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Bubblegum and paper clips: CBS's 'MacGyver' reboot has assembled its cast

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Lucas Till stars in "MacGyver"

Lucas Till stars in "MacGyver"

Bubblegum and paper clips: CBS's "MacGyver" reboot is piecing together its cast. The new iteration of the classic show had a good enough pilot to get itself ordered to series, but the cast and crew have been shaken up in preparation for the anticipated premiere, airing Friday, Sept. 23.

Lucas Till ("X-Men: First Class," 2011) is set to star as the iconic Angus MacGyver, a brilliant man who creates the Department of External Services (DXS) to combat any and all threats to the nation and to the world. MacGyver uses his incredible scientific knowledge and unconventional problem-solving skills to always win the day, no matter how desperate the odds stacked against him may seem.

A diverse cast of actors join Till on the DXS team. Sandrine Holt ("House of Cards") has been cast as DXS director Patricia Thornton, a boss who's not afraid to get her hands dirty in the field and have a little bit of fun herself.

Of course, at every agent's side is a good partner, and MacGyver is no exception. George Eads ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") stars as Jack Dalton, a former CIA agent who's no stranger to the sorts of high-risk missions that he frequently finds himself caught in the middle of with MacGyver.

Justin Hires ("21 Jump Street," 2012) has been cast as MacGyver's roommate, a constant source of amusement for the busy DXS agent.

The original "MacGyver" series ran for seven seasons and has become an iconic TV program of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Even the word "MacGyvering" has entered the lexicon of many people, meaning the act of taking ordinary, everyday objects like paper clips, and using them for something outside of their intended use -- the sorts of things that MacGyver did frequently in the show.

The reboot of "MacGyver," starring Lucas Till in the title role premieres Friday, Sept. 23, on CBS.

 

From FBI to CIA: "Quantico" is trading one agency for another. The ABC thriller, in which rookie FBI agent Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra, "Don 2," 2011) was framed by someone in her own agency for the biggest terrorist attack since Sept. 11, is gearing up for its second season, set to premiere Sunday, Sept. 25.

Chopra's Parrish is back, now with a CIA agent's badge rather than an FBI one, but a lot of new faces are set to join her -- no surprise, considering the body count of the first season.

Blair Underwood ("L.A. Law") has been cast as CIA operative Owen Hall, an agent revered by new operatives. Russell Tovey ("Being Human") plays the mysterious Harry Doyle, and South African actress Pearl Thusi ("Tremors 5: Bloodlines," 2015) steps in as an ambitious lawyer who struggles to fit in at her law firm.

But those three aren't the only new faces -- not by a long shot. David Lim ("Criminal Minds"), Tracy Ifeachor ("The Originals") and Mexican telenovela star Aarón Díaz have also joined the cast for season 2.

Lim has been cast as future CIA agent Sebastian Chen, a man who is focused on his goals and confident in his abilities. Ifeachor is Lydia Bates, a financial analyst, and Díaz is set to play the smoldering Léon Velez, a photojournalist who lives wherever life takes him.

All in all, it's a lot of new faces for the show that was one of last season's hits. Its star, though, is still on board: Chopra was the breakout star of the show last season, winning a People's Choice Award for her performance; not bad for a former Miss World winner and Bollywood star who was virtually unknown in America only a year ago.

"Quantico" returns to ABC Sunday, Sept. 25.

 

Get 'Pumped': The Governator's TV project is finally moving ahead. Actor-turned-politician-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger ("The Terminator," 1984) has been working on the scripted drama "Pumped" for some time, and the project is finally gaining some ground over at CBS Television Studios. Though production is getting started, no network has picked up the program yet.

"Pumped," which also stars the veteran actor, is set in Venice Beach, Calif., during the 1970s, primarily in a gym called Pumped.

It's a setting based on the place where Schwarzenegger got his own start as a body builder. The star of some of Hollywood's biggest action flicks has an intimate knowledge of bodybuilding: he's often credited with popularizing the sport in the 1970s and '80s, and, since 1989, one of the world's premiere bodybuilding competitions has sported his name: the Arnold Classic.

"Pumped" was previously picked up by Showtime back in 2013 before moving to Hulu, where it never saw the light of day. With a major studio now behind its development, though, Schwarzenegger's "Pumped" may finally find its way to TV screens.