From Paperclips to Microchips, the new MacGyver is not a Game-changer

The new actor in MacGyver does not hold a candle to Anderson and that nostalgia — to which may be the problem of this reboot.

macgyver

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

How can anyone decide to replace MacGyver, a television series and character that made Richard Dean Anderson famous? I loved the original series because his resourcefulness taught me more than a thing or two in how to make use of the most common items (to keep some of my old tech alive). Even when it no longer operates, I will take it apart and keep the screws, cogs and wheels to use elsewhere. The first three episodes certainly pays homage to moments I still recall from the original and captures the spirit — the action and voice-over — but to keep that enthusiasm week after week is tough. I’m watching, but I’m not always paying attention to every detail.

Lucas Till is the perfect choice to take on the mantle and he has that charm I recall from the original. But he does not hold a candle to Anderson and that nostalgia — to which may be the problem of this reboot. Instead of being new and original, it’s banking on the familiar. As with most shows developed these days, it’s also depending on sex appeal to get viewers attention.

Continue reading “From Paperclips to Microchips, the new MacGyver is not a Game-changer”

Happy Birthday Henry Winkler!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Henry Winkler (2013)

Wow, The Fonz is still as hip today as he was in his heyday. Well, today may not be this character’s official birthday but it certainly is for the actor who played him. Henry Winkler turns 68 today and he could not look any better. Happy Birthday Henry! You have paved my way to defining what I thought was “cool” ever since Happy Days.

I have throughly enjoyed the television shows you produced over the years, namely MacGyver and Sightings. And you did not even stop with your exploration into the unknown when you became a co-producing partner of the television show Unexplained Mysteries.

But thankfully your time away from the small screen did not mean you wanted to cease acting. I was glad to discover that you would return to television once in a while. But nowadays, I can enjoy new regular shows with you on. Viewers can find Mr. Winkler on Children’s Hospital, playing the role of Sy Mittleman.

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