mdbmac

MacGyver (ABC/Paramount) (1987-91)

©1997+ Cyndi Glass
All Macgyver photos & sounds ©1987-91 Winkler Productions/Paramount/ABC (ie, not me)
This page is provided for fan entertainment/information & no copyright infringement is intended.

This page is part of the Michael Des Barres Web Site. Please enjoy this part of the site, but I'd like to invite you to explore the rest of Michael's site and delve into the versatile, multi-decade career of this talented and fascinating actor/singer.

Photo: Murdoc works feverishly to release his sister from an electric chair, "Halloween Knights" - contributed by Wolf.

Michael's role: Murdoc, a recurring role, MacGyver's nemesis & most interesting opponent. This is probably Michael's best known recurring TV role, for very good reason. Murdoc is only one of MacGyver's enemies, but he is the most interesting and returned for more episodes than any other opponent. Their relationship is also interesting - while Murdoc is out to kill MacGyver in revenge for whatever reason he is using this time, and MacGyver has fought him off and tried to catch him, they share a sharp intelligence that makes them respect each others' abilities. In one episode, "Halloween Knights," MacGyver actually helps Murdoc rescue his sister. He also shows a vulnerability around Penny Parker in "Cleo Rocks," for which Michael wrote the lyrics to the "Cleo Rocks" title song. Murdoc is a clever, inventive and talented assassin, with an aptitude for disguise, a penchant for blowing things up, and a sarcastic wit. He remains the favorite villain of the series among MacGyver fans.

TV Land's MacGyver episode schedule: click here
Spike TV's MacGyver episode schedule: click here

IMDb listing for MacGyver (the show)
IMDb listing for Michael Des Barres
How to collect Michael's MacGyver episodes
Interviews With Michael (MacGyver/Murdoc is mentioned in many of them)

Go here for more MacGyver links.

For my complete MacGyver/Murdoc photo and sound collection, click on the titles below to go to each episode's web page where you will find plot summaries, commentary, sounds and lots and lots of pictures. PLEASE NOTE: the picture files on the pages do not work for Netscape. Use Internet Explorer.

Episode #2.18 (040), "Partners," Mar. 2, 1987 (Season 2) An assassin they thought had died during their first case together traps Mac and Pete.
Episode #3.9 (052), "Widowmaker," Nov. 16, 1987 (Season 3) MacGyver is forced out of his grief over the tragic death of a friend by a madman with a score to settle from their past association.
Episode #4.9 (073), "Cleo Rocks," Feb. 6, 1989 (Season 4) Penny Parker's big chance in a major professional role may be only one part of a man's twisted scheme for revenge against MacGyver.
Episode #5.6 (089), "Halloween Knights," Oct. 30, 1989 (Season 5) MacGyver's old nemesis, Murdoc, asks for his help in locating his sister, an innocent bystander that was kidnapped by Murdoc's employers- a cartel of assassins-for-hire.
Episode #5.12 (095), "Serenity," Jan. 8, 1990 (Season 5) (time travel dream episode) Exhausted MacGyver dreams he's a Civil War vet trying to claim a home in Montana that's threatened by a neighboring rancher who looks a lot like Pete Thornton.
Episode #6.19 (123), "Strictly Business," Apr. 8, 1991 (Season 6) Murdoc wants to come out of retirement but his former employers insist that he take out MacGyver as a demonstration of his sincere desire to rejoin them.
Episode #7.3 (128), "Obsessed," Sept. 30, 1991 (Season 7) The ghost of his archenemy Murdoc leaves MacGyver sleepless and on edge just as he is about to supervise the security of the criminal trial of a deposed dictator, a task that could determine Pete's continued employment at The Phoenix Foundation.

Murdoc also appears in flashback in two episodes: "Hindsight" and "Unfinished Business."

Plot summary: In case anyone doesn't know, the series is about the heroic MacGyver, who is a government agent who fights crime using his brains instead of guns. Murdoc is his nemesis, who always returns from the dead to thwart him once again. Plot summaries for individual episodes are on the pages linked above.

There is a huge and active MacGyver fan base, and lots of web pages - do some exploring. There are also many MacGyver email discussion lists, including lists focusing on RDA and Stargate, Legend, etc, and live chats.

Murdoc was voted the best guest character by MacGyver fans in a MacGyver Listserv poll taken in 1998, and "Widowmaker" chosen in the all-time top ten episodes. On the MacGyver Interactive Web Page, Michael's episodes all rank very highly within their seasons (some rank #1), and Murdoc ranks as the #2 favorite character, ahead of Pete, Penny, Jack and Nikki.

More MacGyver/Murdoc resources, news, fan fiction etc…go to my Links page

Michael Des Barres TV Page * Michael Des Barres Main Page