CBS Fires ‘MacGyver’ & ‘Magnum P.I.’ Boss Peter Lenkov
CBS has fired the showrunner behind two of its hit procedural dramas.
The network has axed Peter Lenkov, who oversaw current dramas MacGyver and Magnum P.I. and the just-ended Hawaii Five-0, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes after CBS investigated allegations that Lenkov was responsible for creating a toxic work environment.
“Peter Lenkov is no longer the executive producer overseeing MacGyver and Magnum P.I., and the studio has ended its relationship with him,” a CBS TV Studios spokesperson said in a statement. Executive producers for each show — MacGyver‘s Monica Macer and Magnum P.I.‘s Eric Guggenheim — will take over as showrunners.
“Our studio is committed to ensuring safe and respectful production environments. Over the past year, we have assigned human resource production partners to every show, expanded staff training and increased reporting options,” the statement continues. “We will continue to evolve our practices with continued focus on building trust with all who work on our sets. Every complaint is taken seriously, every claim is investigated, and when evidence is clear that policies were violated and values not upheld, we take decisive action.”
(Justin Stephens/CBS)
“Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry,” Lenkov said in a statement. “I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better.”
The accusations against Lenkov alleged that he was “manipulative and abusive” on Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver and that “it was a hard place to be a woman on [H50‘s] set.” He allegedly treated male employees differently, including adjusting schedules, and spoke down to writers, “particularly women and people of color,” according to the report. It also details a time in which he allegedly tried to have a writer fired for speaking out against him mocking a disabled fan.
Lenkov is “anti-woman, anti-POC, anti-gay and everything you’d expect. But he’d also torture straight, white men if he felt like it,” a source told THR.
Lenkov still had a year left on his current deal with the studio. Both MacGyver and Magnum P.I. will return in the 2020-2021 season, while Hawaii Five-0 ended after 10 seasons in April.
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