Stephen Downing obit

Stephen Downing Has Died Aged 87

 

He was not on the list.

MacGyver Executive Producer and Showrunner, Stephen Downing, has passed away.

The news was announced on his personal blog by his family stating that he passed peacefully on November 20, 2025.

Stephen’s first career was in law enforcement with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he left his mark on every position he held.  As Captain of Detectives, he established homicide investigation techniques still in use today. As Commanding Officer of Juvenile Division, he established and published a file that brought an end to abuses in state probation subsidy programs. Then as Commanding Officer of Southwest Area, he designed and implemented the first functionally integrated police operation in law enforcement aimed at combating gang activity, a program that became a national model. As a Commanding Officer of the Personnel and Training Bureau, he chaired the Shooting Review Board and provided the leadership to adopt the first use of force policy in the nation that had as its preamble a reverence for human life and its taking to be at last resort.

Stephen’s Hollywood career started in 1965 while he was still working for the LAPD and includes writing or producing credits on over 500 hours of television..  His first Hollywood job was as a technical advisor on Adam-12, advising Jack Webb who later brought Stephen’s first script for the TV show Dragnet. He used three screen names while still working for the LAPD to ensure he stayed off their radar and would write on the weekends using the pseudonyms Michael Donovan, Sean Baine, and Adrian Leeds and have his wife, Adrienne Allen, deliver the scripts to his producers. After retiring from the police force, Stephen began using his real name and is credited as executive producer/show-runner/writer on fourteen television shows as himself.

His production credits under his own name include the series MacGyver, T. J. Hooker, Knight Rider, F/X: The Series, and RoboCop. He has written and produced numerous made-for-television movies and mini-series including Without Warning: Terror in the Tower (about the first bombing of the New York World Trade Center in 1993), Crisis in Mid-Air, Alone in the Neon Jungle, Command in Hell, and numerous projects adapting the novels of John Jakes. Additional writing-only credits under his real name include CHiPs, Nero Wolfe, Sierra, McClain’s Law, and Walking Tall.

Stephen worked on MacGyver for all seven seasons starting as a supervising producer for Exec. Producer Jerry Ludwig and eventually serving as the executive producer and showrunner. His wife, Adrienne, served as show publicist and their daughter, Julie, acted in two episodes of the show. He stated in an interview that he was responsible for MacGyver’s refusal to use a gun, a character trait he pushed for after the pilot episode showed that MacGyver wasn’t totally opposed to using them, saying “It was my suggestion that we should demonstrate to our audience that a guy like MacGyver should have the moral constitution against using a gun and the smarts to avoid its use – which also made for many interesting ways to get around it.”

He is survived by his wife, Adrienne, his children, Michael, Tambree, and Julie; his son-in-law, Hank and daughter-in-love, Michele; six grandchildren; Megan, Morgan, Mallory, Henry, Tess, and Molly, his three grandson-in-law’s Steve, Hunter, and Taylor; and six great grandchildren; Hudson, Reagan, Walker, Charlotte, Rhodes, and Hallie Mae.

Producer

The F Word (2011)

The F Word

Short

executive producer

2011

 

In Your Dreams (2006)

In Your Dreams

5.8

Short

producer (as Stephen J. Downing)

2006

 

Young MacGyver (2003)

Young MacGyver

4.5

TV Movie

executive producer

2003

 

Shannon Tweed in Dead by Dawn (1998)

Dead by Dawn

4.3

producer

1998

 

Christina Cox, Cameron Daddo, and Jacqueline Torres in F/X: The Series (1996)

F/X: The Series

6.6

TV Series

executive producer

1996–1998

22 episodes

 

Richard Eden in RoboCop (1994)

RoboCop

5.5

TV Series

executive producer

1994

5 episodes

 

Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil (1993)

Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil

3.3

Video

associate producer

1993

 

Without Warning: Terror in the Towers (1993)

Without Warning: Terror in the Towers

4.4

TV Movie

producer

1993

 

Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver (1985)

MacGyver

7.6

TV Series

executive producersupervising producerco-executive producer

1985–1992

138 episodes

 

T.J. Hooker (1982)

T.J. Hooker

6.1

TV Series

producer

1984–1985

14 episodes

 

David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider (1982)

Knight Rider

6.9

TV Series

co-producer

1983

3 episodes

 

Writer

Sin by Murder (2004)

Sin by Murder

4.8

Video

screenplaystory

2004

 

Shannon Tweed in Dead by Dawn (1998)

Dead by Dawn

4.3

Writer (as Stephen J. Downing)

1998

 

Christina Cox, Cameron Daddo, and Jacqueline Torres in F/X: The Series (1996)

F/X: The Series

6.6

TV Series

written by

1997

1 episode

 

Witchcraft IX: Bitter Flesh (1997)

Witchcraft IX: Bitter Flesh

2.7

Video

Writer

1997

 

Without Warning: Terror in the Towers (1993)

Without Warning: Terror in the Towers

4.4

TV Movie

written by

1993

 

Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver (1985)

MacGyver

7.6

TV Series

opening gambit written byteleplay bywritten by ...

1985–1991

5 episodes

 

Christopher Plummer, Simon MacCorkindale, and James Purcell in Counterstrike (1990)

Counterstrike

7.2

TV Series

Writer (as Michael L. Donovan)

1991

1 episode

 

Police Story: Gladiator School (1988)

Police Story: Gladiator School

6.3

TV Movie

Writer (as Adrian Leeds)

1988

 

Alone in the Neon Jungle (1988)

Alone in the Neon Jungle

5.5

TV Movie

written by

1988

 

T.J. Hooker (1982)

T.J. Hooker

6.1

TV Series

written byteleplay bystory by

1982–1985

9 episodes

 

Stacy Keach and Lindsay Bloom in The New Mike Hammer (1984)

The New Mike Hammer

6.9

TV Series

writer

1984

1 episode

 

More Than Murder (1984)

More Than Murder

6.6

TV Movie

teleplay by

1984

 

Yaphet Kotto, Gary Grubbs, Cliff Potts, and Shelley Smith in For Love and Honor (1983)

For Love and Honor

6.5

TV Series

writer

1983

2 episodes

 

The 25th Man

TV Movie

Writer (as Sean Baine)

1982

 

Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in CHiPs (1977)

CHiPs

6.5

TV Series

written by

1982

1 episode

 

James Arness and Marshall Colt in McClain's Law (1981)

McClain's Law

7.6

TV Series

executive story consultantwritten by

1981–1982

15 episodes

 

Josh Taylor in Riker (1981)

Riker

7.1

TV Series

written by (as Sean Baine)

1981

1 episode

 

William Conrad in Nero Wolfe (1981)

Nero Wolfe

7.2

TV Series

writer

1981

2 episodes

 

Bo Svenson in Walking Tall (1981)

Walking Tall

7.1

TV Series

writer

1981

1 episode

 

Joe Don Baker in Eischied (1979)

Eischied

7.5

TV Series

written by (as Sean Baine)

1979

2 episodes

 

Emergency! (1972)

Emergency!

7.9

TV Series

teleplaywritten by (as Michael Donovan, as Michael Donovan)

1972–1979

13 episodes

 

The Rebels (1979)

The Rebels

6.5

TV Mini Series

Writer (as Sean Bain)

1979

2 episodes

 

Crisis in Mid-air (1979)

Crisis in Mid-air

6.7

TV Movie

Writer (as Sean Baine)

1979

 

David Cassidy and Simon Oakland in David Cassidy - Man Undercover (1978)

David Cassidy - Man Undercover

6.8

TV Series

written bywriter (as Sean Baine, as Sean Baine)

1978

2 episodes

 

Project U.F.O. (1978)

Project U.F.O.

7.1

TV Series

storyteleplaywriter (as Michael Donovan, as Michael Donovan)

1978

4 episodes

 

Mark Harmon in Sam (1978)

Sam

7.4

TV Series

written by (as Michael Donovan)

1978

1 episode

 

Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)

Police Story

7.5

TV Series

writerwritten by (as Sean Baine)

1973–1978

10 episodes

 

Angie Dickinson in Police Woman (1974)

Police Woman

6.6

TV Series

written by

1975–1978

8 episodes

 

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

written by

1977–1978

2 episodes

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)

Quincy, M.E.

7.3

TV Series

written by

1977

2 episodes

 

Telly Savalas in Kojak (1973)

Kojak

7.1

TV Series

teleplaywritten bystory (as Sean Baine, as Sean Baine, as Sean Baine)

1974–1977

3 episodes

 

The Streets of San Francisco (1972)

The Streets of San Francisco

7.3

TV Series

written byteleplay (as Sean Baine, as Sean Baine)

1975–1977

3 episodes

 

Joe Forrester (1975)

Joe Forrester

7.1

TV Series

written by (as Sean Baine)

1975–1976

3 episodes

 

Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson in The Quest (1976)

The Quest

7.1

TV Series

writer (as Sean Baine)

1976

1 episode

 

Serpico (1976)

Serpico

6.8

TV Series

story (as Sean Bain)

1976

1 episode

 

Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (1976)

Bert D'Angelo/Superstar

5.7

TV Series

writer (as Sean Baine)

1976

1 episode

 

The Rookies (1972)

The Rookies

6.9

TV Series

writer (as Sean Baine)

1974–1976

4 episodes

 

S.W.A.T. (1975)

S.W.A.T.

6.8

TV Series

written by (as Sean Baine)

1975

1 episode

 

The Rangers (1974)

The Rangers

6.7

TV Movie

writer (as Michael Donovan, as Michael Donovan)

1974

 

Ernest Thompson in Sierra (1974)

Sierra

6.9

TV Series

creatorwritten by (as Michael Donovan, as Michael Donovan, as Michael Donovan)

1974

3 episodes

 

Teresa Graves in Get Christie Love! (1974)

Get Christie Love!

6.5

TV Series

written by (as Sean Baine)

1974

1 episode

 

Brian Fong, Michael Richardson, Mitchell Ryan, and Reid Smith in Chase (1973)

Chase

7.1

TV Series

written by (as Michael Donovan)

1973–1974

5 episodes

 

Emergency +4 (1973)

Emergency +4

7.2

TV Series

stories (as Michael Donovan)

1973

11 episodes

 

Kent McCord and Martin Milner in Adam-12 (1968)

Adam-12

7.7

TV Series

written by (as Michael Donovan)

1969–1973

21 episodes

 

Joe Don Baker and Elizabeth Hartman in Walking Tall (1973)

Walking Tall

6.9

writer

1973

 

The D.A. (1971)

The D.A.

6.5

TV Series

written by (as Michael Donovan)

1971

1 episode

 

Harry Morgan and Jack Webb in Dragnet 1967 (1967)

Dragnet 1967

7.7

TV Series

written by (as Michael Donovan)

1968–1970

11 episodes

 

Additional Crew

T.J. Hooker (1982)

T.J. Hooker

6.1

TV Series

executive story consultant

1982–1983

22 episodes

 

Emergency! (1972)

Emergency!

7.9

TV Series

segment writer (as Michael Donovan)

1978

1 episode

 

Production Department

New

Bert Convy in Super Password (1984)

Super Password

7.3

TV Series

production staff (as Michael Donovan)

1988–1989

3 episodes

 

Self

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam (2023)

American Pot Story: Oaksterdam

8.1

Self

2023

 

Mac Jackson in The MacGyver Podcast (2012)

The MacGyver Podcast

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2020

1 episode

 

Legalize It

6.8

Self

2014

 

The Culture High (2014)

The Culture High

8.2

Self (rumored)

2014

 

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny (2013)

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny

8.2

Self - Deputy Chief of Police L.A.P.D. (Ret.) (LEAP)

2013

 

House Hunters International (2006)

House Hunters International

7.0

TV Series

Self (as Adrian Leeds)

2013

1 episode

 

Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan in Good Morning America (1975)

Good Morning America

4.4

TV Series

Self

2010

1 episode