The love for MacGyver in the engineering community knows no bounds and his adventures have inspired many of us to pursue STEM careers. To instill this inspiration in a new generation, 12 finalists of the Next MacGyver competition aim to create a TV show to encourage youth, especially girls, to pursue STEM careers (read previous article).
As the resident STEM education editor of ENGINEERING.com, here is my take on the finalists:
Imagineers
Imagineers concept art. Courtesy of artist Brian Rhodes and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Mockumentary/Comedy
Synopsis: This show would follow Disney’s Imagineers within a fictional single-cam workplace comedy. The show would mix fictional reality tv-esque material with real world Disney Imagineering material. Various Disney products, lore, rides, culture, and intellectual property will make appearances.
Shawn’s Take: I both love and hate this. I can’t help but wish that it followed the real Imagineers, doing their thing in a similar take to the Mythbusters. Instead, the show is aiming to mimic The Office with a semi-fictional setting. However, it will be great to see the Imagineers in action within any format.
Unfortunately, Disney has shown in recent months it’s thoughts on women. They seem to feel they have the girl market covered with their princess line and the boy market with the Marvel line and never shall the two meet. As frustrating as this controversy has been for fans of female superheroes, I suspect the same will be true for fans of females in STEM.
Ready for Primetime? Needs tweaks but generally good idea.
Score: Imagineers, make this dream come true! If your bosses will let you…
Q Branch
Q Branch concept art. Courtesy of artist Matthew Zikry and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Spy Action
Synopsis: The story about the engineer that makes and tests all those cool gadgets that spies use.
Shawn’s Take: There isn’t much to go on here. I love the premise. I love the setting. I love that the lead sounds like a strong female character. I’m also fond of the call out to James Bond with the title. But seriously, what’s the story really about?
Ready for Primetime? Engineers need more than the back of a napkin design -unless they’re MacGyver of course.
Score: As mysterious as the sneaking suit it wears.
Enhanced
Enhanced concept art. Courtesy of artist Peter Bollinger and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: One-hour Procedural Drama
Synopsis: Bioengineer and FBI recruit Clair Parish helps a team of investigators track down a new breed of artificially enhanced criminals in the late 21st century. The show deals with aspects of climate change, civil unrest, techno-paranoia and how new technologies can be used to commit unimaginable crimes.
Shawn’s Take: This procedural cyberpunk premise sounds rather interesting despite the typical tropes TV studios love.
The description hits on many STEM topics and geopolitical concerns of our current age and sets them in the near future. If the show works on how technology is being used to solve these problems, or how the criminals use it to exacerbate them, then it certainly could encourage the next generation to make a real difference and solve these issues.
Ready for Primetime? It should hack the TV studio system and gain STEM interest.
Score: Resistance is futile, we will all be addicted.
Riveting
Riveting concept art. Courtesy of artist Tim Szabo and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: World War II Drama
Synopsis: A former prom queen becomes an aeronautics engineer after her fiancée is killed overseas. Her goal, use her trade to ensure it never happens again.
Shawn’s Take: Everyone determined to reduce the gender gap in the STEM community should have Rosie the Riveter on a poster. It’s a shame that the whole “women can do it too” attitude of the WW2 industrial complex died so quickly once the boys came back home.
My major concern is that this has been done before, and done very well. From The Bletchley Circle, to Agent Carter, to a League of Their Own, these stories showed that in WW2 it wasn’t always man’s job to be a code breaker, spy, or even baseball player. How will Riveting compare to these previous works? None the less, the proven track record with audiences and studios should work in the favor of this entry, and let’s be honest, deep down we all want to see a live action Rosie.
Ready for Primetime? Audiences and studios love WW2 dramas.
Score: Rosie
Ada and the Machine
Ada and the Machine concept art. Courtesy of artist Zoe Chevat and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Historical Fiction/Steampunk
Synopsis: When mathematician Ada Lovelace is 17 years old she meets computer engineer Charlie Babbage. The two work together to bring super machines and artificial intelligence to an 1832 steampunk world.
Shawn’s Take: This sounds like it’s done everything right to get women interested in STEM. The show stars a strong young female savant based off of a real world hero in the STEM community.
This is a story practically untouched by mainstream media with a potential to show the world that its first computer programmer was indeed a woman. Ada and the Machine has an interesting premise tossed in with some A.I. and steampunk as icing on the cake. Too bad studios don’t like to take risks on original pieces of work.
Ready for Primetime? It’s a fresh concept, original story and not trying to be something else, aka risky for studios.
Score: Jolly good show.
SECs (Science and Engineering Clubs)
SECs concept art. Courtesy of artist Michael Penick and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Educational High School Dramady
Synopsis: To avoid expulsion for setting the gym on fire, Emily must join the Science and Engineering Club. She then helps the club in their efforts to win the FIRST competition.
The show will have elements of Glee, Mean Girls, and educational lessons in every episode.
Shawn’s Take: This is the type of show we need to close the gender gap in STEM. It takes a female character subjected to the peer pressures of the “popular crowd” and brings in some real character growth.
By the synopsis it appears she realizes that her most powerful ally in the school hallways is her own mind. She is forced to make an adult decision at a young age between the acceptance of her popular, mean girlfriends or the gifts she shares with her STEM friends. She no longer has to be the person people tell her she should be. Of all of the synopses listed here, this appears to be the most relatable to the young female target audience.
On top of the cool edutainment factor, the show will feature a real world STEM competition (FIRST) that the fans can then participate in.
I must admit, the show sounds riddled with tropes. Any show that describes itself using titles of shows that already exist will usually lack originality. But it sounds fun and smart in its own way, and it should do well with the studios targeting youth audiences.
This is the safest and most practical option, just please change the title.
Ready for Primetime? It has the right mix of what STEM needs and studios feel comfortable with.
Score: Not convinced it’s the show STEM deserves, but it’s the one we need right now. It’s a front runner.
Isabella.exe
Isabelle.exe concept art. Courtesy of artist Ruolin Li and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Sci-fi/Drama
Synopsis: When college freshman Isabelle discovers she is really an android with programmed memories, she teams up with her friends and professors to discover who created her and why. Unfortunately, Isabelle keeps malfunctioning and needs maintenance from her friends.
Shawn’s Take: So if she wasn’t put together that well, as the synopsis implies, then how was she able to pull off the illusion she was a real girl in the first place?
That plot hole aside, the premise does open the door for some cool STEM projects to be put to film. There isn’t really a lot to go on otherwise. I’m not sure this Pinocchio story has any strings to keep it moving.
Ready for Primetime? Not with that plot hole…
Score: This android needs more ‘Data.’
The Mind
The Mind concept art. Courtesy of artist Eric Tortora Patoand The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Crime Drama
Synopsis: In a parallel reality, all the great minds of history are stored within a super computer. When the computer is stolen, an android with similar abilities and an engineer team up to find it.
Shawn’s Take: This show sounds very interesting. There isn’t much there to go on, but what is there hits all the right notes for the STEM community and the studios, from what I can tell.
What is very interesting is that instead of going for the procedural crime drama, aka the easy way out, the show opts for an overarching story based on a single mystery. This can help to get the audience hooked and in a binge watching mood.
However, I must say if the android can download minds of the past just like the super computer then why do you need to find the supercomputer? You already have the better, more portable version.
Ready for Primetime? Studios and audience should find it... fascinating (despite the illogical plot hole).
Score: You had me at brain sucking super computer.
@Gnosis
@Gnosis concept art. Courtesy of artist Matt Griffin and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Interactive Social Media Crime/Drama
Synopsis: When the mayor’s daughter is kidnapped, a group of five teenagers attempt to find her with the help of a social media tool called @Gnosis. They stumble upon a plot by an evil genius bent on destroying the town and their lives.
The show will have some real world social media interactions breaking the fourth wall and partially directing the show’s plot.
Shawn’s Take: It appears the only original aspect of this show, the social media interaction, is also its biggest downfall. TV interacting with social media has traditionally been limited to reality-TV. Seeing its effects on a written show would be interesting.
Unfortunately if the show is truly affected by interactive voting it would become very expensive. Either scenes will have to be viewable in multiple permutations of sequence, or filmed and edited within a weekly turn-around.
As a result the show could be plagued with the perception that “my votes don’t really matter.” Even in reality-TV shows many audience members believe that it wasn’t really America that voted; it was the producers and writers.
As for the rest of @Gnosis, it sounds like its trope city.
Ready for Primetime? #Your_votes_really_count_we_swear
Score: #unoriginal #evil_genius_is_evil #tropecity #skip
Rule 702
Rule 702 concept art. Courtesy of artist Jiedi Chen and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Procedural Adventure
Synopsis: Female engineer and savant declines to join the commercial world and instead becomes an expert witness in high profile courtroom cases. She uses her wits and scientific investigation skills to find the truth.
Shawn’s Take: As trope filled as they are, there is a reason procedural dramas do so well. We like them. I get a sniff of rehashing the hit show Bones coming off of this synopsis, however it sounds interesting due to the unique perspective. One career that crime-dramas have yet tap is that of “the expert witness” – this could breathe life into the genre.
The real advantage here is that the main character seems like an interesting person that many STEM professionals would like to get to know a little better. Think of the stories this person could tell.
Ready for Primetime? Could be good but sounds too familiar.
Score: I’d watch a few episodes to see if I like it.
Doctor Tailor
Doctor Tailor concept art. Courtesy of artist Mina Price and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Procedural Drama
Synopsis: Fashion Designer Tilly Tailor enters into the world of the Internet of Things (IoT) as a wearable technology engineer. Teaming up with the FBI, she solves crimes by using her IoT skills to hack, create and analyze clothing. Also clothing saved her life…?
Shawn’s Take: Given the recent backlash against “Supergirl v. Devil Wears Prada” and “pink aisle marketing” I can’t see a studio going for this show. Regardless of popular opinion on these issues, my guess is the studios will avoid them.
As for the goal to inspire the next generation, Doctor Tailor misses the point. It sends the message that the only way girls can get a STEM career is if they choose a “girly path,” a la Legally Blond. This is backwards thinking as young women have many more avenues than IoT fashion to enter STEM fields.
Additionally, the synopsis is uninspired and filled with tropes.
Ready for Primetime? Pink was so last decade!
Score: I think I’ll pass.
Kansas
Kansas concept art. Courtesy of artist Kathy Liu and The Next MacGyver.
Genre: Sci-fi/Drama
Synopsis: Famous French engineer, Sophie Villeneuve is driven to create the first Mars settlement after she experiences a personal loss.
Shawn’s Take: Once again, cool premise, cool setting, cool character idea, and even a cool title shout out to pop-culture (The Wizard of Oz).
However, the lack of details leaves us assessing a barren landscape. This could go either way.
Ready for Primetime? Needs some meat on them bones first.
Score: Unknown elements detected.
What show would you prefer to see? Who do you think will win? Do you agree with my assessments? Comment below?