The Secret Agents are Out?

I came across a rerun of Alias while doing my usual channel surfing this morning. I've heard a lot about the series from friends but their "excitement" never really grew on me. I'd always tell them that I'd rather watch MacGyver back then.

Pete: (Hands him a gun.)
MacGyver: Pete, you know how I feel about those things.
Pete: But you're defenseless out here.
MacGyver: No, just weaponless.

MacGyver is a survival expert and scientific prodigy who prefers peaceful conflict resolution wherever possible. He refuses to use or even carry a gun due to a childhood accident that resulted in the death of a friend. The character is portrayed as an outspoken advocate of gun control. Even in cases where his improvised devices are used to attack hostile opponents, he is always doing so in self-defense and, if possible, subduing or disabling rather than killing.

I haven't noticed a lot of successful secret agent tv series lately. Does this mean that secret agent themes are out? I don't think so. I believe that we are just not being given the ingredients that we'd like on a series like these. What did the MacGyver Serieshave that others don't? Well.. unlike other action/suspense/mystery series being aired nowadays, Mcgyver managed to captivate a lot of audience without the use of violence, sexual content, profanity, etc. Are these the ingredients we'd want? Maybe yes, maybe no. But notice that lately almost all shows regardless of genre contained almost exactly the same elements - maybe a little deviation is all that is needed like what Macgyver was in the 1980s.