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MacGyver poster

Shows that feel likeMacGyver (1985–1992)

He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's brakes... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

If you loved MacGyver, the closest series we have are Blue Bloods (2010), Snowfall (2017) and Maid (2021). All three share MacGyver's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Law & Order (1990).

★ 7.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗7 seasons · ABCcreated by Lee David Zlotoffcontemplativekineticepicgrittyhopeful
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Stream it:Paramount+ ↗

If MacGyver hit the spot, these will too

Blue Bloods poster
Blue Bloods
2010–2024 · 14 seasons · CBS
★ 7.7crime · dramaPrime VideoParamount+

The same preoccupation in both: inspirational

The difference: Takes it somewhere less kinetic than MacGyver does

A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief.

Snowfall poster
Snowfall
2017–2023 · 6 seasons · FX
★ 8.5drama · crimeHuluDisney+

One thread runs through both: inspirational

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

Los Angeles. 1983. A storm is coming and its name is crack. Set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic and its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it, the story follows numerous characters on a violent collision course.

Maid poster
Maid
2021 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.3dramaNetflix

Both land stillness and grit at once

After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.

Knight Rider poster
Knight Rider
1982–1986 · 4 seasons · NBC
★ 7action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · crime

Both keep coming back to the same thing: vigilante

The difference: Sits closer to sci-fi & fantasy than MacGyver does

Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

New Amsterdam poster
New Amsterdam
2018–2023 · 5 seasons · NBC
★ 7.9drama

Hopeful drama, and it commits to that

The new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America's oldest public hospital. Max Goodwin sets out to tear up the bureaucracy and provide exceptional care, but the doctors and staff are not so sure he can succeed. They've heard this before. Not taking "no" for an answer, Dr. Goodwin's instinctive response to problems large and small is four simple words: "How can I help?" He has to disrupt the status quo and prove he'll stop at nothing to breathe new life into this underfunded and underappreciated hospital, returning it to the glory that put it on the map.

Smallville poster
Smallville
2001–2011 · 10 seasons · The WB
★ 7.5sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaHulu

Kinetic where it counts, epic underneath

The difference: Leans harder into sci-fi & fantasy than MacGyver does

The origins of the world’s greatest hero–from Krypton refugee Kal-el’s arrival on Earth through his tumultuous teen years to Clark Kent’s final steps toward embracing his destiny as the Man of Steel.

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Supergirl
2015–2021 · 6 seasons · CBS
★ 6.2drama · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventureNetflix

Both lean on stillness more than on action & adventure

Twenty-four-year-old Kara Zor-El, who was taken in by the Danvers family when she was 13 after being sent away from Krypton, must learn to embrace her powers after previously hiding them. The Danvers teach her to be careful with her powers, until she has to reveal them during an unexpected disaster, setting her on her journey of heroism.

The Shield poster
The Shield
2002–2008 · 7 seasons · FX
★ 8.7crime · drama · action & adventurePrime VideoHulu

Crime built on momentum, twice over

The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

Superman & Lois poster
Superman & Lois
2021–2024 · 4 seasons · The CW
★ 7.8drama · sci-fi & fantasyMax

Drama with a pulse of hope, in both cases

After years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent and Lois Lane come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever: dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today's society.

The A-Team poster
The A-Team
1983–1987 · 5 seasons · NBC
★ 7.5action & adventure · comedy · crime

Common ground: crime fighter

A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."

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Rosario Tijeras
2010 · 1 season · RCN
★ 8action & adventure · crime · drama

Epic action & adventure in both cases

This is the story of the legendary Rosario Tijeras, the beautiful warrior from a slum who fell in love with Antonio and Emilio, two handsome and wealthy young men. Antonio, a young architect, desperately rushes the dying Rosario Tijeras to a nearby hospital. The beautiful Rosario has been shot four times by a hitman. While he waits for his beloved Rosario to be saved from her wounds, Antonio recalls how Rosario, a beautiful teenager, became the murderer Rosario Tijeras. And how he, a dashing young man, makes her his obsession. The woman of his dreams.

Law & Order poster
Law & Order
1990– · 26 seasons · NBC
★ 7.8crime · dramaNetflixHulu

Gritty crime in both cases

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

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The best-reviewed series that share MacGyver’s defining feeling.