MacGyver: What You Didn’t Know About The Classic Show

Stunts and Injuries

MacGyver does a wild stunt in nearly every episode, but you might be surprised to learn that rather than hiring a stunt double, Richard Dean Anderson performed almost all of his own stunts. Of course, that dedication to the role came with a price.

“I won’t be jumping off buildings again,” Anderson told The Los Angeles Times. “My back has been compressed and operated on. My feet have been surgically cut up and I have a knee that’s just going wacky. So, I do my own driving, and I ski and skate. I’m playing hockey again. Anything that immobilizes my feet, I’m okay with.

The Network Didn’t See the Potential

Though MacGyver has remained a popular show through the years, ABC didn’t always see the potential in this show, especially since they filmed the series in Vancouver. “For a long time, we had a hard time getting recognition from our own network,” said Anderson.

Steve Downing, an executive producer on the show, was convinced that the former ABC President Brandon Stoddard never really liked the series at all. “We were basically ignored,” said Downing. Their timeslot, up against Monday Night Football, didn’t help either. After the second season, MacGyver moved from Los Angles to Vancouver to shoot everything, cutting down on costs, and the next president of ABC, Bob Eiger, saw much more potential in the show.