What show would you reboot? – Quibbling Siblings

Bob:

TV loves trends, doesn’t it? The latest seems to be rebooting old shows. The list is huge: Battlestar Galactica, Hawaii 5-0, V, Charlie’s Angels, Bionic Woman, etc, etc. Now there is news that NBC is going to be remaking The Munsters. The trend has not exactly been a home run, as there have been a lot more failures than hits. In any case, I thought it might be fun to reflect on some of our favorite shows and talk about which one we would like to see rebooted.

When I think back to some classic shows, a few come to mind as good candidates. With superheroes plastering the landscape these days, I can’t help but think that The Greatest American Hero would be appealing to a lot of folks. It would be refreshing to see a superhero show that doesn’t take itself seriously. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a great spy or suspense show back on the air. Yes, there are those Tom Cruise movies, but how about a Mission Impossible reboot? In the right hands I think The Fugitive could make an amazing weekly suspense ride, even though it has has a movie adaptation as well.

How about you, what show would you like to see rebooted?

Debbie:

Oh, you came up with some awfully good ones! I think The Greatest American Hero would be a fun one and could work for me because I’d be OK with seeing it recast. Same for The Fugitive, mostly because it has been such a long time.

In thinking back on some of my old favorites shows, of course Magnum, P.I. popped into mind … and there is one show I would never want to see rebooted. The cast is perfection and you just don’t mess with that. Truly, the strongest male trio on television, ever (though Human Target’s Chance, Winston and Guerrero came very, very close) — can’t possibly do it justice in a reboot. See Charlie’s Angels, the female attempt.

But what would I like to see? If I have to play the game, I’d go with The Hardy Boys. With all due respect to Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson, both of whom I adored with a tween’s undying love, they are replaceable. And I can really picture a modernized version of the brothers solving mysteries (Supernatural, anyone?) being a popular one right now, as the male buddy shows do fairly well. No –wait! How about Wonder Woman? I wonder why nobody’s had that idea. ….

But honestly, I just want the fresh ideas to keep flowing. I want to be bowled over again and again by the originality of Dexter and the synchronicity of Magnum, P.I. and the addictiveness of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the character growth of Supernatural and the daring of Community and the irreverence of Cougar Town … I’m thinking you get my point right about now.

Bob:

So… you do realize that in your argument for original ideas on TV, you chose a reboot of a movie (Buffy) and an adaptation of a book series (Dexter)? Perhaps you aren’t as concerned with new ideas than you think!

I’m all for original shows myself, but I think there is something to be said for nostalgia. It can be a tricky thing too. Sure, you’re going to have a little bit of a built in audience for the show, but those are the same people that are going to have the highest expectations. I think that’s why so many of the reboots have flopped … and yet, they keep on coming.

I think the key is to be different enough from the original while still paying tribute. Battlestar Galactica was successful at that, using the original series as a launching pad and then it became its own very distinct show.

Debbie:

I know that, and it occurred to me as I was writing this, but they were fresh and different ideas for a TV series. I think it helps that I didn’t read the Dexter books and I didn’t love the Buffy movie, so the TV shows stood on their own for me. Besides, it’s got a different feel than just rebooting another TV show.

And you are right, BSG is a very good example of how to do it right. Even though I wasn’t a fangirl, it never once reminded me of the original series … except for the manliness of Starbuck.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Dec 08, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT