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

[roamyn]

Speaking of Facts of Life, Mrs. Garrett - Charlotte Rae - died today.

[janie jones]

On 8/4/2018 at 5:41 AM, MissAlmond said:

I hate reboots but do agree this could work but ONLY if it's a continuation (what's the reboot name for that?) of the same school with new students; perhaps the daughters/nieces of the original cast.   But if it's the same characters only now it's present time, no, no, no.  Actually, I no, no, no these things anyway.  

Wouldn't a continuation just be a sequel?  Can a series have a sequel?

[ganesh]

If it's a sequel, it's implied that continuity would carry over, which isn't what TPTBs would really want. 

[BW Manilowe]

Shows like Murphy Brown & Will & Grace are considered “revivals”. They have the same cast (with the exception of anyone who might’ve died between the original & the new version, of course), though at least Murphy Brown has added a couple of all-new characters to the revival version: (Phyllis, played by Tyne Daly, the sister to the now-deceased Phil who ran the watering hole/bar & grill where Murphy & friends hang out after work; & a character who’s in charge of the Social Media presence for the new newsmagazine show Murphy & friends work on; they also have a now adult version of Avery, Murphy’s son from the last few seasons who was played by Oscar nominee Haley Joel Osment as a school-age child).

Edited August 6, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To add a missing period.

[giovannif7]

Looks like Designing Women is next...

[MissAlmond]

14 minutes ago, giovannif7 said:

Looks like Designing Women is next...

I wish I still had my old TV Guide's so I could start checking off considered for rebooting TV series names.

[BW Manilowe]

11 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

I wish I still had my old TV Guide's so I could start checking off considered for rebooting TV series names.

They’ve already done Ironside. It was on NBC a few years ago, with Blair Underwood as the title character this time. All they did was keep the title, the title character’s full name, & the premise—a police detective who’s paralyzed in a shooting, & now a wheelchair user as a result, continues his career after his recovery, with a team of physically capable assistants to help with the investigations; especially when they might get into things he physically can’t do any longer. They changed the setting from San Francisco to New York City, & the reboot gave all new names to the supporting characters who were Ironside’s assistants. The reboot lasted, like, 3 episodes.

[Jaded]

It's hard to imagine Designing Women without Dixie Carter as Julia. Meshach Taylor who played Anthony and Jan Hooks who came on later as Carlene have both died too. If it's a reboot with all new people it would be really weird.

I remember seeing an episode of that Ironside reboot and thinking it wasn't too bad. I'm one who kinda liked the Knight Rider reboot NBC did too so my taste probably isn't always the best. 

[Trini]

I'm surprised they haven't tried to re-do The Golden Girls yet. But doubt a show with four "old" leading ladies would sell today. :-(

[HazelEyes4325]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

I'm surprised they haven't tried to re-do The Golden Girls yet. But doubt a show with four "old" leading ladies would sell today. :-(

Three words: Grace and Frankie (and, in a lot of ways, G&F is like The Golden Girls 2.0)

Edited August 15, 2018 by HazelEyes4325

[zillabreeze]

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

They’ve already done Ironside. It was on NBC a few years ago, with Blair Underwood as the title character this time. All they did was keep the title, the title character’s full name, & the premise—a police detective who’s paralyzed in a shooting, & now a wheelchair user as a result, continues his career after his recovery, with a team of physically capable assistants to help with the investigations; especially when they might get into things he physically can’t do any longer. They changed the setting from San Francisco to New York City, & the reboot gave all new names to the supporting characters who were Ironside’s assistants. The reboot lasted, like, 3 episodes.

I thought the Ironside had potential, but I may be biased since Blair U makes my old heart go Pitty-Pat.

[FormerMod-a1]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

I'm surprised they haven't tried to re-do The Golden Girls yet. But doubt a show with four "old" leading ladies would sell today. :-(

15 minutes ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

Three words: Grace and Frankie (and, in a lot of ways, G&F is like The Golden Girls 2.0)

I was going to say Hot In Cleveland.

[BW Manilowe]

52 minutes ago, zillabreeze said:

I thought the Ironside had potential, but I may be biased since Blair U makes my old heart go Pitty-Pat.

I like Blair Underwood too. But I was also a big fan of the original Ironside, & I was lucky enough to have met & worked with, through the March of Dimes, 2 of the co-stars (1 of whom remained a good friend of mine & my family’s for a number of years after we first met).

I agree. At least originally I thought the reboot had potential too. But I think the people behind the reboot should’ve kept more elements of the original than just the show’s title, the name of the lead character, & the premise of the show (paralyzed, wheelchair-using cop continues to fight crime after recovering from his devastating injury). For me, that’s probably ultimately why it failed—they changed at least half, if not more, of the elements of the show that viewers of the original were familiar with.

Though I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I was ready to watch someone besides Don Galloway (the cast member who was a close friend of mine & my family’s for a number of years after we met) play Detective Sergeant Ed Brown. So in some ways I was happy, I suppose, that the character wasn’t in the reboot. But it does make me crazy when reboots drop characters who were part of the original show, usually in favor of adding new characters instead (unless it’s a case of an actor playing an original character wanting to leave a long-running reboot & the actor & character are replaced by an actor playing an original character). 

I don’t mind adding new characters to reboots from the start of the reboot, but I mind it if original characters are written out & seemingly replaced by the new characters from the beginning. Like the original SWAT had a character named TJ McCabe (played by James Coleman) on the team, but he’s nowhere to be found in the reboot although the other original characters “Hondo” Harrelson, Jim Street, Dominic Luca & Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay, are. 

Original fans were probably looking forward to seeing Ironside, capably assisted by Detective Sergeant Ed Brown, SFPD policewoman Eve Whitfield &/or Fran Belding, & reformed delinquent, eventually turned lawyer, Mark Sanger fighting crime in San Francisco along with the SFPD. Those elements, I think helped make the show popular.

What original fans got was Ironside being assisted by a new team of associates, who weren’t Ed, Eve, Fran, & Mark, whose character names I’ve totally forgotten now, fighting crime in New York City, along with the NYPD. And there was really nothing wrong with keeping the setting of the reboot in San Francisco.

I almost forgot to add: (former?) actress Barbara Anderson, who played SFPD policewoman Eve Whitfield when the original series started, is (if you can believe it) the sole surviving cast member from the original series.

Edited August 15, 2018 by BW Manilowe
To add a comment.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, zillabreeze said:

I thought the Ironside had potential, but I may be biased since Blair U makes my old heart go Pitty-Pat.

There was a moratorium on LA Police after Rodney King but that has been over for a while. All those cops demand a defense attorney to balance the scales of justice. Meanwhile we have Bull, who is not a lawyer and Suits. How To Get Away with Murder is something else. You would think that Jonathan Rollins could be the Senior or managing partner in a reboot of L.A. Law

28 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

. 

I don’t mind adding new characters to reboots from the start of the reboot, but I mind it if original characters are written out & seemingly replaced by the new characters from the beginning. Like the original SWAT had a character named TJ McCabe (played by James Coleman) on the team, but he’s nowhere to be found in the reboot although the other original characters “Hondo” Harrelson, Jim Street, Dominic Luca & Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay, are. 

 

Reboot hell has been hard on TJ. First on the ,movie he turns traitor and then in a reboot with a larger team than on the original he is left out. I guess only us middle aged folks who were kids when the original spun off The Rookies would remember him.I would have made Chris, even if the name was used in the movie TJ. Or because TJ was the sniper they didn't want the women hanging back and shooting while the big men kicked in doors. I guess they also didn't want to give the Asian cop an Anglo name as was done on one of the Criminal Minds. Everytime what looks like a reoccurring character came on the show I was expecting a McCabe.

[kassygreene]

1 hour ago, BW Manilowe said:

I like Blair Underwood too. But I was also a big fan of the original Ironside, & I was lucky enough to have met & worked with, through the March of Dimes, 2 of the co-stars (1 of whom remained a good friend of mine & my family’s for a number of years after we first met).

I agree. At least originally I thought the reboot had potential too. But I think the people behind the reboot should’ve kept more elements of the original than just the show’s title, the name of the lead character, & the premise of the show (paralyzed, wheelchair-using cop continues to fight crime after recovering from his devastating injury). For me, that’s probably ultimately why it failed—they changed at least half, if not more, of the elements of the show that viewers of the original were familiar with.

Though I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I was ready to watch someone besides Don Galloway (the cast member who was a close friend of mine & my family’s for a number of years after we met) play Detective Sergeant Ed Brown. So in some ways I was happy, I suppose, that the character wasn’t in the reboot. But it does make me crazy when reboots drop characters who were part of the original show, usually in favor of adding new characters instead (unless it’s a case of an actor playing an original character wanting to leave a long-running reboot & the actor & character are replaced by an actor playing an original character). 

I don’t mind adding new characters to reboots from the start of the reboot, but I mind it if original characters are written out & seemingly replaced by the new characters from the beginning. Like the original SWAT had a character named TJ McCabe (played by James Coleman) on the team, but he’s nowhere to be found in the reboot although the other original characters “Hondo” Harrelson, Jim Street, Dominic Luca & Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay, are. 

Original fans were probably looking forward to seeing Ironside, capably assisted by Detective Sergeant Ed Brown, SFPD policewoman Eve Whitfield &/or Fran Belding, & reformed delinquent, eventually turned lawyer, Mark Sanger fighting crime in San Francisco along with the SFPD. Those elements, I think helped make the show popular.

What original fans got was Ironside being assisted by a new team of associates, who weren’t Ed, Eve, Fran, & Mark, whose character names I’ve totally forgotten now, fighting crime in New York City, along with the NYPD. And there was really nothing wrong with keeping the setting of the reboot in San Francisco.

I almost forgot to add: (former?) actress Barbara Anderson, who played SFPD policewoman Eve Whitfield when the original series started, is (if you can believe it) the sole surviving cast member from the original series.

I too preferred the original Ironside, although I find it unwatchable nowadays.  But it was very late sixties hip (I'm from the midwest), filmed in San Francisco (at least had good location shooting), broke some ground on disabled people continuing to work (timely, considering the injuries returning from Vietnam), and I totally believed Ironside, a senior detective, as someone who could get his own unit created, funded, staffed, AND create his own mandate in the wake of his paralysis.

While the reboot Ironside was much younger, didn't really seem to have the pull to get the unit he got, and was paralyzed by his partner screwing up.  A more realistic take on life after permanent disability in the 21rst, but there wasn't any hook for me to keep watching.  In fact, I quit with the pilot, if that's where the partner screw-up reveal happened.  I usually can give a show three episodes before bailing.

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, kassygreene said:

I too preferred the original Ironside, although I find it unwatchable nowadays.  But it was very late sixties hip (I'm from the midwest), filmed in San Francisco (at least had good location shooting), broke some ground on disabled people continuing to work (timely, considering the injuries returning from Vietnam), and I totally believed Ironside, a senior detective, as someone who could get his own unit created, funded, staffed, AND create his own mandate in the wake of his paralysis.

While the reboot Ironside was much younger, didn't really seem to have the pull to get the unit he got, and was paralyzed by his partner screwing up.  A more realistic take on life after permanent disability in the 21rst, but there wasn't any hook for me to keep watching.  In fact, I quit with the pilot, if that's where the partner screw-up reveal happened.  I usually can give a show three episodes before bailing.

So did NBC. They bailed on the reboot after 3 episodes, though I’m pretty sure they had at least another 1 scheduled, which then got pulled after the whole series did. They didn’t do a “burn off” of remaining unaired episodes either, so I don’t think they had that many episodes filmed ahead at the time it was canceled.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I was going to say Hot In Cleveland.

Same here, since the ages were similar (Grace and Frankie are older than the "Girls" ever were [other than Sophia]) and that show - admittedly based only on hearing/reading about it and watching mere snippets - seemed a good illustration how women in their mid-50s to early-50s were presented/perceived differently than at the time of The Golden Girls.  If GG were rebooted with characters the same age as the originals (early to mid fifties for the rest and early 80s for Sophia) it would be along the lines of Hot in Cleveland, but if it were rebooted with characters in their "golden years" now as the characters were then (kids long grown and gone with their own children, careers a mix of post-retirement or post-SAHM change and ongoing vocation, etc.), it would be with older characters -- early 70s on average.  And that would be awesome. 

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, you're going to have problems finding 55-year old women still in the game who haven't dyed their hair or pumped their wrinkles up with filler or use pilates to maintain a perky coed body. And a lot of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers delayed having kids so it's not uncommon for 50-something women to still have kids in high school or middle school.

[roamyn]

On 8/15/2018 at 3:56 AM, methodwriter85 said:

Yeah, you're going to have problems finding 55-year old women still in the game who haven't dyed their hair or pumped their wrinkles up with filler or use pilates to maintain a perky coed body. And a lot of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers delayed having kids so it's not uncommon for 50-something women to still have kids in high school or middle school.

How old is Linda Carter?  70?  She’s still gorgeous and could easily play a mid 50s to 60s lady.  But she is one of the very, very few.

[iHateAmpersands]

Ready for a Bewitched reboot?

 

Quote

EXCLUSIVE: Just before he recently departed ABC Studios to embark on a rich overall deal at Netflix, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris sold one last high-profile project to ABC: Bewitched, a single camera, interracial blended family comedy based on the popular 1960s sitcom of the same name.  It took a little while for all the deals to close, but the network has given a pilot production commitment to the new take on the classic supernatural sitcom, from Barris and Black-ish writer/producer Yamara Taylor. The project hails from ABC Studios; Sony Pictures TV, which has the rights to the title; and Sony-based Davis Entertainment (The Blacklist).

In Bewitched, written by Barris and Taylor, Samantha, a hardworking black single mom who happens to be a witch, marries Darren, a white mortal who happens to be a bit of a slacker. They struggle to navigate their differences as she discovers that even when a black girl is literally magic, she’s still not as powerful as a decently tall white man with a full head of hair in America.

Edited August 24, 2018 by iHateAmpersands

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, nosleepforme said:

It is weird how every reboot tries to put a diversity angle on every concept. Not that I am complaining, given that POC actors/actresses have had way fewer chances in Hollywood for such a long time, it's actually well deserved that there are more opportunities being created for them, though it would be nicer if it were actually original premises.

 

Because it is also somewhat unoriginal to the point that you can basically write your entertainment trade headlines yourself now...:

And as I said, though I’m pretty sure in a different thread, Netflix has aired 2 seasons of a “reimagined” One Day At a Time, where the protagonist family is now of Latin/Hispanic heritage, among other changes (& Gloria Estefan sings the theme song instead of the anonymous singers who did the original version). The show’s 3rd season will air/stream next year (2019) on Netflix.

[kassygreene]

20 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

And as I said, though I’m pretty sure in a different thread, Netflix has aired 2 seasons of a “reimagined” One Day At a Time, where the protagonist family is now of Latin/Hispanic heritage, among other changes (& Gloria Estefan sings the theme song instead of the anonymous singers who did the original version). The show’s 3rd season will air/stream next year (2019) on Netflix.

It's also a pretty good show, for my viewing experience probably the best written of the current crop of reboots.  I have a spontaneous laugh break out of me at least once per episode, and the only other current show that does that for me (and it's not a reboot) is DC's Legends of Tomorrow (that's in no small part down to my love of fluffy blue cuddles).

[legaleagle53]

5 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

It is weird how every reboot tries to put a diversity angle on every concept. Not that I am complaining, given that POC actors/actresses have had way fewer chances in Hollywood for such a long time, it's actually well deserved that there are more opportunities being created for them, though it would be nicer if it were actually original premises.

 

Because it is also somewhat unoriginal to the point that you can basically write your entertainment trade headlines yourself now...:

And in the case of Bewitched, it's both silly and redundant to have Samantha and Darrin as a racially mixed couple.  They're already a mixed couple by virtue of her being a witch and his being a mortal, and that's the more important cultural/ethnic clash anyway, since it's the entire premise of the show and is the driving force behind the plot of every single episode.  Why would anyone put in an unnecessary racial component that simply doesn't add anything?

[Browncoat]

I don't know how I really feel about a Bewitched reboot, but if, as mentioned in another thread somewhere, they cast Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison as the leads, I'm all in.  Especially if Tom reboots the beard.

[Jaded]

I'm still pissed that show-runners of the rebooted Charmed are trying to "explore more culturally" by giving each sister a different father. 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

They're already a mixed couple by virtue of her being a witch and his being a mortal, and that's the more important cultural/ethnic clash anyway, since it's the entire premise of the show and is the driving force behind the plot of every single episode.  Why would anyone put in an unnecessary racial component that simply doesn't add anything?

Intersectionality! I think time will tell whether or not it doesn't add anything but given who is behind this reboot, it'd be silly not to at least have one main black character. 

7 hours ago, kassygreene said:

It's also a pretty good show, for my viewing experience probably the best written of the current crop of reboots. 

It is.  And they get mileage from the characters being Cuban, women, one being a lesbian and one being a vet.  Did it need all of those things?  No, but it adds to the tapestry of the show and why it's one of the series I can't wait to see every year.  Did it need to be a One Day At a Time reboot?  Probably not other than the fact that we got a great Gloria Estefan cover of the main song.  I do think it raised its profile, though.

[BaggythePanther]

The Baby-Sitters Club being shopped for TV adaptation.

 

Quote

The popular young-adult book series, affectionately known as the BSC, is being packaged for the 2018 marketplace as a timely story of female friendship, entrepreneurialism and empowerment. The adaptation comes from Walden Media and Michael De Luca, which will be producing and shopping the modernized version as half-hour episodes. Each of author Ann M. Martin’s characters is expected to appear in the TV iteration. There was an earlier Baby-Sitters Club TV series from Scholastic that aired in the early '90s on HBO. There was also a 1995 Baby-Sitters Club movie, which starred Rachael Leigh Cook, Larisa Oleynik and Schuyler Fisk, among others.

—

In a bid to keep the TV version as timely as possible, episodes will broach topics including divorce, racism and belonging. And like all other projects in the Walden portfolio, it’s being billed as a family-friendly series, designed to appeal to kids, teens and adults alike.

This news is from a few months ago but I didn’t see it posted. BSC is such a product of its time I can’t imagine what an updated version would look like. The club exists because parents needed a way to contact a group of sitters rather than calling kids individually. Now you can accomplish this with a group text.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Intersectionality! I think time will tell whether or not it doesn't add anything but given who is behind this reboot, it'd be silly not to at least have one main black character. 

Fine, then let Samantha and Darrin have a black friend or two who happen to be mixed themselves (heck, adult Tabitha had at least one black witch friend growing up).  In fact, go even further and have one of Samantha's black friends be a mortal who knows that Samantha is  a witch but never lets on that he/she knows -- he/she simply uses this knowledge to help Samantha behind the scenes by covering for her and Darrin without their knowing it (I always thought it would have been fun and interesting to give Louise Tate this particular job). But Darrin and Samantha themselves don't need to be racially mixed because they're already a mixed couple -- the conflict that arises from Samantha's desire to live a completely mortal lifestyle while fighting her natural instincts and upbringing every step of the way is enough of a conflict, and it is what was always at the heart of every episode of the original show because that was the overall premise of the original show. Adding a redundant racial conflict for the sake of "intersectionality" (whatever that means) simply isn't necessary.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, BaggythePanther said:

The Baby-Sitters Club being shopped for TV adaptation.

 

This news is from a few months ago but I didn’t see it posted. BSC is such a product of its time I can’t imagine what an updated version would look like. The club exists because parents needed a way to contact a group of sitters rather than calling kids individually. Now you can accomplish this with a group text.

Yeah, it'd be interesting to see how a modern version of this concept would work.

If this makes it through, though, I'll totally check it out :D. 

[Irlandesa]

15 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

But Darrin and Samantha themselves don't need to be racially mixed because they're already a mixed couple -- the conflict that arises from Samantha's desire to live a completely mortal lifestyle while fighting her natural instincts and upbringing every step of the way is enough of a conflict, and it is what was always at the heart of every episode of the original show because that was the overall premise of the original show. Adding a redundant racial conflict for the sake of "intersectionality" (whatever that means) simply isn't necessary.

I don't see what's redundant about it.  Being a witch and being a black woman aren't synonymous.   As for it being a "mixed" marriage, technically, a man marrying a woman is a "mixed" marriage given the differences the genders experience.  Adding religious, race or ethnicity differences doesn't make the differences redundant, it just adds variety and layers to the types of conflicts they can experience.

After all, Darrin might want his wife to not do magic in public but I would hope he wouldn't have the same objections to her blackness.

I don't think you get the same effect with a supporting character being a person of color and I just don't see Kenya Barris relegating black actors only supporting roles. 

[BW Manilowe]

I read somewhere, & I can’t find it now, that reboot Samantha is supposed to be related to a big figure in the voodoo-practicing culture in New Orleans.

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't see what's redundant about it.  Being a witch and being a black woman aren't synonymous.   As for it being a "mixed" marriage, technically, a man marrying a woman is a "mixed" marriage given the differences the genders experience.  Adding religious, race or ethnicity differences doesn't make the differences redundant, it just adds variety and layers to the types of conflicts they can experience.

After all, Darrin might want his wife to not do magic in public but I would hope he wouldn't have the same objections to her blackness.

It'd be a little difficult for him to object to something that is readily obvious to even the casual observer (such as the fact that she's black).  She can fake being a mortal in public, but hide the color of her skin?  Not unless she's a really light-skinned biracial woman or REALLY determined to adopt every aspect of Darrin's lifestyle and culture.

And if you think that being a witch/mortal couple doesn't itself result in endless and substantial culture and lifestyle clashes, then you clearly weren't paying attention at all during the original series' run.  The reason Samantha's relatives, with the exception of Aunt Clara, all hated Darrin (and vice versa) was because their views regarding the proper place of Samantha's witch heritage in her life were diametrically opposed.  To Endora, Maurice, Arthur, and Serena, having Samantha deliberately choose to embrace the mortal lifestyle and forego the use of witchcraft entirely was akin to having a Jewish daughter who married into the Nazi party and became a Nazi herself.  And Darrin hated Samantha's relatives precisely because they were constantly trying to cram their witchly lifestyle down his throat AND trying to break up his marriage to Samantha because they considered him (to put it mildly) unworthy of her BECAUSE he was a mortal whom she would outlive by centuries, if not by millennia.  Isn't the fact that each side considered the other's position and lifestyle choices to be nothing short of asinine (as Endora put it when she and Darrin first met and clashed over Samantha) enough?  That was the whole point of the original show, and it's more than enough of a source of conflict for this reboot.  The Bewitched of 2018/2019 simply doesn't need "variety and layers to the types of conflicts they can experience" to make the same point that the original did!

Edited August 26, 2018 by legaleagle53

[praeceptrix]

I think I would prefer if both Samantha and Darrin were black. If magical/muggle isn't enough of a contrast, they could both be black, but from different parts of the country, or different parts of the world; if the comments above about her being from New Orleans are correct, make him from Boston or Nigeria. Or, if they insist on a racially mixed marriage, that Darrin be Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander... just about anything BUT white. I am a white woman, and I am heartily sick of seeing so many white people on my screen. A culture clash between different POC would be a fascinating and new story to tell.

[BW Manilowe]

Not for nothing, but it seems they’re spelling Samantha’s husband’s name as “Darren”, with an EN, in the reboot. That’s the way it’s spelled in the press release, or whatever was linked to announcing the reboot, anyway.

It was spelled “Darrin”, with an IN, in the original TV version, regardless of whether Dick York or Dick Sargent played the character. That’s how Wikipedia spells it on the pages for both actors who played the character in the TV show, at least. It turns out Dick Sargent, the second Darrin, was actually asked to play Darrin from the beginning of the series but he turned the role down then for another that wasn’t as long-lived a gig as playing Darrin from the get-go would’ve been. At least he got to play the part from Season 6 until it ended (which I think was after Season 8). 

For the record, I don’t know if the character name had an IN or an EN in it in the movie version with Nicole Kidman as Samantha.

[Lugal]

20 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

I read somewhere, & I can’t find it now, that reboot Samantha is supposed to be related to a big figure in the voodoo-practicing culture in New Orleans.

Interesting, since nearly every supernatural/fantasy show, especially ones involving witches seem to have to connect it to Salem at one point.  It's only been in the past two decades or so that the Southern-Gothic (usually Anne Rice-ian) tradition has become a bigger influence.  Connecting her to New Orleans Voodoo is better, but still kind of lazy.

18 hours ago, praeceptrix said:

I think I would prefer if both Samantha and Darrin were black. If magical/muggle isn't enough of a contrast, they could both be black, but from different parts of the country, or different parts of the world; if the comments above about her being from New Orleans are correct, make him from Boston or Nigeria. Or, if they insist on a racially mixed marriage, that Darrin be Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander... just about anything BUT white. I am a white woman, and I am heartily sick of seeing so many white people on my screen. A culture clash between different POC would be a fascinating and new story to tell.

I would love to see a show acknowledge the diversity of American ethno-magical traditions, and for an interesting twist have both Samantha and Darrin be magical and from different traditions, even if they have an interracial marriage.  Like Samantha comes from a Hoodoo tradition and Darrin comes from a family of Powwow Doctors or Curanderos.

[Guest]

Between the surging popularity of revivals and the announcement of the final season of TBBT,I wonder if someone is going to try to bring back Blossom.

[Lugal]

They're way ahead of you:

https://www.thewrap.com/blossom-reboot-serious-talk-joey-lawrence/

[BaggythePanther]

Who do I need to pester to get my Quantum Leap remake/reboot? Yes this remake trend is annoying but if it’s going to happen I’d appreciate it if they make something I want to see.

[magicdog]

On 8/27/2018 at 12:34 PM, BaggythePanther said:

Who do I need to pester to get my Quantum Leap remake/reboot? Yes this remake trend is annoying but if it’s going to happen I’d appreciate it if they make something I want to see.

I had heard that Donald Bellisario and Co. had been trying to make a QL movie for years but it’s been in development hell for about a decade or so.  They wanted to keep Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell as they are/were on board.  Stockwell is getting up there  in years and if the movie does get made, they’d likely have to reduce his role and hand his holographic duties to someone new.

If it is rebooted completely, I’d only find myself missing them.

Edited August 30, 2018 by magicdog

[BaggythePanther]

5 minutes ago, magicdog said:

I had heard that Donald Bellisario and Co. had been trying to make a QL movie for years but it’s been in development hell for about a decade or so.  They wanted to keep Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell as they are/were on board.  Stockwell is getting up there  in years and if the movie does get made, they’d likely have to reduce his role and hand his holographic duties to someone new.

If it is rebooted completely, I’d only find myself missing them.

25 year old spoilers- Didn’t Al get his mind wiped in the series finale?

I’d always hoped that any kind of reboot would be a next generation Program so that whoever is currently ‘leaping’ could run into Sam. Not sure how they’d work Al in.

But I’m sure the network would make unnecessary changes and screw the whole thing up.

[ganesh]

No, Sam 'free leapt' on his own to visit Beth and tell him to wait for Al. They stayed married and had a bunch of kids. That would have created a different timeline, but there's nothing to say that Al didn't end up on the QL project anyway. 

If they reboot it, I'd handwave that Sam's daughter was old enough to be a postdoc or something, and an old Al sends her papers that Sam wrote so she reboots QL and jumps in to find him. 

[WarnerCL45]

I'd love to see some new ideas.

[legaleagle53]

On 8/26/2018 at 3:30 PM, Lugal said:

Interesting, since nearly every supernatural/fantasy show, especially ones involving witches seem to have to connect it to Salem at one point.  It's only been in the past two decades or so that the Southern-Gothic (usually Anne Rice-ian) tradition has become a bigger influence.  Connecting her to New Orleans Voodoo is better, but still kind of lazy.

I would love to see a show acknowledge the diversity of American ethno-magical traditions, and for an interesting twist have both Samantha and Darrin be magical and from different traditions, even if they have an interracial marriage.  Like Samantha comes from a Hoodoo tradition and Darrin comes from a family of Powwow Doctors or Curanderos.

Then it wouldn't be even remotely a reboot of the classic Bewitched.  It would be an entirely new show that bore no relation whatsoever to the original, except perhaps in the title.  If you're going to do that, just say that that's what you're doing and that the new show was inspired by the original Bewitched -- NOT that it's a direct "reboot" of it.  It would be a lot less offensive and intelligence-insulting to those of us who grew up with fond memories of the original.

[BW Manilowe]

5 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

Then it wouldn't be even remotely a reboot of the classic Bewitched.  It would be an entirely new show that bore no relation whatsoever to the original, except perhaps in the title.  If you're going to do that, just say that that's what you're doing and that the new show was inspired by the original Bewitched -- NOT that it's a direct "reboot" of it.  It would be a lot less offensive and intelligence-insulting to those of us who grew up with fond memories of the original.

That’s what I wish they’d done with the short-lived Ironside “update”, I guess I’m gonna call it, on NBC that starred Blair Underwood a few seasons back. They should’ve said it was “inspired by” the original, because the only things the people who were responsible for it kept for their version were the show’s title, the lead character’s name, & the premise—police detective returns to work, & solving crimes, after a shooting leaves him paralyzed & a wheelchair user.

[magicdog]

Same with the yet to debut Charmed.  They might as well not have called it that.

[Bort]

4 hours ago, magicdog said:

Same with the yet to debut Charmed.  They might as well not have called it that.

They do it to get the old fans’ eyeballs on the show. Calling it The Latina Witch Project might not get as many. 

Actually, that’s a bad example. I would totally watch a show called The Latina Witch Project. 

[Merrilin]

So if they make it different enough for people to bitch about I guess that kind of counts as original?  I have a natural ear for music & it used to drive me nuts when I was younger & would hear songs on commercials or a "new" popular song that was obviously a ripoff/take on a song I definitely could hear within it.  It seems to me we as a species only have a limited amount of original concepts in our lexicon so we keep revisiting the same ones but put a new spin on it.  The most ready example that keeps popping into my mind is The Flintstones which were a pretty big ripoff of The Honeymooners. /devil's advocate

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Merrilin said:

So if they make it different enough for people to bitch about I guess that kind of counts as original?  I have a natural ear for music & it used to drive me nuts when I was younger & would hear songs on commercials or a "new" popular song that was obviously a ripoff/take on a song I definitely could hear within it.  It seems to me we as a species only have a limited amount of original concepts in our lexicon so we keep revisiting the same ones but put a new spin on it.  The most ready example that keeps popping into my mind is The Flintstones which were a pretty big ripoff of The Honeymooners. /devil's advocate

"Different" and "nothing bearing even the slightest resemblance to the original source material" are two entirely separate and distinct concepts. "Different" would be having Samantha and Darrin remain a mixed witch-mortal couple, only Darrin isn't such a tight-ass about Samantha using her powers around the house and doesn't insist that her relatives refrain from using theirs when visiting, yet both Darrin and Samantha (and her relatives) are smart enough to understand the need to be discreet about the use of those powers in public and to keep up the appearance of a normal mortal couple in order to avoid having their lives become the total chaos they would become if Samantha ever went public with her powers. Or if you really wanted to be "different" (but still respect the original concept and premise), have DARRIN be the warlock and SAMANTHA be the mortal. That's "different" but still respecting the original premise and source material.  Throwing an unnecessary racial conflict (or making them both two different types of magical beings) isn't just making the show "different." It's twisting it into something completely unrecognizable as a simple "reboot" of the original.

And The Flintstones bore about as much resemblance to The Honeymooners as The Jetsons did to  I Love Lucy.

Edited September 1, 2018 by legaleagle53

[Raja]

10 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

"Different" and "nothing bearing even the slightest resemblance to the original source material" are two entirely separate and distinct concepts. "Different" would be having Samantha and Darrin remain a mixed witch-mortal couple, only Darrin isn't such a tight-ass about Samantha using her powers around the house and doesn't insist that her relatives refrain from using theirs when visiting, yet both Darrin and Samantha (and her relatives) are smart enough to understand the need to be discreet about the use of those powers in public and to keep up the appearance of a normal mortal couple in order to avoid having their lives become the total chaos they would become if Samantha ever went public with her powers. Or if you really wanted to be "different" (but still respect the original concept and premise), have DARRIN be the warlock and SAMANTHA be the mortal. That's "different" but still respecting the original premise and source material.  Throwing an unnecessary racial conflict (or making them both two different types of magical beings) isn't just making the show "different." It's twisting it into something completely unrecognizable as a simple "reboot" of the original.

And The Flintstones bore about as much resemblance to The Honeymooners as The Jetsons did to  I Love Lucy.

The entire tall slacker with good hair pitch makes me think that instead of Darrin wanting to get by on his own work ethic he thinks he hits the lottery and wants Samantha to start producing golden eggs where as the witches want to remain on a low profile.

[magicdog]

Actually I thought the Jetsons was based on “Blondie”.

I remember reading somewhere that there is no such thing as an original idea.  In fact they were all used up in Shakespeare’s time!  What matters is putting a new spin on an old idea.  

What many of these so called reboots fail at is not putting a new spin on an old idea but rather mangle it to the point of being unrecognizable to try to please the very crowd that won’t want to watch it.