F-U, Reboot-Mania: Express Your Hate Here

[UYI]

It wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I thought " All in the Family" was pretty groundbreaking.

 

All in the Family is perhaps the one show in TV history that can actually legitimately claim to have the changed the course of history of its medium. And yet, weirdly enough, there are subjects/dialogue in it that no one would DARE attempt today on network primetime TV.

 

The majority of television today would most likely NOT have been even a remote possibility had AITF not premiered in 1971. And I don't think that's an exaggeration, either.

 

The fact that CBS didn't allow for series finale after cancelling it (well, by then it was Archie Bunker's Place), despite the fact that Carroll O'Connor offered to make one, drives me crazy. It went out with a whimper.

 

But topic? I wouldn't want it rebooted, but a next generation type of show in the same vein as AITF would be nice. Then again, I wouldn't mind a pony, either.

Edited September 21, 2015 by UYI

[UYI]

Plus, half of the couple is named "Hartman", not "Hart"--unless they write in a wedding & Hartman takes his husband's name. I don't mind the couple being gay, but I do hope NBC's prepared to commit to the relationship & not water it down--like I think Thirtysomething ended up doing, & like NBC did with Tony Randall's show Love, Sidney (& yes I realize that both aired a couple decades, or so, ago now).

I haven't even heard if there's gonna be counterparts for their houseman/assistant, Max, or their dog Freeway (from the series) or Freeway Jr., aka "Junior" (from the reunion movies... I think the original dog died between the series & the first movie). You might be able to replace the dog, but Lionel Stander is pretty irreplaceable--& I don't remember the last few reunion movies even trying to replace him/Max after he died.

Guess we'll see what happens. Maybe it'll end up like the Coach reboot & get cancelled "for creative differences" at the eleventh hour (shrugs). I didn't mind the idea of the Coach reboot either, except for the fact Hayden's daughter from the original suddenly became a son (& didn't sound like he was Hayden & Christine's) in the reboot, just so they'd have a plot.

 

They changed Timothy's gender? But I thought it was about Hayden coaching his son's football team/Tim coaching with him.

 

Unless they got rid of his daughter, Kelly (who was Hayden's daughter with his first wife, Beth).

[opus]

Now ODAAT--THAT'S a show that actually is a bit more obscure. Even with the popularity of Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips, that show actually hasn't been rerun since the mid 90's when E! used to show it.

 

 

It's been running on Antenna TV, I believe it started in April. Currently back to the beginning of season 5. Julie just got married last night.

Edited September 21, 2015 by GaryE

[BW Manilowe]

They changed Timothy's gender? But I thought it was about Hayden coaching his son's football team/Tim coaching with him.

Unless they got rid of his daughter, Kelly (who was Hayden's daughter with his first wife, Beth).

They got rid of the daughter--or so it appeared. There was never any mention of the character in talking about the reboot/continuation.

I haven't seen it in so long I totally forgot Hayden & Christine did manage to have a kid together (adopted?) before the show ended its run. I didn't remember until I saw "Timothy" in your post. Duh me! That's why I thought the character of Hayden's son would be a gender switch (or retcon); I never remembered he had a son--& I actually did watch the show before it ended. I just remembered the adult daughter.

The new show would've had Hayden & his son coaching together at, I think it was, an Ivy League school.

Edited September 21, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[Luckylyn]

  Re the rumored gay Hat To Hart reboot, as long as they do it right, I don't mind. The scripts, the acting and the direction all must be on-point. And one of the Harts should be played by Matt Bomer.  

I would watch the hell out of that.

[Irlandesa]

I'd be the first person to applaud a Norman Lear/Norman Lear-style sitcom, though. I personally think we need more sitcoms that mix comedy and drama like AITF and Maude did back in the day.

This might fit better into the recommendation post but you may want to check out The Carmichael Show if you get a chance.  It's a sitcom created by Jerrod Carmichael, a young black comedian, who says he was influenced by Norman Lear and Norman Lear has publicly thrown his support behind this show--multiple times, I believe--on Twitter. 

 

It was aired over three weeks in the summer as somewhat of a burnoff series but generated decent enough ratings as well as a lot of critical support that it earned a renewal. I believe the old episodes can be found on NBC.com.

 

The six episodes covered topics such as #blacklivesmatter/protests, gender, health, guns and religion yet I didn't feel any of them were overly dramatic or heavy.  It managed to keep the comedy in balance.  That isn't to say it's a perfect show but few are at six episodes. Especially since this is new to Jerrod.  I do like the creator's ambition, though.  I feel like it has the potential to grow and improve.

[UYI]

This might fit better into the recommendation post but you may want to check out The Carmichael Show if you get a chance.  It's a sitcom created by Jerrod Carmichael, a young black comedian, who says he was influenced by Norman Lear and Norman Lear has publicly thrown his support behind this show--multiple times, I believe--on Twitter. 

 

It was aired over three weeks in the summer as somewhat of a burnoff series but generated decent enough ratings as well as a lot of critical support that it earned a renewal. I believe the old episodes can be found on NBC.com.

 

The six episodes covered topics such as #blacklivesmatter/protests, gender, health, guns and religion yet I didn't feel any of them were overly dramatic or heavy.  It managed to keep the comedy in balance.  That isn't to say it's a perfect show but few are at six episodes. Especially since this is new to Jerrod.  I do like the creator's ambition, though.  I feel like it has the potential to grow and improve.

 

Thanks! I'll have to check it out.

[Kromm]

I watched The Carmichael Show after seeing it talked about elsewhere on Previously.  It's a good effort, if not a homerun.  In a time where (especially on network TV) there's usually ZERO effort towards being issue-oriented, even a good effort (if not a triumph) is refreshing. I mean there are some clear mistakes. The parents are too dumb. I mean Archie Bunker was dumb, but it was another time when media over-saturation of every issue didn't exist. The girlfriend being half-white is wasted a lot of the time--it could be a lot more pointed and better leveraged. Carmichael himself is in a weird role. A dumpkoff about things in some scenes, and the put upon enlightened person in others (in All In the Family terms, you can't really be a good Mike Stivic if you're occasionally as wrong as Archie). And the jokes could be better.  But the issue stuff really is there, albeit sometimes awkwardly, and I think it simply needs better writing (even if some of the character decisions are set in stone now). It's ratings apparently weren't bad, so as long as they bring it back in a similarly uncompetitive time of the year (next summer in other words) it maybe could do with a Season 2.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Kromm

[ToxicUnicorn]

TOXICUNICORN, ON 16 AUG 2015 - 08:28 AM, SAID:

Really?  I thought he was dead.

Honestly, if someone thinks you're dead and can't think of one nice thing to say about your shows, then maybe they shouldn't be rebooted.

YMMV, of course, but I knew he was alive and I have a LOT of nice things to say about his shows, while also recognizing their flaws. :)

As the original, foot-in-the-mouth poster, I'm back to thank subsequent posters for disagreeing with me so nicely.  I'm sorry for what I said.  I agree that All in the Family and The Jeffersons deserve a place in history, and while I didn't find them funny, I also was probably too young and not thoughtful enough to appreciate them.  (The irony is not lost on me.)

 

While I'm making a full confession, I also somehow conflated Norman Lear's One Day at a Time and Sanford and Son and Good Times (none of which I liked) with Three's Company and The Ropers (which I remember thinking were really, really stupid).  Mea culpa - those are not the same complaints.

 

In any case, I have never been so enlightened by a conversation prefaced by "F-U", and I will put myself in tv-posting time out for awhile.

Edited September 22, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[Kromm]

As the original, foot-in-the-mouth poster, I'm back to thank subsequent posters for disagreeing with me so nicely.  I'm sorry for what I said.  I agree that All in the Family and The Jeffersons deserve a place in history, and while I didn't find them funny, I also was probably too young and not thoughtful enough to appreciate them.  (The irony is not lost on me.)

 

While I'm making a full confession, I also somehow conflated Norman Lear's One Day at a Time and Sanford and Son and Good Times (none of which I liked) with Three's Company and The Ropers (which I remember thinking were really, really stupid).  Mea culpa - those are not the same complaints.

 

In any case, I have never been so enlightened by a conversation prefaced by "F-U", and I will put myself in tv-posting time out for awhile.

The Jeffersons occasionally had some socially relevant stuff, but overall it was far more lowbrow than All in the Family. 

 

Lear's "best" (meaning the least "fluffy") was probably All in the Family, then Maude, then Good Times. Sanford & Son was mostly silly, but snuck in some rare social commentary at times.  One Day At A Time was pretty useless--I mean the "single mother" thing wasn't as revolutionary as the show sold it as even then. 

[SmithW6079]

The Jeffersons occasionally had some socially relevant stuff, but overall it was far more lowbrow than All in the Family.

 

But it did have one of the best sitcom theme songs ever.

[ganesh]

They did have tv's first interracial couple, no? 

[Kromm]

They did have tv's first interracial couple, no? 

Depends on how you define "interracial".  I've seen the argument that "I Love Lucy" had the first one (if you consider a Latino different from a White person). Or how you define "couple"--Star Trek had the first interracial on-screen kiss. But if you don't count either of those, then The Jeffersons gets that distinction.

[UYI]

They did have tv's first interracial couple, no? 

 

I guess as a far as having a couple featured on a regular basis, yes. But Lionel dated another woman (Archie's niece, I think) in an episode of AITF, too.

[opus]

.  One Day At A Time was pretty useless--I mean the "single mother" thing wasn't as revolutionary as the show sold it as even then. 

 

But it did give us Valerie Bertinelli, which earns it my endearing gratitude.

[Wax Lion]

As I recall, I think there were fights on One Days at a Time to make this a family comedy without a dad or to treat divorce in a more Norman Lear style. It might have still been a big deal with the network suits. That same year The Brady Bunch debuted and CBS wouldn't let the show say what happened to Carol's first husband.

[GHScorpiosRule]

As I recall, I think there were fights on One Days at a Time to make this a family comedy without a dad or to treat divorce in a more Norman Lear style. It might have still been a big deal with the network suits. That same year The Brady Bunch debuted and CBS wouldn't let the show say what happened to Carol's first husband.

 

Wait, I'm confused. The Brady Bunch premiered in 1969; One Day at a Time in 1976, I think. So I don't understand the comparison.

[Raja]

Depends on how you define "interracial".  I've seen the argument that "I Love Lucy" had the first one (if you consider a Latino different from a White person). Or how you define "couple"--Star Trek had the first interracial on-screen kiss. But if you don't count either of those, then The Jeffersons gets that distinction.

Trekker I might be but I can't give Star Trek credit here. Except you had an actual white actor touch a real black actor's lips. In the plot of the story the white man was being mind raped and forced to kiss a black woman by an alien's control not exactly a profession of love. They went closer in having an interacial relationship among the regular cast in alternate universe episode where Sulu states an interest in Uhura but then I guess no white person was involved so that scene doesn't get the press that Kirk getting mind raped and forced to rape his Lieutenant did. 

[Kromm]

Wait, I'm confused. The Brady Bunch premiered in 1969; One Day at a Time in 1976, I think. So I don't understand the comparison.

And those were the most tumultuous years in modern history. By 1976 the nation was a very different place than 1969.

[BW Manilowe]

Wait, I'm confused. The Brady Bunch premiered in 1969; One Day at a Time in 1976, I think. So I don't understand the comparison.

I thought the big deal about the show was supposed to be that the female lead character, Ann Romano (the late Bonnie Franklin), divorced her husband, moved with their teenage daughters from Logansport, IN (a real town; I've actually been there) to Indianapolis, & returned to using her maiden name after (the daughters in the show had their father's last name, Cooper--at least until they married in the show, after which they either took their husband's name or hyphenated both names... as I remember). Either that or the fact she used the Prefix "Ms." in front of her last name after the divorce, instead of "Miss", & as I remember "Ms." was still fairly new in the mid-'70's when the show started.

Edited September 23, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[Raja]

I thought the big deal about the show was supposed to be that the female lead character, Ann Romano (the late Bonnie Franklin), divorced her husband, moved with their teenage daughters from Logansport, IN (a real town; I've actually been there) to Indianapolis, & returned to using her maiden name after (the daughters in the show had their father's last name, Cooper--at least until they married in the show, after which they either took their husband's name or hyphenated both names... as I remember). Either that or the fact she used the Prefix "Ms." in front of her last name after the divorce, instead of "Miss", & as I remember "Ms." was still fairly new in the mid-'70's when the show started.

All that and unlike other shows with all the single dads from the 60s culminating in the Brady Bunch you also had the ex husband coming around for visitation with his girls,  I once read Sherwood Schartz said he meant for Carol Brady to be divorced but since no ex ever showed his face I always assumed she was a widow.

[Wax Lion]

Wait, I'm confused. The Brady Bunch premiered in 1969; One Day at a Time in 1976, I think. So I don't understand the comparison.

 

Ah, I see. I misread Wikipedia when I was checking my dates and got mixed up that The Brady Bunch entered syndication in 1975, the year One Day At A Time debuted.

 

I once read Sherwood Schartz said he meant for Carol Brady to be divorced but since no ex ever showed his face I always assumed she was a widow.

 

I read that she was meant to be divorced but the network pushed back on that, the compromise was that they would never say what happened to Carol's first husband.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Wax Lion

[BW Manilowe]

A reboot of The A-Team is apparently in development.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-team-becomes-latest-tv-827015

[magicdog]

the compromise was that they would never say what happened to Carol's first husband.

 

 

I think most people still assumed he was dead - since Mike adopted the girls and gave them his surname after the marriage.  Plus, he never visited them (if he were still alive). 

 

 

A reboot of The A-Team is apparently in development.

 

 

I want to quote Hannibal by saying how much I love it when a plan comes together, but I keep thinking more like B.A. Baracus and how I pity the fool who would try to sully the team's 80s TV glory.  Maybe if they use the basic set up (wronged ex cons,  military or civilian who work as soldiers of fortune) and give it its own name would be easier to take.  They probably think since the movie version did OK, then why not transition it back to TV.

 

Hollywood really needs to stop. 

[ganesh]

The new team, in a twist, would include both male and female members.

 

ZOMG A WOMAN??!! Dun dun duuun. What a twist! It's twisting me so much I think I'm the second coming of Chubby Checker. You know what would be really unexpected? Making the show dark and gritty. That would be like out of nowhere. 

[UYI]

Ah, I see. I misread Wikipedia when I was checking my dates and got mixed up that The Brady Bunch entered syndication in 1975, the year One Day At A Time debuted.

 

 

I read that she was meant to be divorced but the network pushed back on that, the compromise was that they would never say what happened to Carol's first husband.

 

SS was quoted as saying that in his mind, Carol was divorced, but of course it wasn't mentioned on air because ABC was all ZOMG DIVORCE IS TEH EVUL!!!!

 

This plot thread was actually picked up in the movie A Very Brady Sequel.

[Raja]

SS was quoted as saying that in his mind, Carol was divorced, but of course it wasn't mentioned on air because ABC was all ZOMG DIVORCE IS TEH EVUL!!!!

 

This plot thread was actually picked up in the movie A Very Brady Sequel.

The problem became his mind never got an ex visiting shown to our minds, I don't remember the pilot was a name even mentioned before the adoptions. Grandparents never came by, He was as good as dead and by all broadcast evidence indeed dead.

[Kromm]

SS was quoted as saying that in his mind, Carol was divorced, but of course it wasn't mentioned on air because ABC was all ZOMG DIVORCE IS TEH EVUL!!!!

 

This plot thread was actually picked up in the movie A Very Brady Sequel.

Heh, that would be more impressive if A Very Brady Sequel was one of the real Brady Bunch sequels (of which there were many) and not a sequel to the comedy movie MOCKING the show.

[BW Manilowe]

The problem became his mind never got an ex visiting shown to our minds, I don't remember the pilot was a name even mentioned before the adoptions. Grandparents never came by, He was as good as dead and by all broadcast evidence indeed dead.

They never mentioned first names for either Carol's first husband, or Mike's first wife--who we saw a picture of in the Pilot; I think there was a discussion of whether Carol would be offended if the boys kept it "visible" since it was their birth Mom/Mike's first wife & Carol was their new Mom by virtue of marrying their Dad & adopting them. But I think they at least mentioned what I took to be Carol's maiden name before her first marriage; I seem to remember Carol's parents were at the wedding, & Mike (I think it was) referred to them as "Mr. & Mrs. Martin". So at 1 point, Carol's last name was apparently "Martin". But it doesn't sound like that was Marcia, Jan, & Cindy's last name at birth.

Grandparents may have been scarce, but there was at least 1 episode where Florence Henderson & Robert Reed did double duty playing elderly relatives of Mike & Carol's (of the "Grand" or "Great" family branch) who were visiting at the same time, or something, &--despite being total opposites--fell in love & eloped.

[kathyk24]

The A Team is one of my guilty pleasure shows so I'd love to see it bought back. The original show was meant to be family friendly so a reboot could work if it was a bit darker. If there is a remake I want them to address what was wrong with Murdock, There are so many soldiers with PTSD that having him fake his illness isn't optional.

[Raja]

The A Team is one of my guilty pleasure shows so I'd love to see it bought back. The original show was meant to be family friendly so a reboot could work if it was a bit darker. If there is a remake I want them to address what was wrong with Murdock, There are so many soldiers with PTSD that having him fake his illness isn't optional.

The probably got away with it in the original because a decade had passed since the war and on other shows Magnum, P.I. Simon and Simon, Miami Vice had prominent well adjusted lead characters who were Vietnam veterans. 

Edited September 25, 2015 by Raja

[magicdog]

If there is a remake I want them to address what was wrong with Murdock, There are so many soldiers with PTSD that having him fake his illness isn't optional.

 

 

 

Due to the way Dwight Shultz played the character, it kept viewers guessing if he was faking or not.  Many times he was very lucid, many others he was Cloud Cuckoolander.  I know we kept wondering which he really was.   The new Murdock could be very dark indeed - but it could risk losing his original appeal..

[UYI]

They never mentioned first names for either Carol's first husband, or Mike's first wife--who we saw a picture of in the Pilot; I think there was a discussion of whether Carol would be offended if the boys kept it "visible" since it was their birth Mom/Mike's first wife & Carol was their new Mom by virtue of marrying their Dad & adopting them. But I think they at least mentioned what I took to be Carol's maiden name before her first marriage; I seem to remember Carol's parents were at the wedding, & Mike (I think it was) referred to them as "Mr. & Mrs. Martin". So at 1 point, Carol's last name was apparently "Martin". But it doesn't sound like that was Marcia, Jan, & Cindy's last name at birth.

Grandparents may have been scarce, but there was at least 1 episode where Florence Henderson & Robert Reed did double duty playing elderly relatives of Mike & Carol's (of the "Grand" or "Great" family branch) who were visiting at the same time, or something, &--despite being total opposites--fell in love & eloped.

 

Carol's parents last name was Tyler; her last name (and the girls, I'm assuming) was Martin. And in A Very Brady Sequel,

her first husband (except not--he turned out to be a con man) Roy's last name was Martin,

like in the pilot. She had a line in the pilot about how rough the last years had been, which by using SS' declaration in  a few Brady books (which, um...I have a lot of), I interpret as her first husband being a scumbag who left her and the girls, which is why Mike adopted them and they referred to him as Dad (doesn't explain why the boys completely rejected their late mother's memory and had Carol adopt them, though, not to mention calling her Mom).

Edited September 25, 2015 by UYI

[BW Manilowe]

Carol's parents last name was Tyler; her last name (and the girls, I'm assuming) was Martin. And in A Very Brady Sequel,

her first husband (except not--he turned out to be a con man) Roy's last name was Martin,

like in the pilot. She had a line in the pilot about how rough the last years had been, which by using SS' declaration in a few Brady books (which, um...I have a lot of), I interpret as her first husband being a scumbag who left her and the girls, which is why Mike adopted them and they referred to him as Dad (doesn't explain why the boys completely rejected their late mother's memory and had Carol adopt them, though, not to mention calling her Mom).

Thanks for the correction. It's appreciated.

[UYI]

Actually, to bring The Brady Bunch into the topic, I think a reboot of the show with the same last name, but as a drama, would be an interesting idea, because then you could have the family actually recognize each other as being a blended family and deal with serious issues.

 

I suggest this because there already was a sitcom where a blended family actually treated each other like a blended family. It was called Step By Step. :P

 

Plus, I think the idea of another BB reunion movie belongs in another thread.

Edited September 25, 2015 by UYI

[GHScorpiosRule]

Actually, to bring The Brady Bunch into the topic, I think a reboot of the show with the same last name, but as a drama, would be an interesting idea, because then you could have the family actually recognize each other as being a blended family and deal with serious issues.

 

They already tried to do that--with most of the original cast. The only recast was for Marcia.  They had Bobby have an accident (NASCAR I think) and he became paralyzed, which gave it a more serious bent. They had Marcia develop a drinking problem. But, it being The Brady Bunch, I think it was only for one episode.

 

It didn't last very long.

[UYI]

Oh, I know about The Bradys, I meant a version where they were still kids but with serious issues instead.

[Gudzilla]

Oh, I know about The Bradys, I meant a version where they were still kids but with serious issues instead.

Are you saying Jan's stupid braces weren't a serious issue ?  ;)

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh, I know about The Bradys, I meant a version where they were still kids but with serious issues instead.

 

 

No thanks. So many shows getting "developed" and "rebooted", I want the few shows that haven't been, and which I loved, to be left alone.

 

Are you saying Jan's stupid braces weren't a serious issue ?  ;)

 

Or her glasses? Marcia's one day of braces...Greg looking at the cover of an LP while driving on the FREEWAY! Bobby and his obsession with Jesse James...Cindy and Peter being bullied...

[UYI]

Are you saying Jan's stupid braces weren't a serious issue ?  ;)

 

Well, Jan's stupid glasses were an issue. And Marcia thought her braces made her look ugly! ;)

No thanks. So many shows getting "developed" and "rebooted", I want the few shows that haven't been, and which I loved, to be left alone.

 

 

Or her glasses? Marcia's one day of braces...Greg looking at the cover of an LP while driving on the FREEWAY! Bobby and his obsession with Jesse James...Cindy and Peter being bullied...

 

I mean, I don't really want something like that either, but I could see how it would be an interesting idea.

[BW Manilowe]

Fox is developing a TV version/reboot of the Lethal Weapon movie franchise.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lethal-weapon-tv-reboot-works-829069

[opus]

The wheel has been spun in Hollywood again. This time it landed on MacGyver:

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/macgyver-reboot-cbs-henry-winkler-1201608858/

Edited October 3, 2015 by GaryE

[roamyn]

The wheel has been spun in Hollywood again. This time it landed on MacGyver:

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/macgyver-reboot-cbs-henry-winkler-1201608858/

If they do it right, I would watch this.

As long as we have periodic episodes of Murdoch.

[Demented Daisy]

And possibly Watchmen on HBO:

 

http://tvline.com/2015/10/02/watchmen-tv-series-hbo/

[merylinkid]

 

The wheel has been spun in Hollywood again. This time it landed on MacGyver:

 

No.

 

because you know they will make it "darker and grittier."   Which means instead of MacGyver working for an organization that tries to make the world a better place, it will be some elite spy agency and MacGyver will have a dark past that has him wangsting all over the place.   And grittier just means more explositions and sex, whether integral to the story or not.

[ganesh]

And he'll have PTSD.

[Crim]

And he'll have PTSD.

And a drinking problem, and will fuck hookers or hang out in strip clubs (thus covering the gratuitous sex/nudity angle).

Edited October 3, 2015 by Crim

[ganesh]

With an ex wife who divorced him because of the drinking, but actually doesn't hold any animosity toward him because she knows it's because of the war. 

 

And the war is where he learned to Macguyver things, so there will be flashbacks.

[roamyn]

I have a new show idea!

A married gay crime fighting duo who were framed for war crimes, and now works being hired out & solving "missions" abt paranormal crimes, macgyvering their way to the truth that is out there.

Oh, and when they married, they blended their families with 3 kids each. And a housekeeper named Lionel.

[Trini]

Haven't there already been several MacGyver-esque series since MacGyver? (I know, I know, those didn't have the brand/name recognition.)