scifi TV series ripe for a reboot pt.2 (shows ahead of their time)

[Ian Keldon]

The article fails to mention that after The X-Files ended, several of the writers and producers tried to do a remake of The Night Stalker, and it was cancelled after 13 episodes.

I've never actually seen that short-lived remake; was it any good?

Not really. It's been awhile but IIRC it had a weird through story that borrowed elements from "The Fugitive" in that the Kolchak character was under suspicion for a crime he didn't commit (was actually committed by some Big Bad).

The rest of it was rather dull, and the "monster/threat of the week" tended to be poorly written.

 

[23skidoo]

Some of the shows listed on the OP are too recent to be rebooted or didn't generate enough general interest to justify a revival or movie (i.e. lots of people love Pushing Daisies and I could see it being made into a movie - but without the original actors, would it fly? Much of the show's appeal was the cast.)

Of the ones listed, the most likely candidate would be The Flash, since it wasn't created for TV but was based on a comic book. Had Green Lantern not bombed we might have seen a Flash movie being talked about, though I'd imagine it's only a matter of time before the DC Animated folks do something.

Kindred: The Embraced probably wouldn't work very well now because it's too late. They should have hit while the Twilight iron was still hot. The latest trend will be Hunger Games/Battle Royale derivatives. Wasn't there also an issue with the rights holders to the RPG of similar theme? Making matters a bit more complex, the show has a bit of a martyr issue in that its star died in a traffic accident a few months after it ended, so its fans - and there are a few - might be hesitant to accept someone else playing the lead role. If they are going to go that route I'd actually rather see a series or film based on the computer RPG Vampire: The Masquerade which is still one of my favorite games of all time.

Looking at that list again, Dark Angel might be a potential reunion prospect. It's been 10 years, and both Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly have gone on to become very popular, so it would attract Alba and NCIS fans to the movie. And seeing how Max got on years later might make an interesting story. And if James Cameron put his name on it that'd sell a few tickets. But they screwed things up so badly with Season 2, would that be enough?

Alex

 

[jefferiestubes8]

'Jericho' on Netflix?

from this headline today: Netflix Eyes... 'Jericho?'
thanks Temis the Vorta.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Exclusive-Netflix-Jericho-1046804.aspx

Netflix has approached CBS to discuss reviving Jericho

Wow.
Well this much later why not just create a new show similar to Jericho and not have to worry about fans griping about not all of the cast returning?


a related thread from 2011:
Jericho- is it worth it?

 

[MacLeod]

Take NuBSG for example. I liked it very much. But I think it gained nothing from being a reboot. The show could have been a wholly original universe without any of the cachet or stigma of being linked with the original BSG, and been just as well recieved. Plus it would have had more creative freedom.

Rebooting a property is a lazy marketing tool to get us to feel nostalgia while watching some regurgitated content. It is stifling to the creative people producing that content, and it is stifling to those of us consuming it, even if we can't stop indulging ourselves.

The sole reason nuBSG had a known brand name slapped on it was so that the SyFy execs would feel comfortable greenlighting it as a known quantity, on the questionable but persistent assumption that it will make success more likely. The fact that what was left of the BSG fanbase was so rabidly against it argues otherwise - no doubt, the viewers were mainly new fans.

But this notion persists, and explains the constant parade of remakes of American and foreign shows regardless of whether there's any fanbase left, or even if the fanbase is against the remake. (Judging from the hilariously savage online commentary, CBS' Sherlock Holmes series in development, Elementary, seems to be about as popular among Holmes aficionados as RDM's remake was among the BSG faithful.)

Well 'Elementary' has certainly some interestings aspects to its take on Holmes, but perhaps aside from some casting ones. One of the issues is that it is a re-imanging of re-imanging. We already have the BBC series 'Sherlock' which has brought Holmes into the 21st century, so the CBS version is being compared to both the BBC and the source material.

Only time will tell if it well be as succesful, US takes on UK shows don't exactly have a stellar record.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: 'Jericho' on Netflix?

Netflix has approached CBS to discuss reviving Jericho

Wow.
Well this much later why not just create a new show similar to Jericho and not have to worry about fans griping about not all of the cast returning?

Because Netflix is interested in the show due to its popularity on its on-demand feature, so deleting any important element runs the risk of screwing that up. My hunch is that the Skeet Ulrich fanclub is keeping this show going, so they better get him back at minimum.

I hope this deal is successful, and not just because I want to see more Jericho - it's a great precedent for niche-audience series being able to survive (as originals or revivals) via means other than ad-based TV. If Netflix and CBS can play nice this time, maybe Star Trek is next?

Well 'Elementary' has certainly some interestings aspects to its take on Holmes, but perhaps aside from some casting ones. One of the issues is that it is a re-imanging of re-imanging.

There's no evidence that it's related to the BBC series. In fact, CBS has been taking great pains to keep their distance, possibly for legal reasons, but mainly because they need to craft the show for the tastes of the CBS viewer.

Elementary is one of the few CBS pilots that look likely to go to series. My hunch is, it will, and it will do very well for CBS in the ratings. And that will have nothing to do with the BBC or even Sherlock Holmes in general. It will be for the same reason as CBS's shows are successful overall: CBS knows their audience and knows how to craft a show to suit their tastes. Making Watson female, for instance, and casting the role with a well-liked actress is exactly the sort of thing they'd do, to suit their viewers.

I don't expect this show will particularly appeal to fans of any previous incarnation of Sherlock Holmes on TV or movies, or the novels for that matter. CBS is using that as a jumping-off point to make a CBS show for CBS viewers, like they always do.

so the CBS version is being compared to both the BBC and the source material.

Not by CBS viewers, and those are the people who CBS cares about. Few of them will be aware of any other version, and fewer will care.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Sliders was a show ahead of its time; and I'm referring to the alternate history focus of season one and two of the series.

Sliders suffered from two things that are related - a misunderstood concept and poor marketing. In 1995, the media promoting Sliders consistently confused the parallel reality concept with time travel; they (and many others in the public) just couldn't wrap their head around reality changing. I believe this was due in part to the era everyone was living in.

I personally believe the mid-90's was one of the most stable times the U.S. has ever seen. The economy was in an upswing that lasted into the new millenium; there were no wars (unless you count Bosnia which ended in Dec. 1995); and the biggest scandal you could hope for was the President boinking his intern (which was really no surprise to anyone). People in the U.S. were pretty comfortable in 1995; a changing reality wasn't on their mind or in their imagination.

Starting with 9-11, the entire U.S. suddenly and starkly understood how reality could change overnight. Wars ignited. Social media changed our world. Our economy collapsed. A black man became President. Our reality has been a whirlwind over the past decade; we never know what we'll wake up to the next day. It's alot like traveling to parallel realities; and I believe people are now more open to the concept because they've largely been living it.

With the right team behind it, I think Sliders would work now. And here's my personal thought on how to sell it:

Wade Welles is a dreamer who failed to find a direction in life; Rembrandt Brown is a soul singer who failed to hold on to his fifteen minutes of fame; Professor Arturo is an accomplished scientist who failed to gain the recognition he deserved; and Quinn Mallory is a genius college student who just failed to discover anti-gravity... but he discovered something else instead.

SLIDERS -- a daring adventure through what might have been and what could be. Becoming lost is sometimes the best way to find where you belong.

 

[auntiehill]

^I would totally watch that. However, that being said, John Rhys-Davies as Arturo was what made me like the original. Without him, I'm not sure I'd have any attachment to it. Still, Sliders had such a great premise and got so continually screwed-up, even perhaps ruined by TPTB; I guess one more go at it might be worthwhile.

 

[TemporalFlux]

^I would totally watch that. However, that being said, John Rhys-Davies as Arturo was what made me like the original.

That is a really big problem; one of the reasons I loved the show is because of him. Even with careful casting, I'm not sure one could ever overcome having another actor as Professor Arturo. John Rhys-Davies is a wonderful one-of-a-kind.

A few years ago, someone in the Sliders community was talking about a fan film. The constraints of the project were expected - limited budget, lack of name actors, and a carefully crafted story to avoid as much potential copyright liability as possible (though one could obviously never make the story completely clean of Sliders). I developed a pilot script for it, but it was never filmed; I've also never released the script to the public.

The approach I took was new characters in the same setting - a Sliders: The Next Generation type series that could exist alongside the original series without depending on it. After writing the script and fleshing out the characters, I really think that would be the best approach to a Sliders "reboot"

Every so often, I attempt to get a story boarded version of the script made for on-line; I've even talked with Rich Morris who created The Ten Doctors. Rich seemed interested, but he's a very busy guy.

 

[DigificWriter]

Here's some suggestions:​

Wolf Lake​

Summary: A supernatural drama from CBS, Wolf Lake originally aired on CBS in 2001, but was cancelled after only 5 episodes (of an original 9) had been aired. The series was later picked up by UPN, which aired all 9 of the episodes that had been produced. The series revolved around Seattle police officer John Kanin, whose girlfriend, Ruby Wilder, disappears under mysterious (and bloody) circumstances just moments after accepting his marriage proposal. Desperate to find her, he travels to her hometown of Wolf Lake, and discovers that not everything is as it seems and that he might not have known Ruby as well as he thought he did.​

Why it could work now: Supernatural-themed dramas seem to be entering another phase of popularity and success, with the likes of Fringe, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Grimm, and The CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle all earning enough weekly viewership to be renewed for multiple seasons, and Wolf Lake's premise feeds right into the phenomenon. With the right creative team behind it, the series could fit right into CBS' current lineup of procedurals, or could be aired on The CW as a counterpoint to The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle.​

Moonlight​

Summary: A modern equivalent of sorts to Forever Knight, Moonlight aired on CBS during the 2007/2008 television season The series follows private investigator Mick St. John, who's spent 50 years looking for Coraline, the woman who turned him into a vampire on their wedding night. In the present, he is drawn together with a reporter named Beth Turner and begins investigating crimes. The series was more of a supernatural romance than a straight-up procedural, but, with other supernatural romance shows like HBO's True Blood and The CW's Vampire Diaries finding success, it could potentially make good money for CBS on either their main network or by joining TVD and The Secret Circle on The CW.​

 

[JoeD80]

Sliders suffered from two things that are related - a misunderstood concept and poor marketing.

It did last five seasons.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If they get Skeet for Jericho, they should revive Miracles at the same time and put him to work on that, too. (However, there's another series pilot this year called Dark Horse that sounds like the same basic idea - the rise of the antichrist.)

Another goodun - Invasion. That show was shaping up interestingly when it got cancelled. They can get William Fichtner back as Sheriff Underlay for the lead, forget Eddie Cibrian (his character added nothing).

It should be built around the weirdness of Underlay thinking he's a human but actually being some sort of alien imitation of the original - or even more weirdly, not an alien per se, but some undersea species that we've never known could do that cool doppleganger stuff.