MacGyver/YMMV

• Anvilicious: "The Golden Triangle", "To Be A Man"
• Dry Docking: Nikki Carpenter was introduced as a possible love interest for Mac. However, the producers soon discovered that female fans did not want Mac to be permanently attached and Nikki was quietly Put on a Bus.
• Ensemble Darkhorse: Murdoc. No one ever wanted him to actually defeat MacGyver, but fans loved to see MacGyver's Indy Ploys go up against Murdoc's Crazy Prepared.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Any scene containing his future Stargate co-stars, especially the one where he throws Christopher Judge on the ground. Doubly funny when his character guesses a gadget is a "Martian toothbrush."
  • This wouldn't be the first time Dr. Zito (W. Morgan Sheppard) would be involved in mock Viking funerals.
• Ho Yay: Mac and Jack had their moments.
• Memetic Mutation: "MACGYVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
• Narm: Mac's reaction to Booker's death.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Richard Dean Anderson, naturally. You can also spot his future Stargate SG-1 co-stars Don S. Davis (who was Dana Elcar's stunt double and also appeared as a security guard) and Christopher Judge (who had an early role as a student in a class MacGyver was visiting).
  • A young Teri Hatcher as Penny.
  • Prior to being cast as the title character on Blossom, Mayim Bialik had appeared in three 1989-90 season episodes as Lisa Woodman.
  • One episode had an FBI agent played by Rob Paulsen in a rare on-screen appearance.
• Tear Jerker: Mike's death moments after MacGyver rejected her.
  • Subverted: She fell to her death during a mountain climbing expedition, and Mac's thrashing at the end of the rope as he tries to save her was rather callously added to the opening credits.