CBS’ Intense 5-Season Action Series Still Hasn’t Lived Down Its Brutal Twist
Few things are as divisive as the death of a beloved TV character. It’s an often ballsy move to make on the part of a show’s creative staff, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the character’s exit, be it a planned move to drive the storyline going forward, or an actor leaving a show, either of their own volition or otherwise, and tricky. If it’s handled delicately and well, as it was with Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) on Grey’s Anatomy or Ned Stark (Sean Bean) on Game of Thrones, at least there’s a sense of closure. If it’s handled poorly, or out of nowhere, as it famously was with Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) on The Walking Dead or Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) on Grey’s Anatomy, it raises the ire of the fan base and is questioned for eternity. And if that death happens offscreen, à la Lt. Colonel Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) on M*A*S*H*, the backlash can be ugly.
Which brings us to the unique situation of MacGyver‘s Jack Dalton, played by George Eads. Eads left the series in Season 3, with his exit explained as Dalton choosing to leave the Phoenix Foundation team to track down a terrorist thought to have been killed years before. The move was mostly disappointing and led to a gradual decline in the series’ ratings. But for whatever reason, Dalton was killed offscreen in Season 5. Unexpected, unwarranted, and very, very unwanted, the loss of the best character on MacGyver still irritates fans to no end, five years after the series’ cancellation.
George Eads Reinvents Jack Dalton for ‘MacGyver’ 2016
In the original series, Jack Dalton, played by Bruce McGill, met MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) in high school, and they have remained best friends ever since. Dalton’s penchant for looking to make it big has seen him go through a number of business failures, with the Jack-Be-Quick Messenger Service, Dalton Air, and Dalton Air & Sea all going under, although he’s sure there’s an opportunity just around the corner for him. In addition to his get-rich-quick scheming, Dalton has an intrinsic talent for getting into trouble, to MacGyver’s great consternation, forcing MacGyver to get Dalton, and himself, out of the situations Dalton draws them into.
However, the character was reimagined for the 2016 reboot. Instead of the bumbling, yet loyal friend, Dalton was now a fully capable and loyal friend. This Dalton is an ex-Delta Force and CIA operative who first met MacGyver (Lucas Till) in Afghanistan. At the time, the two were teamed together for active service, with Jack providing protection for MacGyver, allowing him to perform his bomb squad duties unimpeded. After their tour of duty, they were recruited by the Phoenix Foundation, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Easy-going, laid-back, and funny, yet ready for action when needed, the reimagined Dalton is almost the complete opposite of his 1985 doppelgänger. And in the hands of George Eads, who had previously played fan-favorite character Nick Stokes in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, it all worked, with Eads effortlessly bringing the character’s strengths and weaknesses to life. With charm, wit, and a natural charisma, Eads guided Dalton into becoming the series’ most popular and beloved character.
George Eads Leaves in Season 3 of ‘MacGyver’, Taking Jack Dalton With Him
But in November 2018, news came out that Eads would be leaving MacGyver in Season 3. According to sources, Eads had been asking to be written out of the Atlanta-based series in order to spend time with his young daughter in Los Angeles. However, previously in October of that year, another source disclosed to The Hollywood Reporter that there had been an altercation on set, with Eads storming off the set despite having several hours of production still left to do for the day. Unfortunately, that claim mirrors an altercation on the set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation back in 2013 with one of the writers, which resulted in Eads being placed on a temporary suspension from the series.
Whatever the reason, Eads’ last appearance on the show was in the Season 3 episode “Father + Bride + Betrayal,” with Dalton asked to lead the hunt for Tiberius Kovacs, an international terrorist whom Dalton believed he had killed ten years prior. He insists that MacGyver stay behind and “continue saving the world,” and picks Desi Nguyen (Levy Tran), a friend, to take his place on Team Phoenix. Just like that, he was gone, and despite the character’s popularity, Dalton wasn’t heard from again, and interest in the series waned after Eads’ departure.
Then came Season 5’s “Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO”, which opened with a funeral for none other than Jack Dalton, who died on duty, offscreen, at the hands of the very terrorist he had been pursuing. While the team would get justice for their fallen friend, thanks to clues that Dalton left behind for them in the event of his death, fans were not pleased. The death came out of nowhere, an act bordering on cruelty given they had already said their goodbyes to the character in a far more positive circumstance. Fans still haven’t forgotten or forgiven, five years after the series was cancelled in 2021.
All episodes of MacGyver are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
