MacGyver is an
American action/
adventure television series created by
Lee David Zlotoff and executively produced by
Henry Winkler and
John Rich that aired on
ABC. Seven seasons were produced, all of which were broadcast by the ABC Network in the United States and various other
networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in
Los Angeles during Seasons 1, 2 and 7, and in
Vancouver, Canada from Seasons 3-6. The show's final episode aired on May 21, 1992 on ABC.
The story arc of
MacGyver follows the laid-back, extremely resourceful
secret agent Angus MacGyver, played by
Richard Dean Anderson. He prefers
non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible and refuses to carry or use a gun. MacGyver works as a problem solver for the fictional
Phoenix Foundation in
Los Angeles. Educated as a scientist with a background as a Bomb Disposal Technician/EOD in Vietnam ("Countdown"), and from a fictional United States government agency, the Department of External Services (DXS), he is used as a resourceful agent able to solve a range of problems along with his ever-present
Swiss army knife.