We're living in the time when it seems so many old and little recalled television programs are being remade and/or rebooted for film or television. It's actually been going on for quite some time, but it seems that for last while we've been inundated with them. What is there remaining that hasn't yet been proposed or currently in the works that has at least a chance of reaching some audience? And it could be a film or television project. After they've strip mined the '50s and '60s will they move onto the '70s, the '80s and even the '90s (given current audiences' seemingly short attention span)? Hmm...actually they've already gotten to the '80s by rebooting Transformers, Miami Vice and The A-Team on film. And isn't there a Magnum, P.I. reboot in the works somewhere? Simon & Simon, Moonlighting and Remington Steele can't be far behind... If they can live-action an animated show like Transformers couldn't someone do the same with the '60s era Space Ghost (fondly remembered by a lot of aging boomers). What about Stingray? Thoughts anyone?
I'd like to see Alien Nation get another shot, and Land of the Lost redone as a Serious Adult Drama could be really good (Yes, they did the comedy movie, and also there was a Syndicated reboot for kids already) I'd love to see Blake's 7 re-done, though if it went wrong, it could go horribly wrong
Six Million Dollar Man. They've been trying for years to get this off the ground as a movie. The X-Files. You know a remake of this is coming within the next ten or twelve years with younger versions of Mulder and Scully. Xena, Warrior Princess. Yep, this one ain't safe from a remake either. They'll probably have Lucy Lawless do guest appearances as the new Xena's mother. Baywatch. Every generation must have buxom blondes running on the beach in slow motion. It's called the Pamela Anderson Law. Welcome Back, Kotter. Because somebody is probably thinking it's a good idea (certainly won't be me, tho). All In the Family. Because nothing's sacred. M*A*S*H. Some Hollywood idjiot is thinking it's a novel idea to probably revision it as taking place during the Iraqi War.
They did China Beach and now there's Combat Hospital. (yes, that's a real title!!!!) Dramas, but in the same vein as M*A*S*H.
Tom Clancy offered to write a screenplay for a Magnum PI movie a few years back, I don't think any studio took him up on the offer. Robotech/Macross is getting turned into a live action movie, although it is in development hell right now as far as I can tell. A MacGyver remake of sorts almost made it to the air, as did a remake of Lost in Space. The Charlies Angels remake starts this fall. With the major networks in love with procedural cop shows, and the success of the Hawaii Five-O remake, I suspect that remakes of Hill Street Blues, Streets of San Francisco and Dragnet can't be too far behind.
They tried a new DRAGNET series a few years ago, with the guy from MARRIED . . . WITH CHILDREN as Friday. It didn't take.
I started another thread a while ago called "scifi series ripe for a reboot" http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=121319 Check it out.
Those were more straight-up dramas, while M*A*S*H tended to be more of comedy (it did have a laugh track) when it wasn't dealing with something serious.
I'm aware, but the line between comedy and drama in modern programming has blurred. I would say M*A*S*H contained as muh drama as most modern hour long dramas and the comedy elements in modern dramas is about the same as in M*A*S*H.
I was thinking more of modern shows, China Beach was on 20 years ago. And I found it unwatchable. Humor might have helped. Any how, China Beach came across to me as a "dramatic" take on M*A*S*H.
Don't forget the several Ninja Turtles revivals in the last few years, plus the live-action GI Joe movie. I'm partial to '80s cartons and their associated merchandise, so I desperately want to see a Dino-Riders reboot. We've had the CGI to do it for a decade, Hollywood! C'mon! I want spacemen, aliens, spaceships, and dinosaurs with frickin' laser beams duking it out in all-out live-action war. They'd make a mint.
I wouldn't mind a Lost in Space reboot, with a thorough re-thinking of the premise. Would a single family really be colonizing space on its own? I could see them being part of a larger colonization effort, and that they somehow got separated from the others. They should not be entirely cut off in communication with the other colonists, but simply unable to reunite with them. Something mysterious can happen to the other colonists, which means the others can't send a rescue mission. Maybe the Robinsons glean enough information to suggest it might be better not to find the others after all. Or something like that. They just need to find a way to open up the premise so that it doesn't need to rely on goofy humor to keep going. Like many others, I would have liked The Bionic Woman to star Katee Sackhoff and not have another bionic woman character as the bad damaged one. That feature should be integrated into the main character, so that she has the dramatic tension that drives the story, and keeps the focus and interest on her. There are plenty of conspiracy theories around that have nothing to do with aliens or supernatural elements. I've long thought that they would be a wonderful source for a paranoid show. But it would take someone with massive cojones to take on the Truthers and the Birthers and the people who think immunization causes autism. One thing's for sure, a show like that would get a lot of attention.
That's actually the premise that the rejected John Woo-directed LiS reboot pilot used back around 2003. A bootlegged version is up on YouTube, if you're interested.