He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys can throw at him.
Paramount started releasing MacGyver in January, 2005, and finished it up with the seventh season in October, 2006, less than 2 years later. That's an aggressive release strategy, which tells me the sets sold quite well. Is it worth buying the complete series if you already own seasons 1-7? Read on...
The Packaging
Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of this packaging at all. They managed to create a package that takes up 1/3 more space than the seasons 1-7 sets, and they did it in a way that is neither elegant, nor practical. The box opens from the right-side, which is held closed with a Velcro fastener. Opening the box reveals two cases that hold the discs. These are made of cardboard, and work like a an accordion, allowing you to slide the discs between the cardboard separators. There are larger separators for each season, them smaller separators for the discs in each season. These cases are held closed by another Velcro fastener; case 1 holds seasons 1-4, and case two holds 5-7 and the bonus disc.
My second case was glued improperly so the discs sit higher than they should. Now the case doesn't close properly, making it seem larger than the first case. There's also an episode guide book included, though it just sits loose in the package.
The Material
The set includes all 139 regular episodes of the series on discs identical to those in the season sets, plus a bonus disc with the two TV movies that aired after the run of the series.
MacGyver - Lost Treasure of Atlantis (1:32:40)
MacGyver's old archaeology professor asks him to aid in vindicating the lost city of Atlantis and to salvage its treasure.
MacGyver - Trail to Doomsday (1:32:35)
MacGyver stumbles upon a terrorist plot to hold the world hostage while looking into his best friend's death.
To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?
CBS has pissed off nearly every MacGyver fan by bundling the TV movies with the complete series set, especially when season 7 was a shorter season, and they could have easily been bundled with that. Nope, they were saving these for the complete series set, just like the material that appears on The Brady Bunch, The Andy Griffith Show and I Love Lucy. So, is it worth upgrading to? Only if you have to have the TV movies. The packaging feels cheap, looks ugly and takes up a lot of space. Is it worth the $135.99 that Amazon is currently charging? Not if you have the season sets already.
