The MacGyver Mindset: How The Show's Writers Turned Constraints Into TV Gold

Kerry Lenhart & John Sakmar are TV Producers and Writers (including MacGyver, 1986-1988) who were responsible for getting the title character out of a tight situation each week. To Macgyver, constraints were an opportunity to innovate and think creatively. The show's whole premise was that restrictions sparked ingenuity rather than hindered it.

Lenhart and Sakmar detail the specific criteria that qualify a solution as a MacGyverism. Most importantly, the writers explain how working on MacGyver taught them skills that helped them be more resourceful.