For this reason most reboots never make it out of development or past the first season. The ones that do rarely succeed into a second season, and even those that do manage to survive that long aren’t ratings hits and the number of viewers decrease with every episode. Taking a few series that have made it to some extent out of the equation, ask yourself what has really, honestly worked over the years? Not just with critics, but with viewers as well?
There have been numerous and expensive relaunches like The Bionic Woman (which in 1978 starred an indestructible Lindsay Wagner) and Knight Rider (the ‘80s series in which a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff talks to his crime-fighting car) that were eventually huge disappointments for NBC in 2007 and 2008, respectively, when they tried to reboot these shows without the original cast. There have also been huge failures trying to reboot other TV classics like; Get Smart, Love Boat, and Melrose Place (among others). Given the graveyard of TV reboots without the original cast or continuation of the story from where the first one ended haunting Hollywood, why do networks keep on trying to reboot?
An example of a reboot that failed miserably was Charlie’s Angels. Endless interviews with the stars and creators of NBC’s new Charlie’s Angels series, about how this version of the crime-fighting drama will differ from the ‘70s version. The topic of conversation, what’s going to change in the new version, is built into the reboot’s very existence. And this was the main reason that caused the series to fail. The fans didn’t want changes, they wanted the feel of the original series. They wanted the original first before they could think of moving on to a new version of the story.
Am I only saying this for my own benefit in order to convince NBC and the producers, Javier, Rob and Sam to bring back the original cast FIRST in a Xena revival before they start with a reboot? NO! Because the FACTS speak louder than words.
Here’s a list of reboots over the years. How many have been successful? One or two, maybe…
- Ironside (NBC): It only lasted three episodes before getting pulled off the air.
- Knight Rider (NBC): Failed completely!
- Wonder Woman (NBC): The pilot episode never even aired!
- Prime Suspect (NBC): American audiences wholeheartedly rejected this adaptation of the British series, which swapped Maria Bello for Helen Mirren as the lead detective. It was cancelled after just one 13-episode season.
- The Twilight Zone (UPN): This 2002 reboot of Rod Serling's science fiction anthology series put Forest Whitaker in Serling's narrator/host role. And despite drawing a diverse group of talented names, including Jason Alexander, Usher, Katherine Heigl, and Jeremy Piven, the show ran only for one season!
- Battlestar Galactica: Huge success, ran for four seasons, and practically launched the Sci-Fi Channel.
- Beverly Hills Cop: Never made it to even air for the pilot.
- Bionic Woman: Cancelled after eight episodes.
- Coach: Scrapped during production
- Charlie’s Angels: Cancelled after eight episodes.
- Cupid: Cancelled after seven episodes.
- Dallas — After a strong start, Dallas faltered and was cancelled by TNT after three seasons.
- The Firm : Cancelled after less than a season.
- The Fugitive: A series remade into a movie revived as a TV series with Tim Daly, it was cancelled after one season.
- Hannibal: Great series! Nobody watched it, less than 200 000 viewers per episode. It was cancelled after three seasons, though NBC dragged it along two seasons beyond what the audience supported.
- Hawaii Five-0: Entering its sixth season. Decent ratings, but only old people watch it on CBS.
- Heroes: Started soft on NBC and doesn’t have a chance in hell at a second season due to the low viewers.
- Mockingbird Lane: Bryan Fuller’s Munsters reboot only aired the pilot, after the series had been scrapped.
- Rockford Files: Never made it to air.
- V: Cancelled after 22 episodes.
- 90210: A modest success on the CW, it ran for five seasons.
So why not just give the fans, old and new, what they are asking for? Which is to bring back Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor FIRST in a limited 6 episode season/mini-series BEFORE you reboot the show! It makes complete and total sense to take this route. It guarantees success, you keep a fan base and also gain more fans and you show respect to the fans and the original cast that made the show Xena Warrior Princess successful in the first place! I know that NBC, Javier and Rob CAN give the fans a #XenaRevival first. The question is, why are they ignoring and refusing the fans?
Krizette Roz