Agreed. There have been discussions elsewhere about this "new" MacGyver being cocky, and the argument I have seen from those defending the reboot goes something like this: "Well, RDA's Mac was cocky in the first season, too." Really? I didn't really see that--more like confidence. There is a fine line between being confident and cocky, and if RDA seems "cocky" in the first season, I think it's because he's being playful and humorous and as one writer from the original show pointed out recently on the MacGyver Project blog, he felt that was RDA's way of learning his character and being an actor.
Now, maybe this new guy is also learning about his character too, but from what I have seen so far there is none of the humor or humility that RDA projected--while also displaying confidence and strength. That is a difficult balance, and a difficult thing for an actor to portray adequately, yet RDA did it so brilliantly.
I think it's as Henry Winkler once said--RDA has a screen presence that shows vulnerability. He is
likable--people respect him. I have never heard from a guy one negative (or jealous
) word about him. All the guys I know respect him and looked up to the character of MacGyver. I don't think anyone could look up to this new guy's character. He just doesn't have the same nuances, the same fun quirks, as RDA's MacGyver had. He made Mac a three-dimensional character. The jury is still out if these new folks working on the reboot can do the same.