MacGyver season 4: Is timing right for Hawaii Five-0, Magnum PI crossover?
We know that one of the things that is the hardest to accept about the MacGyver delay is the fact that it’s going to come with a reduced episode order, which may start out at 13 episodes and change depending on what happens over the next several months. There aren’t exactly a lot of ways to spin a shorter episode order as a great thing, but we do admit that one possibility crosses our mind.
Over the past several months, there’s of course been plenty of discussion among fans of the idea of a 3-way crossover between MacGyver, Magnum PI, and then also Hawaii Five-0 — it was even discussed at PaleyFest. It’s kind of hard not to think about it given that all three shows share an executive producer in Peter M. Lenkov, and beyond all of that, they have a very similar tone and style. We already know that they’re all in the same universe, so why not try to make it happen?
Well, there’s a pretty simple reason why it hasn’t happened so far. Logistically, the idea of having three shows like this together is extremely challenging and probably sends nightmares into the heads of producers. MacGyver films in Atlanta, whereas both Magnum PI and Hawaii Five-0 film completely on the other side of the country in, you guessed it, Hawaii. While MacGyver was able to do a crossover with Hawaii Five-0 during season 1, we imagine that that was quite a challenge (and that was only with some of the Five-0 cast featured). Trying to do a crossover event featuring all three shows, and all of the cast members? It’s borderline impossible … or is it?
Here is the one advantage to MacGyver having fewer episodes in season 4. Given that it will likely start production in the same period of time that it always does in the summer, it could be done filming so much earlier than either Hawaii Five-0 or Magnum PI. What that means is that it potentially opens the door to the cast having a little bit more travel flexibility. Maybe, for example, you want to do some sort of epic crossover event with these three shows a little later on in the MacGyver season, or even after MacGyver season 4 is over. You could just find a way to implement Mac, Bozer, and many of the other characters into Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum PI for an episode or two. While it would not necessarily be a traditional crossover since MacGyver the show itself could be wrapped for the season at the time it happens, it would certainly still be a fun way to implement all of these characters in the same exact place.
No matter what the producers decide, there’s no question that it’s a fun thing to think about. Ultimately, it really just about the story. If you can find a great, compelling reason to throw these characters together, and you find a way to logistically make it happen, we will champion it until the end of time. However, it shouldn’t just be forced for the sake of headlines, or to try to get a ratings bump or something that, in the end, field artificial or uninspired. You trust the producers to come up with a great idea if they want to pursue it, but we don’t imagine we’re going to hear any news one way or another for some time.
One more thing to note — if we had a choice between having a three-way crossover or MacGyver having more episodes of its own, we’re always going to choose the latter, just because having more episodes a show we love is better than maybe getting just an episode or two — even if crossovers are cool.
Of course, stay tuned, as we’re going to have more discussion about all of the aforementioned shows later this summer.
Do you think this year is a good time to have a three-way crossover between all of these different shows? Be sure to let us know in the comments. (Photo: CBS.)