5 TV Series Reboots That Worked
Rebooting a tv series or remake a film for tv is a tricky business. For every one that works, it feels like there are 10 that fail. However, that hasn’t dampened the tv industry’s spirit to mine their back catalogue of shows and movies to attempt to revitalise a franchise. We of course have the upcoming Twin Peaks reboot, but there’s also a reboot of Charmed, Dynasty, and Lost In Space, plus many others… Only time will tell how well they will fair, but here we have our top 5 list of shows that did it the right way, and may help point them in the right direction.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
The story of the survivors of a robot holocaust from the 12 colonies looking for a new home across the stars has been in the centre of attention twice – once in 1979, and once again in 2003-2004 (in the form of the TV mini-series and the proper series it spawned). Both times, the story was nicely wrapped up and finished, leaving only a handful of loose ends to the imagination of the fans. Interestingly enough, both times the series has seen attempts to be continued that failed miserably.
The 2004 version of Battlestar Galactica had a massive following, even if the ending was a bit lacklustre. It spawned the series of Blood & Chrome webisodes, comic books, and there is still talk of a new feature film reboot. It also spawned some video games and table games, too, as well as a highly successful slot machine you can try at Vegas Palms casino online. The Vegas Palms game has attracted the attention of fans and critics alike, earning its developer recognition across the industry. It’s a one-of-a-kind slot machine, with achievements, ranks, unlockable features, and so on, making it a player favourite at the Vegas Palms and beyond. The game has given Vegas Palms players not only big wins but hours of entertainment, too.
Battlestar Galactica’s 2010 prequel, Caprica, was a much-needed expansion of its universe but unfortunately focusing too much on the hardcore sci-fi fan base that’s hardly enough to keep it running. It was cancelled after just one season. The original 70s series spin-off Galactica 1980, also only lasted one (10 episode) season.
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
If you’ve listened to any episodes of Geektown Radio recently, you will know we’ve talked about Hawaii Five-0 ‘jumping the shark’ a bit in recent years, but that doesn’t stop it from being a show that managed to get the reboot formula right. Having just been renewed for an 8th season, it’s still going strong, despite the storylines getting more and more ridiculous.
It took the basic format of the classic 70’s series, and pulled it into a modern setting. All the classic elements from the original were there, but reworked for the 21st century. Steve and Danno are still partners, although they bicker more like a married couple in the new version, and Kono was gender switched to a kick ass girl. But the basic premise stayed the same, and the show is still going strong.
Limitless (2016)
Yes, yes… I know Limitless only lasted 1 season, and is technically a continuation of the film rather than a reboot/remake. However, it was one of the most original, well thought through, updates of a movie in recent years.
Taking place 4 years after the events of the movie, we meet Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), a directionless, struggling musician, who is introduced to NZT-48, the drug that gives you access to every neuron in your brain for 12 hours. McDorman is a wonderfully charismatic lead, and bounces through the plot with an infectious glee. Jennifer Carpenter’s Rebecca Harris makes a brilliant, albeit often exasperated, foil for his antics. On top of a brilliant cast though, is some completely ‘out of the box’ thinking behind the scenes, the episode Brian Finch’s Black Op, which parodies Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, being a particular favourite. Great cast, smart writing, but sadly, too good for a CBS audience. I only wish this had landed somewhere like Netflix instead.
Humans (2015)
Humans is a British/US remake of the Swedish series Real Humans. Just renewed for a 3rd season, the remake has now outlasted the original.
Both shows start from the same premise – an alternative future, where we have developed human-like ‘synths’ to help us live our lives. Some of the set ups stays the same – Father of a family buys a synth to help out with housework, which causes issues with his wife. Both shows have (SPOILER) a synth masquerading as a police officer, and a widower who refuses to give up his malfunctioning companion. However, the overall plot arcs start to diverge as the shows continue, and have a very different tone. The UK version is a gritty thriller, where as the original had rather more kitsch elements to it. Now Humans has gone beyond the original source material, it’ll be interesting to see where they take it.
House of Cards (2013)
As beloved as the original BBC series House of Cards was, I think it’s fair to say, the US remake has taken the story on to another level. And I also think it’s fair to say, a lot of that has to do with the tour de force performance by Kevin Spacey as the scheming manipulator-in-chief, Frank Underwood.
The tone, the cast, the setting, all expertly added together, to bring Netflix it’s first major original series to capture the public’s imagination. Frank’s rise, along with his equally machiavellian wife Claire (brilliantly played by Robin Wright), has earned the show 8 Golden Globe Award nominations, with wins for both Spacey & Wright.
The 5th season of House of Cards is due on the 30 May 2017, and promises to be epic, as war looms both within the Underwood clan, and in the world at large…
