rd (33rd overall).
A malfunctioning computer interprets MacGyver's test of its
security system as the real thing, trapping MacGyver and
the computer's designer inside a top-secret lab with only
30 minutes of air.
024 The Eraser
Airdate: 29 September 1986
Writer: Stephen Kronish
Director: Paul Krasny
Guest Cast: Joe Santos as Jimmy Kendall, Morgan Stevens as
Simmons, Richard L. Jamison as Ralph, Henry Jones as
Charles Banning.
Nielsen ratings: 14.0 rating, 22 share, 2nd (49th overall).
MacGyver inadvertently leads a hit man to his target, a man
the Government wants alive for selling information to the
East Germans, and the mob wants dead for double-crossing
some foreign clients.
025 Twice Stung
Airdate: 06 October 1986
Teleplay: Mark Lisson & Bill Froehlich
Story: Phil Combest, Mark Lisson, & Bill Froehlich
Director: Paul Krasny
Guest Cast: Pamela Bowen as Joanna Remmings, Al Fann as
Kelly Sutton, Richard Romanus as James Crowe, Rex Ryon
as Carl, Steve Eastin as Tony.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 22 share, 3rd (50th overall).
MacGyver and Thornton operate a private sting to get
back the life savings of a friend who was swindled by a
dangerous con artist. (First clear evidence MacGyver is now
working for Phoenix Foundation).
026 The Wish Child
Airdate: 20 October 1986
Teleplay: Stephen Kandel & Bill Froehlich
Story: Stephen Kandel, Brian Lane, & Stephen Kronish
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Leon Fan as Paul Chan, James Hong as Lee Wenying,
James Paz as Ston, George Takei as Dr. Shen Wei, Tia Carrere
as Lisa Chan, Clyde Kusatsu as Sam.
Nielsen ratings: 13.1 rating, 20 share, 3rd (44th overall).
In Chinatown, MacGyver tries to rescue a friend's brother
from a scam in which he's being passed off as the
reincarnation of an ancient Chinese legend.
027 Final Approach
Airdate: 27 October 1986
Writer: Rob Hedden
Director: Alexander Singer
Guest Cast: Ramon Franco as Ramon, Pamela Gidley as Gina,
Ricky Paull Goldin as Tommy, David Harris as Luther.
Nielsen ratings: 10.3 rating, 15 share, 3rd (61st overall).
MacGyver and four street youths on a rehab program that he's
bringing home from a camping trip struggle for survival after their
plane crashes in the mountains.
028 Jack of Lies
Airdate: 03 November 1986
Writers: Kerry Lenhart & John J. Sakmar
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Patricia McPherson
as Michelle "Mike" Forester, Silvana Gallardo as Elena,
Kevyn Mayor Howard as Sonny, Gregory Sierra as Colonel Antunnez.
Nielsen ratings: 14.3 rating, 22 share, 3rd (47th overall).
Jack Dalton needs MacGyver's help to free a "botanist"
who's being held hostage in Central America by drug smugglers.
(Introduces Jack Dalton. Some commentary on MacGyver's years right
after college with Jack and Mike.)
029 The Road Not Taken
Airdate: 10 November 1986
Teleplay: Stephen Kronish
Story: Chuck Bowman
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Marilyn Jones as Debra Easton, Salome Jens as
Sister Margaret, Patrick Gorman as Gilbert Arnaud,
Dana Lee as Chanthara, Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad as Kahn.
Nielsen ratings: 14.9 rating, 23 share, 3rd (41st overall).
MacGyver meets up with his former love on a job in
Southeast Asia, where they're being pursued by government
troops after a plan to rescue a nun and some orphans.
030 Eagles
Airdate: 17 November 1986
Writer: George Lee Marshall
Director: Paul Krasny
Guest Cast: Julie Cobb as Susan Cooper, Chris Stone as Curry,
Michael MacRae as Ghant, Peter MacLean as Mr. Nistrum,
Danny Cooksey as Darin Cooper.
Nielsen ratings: 14.6 rating, 22 share, 3rd (40th overall).
While on assignment, MacGyver runs afoul of an escaped felon
who's shot and wounded a rare golden eagle.
031 Silent World
Airdate: 24 November 1986
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Mary Beth Barber as Carrie Linden, Jack Colvin
as Abel Makepeace, Geoffrey Lewis as David Crane.
Nielsen ratings: 14.4 rating, 22 share, 2nd (36th overall).
The recurring nightmares of MacGyver's deaf friend may be
the clue to finding arms dealers who have stolen a
missile-guidance system, piece by piece.
032 Three for the Road
Airdate: 15 December 1986
Teleplay: Kerry Lenhart & John J. Sakmar
Story: Rob Hedden & Mark Lisson
Director: Alan Crosland
Guest Cast: Edward Mulhare as Guy Roberts, Anne Rogers as
June Roberts, Richard Hatch as Michael Talbot,
Dennis Stewart as Tom, Michael Rider as Phil.
Nielsen ratings: 13.7 rating, 21 share, 3rd (44th overall).
MacGyver gets involved with an aging actor and his wife when his
contact is shot and dumps the evidence for a counterfeiting group
(a satchel of phony $20's) in the couple's `56 Caddy convertible.
033 Phoenix Under Seige (sic)
Airdate: 05 January 1987
Teleplay: Stephen Kronish
Story: John I. Koivula
Director: Gilbert Shilton
Guest Cast: John Anderson as Harry Jackson, Tricia O'Neil
as Victoria Charles, Richard Lineback as Phillips, Harry
Beer as Fred.
Nielsen ratings: 12.9 rating, 18 share, 3rd (52nd overall).
MacGyver and his grandfather are hunted by terrorists while
trapped at the Phoenix Foundation building.
Flashbacks reveal deaths of MacGyver's father and grandmother.
034 Family Matter
Airdate: 12 January 1987
Writer: Paul A. Magistretti
Director: Alexander Singer
Guest Cast: T. Scott Coffey as Michael Thornton, Penelope
Windust as Connie Thornton, Donald Gordon as Frank Bonner,
Beau Billingslea as Boone, Jeffrey Josephson as Obadiah Moss.
Nielsen ratings: 16.1 rating, 23 share, 3rd (31st overall).
Thornton's ex-wife and son are kidnapped and held hostage
by old DXS colleague who wants Thornton in exchange for
their release.
035 Soft Touch
Airdate: 19 January 1987
Writers: Joan Brooker & Nancy Eddo
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Robert Donner as
Vince, Vincent Schiavelli as Lyle, Michael Ensign as
Derek, Elya Baskin as Yuri Demetri.
Nielsen ratings: 16.7 rating, 23 share, 3rd (34th overall).
MacGyver becomes embroiled in an assassination plot when his
scatterbrained friend Penny Parker sees thugs torturing a Federal
agent.
036 Birth Day
Airdate: 02 February 1987
Writer: Rob Hedden
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Toni Kalem as Elaine Harryman, Joseph Lambie as
Andrew Harryman, David Crowley as Eric, Paul Drake as
Mitch, J.E. Freeman as Karl.
Nielsen ratings: 14.8 rating, 22 share, 3rd (42nd overall).
MacGyver is trapped inside an abandoned factory with a
pregnant woman who's being chased by her husband because
she has evidence that could send him back to prison.
037 Pirates
Airdate: 09 February 1987
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Bruce Kessler
Guest Cast: Marta Dubois as Dr. Barbara Ortega, Stephen M.
Gagnon as Commander Nelson, Cliff Potts as Gar Manning.
Nielsen ratings: 16.3 rating, 23 share, 3rd (31st overall).
Modern-day pirates, using Navy SEAL tactics, steal an 18th
century Spanish captain's log that could lead them to a
sunken treasure fleet.
038 Out in the Cold
Airdate: 16 February 1987
Writer: Stephen Kronish
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Jonathan Goldsmith as Jack, Deborah Wakeman as
the Ski Patrolwoman, Robert Pastorelli as Arnie, Michael
Constantine as Sam Leland.
Nielsen ratings: 17.5 rating, 24 share, 3rd (27th overall).
On a skiing trip, MacGyver is targeted by the mob after
a man secretly slips him some microfilm.
039 Dalton, Jack of Spies
Airdate: 23 February 1987
Writers: Kerry Lenhart & John J. Sakmar
Director: Bob Sweeney
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Lee Purcell as Shadow,
Alan Fudge as Jay Michaels, Curt Lowens as Stanley Berrenger,
Duane Tucker as Al, Frank L. Annese.
Nielsen ratings: 15.8 rating, 23 share, 3rd (35th overall).
Jack Dalton fakes his death to duck a CIA operation that
was supposed to ferret out a mole in the agency, but things
get complicated when he and MacGyver are framed for murder.
040 Partners
Airdate: 02 March 1987
Writers: Bill Froehlich & Mark Lisson
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Iris Alhanti as
Sara, Michael Dea Barres as Murdoc.
Nielsen ratings: 15.1 rating, 22 share, 3rd (35th overall).
On the 7th anniversary of their mutual meeting, MacGyver
and Thornton are lured into a trap by an assassin they
thought had been killed on the first case they worked
on together. (This account of Mac & Pete's first meeting conflicts
with the story presented in "Deathlock.")
First appearance of arch-nemesis Murdoc.
041 Bushmaster
Airdate: 23 March 1987
Writer: Rob Hedden
Director: Don Chaffey
Guest Cast: Sandy McPeak as Moore, John Shuck as Joe Henderson,
Rene Estevez as Kelly Henderson, Bert Rosario as Lt. Paul
Para, Alex Colon as General Salazar.
Nielsen ratings: 15.5 rating, 23 share, 3rd (35th overall).
The daughter of an American cargo pilot being held prisoner
in Latin America tags along on MacGyver's rescue mission.
042 Friends
Airdate: 06 April 1987
Writer: Stephen Kronish
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: John Anderson as Harry Jackson, Robin Curtis as
Kate Connelly, Michael W. Goodwin as Craig Bannister,
Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton,
Tim Rossovich as Mike Desmond.
Nielsen ratings: 15.4 rating, 24 share, 3rd (29th overall).
At a surprise birthday party thrown for MacGyver by Pete Thornton
& his friends, MacGyver reviews his life-threatening career
and ponders resignation.
043 D.O.A.: MacGyver
Airdate: 27 April 1987
Writer: Jaison Starkes
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Joh Pleshette as Lancer, Clive Revill as Braddock,
Priscilla Morrill as Helen, Kim Miyori as Tara, Rockne
Tarkington as Jules, Nana Visitor as Carol Varnay.
Nielsen ratings: 12.6 rating, 21 share, 2nd (40th overall).
An amnesiac MacGyver is hunted by terrorists who believe
he knows of their plan to assassinate U.S. military
figures with an explosive device.
044 For Love or Money
Airdate: 04 May 1987
Writer: Doug Heyes, Jr.
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Deborah Adair as Diana Rogers, Walter Addison
as Anton Dubcek, Oksana Olijar as Viera Dubcek, Reuven
Bar Yotam as Krug.
Nielsen ratings: 12.3 rating, 20 share, 3rd (39th overall).
MacGyver and a ruthless, free-lance mercenary pose as
honeymooners in Czechoslovakia to free a political
prisoner from asylum.
THIRD SEASON
(Note: Filming moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, a popular choice for TV and movie locations.)
045 Lost Love (two-parter)
and Airdates: 21 September 1987 (Part 1); 28 September 1987 (Part 2)
046 Writer: Jerry Ludwig
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, James Hong as Commissioner
Chu, Anthony De Longis as Kosoff, Walter Marsh as Racoubian,
Leslie Bevis as Tanya Lyaschenka, Elyssa Davalos as Lisa.
Nielsen ratings: (Part 1) 11.9 rating, 20 share, 3rd (53rd overall).
(Part 2) 12.2 rating, 19 share, 3rd (47th overall).
[Part 1] MacGyver is assigned to protect China's national
treasure, when a former love he thought dead appears, needing
his help to escape from Soviet agents who want her and the
artifact.
[Part 2] Risking a diplomatic crisis to save Lisa, MacGyver
has less than 24 hours to break his own security system to steal
the Ming Dragon, then finds out it was all a set-up to catch him.
047 Back From the Dead
Airdate: 05 October 1987
Writer: Stephen Kronish
Director: James L.Conway
Guest Cast: Joe Santos as Jimmy Kendall, Al Ruscio as Dave,
Rebecca Balding as Susan, Richard Jamison as Ralph, Alex
Bruhanski as Sal, Henry "Hank" Aaron as himself.
Nielsen ratings: 12.2 rating, 20 share, 3rd (43rd overall).
Jimmy "The Eraser" Kendall returns in his new identity as a
minor-league baseball coach, but his appearance in a sports
magazine draws the attention of his former employer's thugs.
048 Ghost Ship
Airdate: 19 October 1987
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Katey Wright as Karin Graff, Michele Goodger as
Joanna, Nicholas Rice as Bench, Byron Chief-Moon as Joe
Wales, Len George, Chief Khotlacha as Len, Ken Kirzinger
as Bigfoot.
Nielsen ratings: 13.1 rating, 21 share, 3rd (40th overall).
Setting survey markers in Alaska, MacGyver comes upon a
seemingly abandoned ship with a stowaway Russian girl
aboard, and a Sasquatch.
049 Fire and Ice
Airdate: 26 October 1987
Writer: Rick Husky
Director: Alan Simmonds
Guest Cast: Aharon Ipale as Amir Sumal, Johnathon Pallone,
Anthony Stamboulieh as Ambassador Vulnay, Terry David
Mulligan, Elyssa Davalos as Nikki Carpenter.
Nielsen ratings: 13.7 rating, 22 share, 2nd (35th overall).
A thief kills MacGyver's old friend, leaving a trail of
stolen jewels that leads straight to a foreign consulate.
050 GX-1
Airdate: 02 November 1987
Writer: Calvin Clements, Jr.
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Walter Gotell as Starkoss, Morris Panych as
Colonel Markov, Peter Nicholas as the Lieutenant, Elyssa
Davalos as Nikki Carpenter.
Nielsen ratings: 11.2 rating, 17 sdhare, 3rd (46th overall).
A secret high-tech plane goes down in the Alps, and MacGyver
reluctantly allows Nikki to accompany him across the East
German border - racing to beat the Soviets to the wreckage.
051 Jack in the Box
Airdate: 09 November 1987
Writer: David Rich
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Luke Askew as Warden
Renfro, Eugene Butler, Daniel Faraldo as Pepe, Diane Robin
as Louella, Lance LeGault as "Bull" Bodine.
Nielsen ratings: 14.3 rating, 23 share, 2nd (32nd overall).
MacGyver gets a taste of redneck justice when he gets tossed
into a prison labor camp during a mission to the rural South.
052 The Widowmaker
Airdate: 16 November 1987
Teleplay: John Whelpley
Story: Harv Zimmel
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Michael Des Barres as Murdoc, Lisa Bayliss as Mike
Forester, Elyssa Davalos as Nikki Carpenter, Anthony Holland
as Mr. Ellard.
Nielsen ratings: 13.7 rating, 22 share, 2nd (37th overall).
MacGyver goes into mourning when long-time friend Mike Forester
dies in a mountaineering accident, but a pyromaniac with a score
to settle forces MacGyver to concentrate on matters at hand.
053 Hell Week
Airdate: 23 November 1987
Teleplay: Leonard Mlodinow & Scott Rubinstein
Story: Joseph Gunn, Leonard Mlodinow, & Scott Rubinstein
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Larry Dobkin as Professor Ryman, Lisa Wilcox as
Janet, John Cameron Mitchell as Aaron, Ted Cole as Jeffery
Kramer, Andrew Sabiston as David Ryman.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 21 share, 2nd (40th overall).
A frustrated physics student at MacGyver's alma mater becomes a
ticking time bomb when a school contest turns into a family war.
054 Blow Out
Airdate: 21 December 1987
Writer: W. Reed Moran
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Dale Wilson as Erik, Frank Ferrucci as Major,
Bruce Harwood as Juice, Elyssa Davalos as Nikki Carpenter.
Nielsen ratings: 11.4 rating, 19 share, 3rd (38th overall).
Political terrorism hits close to home when Nikki, who accidentally
witnessed a terrorist bombing, is targeted by the bomber, who fears
she can identify him.
055 Kill Zone
Airdate: 04 January 1988
Writer: Calvin Clements, Jr.
Director: Chuck Bowman
Guest Cast: Judith Chapman as Sandra Milhouse, Jay Brazeau as Phelps.
Nielsen ratings: 15.4 rating, 22 share, 3rd (36th overall).
Wildlife begins to perish mysteriously, and MacGyver discovers the
culprit: an uncontrollably mutating organism that speeds up the
aging process.
056 Early Retirement
Airdate: 18 January 1988
Writer: John Whelpley
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Madison Mason as Matt Webber, Ted Stidder as
Chairman Farrell, Rob Roy as DXS Agent, Paul Batten as
Reese, Doug Abrahams, Elyssa Davalos as Nikki Carpenter,
Richard Newman as Prime Minister Amunde.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 20 share, 3rd (35th overall).
Thornton mediates the Phoenix Foundation's talks between the UN and
a rabidly anti-American subversive, until a suspicious explosion
forces him to resign - and the man who takes his job could be
connected to murder and sabotage.
057 Thin Ice
Airdate: 01 February 1988
Writer: Rick Drew
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Martin Milner as Turk, Jeff Schultz as Derek Kirby,
Ken Camroux as Thompson, Clu Gulager as Walt Kirby.
Nielsen ratings: 12.9 rating, 19 share, 3rd (48th overall).
A high-school hockey player has a chance to go pro -
if he plays dirty enough. But when a fight on the ice
lands an opposing player in the hospital, MacGyver tries
to teach the youth about sportsmanship.
058 The Odd Triple
Airdate: 29 February 1988
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: James L. Conway
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Judy Geeson as Elena,
Ian Ruskin as Andres, Martin Evans as Robert, Alan Robertson,
Vernon Wells as Paul Donnay.
Nielsen ratings: 14.0 rating, 21 share, 2nd (35th overall).
Jack Dalton sucks MacGyver into his latest scheme to pilot
an heiress back to France after she purchases a fortune in
jewels. But when MacGyver and Jack Dalton accomplish the mission,
they're arrested.
059 The Negotiator
Airdate: 07 March 1988
Writer: Calvin Clements, Jr.
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Kristian Alfonso as Deborah, David Ackroyd as Knapp,
Ned Bellamy as Remick, Elyssa Davalos as Nikki Carpenter.
Nielsen ratings: 13.0 rating, 20 share, 2nd (33rd overall).
MacGyver is tasked to do an environmental-impact study before
builders can start a project, and when bribery fails, the
devloper hires a beautiful woman to get rid of him.
060 The Spoilers (AKA Earthquake)
Airdate: 14 March 1988
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Randall "Tex" Cobb as Earthquake, Emily Kuroda as
Karen, William Taylor.
Nielsen ratings: 15.4 rating, 23 share, 2nd (24th overall).
MacGyver enlists a reclusive, troubled Vietnam veteran to help
track whoever is dumping toxic waste in mountain streams.
061 Mask of the Wolf
Airdate: 28 March 1988
Teleplay: Calvin Clements, Jr. & W. Reed Moran
Story: John J. Sakmar, Kerry Lenhart, Calvin Clements, Jr.,
& W. Reed Moran
Director: Cliff Bole
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Gary Lockwood as Grant,
Floyd Westerman as Two Eagles, Gordon Tootoosis as Perry,
Marianne Jones as Anna.
Nielsen ratings: 13.5 rating, 21 share, 3rd (36th overall).
Jack Dalton talks MacGyver into accompanying an elderly
Native American on a search for a legendary wolf mask, but
two mercenaries have plans of their own for the artifact.
062 Rock the Cradle
Airdate: 18 April 1988
Writer: John Whelpley
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Mitzi Kapture as Katie,
Don Thompson as Cutler, Garwin Sanford as Durst, Peter
Yunker as Carlo, Malcolm & Frasier Fairweather as Jack, Jr.
Nielsen ratings: 13.0 rating, 21 share, 2nd (30th overall).
Jack Dalton nearly kills MacGyver in a plane ride and
later, in the hangar, finds a baby tagged "Jack Jr."
strapped into the cockpit, and a fortune in counterfeit
bills in the bassinet.
063 The Endangered
Airdate: 02 May 1988
Writer: Peter Filardi
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Moira Walley as Karen, John Dennis Johnston as
Ed, Don Davis as Wyatt, Robin Mossley as Earl, Stephen
E. Miller, Steve Blalock as Sam.
Nielsen ratings: 13.3 rating, 22 share, 2nd (30th overall).
MacGyver visits an ex-girl friend, a ranger at a wildlife
reserve, only to have his vacation turned into a bloody
confrontation by poachers who are killing off endangered species.
064 Murderer's Sky
Airdate: 09 May 1988
Writer: Herman Miller
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Roderick Cook as Alasdair, Soon-Teck Oh as Raymond,
Tia Carrere as Tiu, Keye Luke as Adam Chen, Ernie
Reyes, Jr., as Luke Chen.
Nielsen ratings: 14.3 rating, 23 share, 2nd (21st overall).
The takeover of a Chinese mogul's company involves a
deadly ninja, and it's up to MacGyver and the mogul's
young heir, his grandson, to halt the escalating bloodshed.
Acknowledgments
The MacGyver FAQ previously appeared at www.uplinktech.net/macgyver/ which has closed: many thanks to Melissa for giving me permission to re-post it here. Many, many thanks also to the people who wrote the information in this FAQ and put it together.
The MacGyver F.A.Q. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
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