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.
FOURTH SEASON
065 The Secret of Parker House
Airdate: 31 October 1988
Teleplay: Gene Hanson, Rick Drew, & John Sheppard
Story: Gene Hanson
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Gisele MacKenzie
as Sylvia Lang, Arlen Dean Snyder as Sheriff Howels,
Ray Young as Virgil.
Nielsen ratings: 12.5 rating, 20 share, 2nd (39th overall).
MacGyver must act as a ghoulish ghostbuster in a spooky old
house inherited by his friend, Penny Parker, a dead ringer
for her insane aunt, who once lived in the house.
(Note: This episode was advertised as the "Halloween Special.")
066 Blood Brothers
Airdate: 21 November 1988
Writer: Rick Drew
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Dirk Blocker as Chuck, Bernie Coulson as Sean,
Ramon Franco as Spider, Michel McNeilly as Neil, Jason
Priestley as Danny.
Nielsen ratings: 12.3 rating, 20 share, 2nd (37th overall).
Back in his home town, MacGyver finds past and present overlapping
as he remembers a fatal shooting accident from his youth while
trying to stop his old friend's son from using a gun to defend
himself against drug-dealing hoodlums.
(Note: This episode was advertised as the season premiere instead of
"The Secret of Parker House.")
067 The Outsiders
Airdate: 28 November 1988
Writer: Michelle Poteet Lisanti
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Kaj-Erik Eriksen as Jacob, Gustaf Kristjanson as
Miller, Allan Lysell as Wrightman, Ruth de Sosa as Elizabeth,
Vicki Wauchope as Christy Wrightman.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 20 share, 3rd (45th overall).
After a jeep accident in Pennsylvania, MacGyver is rescued
by Amish family and helps intervene in a standoff between
Amish who won't leave their land and a construction company
waiting to bulldoze it.
068 On a Wing and a Prayer
Airdate: 05 December 1988
Writer: John Whelpley
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Jenny Gago as Santina,
Garwin Sanford as Rafael, Susan Walden as Sister Clara.
Nielsen ratings: 11.7 rating, 18 share, 3rd (46th overall).
It appears that Thornton and old flame who is now a nun haven't
a prayer after they're taken hostage by Central American rebels,
until MacGyver asks Jack Dalton and his seaplane to rescue them.
069 Collision Course
Airdate: 12 December 1988
Writer: Paul B. Margolis
Director: Chuck Bowman
Guest Cast: Patrick Wayne as Jeff Stone, Kai Wulff as Hans Visser,
Katey Wright as Charlie Stone, G. Gordon Liddy as Carl Strickland.
Nielsen ratings: 11.7 rating, 19 share, 3rd (49th overall).
MacGyver returns to his racing roots to test a car engine designed
by the Foundation, but a rival car-owner has some dirty tricks
up his sleeve.
070 The Survivors
Airdate: 09 January 1989
Writer: W. Reed Moran
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Gerry Bean as Wilcox, Dale Wilson as Crandell.
Nielsen ratings: 13.5 rating, 20 share, 2nd (41st overall).
During routine survival training in the woods, MacGyver
and Thornton discover the wreckage of a DEA plane,
which MacGyver determines was shot down by drug smugglers.
071 Deadly Dreams
Airdate: 16 January 1989
Writer: Stephen Downing
Director: Les Landau
Guest Cast: Kim Zimmer as Murphy, W. Morgan Sheppard as Dr.
Zito, Garry Chalk as Sweeney, Brenda Crichlow as Cooper,
Todd Jeffries as Wyatt, Jeff Irvine as Eric Cross.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 20 share, 2nd (40th overall).
MacGyver joins a police task force pursuing an escaped
psychopath, a man MacGyver suspects is a pawn in a larger scheme.
072 Ma Dalton
Airdate: 23 January 1989
Writer: John Whelpley
Director: Rob Bowman
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Ed Nelson as Arthur
Bandel, Les Carlson as Sparky, Constance Towers as
Francine Leyland, Richard Lawson as Jesse Colton.
Nielsen ratings: 14.6 rating, 22 share, 2nd (33rd overall).
Jack Dalton and MacGyver search for Dalton's mother and learn
that she's a fugitive being pursued by a bounty hunter.
073 Cleo Rocks
Airdate: 06 February 1989
Writers: John Sheppard & Rick Drew
Director: Chuck Bowman
Guest Cast: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Robert Donner as
Wintergreen, Michael Des Barres as Murdoc.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 19 share, 2nd (42nd overall).
Murdoc poses as a musical's director, using MacGyver's friend
Penny Parker as a pawn in a crazed play of vengeance against MacGyver.
074 Fraternity of Thieves
Airdate: 13 February 1989
Writer: Grant Rosenberg
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: James Karen as Papillon, Hank Stratton as Michael
Thornton, Robert Metcalfe as Chas, Don Galloway as John Collins.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 21 share, 2nd (37th overall).
A highly classified Phoenix technology system could be compromised
by espionage, and one of the culprits is someone within the
Foundation, close to the heart of Pete Thornton.
075 The Battle of Tommy Giordano
Airdate: 20 February 1989
Writer: Marianne Clarkson
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Penny Peyser as Mary Ruth, Tony Dakota as Tommy
Giordano, Peter Yunker as Richard Giordano, Peter Blackwood
as Rizzo, Joseph Wiseman as Joe Catano.
Nielsen ratings: 14.6 rating, 22 share, 2nd (30th overall).
MacGyver's friend wins custody of her son, prompting her ex-husband
to seek the help of his uncle - "the absolute, undisputed head"
of a crime family - to steal young Tommy Giordano back.
076 The Challenge
Airdate: 27 February 1989
Writer: Chris Haddock
Director: Dana Elcar
Guest Cast: Michael MacRae as Larson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., as
Ray, Roxanne Reese as Cynthia, Michael D. Roberts as Booker.
Nielsen ratings: 15.0 rating, 22 share, 2nd (31st overall).
A youth from an inner-city club run by MacGyver's friend is framed
for a theft by a racist who'll stop at nothing to shut the club down.
077 Runners
Airdate: 13 March 1989
Writer: Joel Schwartz
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Holly Fields as Jennifer, Gerald Anthony as Snakeskin,
Roxanne Reese as Cynthia, Jeff Pomerantz as Jim Reiner.
Nielsen ratings: 15.2 rating, 23 share, 2nd (30th overall).
MacGyver offers protection to a runaway girl, and as he helps her
cope with her bitter past, he unveils a tragic memory of his own.
078 Gold Rush
Airdate: 27 March 1989
Writer: David Engelbach
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Colleen Winton as Natalie, Lee Patterson as West,
Walter Gotell as Barenov.
Nielsen ratings: 15.1 rating, 24 share, 2nd (28th overall).
MacGyver joins a U.S.-Soviet team in Alaska trying to retrieve
millions in gold from a wrecked World War II transport plane,
but they're left out in the cold when they discover someone's
gotten there first.
079 The Invisible Killer
Airdate: 10 April 1989
Writer: Chris Haddock
Director: Dana Elcar
Guest Cast: James Sloyan as Colter, Adam Arkin as Parisio,
Jean Bruce Scott as Liz, Kevin Greer as Beam, Andrew
Rhodes as Lazarus, Julie Downing as Officer Walker, Blu
Mankuma as Sheriff Hubbard.
Nielsen ratings: 15.5 rating, 24 share, 2nd (23rd overall).
In the Cascades, MacGyver leads a group of Phoenix employees into
the mountains to reduce stress levels, but stress is replaced by
paranoia when it's learned that murderous convicts are on the loose.
080 Brainwashed
Airdate: 24 April 1989
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Roger Aaron Brown as
Edward Mantu, Cyndi James Gossett as Edith Mantu, Janet
Hodgkinson as Hendrix, Linda Darlow as Doc Beatty, Raymond
St. Jacques as President Dakru.
Nielsen ratings: 12.7 rating, 22 share, 2nd (39th overall).
A power-hungry couple seeking to overthrow a foreign government
have "programmed" Jack Dalton to assassinate the country's president.
081 Easy Target
Airdate: 01 May 1989
Writer: Rick Drew
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Wolf Muser as Jonathan, Ruth Britt as Lisa, Tom
Everett as Frank, Frank Ferrucci as Armin.
Nielsen ratings: 13.5 rating, 22 share, 2nd (34th overall).
MacGyver and Pete Thornton are held hostage by terrorists bent on
crippling the nearby metropolitan area with a sophisticated
electronic device.
082 Renegade
Airdate: 08 May 1989
Teleplay: Chris Haddock
Story: Robert Bielak & Chris Haddock
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Marshall Teague as Steve Morrison, Patrie Allen as
Marie Morrison, Don Stroud as Commander Hilliard, Stephen
Furst as Dr. Kozby.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 23 share, 2nd (31st overall).
A mentally disturbed man steals a precious vial of deadly
bacteria, and MacGyver is shocked when a confrontation with
the thief reveals that he's a friend who once saved his life.
083 Unfinished Business
Airdate: 15 May 1989
Writer: Marianne Clarkson
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton, Kristian Alfonso as Deborah.
Nielsen ratings: 13.2 rating, 22 share, 1st (25th overall).
A beautiful woman with a mission returns to kill MacGyver.
FIFTH SEASON
084 Legend of the Holy Rose (two-parter)
and Airdates: 18 September 1989 (Part 1); 25 September 1989 (Part 2)
085 Writer: Stephen Downing
Director: Michael Caffey (Part 1)
Charles Correll (Part 2)
Guest Cast: Lise Cutter as Zoe Ryan, Robin Mossley as Alexander
Shannon, Michael Ensign as Professor Wycliff, Tony Perez as
Estebar, Judd Omen as Shiva Luca, Christopher Neame as
Erich Von Leer.
Nielsen ratings: (Part 1) 9.8 rating, 16 share, 3rd (62nd overall).
(Part 2) 11.7 rating, 19 share, 3rd (52nd overall).
[Part 1] MacGyver is exhausted after a rescue in Colombia,
but archaeologist Zoe Ryan entices him to join her
quest for the Holy Grail, which someone else has designs on.
[Part 2] MacGyver and Zoe's search for the Holy Rose may
be halted permanently by Von Leer, who has stolen the
artifacts they need to unlock its secrets.
086 The Black Corsage
Airdate: 02 October 1989
Writer: Paul Margolis
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Christianne Hirt as Sofia Parker, Ryan Michael as
Deegan, David Hay as March, Cleavon Little as Frank Colton,
David Bloom as Reynolds.
Nielsen ratings: 12.1 rating, 20 share, 3rd (41st overall).
MacGyver teams with a bounty hunter to track down a Bulgarian
scientist on the run from "techno-bandits" who are seeking
the location of an ancient gem.
087 Cease Fire
Airdate: 09 October 1989
Writer: Chris Haddock
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Mayim Bialik as Lisa Woodman, Eli Danker as Yanif,
Allan Lysell as Walker, Michael Naxos as President Habad.
Nielsen ratings: 11.4 rating, 19 share, 3rd (50th overall).
In Switzerland for peace negotiations between two countries,
MacGyver becomes a fugitive when he's framed for an assassination
attempt on one nation's president.
088 Second Chance
Airdate: 16 October 1989
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Richard Lawson as Jesse Colton, Kim Miyori as
Dr. Triwai, Barry Bernal as Willie, Channing Mitchell as
Raj, Malcolm Stewart as Frank Skinner.
Nielsen ratings: 12.6 rating, 20 share, 3rd (38th overall).
MacGyver heads a project bringing young Amerasians to the U.S.
for medical treatment, and his companion meets a thieving youth
who's the son he didn't know he had.
089 Halloween Knights
Airdate: 30 October 1989
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Daniel Davis as Nicholas Helman, Frank C. Turner,
Jo-Anne Bates as Sonya, Michael Des Barres as Murdoc,
Debbie Podowski as Ashton Cooke.
Nielsen ratings: 12.8 rating, 21 share, 2nd (39th overall).
MacGyver's not sure whether it's a trick or a treat when his
ruthless rival Murdoc asks for help to free his innocent sister,
who's being held captive by a vengeful ex-employer.
090 Children of Light
Airdate: 06 November 1989
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Bill Corcoran
Guest Cast: Michele B. Chan as Mei Jan, Robert Ito as Peng Chow,
Tzi Ma as Wing Lee, Keone Young as Zhao.
Nielsen ratings: 12.5 rating, 20 share, 3rd (43rd overall).
A Chinese student trailed by agents of the People's Republic
arrives at MacGyver's home claiming to be his foster daughter,
while secretly holding evidence of the bloodletting at
Tiananmen Square.
(Note: The Chinese government protested when a Vancouver building
was made into the episode's Chinese consulate.)
091 Black Rhino
Airdate: 13 November 1989
Writer: Paul B. Margolis
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Cecilia Hart as Kate Hubley, Cuba Gooding, Jr.,
as Billy Colton, Roger Aaron Brown as Mabuto, Kai Wulff
as Ladysmith.
Nielsen ratings: 12.6 rating, 20 share, 3rd (40th overall).
In Africa, MacGyver tries to help the wildest of the Colton
brothers nail a poacher who's butchering endangered black rhinos
for their valuable horns.
(Note: A $40,000 animatronic rhino was used in this episode.)
092 The Ten Percent Solution
Airdate: 20 November 1989
Writer: Tom & Sally Drake
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Nehemiah Persoff as Sam, Barbara Stock as Laura,
Gretchen Wyler as Madame Brandenburg, Garry Chalk as Sergeant
Gray, John Novak as Lyle Hoggart.
Nielsen ratings: 12.0 rating, 20 share, 3rd (41st overall).
MacGyver looks into a concentration-camp survivor's familial claim
to a masterpiece painting, and the two uncover a neo-Nazi group
that's auctioning off stolen artworks to finance its plot to create
an "Aryan Nation."
093 Two Times Trouble
Airdate: 11 December 1989
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Audrey Landers as Carla, Terry David Mulligan as
Rogan, Babs Chula as Eve, Dana Still as Dr. Farrell.
Nielsen ratings: 12.1 rating, 20 share, 2nd (49th overall).
MacGyver is put in double jeopardy by a rock-singer friend who
thinks her twin is trying to kill her.
094 The Madonna
Airdate: 18 December 1989
Writer: Cathleen Young
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Jeanette Nolan as Carol, Roxanne Reese as Cynthia,
Jackson Davies as Father Pat Lafferty, Anthony Holland as
Vincent Battaglia, Charles Payne as Breeze.
Nielsen ratings: 11.6 rating, 19 share, 2nd (40th overall).
On Christmas Eve, MacGyver helps his priest friend search for a
statue of the Madonna taken from a church near the Challengers
Club, for which a homeless woman has a pocketful of minor miracles.
095 Serenity
Airdate: 08 January 1990
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Teri Hatcher as Penny Parker, Cuba Gooding, Jr.,
as Billy Colton, Robin Mossley as Wilt Bozer, Robert Donner
as Milt Bozer, Norman Browning as the Town Marshall,
Michael Des Barres as Murdoc, Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton.
Nielsen ratings: 13.7 rating, 20 share, 3rd (40th overall).
MacGyver dreams he's a Civil War veteran in the Old West who gains
a claim to a home on the range in Montana, but he meets resistance
from a neighboring rancher in the form of Pete Thornton.
096 Live and Learn
Airdate: 15 January 1990
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Harry Harris
Guest Cast: James Sloyan as George Fraley, Glenn Scarpelli as
Tony Milani, Linda Darlow as the Principal, Jerry Wasserman
as Nick Milani.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 21 share, 2nd (36th overall).
MacGyver reaches out to a promising high-school student as part
of a Phoenix mentor program, but he has to get around a cynical
teacher and the youth's no-nonsense father for his message to
take hold.
097 Log Jam
Airdate: 05 February 1990
Writer: Lee Maddux
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Nancy Everhard as Amy Chandler, John Considine
as Foxworth, Patrick Bishop as Braddock, Kim Kondrashoff
as Glass, French Tickner as Sheriff Delaney, Doug Sheehan
as Jack Chandler.
Nielsen ratings: 13.7 rating, 21 share, 1st (35th overall).
MacGyver infiltrates a logging company on behalf of an
environmentalist friend who believes that a company whistle-blower
was cut down before he could expose the management's illegal
activity.
098 The Treasure of Manco
Airdate: 12 February 1990
Writer: Chris Haddock
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Theresa Saldana as Maria, Michael Bays as Ramon,
Richard Chaves as Enrique, Gregory Sierra as Captain Diaz.
Nielsen ratings: 12.9 rating, 20 share, 2nd (41st overall).
MacGyver helps a friend search for a lost Inca treasure that's
also sought by greedy guerillas looking for a way to finance a
bloody revolution.
099 Jenny's Chance
Airdate: 19 February 1990
Writers: Rick Drew & John Sheppard
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Vic Tayback as George Henderson, Dale Wilson as
Colin Yardrow, Simon Webb as Underwood, Linda Blair as
Jenny Larson, Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton.
Nielsen ratings: 14.7 rating, 22 share, 1st (28th overall).
MacGyver, Jack Dalton and Pete Thornton go undercover as a
computer geek, a drug lord, and a dirty big-time bookie to
make a murderous money launderer come clean.
100 Deep Cover
Airdate: 26 February 1990
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Rosemary Dunsmore as Gwen Carpenter, Mitchell
Laurence as Landis, Madison Mason as Dan Stringer, Marco
Rodriguez as Sanchez, Bill Croft as Donnelly, Timothy Webber
as Banniker.
Nielsen ratings: 13.0 rating, 20 share, 3rd (39th overall).
A drug cartel spy steals a prototype stealth submarine by seducing
the main engineer.
101 The Lost Amadeus
Airdate: 19 March 1990
Writer: Paul B. Margolis
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Tamsin Kelsey as Lulu, Herbert Edelman as Tubbs,
Milton Selzer as Izzy.
Nielsen ratings: 13.1 rating, 21 share, 1st (31st overall).
A slightly off-key woman leads MacGyver on a wild chase to save a
priceless violin - and the virtuoso who owns it - from hoods.
102 Hearts of Steel (AKA Kidnapped)
Airdate: 09 April 1990
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Mayim Bialik as Lisa Woodman, Ron Hale as Travers,
Joseph Lambie as Eric Woodman, Blu Mankuma as Lt. Rhome,
Merrilyn Gann as Gretta.
Nielsen ratings: 12.4 rating, 21 share, 1st (33rd overall).
A steel executive whose mill has been shut down seeks vengeance
by kidnapping the daughter of the corporate raider responsible
for the closure.
103 Rush to Judgement (sic)
Airdate: 16 April 1990
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: Charles Correll
Guest Cast: Steven Keats as Baron, Deborah Van Valkenburgh as
Sandra Masters, Henry Beckman as the Judge, Beau Billingslea
as Mr. Monroe, Tim Haldman as Rev. Roy Thatcher, Lilliam
Lehman as Bigelow, Betty McGuire as the Bird Lady.
Nielsen ratings: 12.7 rating, 21 share, 1st (33rd overall).
As a juror in a racially charged murder trial, MacGyver can't
resist digging up more facts on his own, which courts the wrath
of the judge, even though he may be on to the truth.
104 Passages (AKA Coma)
Airdate: 30 April 1990
Teleplay: John Sheppard
Story: Anthony Rich
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: John Anderson as Harry Jackson, Anthony Stamboulieh
as Hakim, Leslie Carlson as MacGyver's Doctor, Sheila Moore
as Ellen MacGyver, Martin Milner as James MacGyver.
Nielsen ratings: 12.2 rating, 21 share, 1st (42nd overall).
While waiting to fly home to his ailing grandfather, MacGyver
pursues a thief who's stolen an Egyptian artifact tied to
ancient beliefs about the afterlife.
SIXTH SEASON
105 Tough Boys
Airdate: 17 September 1990
Writer: Art Washington
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Richard Roundtree as R.J. Hines, Richard Chaves
as Manny, Dale Wilson as Dennis, Garvin Funches as Coco.
Nielsen ratings: 11.4 rating, 19 share, 3rd (51st overall).
MacGyver is on the trail of a group of youth vigilantes and
their leader, who are taking explosive measures to blow away
the crack ring gripping their neighborhood.
106 Humanity
Airdate: 24 September 1990
Writer: Lincoln Kibbee
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Brooks Gardner as Victor, Larry D. Mann as Cuzo,
Alan Scarfe as Krik.
Nielsen ratings: 10.5 rating, 18 share, 3rd (52nd overall).
An elite corps still loyal to Romania's dead tyrant Ceauscescu
sabotages a plan to uncover his secret files and, in the chaotic
aftermath of their assault, MacGyver tries to appeal to one
agent's sense of humanity.
107 The Gun
Airdate: 01 October 1990
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Charles Andrew Payne as Breeze, Zachary Ansley
as Todd Fowler, Julie Downing as Laura, Jerry Wasserman
as Maddox, Jay Brazeau as Zamora.
Nielsen ratings: 12.1 rating, 21 share, 2nd (43rd overall).
A gun used in an assassination 20 years ago and in a present-day
cop killing is sought by both a crazed anarchist and MacGyver,
who needs it to clear a friend accused of the shooting.
108 Twenty Questions
Airdate: 08 October 1990
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Mayim Bialik as Lisa Woodman, Linden Ashby as
Brett Reynolds, Kimberly Neville as Holly, Jackson Davies
as Kiley, Joseph Lambie as Eric Woodman, Patrie Allen as
Katherine Woodman.
Nielsen ratings: 13.4 rating, 22 share, 2nd (35th overall).
MacGyver tries to get Lisa Woodman to admit she has a drinking
problem that's already led to her involvement in a string of
burglaries.
109 The Wall
Airdate: 22 October 1990
Writer: Rick Drew
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Brigitte Sternberg as Maria Romburg, John Horn
as Huber, Reiner Schoene as Weise, Jackson Davies as
Kiley, Milton Selzer as Otto Romburg.
Nielsen ratings: 11.5 rating, 19 share, 3rd (49th overall).
MacGyver seeks to reunite an East German expatriate with his
granddaughter Maria, who may be in cahoots with two ex-Stasi
agents who want a stash of gold in the old man's possession.
110 Lesson in Evil
Airdate: 29 October 1990
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Kim Zimmer as Murphy, W. Morgan Sheppard as Dr.
Zito, Jackson Davies as Kiley, Lynne Moody as Dr. Marion
Skinner, Alvin Sanders as Charles.
Nielsen ratings: 11.9 rating, 20 share, 3rd (43rd overall).
MacGyver's murderous nemesis Dr. Zito escapes after a sanity
hearing and leaves a trail of clues intended to give MacGyver
a crash course in evil.
111 Harry's Will
Airdate: 05 November 1990
Writer: Lincoln Kibbee
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Lyle Alzado as Tiny, John Anderson as Harry Jackson,
Dick Butkus as Earl Dent, James Doohan as Speedy, Henry Gibson
as the Chicken Habit Customer, Sandra Gould as the Woman
at the Soup Kitchen, Rich Little as Biff Arnold, Marion
Ramsey as the Police Officer, Marion Ross as Sister Robin,
Abe Vigoda as Bill Cody, Jesse White as Mel, Wendy O.
Williams as Big Mama, Henry Winkler as Wilton Newberry.
Nielsen ratings: 14.0 rating, 23 share, 1st (33rd overall).
MacGyver tangles with crazy crooks and an elderly ex-con in
pursuit of a treasure thought hidden in a Nomad station wagon
willed to MacGyver by his grandfather.
112 MacGyver's Women
Airdate: 12 November 1990
Writers: Stephen Kandel & Lincoln Kibbee
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Kim Zimmer as Murphy, Brigitta Sternberg as Maria,
Traci Lords as Jenny, Robert Donner as Milt, Robin Mossley
as Wilt, Marshal Teague as Kid Curry, Frank C. Turner as
News, Dale Wilson as Sundance.
Nielsen ratings: 12.0 rating, 19 share (2nd (47th overall).
After an embarrassing scene with Maria, Lt. Murphy, and Jenny,
MacGyver dreams he is back in Serenity, where he must rescue all
three from the Hole in the Wall Gang and their ruthless leader, Kid
Curry.
113 Bitter Harvest
Airdate: 19 November 1990
Writer: Michael Kane
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: James Medina as Silva, Richard Sarafian as Caspar
Kasabian, Joey Aresco as Nick, Yvette Cruise as Carmen
Garcia, Anthony Penya as Lopez, Allan Lysell as the Sheriff,
Giann Concalves as Natalie Garcia.
Nielsen ratings: 12.8 rating, 21 share, 3rd (29th overall).
MacGyver picks up where a murdered farm-worker left off by
investigating a grower's possible use of illegal pesticides.
114 The Visitor
Airdate: 03 December 1990
Writer: Brad Radnitz
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Ken Pogue as the Sheriff, Beth Toussaint as Dawn
Rigel, Christopher Gaze as Phil Sternwise, Ryan Michael
as Ray Rigel, Larry Musser as John Wiley, Kaj-Erik Eriksen
as Tommy Wiley, Suzie Payne as Sarah Wiley.
Nielsen ratings: 13.9 rating, 21 share, 2nd (29th overall).
MacGyver believes he's seeing a close encounter of the con kind
when a couple of "extraterrestrials" promise to transport a
desperate rural family to a utopian, trouble-free planet - for a price.
115 Squeeze Play
Airdate: 17 December 1990
Writer: Art Washington
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Kent McCord as Novus Reilly, Malcolm Stewart as
Marsh, Tim Rossovich as Willard, Catherine Zak as Wendy
Reilly, Reggie Jackson as himself, Della Reese as Mama Colton.
Nielsen ratings: 11.9 rating, 20 share, 3rd (42nd overall).
MacGyver goes to bat for a former baseball player who's being
blackmailed by a counterfeit-memorabilia ring.
116 Jerico Games
Airdate: 07 January 1991
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Mary Ann Pascal as Ellen, Paul Haddad as Nikolai,
Madison Mason as Reese, Adam Gregor as Serge, Robert Pine
as Jerico.
Nielsen ratings: 13.3 rating, 20 share, 3rd (39th overall).
MacGyver happily reunites with his high-school sweetheart, who's
now the embittered wife of a media-mogul sponsoring an
international sports competition.
117 The Wasteland
Airdate: 21 January 1991
Teleplay: Robert Hamner & Grant Rosenberg
Story: Robert Hamner
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Jim McMullan as Andrew Bartlett, Mitzi Kapture
as Laura, John Pyper-Ferguson as Scott, Bruce Harwood as Willis.
Nielsen ratings: 12.1 rating, 18 share, 3rd (37th overall).
MacGyver seeks to halt a land developer who's on the verge of
creating an environmental ruin, while the man's son and daughter
have a more malicious plan to run him out of the family business.
118 Eye of Osiris
Airdate: 04 February 1991
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Deborah Foreman as Beth, Kai Wulff as Nicolas
Von Leer, Anthony Stamboulieh as Hakim, Peter Haworth as Axford.
Nielsen ratings: 12.3 rating, 19 share, 3rd (45th overall).
MacGyver helps a cranky archaeologist and his adventuresome
assistant search for the tomb of Alexander the Great, but their
work's cursed by a vengeful villain.
119 High Control
Airdate: 11 February 1991
Writer: Lincoln Kibbee
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Gwynyth Walsh as Montana, Don Stroud as Kluge,
Bill Croft as Rote, Anthony Schmidt as Hawkins, Howard
Storey as Travis, Dick Butkus as Earl Dent.
Nielsen ratings: 12.6 rating, 19 share, 3rd (43rd overall).
A parolee with the will to go straight nevertheless needs the aid
of MacGyver to battle his old biker gang seeking to blackmail him.
120 There But For The Grace
Airdate: 18 February 1991
Writer: John Considine
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Nicoloas Coster as Doc, Marie Stillin as Rachel,
John Considine as Sandler, Scott Bellis as Danny, Todd
Duckworth as Riker, Blu Mankuma as Lt. Rhome.
Nielsen ratings: 12.8 rating, 19 share, 3rd (35th overall).
MacGyver enters the world of the homeless to investigate the murder
of an old friend from high school.
121 Blind Faith
Airdate: 04 March 1991
Writer: John Considine
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Irene de Bari as Samantha, Michael MacRae as Stams,
Ed Trotta as Cardosa, Hector Mercado as Ramos, Andrew Rhodes
as Richardson.
Nielsen ratings: 10.3 rating, 16 share, 3rd (44th overall).
Pete Thornton's old flame, a political dissident, is in danger
as she seeks to shed light on atrocities committed in her Latin
American country.
(Note: This is the episode where Pete openly admits to MacGyver
that he has glaucoma.)
122 Faith, Hope & Charity
Airdate: 18 March 1991
Writer: Brad Radnitz
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Matalie Core as Faith, Helen Page Camp as Hope,
Anthony Holland as Leo Burns, Paul Boretski as Bobby,
Barry Greene as Abe, Herb Edelman as Gorman.
Nielsen ratings: 12.3 rating, 19 share, 3rd (40th overall).
While tracking the endangered gray wolf, MacGyver is side-tracked
by murderous mobsters prowling for stolen loot, but he gets help
from two charitable women named Faith and Hope.
123 Strictly Business
Airdate: 08 April 1991
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Kristen Meadows as Suzanne, Rochelle Greenwood as
Amy, Michael Des Barres as Murdoc.
Nielsen ratings: 11.5 rating, 20 share, 3rd (43rd overall).
Murderous Murdoc decides to come out of "retirement"
and hit the one target that's always eluded him: MacGyver.
124 Trail of Tears
Airdate: 29 April 1991
Writer: Lincoln Kibbee
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Michael Gregory as Whitecloud, Nick Ramus as
Standing Wolf, Jack Bannon as Johnson, Gerry Bean as
Russell, R. Nelson Brown as Dick Russell's Assistant,
Bruce Harwood as Willis.
Nielsen ratings: 11.0 rating, 18 share, 3rd (47th overall).
A land dispute pits a Native American advocate, willing to use
explosive measures, against electric-company representatives,
willing to kill.
125 Hind-Sight
Airdate: 06 May 1991
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Linda Darlow as Connie, Bruce Harwood as Willis,
Barbara E. Russell as Nurse Krandall.
Nielsen ratings: 10.2 rating, 17 share, 3rd (50th overall).
Awaiting the operation to treat Pete Thornton's glaucoma,
MacGyver and Thornton look back on many of the adversities
they've overcome in the past.
SEVENTH SEASON
(Note: Filming has moved back to Los Angeles.)
126 Honest Abe
Airdate: 16 September 1991
Writer: Lincoln Kibbee
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Shelly Berman as Abe, Lance LeGault as Elliott,
David Naughton as LaManna, Ben Stein as Major Sneed,
Michael B. Tucci, Time Winters as Peugeot, Dan Eisenstein
as Jeffrey.
Nielsen ratings: 8.6 rating, 14 share, 3rd (67th overall).
MacGyver is whisked away from the Bar Mitzvah of his friend's
son by the boy's grandfather Abe, who gets MacGyver tangled
in a web of international intrigue involving an eccentric Caribbean
dictator and a high-tech helicopter.
127 The 'Hood
Airdate: 23 September 1991
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Nancy Sloan as Kelly, Adrian Sparks as Melvin,
Kimberly Scott as Mama Lorraine, Rob Youngblood as Bobbie
Lee, Sean O'Bryan as Will, Shawn Wayans as Robo.
Nielsen ratings: 9.2 rating, 15 share, 3rd (70th overall).
Having lost his houseboat to fire, MacGyver moves into a
Bohemian section of town and flies into action when a
young woman in his new neighborhood walks into trouble with hit men.
128 Obsessed
Airdate: 30 September 1991
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Wendie Malick as Cindy, Geno Silva as Delasora,
Margarita Franco as Marietta, Don Galloway as Bob Stryke,
Michael Des Barres as Murdoc.
Nielsen ratings: 9.1 rating, 15 share, 3rd (62nd overall).
Recurring nightmares about Murdoc make MacGyver sleepless and
on edge as he provides security at the criminal trial of a
deposed dictator.
129 The Prometheus Syndrome
Airdate: 07 October 1991
Writer: Robert Sherman
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Jenette Goldstein as Rachel, Jack McGee as Joe
Roswell, Dave Florek as Ralph, Randolph Mantooth as Earl
Stringer, Kimberly Scott as Mama Lorraine.
Nielsen ratings: 9.0 rating, 15 share, 3rd (65th overall).
Efforts to help smoke out a psychopathic arsonist turn
personal for MacGyver.
130 The Coltons
Airdate: 14 October 1991
Teleplay: Stephen Downing
Story: Stephen Downing & Michael Greenburg
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Cleavon Little as Frank Colton, Richard Lawson
as Jesse Colton, Cuba Gooding, Jr., as Billy Colton, Della
Reese as Mama Colton, Richard Gant as Denmark, Francois Chau,
Christopher Thomas as G. Irwin Fielding, Irene Yah-Ling Sun,
James Hong as Kuang.
Nielsen ratings: 9.8 rating, 16 share, 3rd (56th overall).
The Colton family aids an Amerasian girl, lone witness
to a Chinatown murder, who is fleeing from the Chinese mafia.
(Note: MacGyver only appears in the prologue and epilogue of this
episode, which was intended as the pilot for a possible spinoff
series based around the Colton family. The series never eventuated.)
131 Walking Dead
Airdate: 21 October 1991
Writer: Mark Rodgers
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Kimberly Scott as Mama Lorraine, Thomas Mikal Ford,
Antonio Fargas as Colonel Devraux, Michael D. Roberts as
Dr. Redemption.
Nielsen ratings: 10.0 rating, 16 share, 3rd (52nd overall).
MacGyver finds himself in deep trouble when a friend's activist
daughter is kidnapped and turned into a zombie by a group of Haitian
extortionists.
132 Good Knight MacGyver (two-parter)
and Airdates: 04 November 1991 (Part 1); 11 November 1991 (Part 2)
133 Writer: John Considine
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Time Winters as Merlin, Christopher Collet, Lynne
Harbaugh as Cecilia, Colm Meaney as Irwin Malcolm, Peter Vogt,
Christopher Neame as Duncan, Mark Holton, Harry Victor,
Robin Strasser as Morganna, William H. Bassett as Ian M'Iver.
Nielsen ratings: (Part 1) 9.6 rating, 15 share, 3rd (61st overall).
(Part 2) 10.6 rating, 16 share, 3rd (54th overall).
[Part 1] A bonk on the head sends MacGyver back in time
to King Arthur's Court, where his futuristic ways are a
threat to Merlin's magic, but they also might prove that
the magician didn't try to do in the King.
[Part 2] Seeking to clear his family's name, MacGyver
continues his quest with Merlin to free Galahad's beloved
Cecilia and to foil the plan of wicked Morgana, who's got
gunpowder.
(This episode reveals Mac's first name.)
134 Deadly Silents
Airdate: 18 November 1991
Writer: Brad Radnitz
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Henry Gibson as Pinky, Tommy Hinkley as Neil,
Frederick Coffin as Karl.
Nielsen ratings: 10.0 rating, 16 share, 3rd (54th overall).
MacGyver acts on behalf of an old silent-movie comedian whose
only remaining prints of his work are stolen by a pair with a
penchant for special effects.
135 Split Decision
Airdate: 02 December 1991
Writer: David Rich
Director: Michael Caffey
Guest Cast: Dick Butkus as Earl Dent, Sam Scarber as Crazy
Eddie Jackson, Don Gibb as Herman the German, Bubba Smith
as Bailey, F. William Parker, Sarah Koskoff as Veronica,
Herbert Edelman as Riggins.
Nielsen ratings: 9.5 rating, 15 share, 3rd (61st overall).
MacGyver's boxer buddy Earl Dent fights to retain custody of
his daughter, but some bad bookmakers want him to take a dive
in his comeback bout.
136 Gunz 'N Boyz
Airdate: 16 December 1991
Writer: Art Washington
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Margaret Avery as Regina Jefferies, Garvin Funches
as Brian Jeffries, Tommy Morgan as Player G, Vonte Sweet as
Kelvin Jeffries, Lee Weaver as Stumpy, Larry Wilcox as Minton.
Nielsen ratings: 10.3 rating, 17 share, 3rd (59th overall).
A Challenger Club youth takes the heat for the fatal shooting of
a gang member murdered by a weapons dealer who makes a killing
exploiting street violence.
137 Off the Wall
Airdate: 30 December 1991
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Michael Preece
Guest Cast: Richard Coca as Lobo, Kathleen Freeman as Rose,
Ruth Manning, Betty Carvalho, Stanley Kamel as Victor
Kasanti, John Considine as Andrew Lawton.
Nielsen ratings: 10.9 rating, 18 share, 3rd (48th overall).
MacGyver goes to the wall for a young graffiti-artist friend and
his grandmother, who's been evicted by a slum-lord to make way
for a development project.
138 The Stringer
Airdate: 25 April 1992
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Michael Vejar
Guest Cast: Michele B. Chan as Mei Jan, Keone Young as Chung
Tai Shan, Dalton James as Sean A. Malloy, Lisa Savage
as Kate Malloy.
Nielsen ratings: 13.8 rating, 26 share, 1st (15th overall).
In his last regular-series adventure, MacGyver takes on the
dangerous cause of a Chinese dissident and gets help from an
unexpected source - his son.
139 The Mountain of Youth (the "lost" episode)
Airdate: 21 May 1992
Writer: Brad Radnitz
Director: William Gereghty
Guest Cast: Roya Megnot as Mukti, Ned Romero as Baba, Alex
Colon, George Kee Cheung as Dr. Liang, Bruce McGill as
Jack Dalton.
Nielsen ratings: 8.1 rating, 14 share, 4th (53rd overall).
MacGyver joins Jack Dalton in Kabulstan on a search for a fountain
of youth in a land that appears to be a real Shangri-La - and finds
himself battling nuclear terrorists in the process.
140 Lost Treasure of Atlantis (two-hour, made-for-TV movie)
Airdate: 14 May 1994
Writer: John Sheppard
Director: Michael Vejar
Supporting Cast: Geoffrey Beevers as the Academy Director,
Brian Blessed as Atticus, Christian Burgess as Lord Cleeve,
Oliver Ford Davies as Professor Carson, George Jackos as
the Sergeant, Kevork Malikyan as Zavros, Andreas Markos as
the Greek Doctor, Barry McCormick as the Detective, Hugh
Quarshie as Inspector Rhodes, Sophie Ward as Kelly Carson,
Tim Woodward as Colonel Petrovic.
Nielsen ratings: 9.1 rating, 17 share, 2nd (58th overall).
MacGyver, his archaeology professor, and an old friend team up
to search for the legendary treasure of Atlantis, but an enterprising
Englishman and his partner want the treasure for other reasons.
141 Trail to Doomsday (two-hour, made-for-TV movie)
Airdate: 24 November 1994
Writer: John Considine
Director: Charles Correll
Supporting Cast: Beatie Edney as Natalia, Peter Egan as Frederick,
Alun Armstrong as Capshaw, Bob Sherman as Anthony Graves, Lena
Headley as Elise Moran, Nicholas Farrell as Paul Moran, Robert
Gwilym as Nikolai, Michael Cronin as Dr. Massey.
Nielsen ratings: 8.9 rating, 16 share, 2nd (59th overall).
In England, MacGyver investigates the mystery of his friend's murder
and discovers a secret nuclear weapons facility in the process.
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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