"MacGyver" is a series that a whole generation remembers, a generation that grew up watching MacGyver's amazing skills. It also has a very characteristic atmosphere, typical of the era, starting with MacGyver's hair and the clothing and people smoking.
When people talk about the Golden Era of TV, they forget that there were very cool TV series in the past too. This pilot marks the tone for the series. It starts with MacGyver saving a pilot and defusing a missile in the middle of nowhere in Asia, and continues with an explosion in a research facility, with lots of people trapped and a countdown before they have to shut down the place, as there is a chemical leak. There goes MacGyver to try to save the day.
And it is a hell of a ride. The pace of the episode is frenetic, we have lots of amazing moments (the tobacco one is a very cool one, and people that have played Metal Gear Solid will see a homage there). It is incredible the level of imagination the writers had in the episode, as MacGyver has to go from one problem to another as the clocks turns.
But it is not only the action. Richard Dean Anderson's MacGyver is a magnificent character, full of charisma and swagger, all charm and resource. And Dean Anderson's characterization is spot on. It is curious to think that he became almost more famous for his job on Stargate, but his signature character is of course, this MacGyver, which he makes easy to relate to from the very first second, as if you had known him forever.
A great start to a great series.