"MacGyver" was never a cult hit during it's time on the air (that's not to say it wasn't popular, because it was), but the series gained new popularity at the end of it's run, and in the years since, as "the" show on the FOX hit "Simpsons" -- Patty and Selma would rather die (and one almost did!) rather than miss an episode of "MacGyver".
"MacGyver" was a production from Paramount that was a joint creation between Canada and the ABC network. Shot in LA for season 1, 2, and 7, the show spent four years in Vancouver, British Columbia, and paved the way for future shows to come north, whether because of setting (ie. "The Commish"), or because the networks wouldn't take a chance on it unless it was cheap and easy (ie. "The X Files"). It also helped launch the careers of more than one well-known face -- Michael Des Barres, as MacGyver's oft-seen enemy Murdoc, Teri Hatcher as pretty Penny Parker, Elyssa Davalos as love interest Nikki, Mayim Bialik as teen Lisa, Dana Elcar as Peter Thornton, and Dalton James as MacGyver's son Sean.
While there have been many successful Canadian-based productions since then ("The X Files" comes to mind), none have made the headway that "MacGyver" did for both Canadian television, and partnerships between Canada and American when it came to TV. It also launched a career for Richard Dean Anderson -- born in America and starring in the occasional hit and miss, the two hits of Anderson's career (he started out at Dr. Jeff Webber on "General Hospital") were "MacGyver" and the Canadian series "Stargate: SG-1".
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