Tonight is the series finale for MacGyver on CBS at 8/7c, but the show’s fans are doing everything possible to try to convince CBS to change their minds. The #SaveMacGyver campaign is working hard to highlight the positives regarding the show: It’s one of the few shows on TV that provides positive representation in diversity and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), with the cast that includes Lucas Till, Tristin Mays, Levy Tran, Meredith Eaton, Henry Ian Cusick, Justin Hires and Alexandra Grey.
Its ratings have been strong for 5 seasons straight and it won the Friday 8/7c time slot every week for 13 weeks in a row.
So why did CBS cancel it? Many fans believe it’s because of the controversy that came to light in 2020. Lucas Till came forward with allegations that the creator/showrunner had created a toxic work environment, and others followed suit. CBS cut ties with the original showrunner and brought in Monica Macer. Unfortunately, she was only given 8 episodes. During that time, Monica began to create a positive and healthy work environment. According to the #SaveMacGyver campaign, all signs pointed to a renewal for the series until it was abruptly cancelled, and the concern is that the cancellation was related to the previous harassment the cast and crew suffered.
But fans believe CBS should have given the show another season to prove what a good showrunner could do with MacGyver’s great cast and crew. To that end, the campaign of fans worldwide has done the following to save the show:
- Sent CBS’s LA office 350K+ paperclips (and are planning a larger round).
- Their petition has garnered 21K+ signatures since the cancellation announcement. (Go to https://www.change.org/p/cbs-savemacgyver to sign the petition yourself!)
- News coverage from Forbes, CNN, ET Canada, and Screen Rant among others.
- 300K tweets in the #savemacgyver tag since it was started 3 weeks ago.
- Raising funds for Cancer Research Institute to give back to the community. (Go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/operation-cure-cancer-from-fans-of-macgyver to donate to a great cause, regardless of your thoughts on the show!)
- Created a website: https://www.savemacgyver.com/
- Four digital billboards in the following locations Los Angeles (2), Times Square New York (1), and Atlanta (1).
If you aren’t fortunate enough to see them in person, here are pictures of two of the billboards (1 in LA, and the one in Times Square). Fans raised the funds to pay for all the billboards, which is an awesome thing!
