It's been recently announced that CBS is rebooting Bewitched for television. Okay, this isn't the first time an old series has been re-imagined for television...or film. It has proven to be a very mixed bag in terms of results. The kicker with the nuBewitched is that some of those behind it are the same ones that brought us the disaster film with Nicole Kidman. Now there's a pedigree for success. Some ideas are a product of their time and some can even be successfully updated for a contemporary audience. In this case, though, I'm highly cynical that a new Bewitched for television will work. I feel it's more than likely it will be sassed up for a contemporary mindset that is usually in the gutter (in my opinion) and lose all charm and genuine humour of the original. (And for the record I cannot stand the rebooted Hawaii Five-O) I'm not saying it couldn't work, but it's all in the execution. For myself a new Bewitched would have a better chance if it had a sensibility more akin to something like Everybody Loves Raymond appealing to a broad demographic of varying age. Twenty-somethings aren't the only ones who watch TV, but if they target this show narrowly at that demographic then I'm reasonably sure this will bomb. We're also getting a rebooted Dallas which is being pitched as a followup show in similar vein as Star Trek TNG was to TOS. I'm sure there are other old shows being considered for a reimagining and it's only a matter of time until we hear of them. Thoughts anyone? And any ideas on old series and how you think it could be effectively revamped for today?
I quite like the new Hawaii Five-0, Nu Who has been a reasonable success... Not sure what else out there in the archives could be revived ...
I just read the Bewitched news. I don't mind that one getting a reboot. My nominees for Sam and Darrin: Julie Benz and Joel Gresch. STAR! TREK! !!!!!! The Dallas remake/continuation/whatever sounds like it might be a hoot. To throw out a crazy idea: Hogan's Heroes might be up for a remake, but on cable, and with an Inglourious Basterds approach.
Every "reboot" I've seen has been different enough from the original show that it should be considered an original itself, and not a remake. It's obvious these guys want to make their own show...which, in and of itself, is admirable, I suppose. But, that being the case, lifting a show title and character names from an earlier hit for the sole purpose of enhancing their show's "buzz" seems pretty chicken-shit to me.
It may be chickenshit, but it gets shows made. All things being equal, a show called Bewitched is more likely to get the greenlight than Wife's a Witch (although I certainly like that title better ).
The Six Million Dollar Man. Keep the show a lot like the first season of the original, when it was still kind of dark and serious. In terms of his "powers," instead of having a few limbs being bionic, I'd make his entire body augmented to support the bionic parts: a metal laced skeleton like Wolverine, nanobots in his bloodstream to sync his bionic parts (including the eye) to his nervous system, etc. And I'd give him a bionic "ear" that allows him to communicate directly with the agency and download information directly to his brain. Then, like the original, I'd have him working for Oscar Goldman at a top secret spy agency, only more badass, making the outfit a cross between CTU on "24" and the agency on "Alias." But instead of just a secret agent I'd write him as more or less what a character like this would really be: a bionic assassin, near-terrorist, for the US government, taking on missions that the government can't handle by conventional means. Each episode could be a one-hour action movie, with extended arcs now and then and a lot of ongoing subplots: one week they could have Steve parachute into Afghanistan to kill some Al Quaeda biggie, the next he would be sent in to rescue some hostages on a compound in the midwest. Basically, I'd make him a bionic Jack Bauer. Finally, in order to explain the title of the show, I'd establish that his annual salary from the government is six million bucks, and not what it cost to rebuild him.
Done right this actually sounds kinda cool. I can imagine a way I'd reimagine Star Trek...only it wouldn't be called Star Trek or even connected to it except in a loose conceptual similarity. I'd take some ideas from TOS and reinterpret them yet still within the concept of a space adventure series.
Wasn't there a quasi-TSMDM series a few years ago, called Jake 2.0 or something similar? I never watched it, just heard of it.
There was also a short lived show called Now And Again that was conceptually similar. It starred Eric Close and it had a lot of potential, but sadly it just didn't go anywhere.
There's a new Charlie's Angels coming in a month or so. Executive producer is Drew Barrymore, not sure if that really helps. Might be just as impressive/unimpressive if it was Tori Spelling.
Or in the same vein as the new 90210 or (IIRC) the shortlived Melrose Place revival. Julie Benz would guarantee two things: That it would be awesome and that it would get cancelled quickly. I love Julie Benz. I've been absolutely, irrevocably in love with her ever since the Angel episode "The Trial" where she sang "Ill Wind" at the karaoke club. Every time she gets a new series, I keep promising myself I'll watch it but I never get around to it. What about the idea of changing the title to The 600 Million Dollar Man or The 6 Billion Dollar Man?
Considered and discarded because: That was too easy; I wanted to keep the original title as part of establishing its a reboot of a classic show; I think the original title rolls off the tongue better; Arguably 6 billion wouldn't be enough I thought making it his salary, as opposed to initial construction cost, helped add to the idea that this Steve Austin was something of a "badass," in it for the bucks as much as the idea of "helping people.
I think that remakes/reboots/retreads have become rather ridiculous (same goes for the movies). Doesn't anybody have any original ideas anymore? I can't say that I haven't enjoyed/appreciated some remakes but I'd like to see some more fresh, original ideas on tv
Automan Street Hawk Blue Thunder Manimal Galactica 80 Highwayman Best of the West Space Above and Beyond Basically One Season Wonders that deserved a better chance, or shows that stank the first time round, and they should take another go at getting them right.
Superforce [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsW78sWVb8Y[/YT] OR Captain Power [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M678PVOf5F0&feature=related[/YT]
This has been a major rant for years now, but I think by now its a forgone conclusion that nobody has original ideas anymore, which is why we are seeing more and more reboots, remakes and adaptations.