TV Show review
September 23, 2016 · TV-14
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
MacGyver (2016) is a CBS reboot where young genius Angus MacGyver joins the secret Phoenix Foundation think tank and uses science, everyday objects, and quick thinking to stop disasters and threats with his team. The five-season series mixes gadget-filled action episodes with team banter and some personal stories about family and trust. It features a diverse modern cast in operative and leadership roles but keeps the focus on problem-solving adventures without identity politics, activist speeches, or cultural lectures in the plots or marketing.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for MacGyver.
Woke representation / casting
Modern team mixes genders and ethnic backgrounds in key action and tech roles that fit a secret agency setting; no race or gender swaps of legacy characters, no marketing push, and no audience complaints about forcing or signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Standard lines about stopping bad guys, loyalty, and occasional government distrust; no activist speeches, identity lectures, or social justice messaging in any reviewed episodes or summaries.
Identity-driven story themes
Personal arcs cover family secrets and team bonds but stay centered on ingenuity and stopping threats; no plots built around race, gender, sexuality, or systemic oppression.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Occasional corrupt officials or agency problems appear as individual failings or terrorism risks; no modern activist framing of patriarchy, capitalism, toxic masculinity, or Western institutions as the core issue.
Woke character or canon changes
Jack Dalton updated from original con-man buddy to skilled ex-soldier for the action team dynamic; minor tonal shift with no identity or ideological motive behind it.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No notable backlash calling the show woke, agenda-driven, or guilty of forced diversity; criticism stayed on writing quality and later production drama.
Creator track record context
Lenkov pushed ensemble diversity in earlier reboots but delivered standard action content; Macer’s later involvement brought no visible shift to identity themes seen in her other work; most other key crew lack relevant activist patterns.
Production
