Season 1: B+

I knew a little bit about MacGyver before this new show aired. I have, over the course of it's airing, watching the entire MacGyver series on Netflix. So I know the character. This, of course, isn't MacGyver. But it's still a pretty good show. This MacGyver is kind of a low note background guy while Jack shoots off the fireworks. This isn't great. In the original series, Jack is larger than life, but he's also kind of a hustling screw up, requiring Mac to be his foil. We still have Mac scolding Jack, but it comes off like a grumpy foster parent rather than a besodden best mate. In this series, Mac is just kind of a wet blanket ruining the fun of Steve McGarret 2.0. Bozer is a shit character. And other problems. But all in all, it's a lot of fun and very enjoyable, especially for a first run series. There's a lot of energy, good humor, and whacky hi-jinks. I'll definitely be tuning in next year. The strong bond between Mac and Pete, which they carried over into Stargate, is crucial, and just utterly missing in this series. Phoenix Project is sort of Mac's playground in the original series, and here, he's a cog in a wheel, and even by origin story standards, that's pretty lousy.