| MacGruber | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Action comedy |
| Created by | |
| Based on | MacGruber by Jorma Taccone |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Peacock |
| Release | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) |
| Related | |
| MacGruber (film)[1] | |
MacGruber is an Americanaction comedy televisionminiseries based on the recurringSaturday Night Livesketch of the same name, a parody of the action-adventure seriesMacGyver. Produced as a sequel to the2010 film, the series starsWill Forte as the title character, who goes up against Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth, a villain from his past.Kristen Wiig,Ryan Phillippe,Sam Elliott,Laurence Fishburne,Billy Zane, andTimothy V. Murphy also star. Co-produced byUniversal Television andBroadway Video, filming took place inAlbuquerque, New Mexico. The series was released onPeacock on December 16, 2021.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [2] | Original release date [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Good Day to Die" | Jorma Taccone | Jorma Taccone &John Solomon &Will Forte | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
Ten years after the events ofthe film, MacGruber is serving his sentence for killing Cunth in self-defense, only to be released when the president's daughter is kidnapped in a hostage situation. MacGruber is offered to be traded, at the expense of his life, which he accepts. However he makes a few stops, to try to reconnect with his colleagues whom he has thrown under the bus during his murder trial. Piper now works as a driving instructor after losing his honors due to MacGruber's arrogance and refuses to forgive him. Vicki is now dating MacGruber's commander, General Fasoose, which MacGruber accepts. He also leaves a note on a man's door (Sam Elliot) before heading back to base. The trade becomes successful, but when the military tries to pull MacGruber out, they are overpowered by the hostage leader, Enos Queeth. | |||||
| 2 | "The Hungry Lion" | Jorma Taccone | Tim McAuliffe | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 3 | "Brimstone" | John Solomon | Kassia Miller | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 4 | "The Scientist" | John Solomon | David Noel | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 5 | "Through the Looking Glass" | Jorma Taccone | Nguyen Le | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 6 | "The Storm" | Jorma Taccone | Jorma Taccone & John Solomon & Will Forte | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 7 | "The Architect" | John Solomon | Jorma Taccone & John Solomon & Will Forte | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
| 8 | "Havencroft" | John Solomon | Jorma Taccone & John Solomon & Will Forte | December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16) | |
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MacGruber was a recurring sketch onSaturday Night Live from 2007 to 2010, co-created by comedianWill Forte and writersJorma Taccone andJohn Solomon. Forte starred as the title character, an absurdist parody of theMacGyver television franchise. The sketches proved popular enough for a2010 film adaptation of the character. Though the film was abox-office bomb in its original theatrical release, a growingcult following in the ensuing years, and continued enthusiasm from the creative team, led to development of a sequel. Focus shifted to a television project when another film was not seen to be financially viable.[4]
Following the cancelation of the sitcomThe Last Man on Earth, which Forte created and starred in and Solomon wrote and directed, their focus returned to aMacGruber revival, which was pitched with Taccone to television networks in early 2019.[5] In November 2019, Forte mentioned the possibility ofKristen Wiig andRyan Phillippe returning to reprise their roles from the film.[6]
TheMacGruber series was officially announced on January 16, 2020 whenNBCUniversal, the distributor of bothSaturday Night Live and the 2010 film, revealed the inaugural development slate for their then-upcoming streaming servicePeacock.[7][8] By April 2020, the scripts for all eight episodes were near completion.[9] In August 2020, production was delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[9] On August 10, 2020, the series was officially given a series order, with Wiig and Phillippe in negotiations to star.[10][11]
Taccone invited directorChristopher Nolan, who had publicly discussed his enjoyment of the 2010 film, to the initialtable read for the series. Nolan was unable to attend, but sent an email regarding his anticipation for the project, including that "the world is waiting, the world is watching," which Taccone said was "an amazing way to start the read-through."[12] In June 2021, production began inAlbuquerque, New Mexico,[13] and it was confirmed that Wiig and Phillippe would reprise their roles, withSam Elliott,Laurence Fishburne, andMickey Rourke being added to the cast.[14] By August 2021, Rourke left the series and was replaced byBilly Zane. Joseph Lee Anderson would join the cast in a recurring role, withTimothy V. Murphy reprising his role from the film.[15] Filming concluded on August 23, 2021.[9]
All eight episodes were released on Peacock on December 16, 2021.[16]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 85% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "MacGruber won't convert anyone who isn't already in on the joke, but it reaffirms that deadpan buffoonery is Will Forte's forte."[17] OnMetacritic, the series has a score of 64 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]