Yet another 1980s TV show is coming back. MacGyver might be coming back to solve more problems in surprising ways on CBS.
The series is in development at CBS Television Studios, which has picked NCIS: Los Angeles’ R. Scott Gemmill to write and executive produce, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. Original executive producer Henry Winkler will return, along with Michael Clear, the head of production at director James Wan’s Atomic Monster.
Wan will also executive produce and might be picked to direct the pilot, if the project gets that far. Sources told THR that the show did receive a put-pilot commitment, which means that CBS would have to at least air the pilot or pay a penalty.
The original MacGyver actually ran on ABC from 1985 to 1992 and starred Richard Dean Anderson as the title character. It was produced by Paramount TV and is distributed by CBS TV Distribution, which is how the current project landed at CBS.
There have been plenty attempts to revive MacGyver since two 1994 TV movies. Paramount tried to do a Young MacGyver series with Jared Padalecki, but that never came to fruition. New Line also wanted to make a movie with Wan directing, but that never happened either. In fact, the most recent projects that have anything to do with MacGyver that have actually ended up happening are the Saturday Night Live “MacGruber” parody sketches and movie.
This is the latest TV reboot in the works, with Hart To Hart and The A-Team reboots reported last month. There are also several more projects, which are either based on movies or old TV shows, in the works at all four major networks.