5 Sitcom Reimaginings That Shined & 5 That Were Nostalgia Bait

#5: Nostalgia Bait: Frasier (2023-24)

Kelsey Grammer returned to play the erudite radio host and psychiatrist, but many of the other fixtures that made Frasier work the first time were nowhere to be seen. David Hyde Pierce passed on the chance to reprise his role as the neurotic Niles Crane, which apparently led to a major shift in the reboots overarching storylines. Also missing from the main cast are Jane Leeves as Daphne, and John Mahoney, the actor who played his irascible father, as he passed away in 2018. Even beloved characters Roz and Lilith, played by Peri Gilpin and Bebe Neuwirth, only made recurring appearances. The show didnt have the same magic without them, and was canceled after two seasons.

#5: Shined: Will & Grace (1998-2006; 17-20)

A decade after the original series broke ground for gay characters on primetime TV, the band got back together. Original writers David Kohan and Max Mutchnick returned, along with all four regulars, Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes. Reviews were kind to the belated 9th season, which began with the smart decision to retcon its original ending. Many were surprised to find its characters antics and quirks had aged up in the decade since its first series finale. Even lukewarm reviews still thought the show had something to offer a modern audience. But rumors of backstage tension seeped into the press, and after three seasons, NBC canceled the reboot.

#4: Nostalgia Bait: Arrested Development (2003-06; 13-19)

Netflixs misbegotten fourth season of the innovative and irreverent sitcom about the family who lost everything let down excited fans in a big way. Scheduling dilemmas had the shows cast mostly relegated to their own episodes, leaving few opportunities for them to interact. Regardless of the reasons, splitting up one of the funniest ensembles in TV history into their own, mostly standalone episodes is still one of the most boneheaded decisions ever. It took the creators five years to come back with a much better fifth season, but by then, the shows time had passed. It didnt help that star Jeffrey Tambors workplace misconduct story broke during filming.

#4: Shined: The Conners (2018-25)

20 years after Roseanne Barrs working class, slice of life sitcom went off the air in confusing fashion, the Conners returned to show us that not much had changed in that time. Well, one big thing had changed. Star Roseanne Barrs controversial tweets saw her fired from the revival between its first and second seasons. The crazy thing about The Conners is that it managed to find its footing without her. While Barr herself has had plenty to say about her ousting, the show won back its devoted viewership and continued for seven seasons. Seeing a realistic portrayal of where these people would be, without fantastical Hollywood endings, clearly spoke to enough Americans to keep it on the air.

#3: Nostalgia Bait: Murphy Brown (1988-98; 2018)

Between 1988 and 1998, the fictional journalist played by Candice Bergen was the epitome of the professional, capable woman who could have it all. The characters decision to become a single mother famously became a real-life political talking point. Transplanting her to 2018 America didnt go so well. The sitcom, reimagined for a post-Trump presidency, pits her and her journalist son against each other on competing networks, and it was immediately clear it didnt have the same bite. The very first episode sees Murphy Brown having a Twitter war with President Donald Trump, and it all just seemed a lot less fun and a lot less inspired. It ended after 13 episodes.

#3: Shined: Fuller House (2016-20)

Candace Cameron Bure and Jodie Sweetin returned to the roles that made them famous in this Netflix revival. Only this time, they were raising the kids. Bures D.J. Tanner finds herself a widow raising children alone when she moves back into her childhood home. Fuller House is sweet, sentimental, and a little corny. And any fan of Full House knows thats exactly what we come for. Many original cast members would drop in every once in a while, but the show actually managed to create new and lovable characters that fit snugly in the Full House universe. Like Girl Meets World, this reboot found a way to merge the current moment with the sappy life lessons that made the originals so watchable.

#2: Nostalgia Bait: And Just Like That (2021-)

The thing about this revival is that it does remind us of the original show. Its as maddening as anything on Sex and the City. But the original shows characters and their romantic foibles are equal parts charming, thrilling, and completely infuriating. Unfortunately, this show is heavy on the infuriating part. The chemistry is off. Kim Cattralls presence is severely missed. Mirandas romance with Che Diaz, Carries continued self-centeredness, and whatever Charlottes doing, it all feels like a bunch of misfires without Samanthas icy wit and sexual freedom. The show makes an admirable attempt to add new characters and new layers to the shows mythology, but none of it ever comes together.

#2: Shined: Ravens Home (2017-23)

Could a nostalgic favorite recapture its now-adult audience and foster a new one? Under the capable star power of Raven-Symoné, Ravens Home definitely did. Earning itself a six-season run on the Disney Channel, the psychically-gifted Raven Baxter returned with two children of her own. Watching her and best friend Chelsea tackle motherhood was somehow just as engrossing as it was to see them navigate adolescence 20 years before. Adapting a kids sitcom for a modern age is a huge gamble. Ravens Home and Nickelodeons surprisingly successful iCarly are prime examples of how to do it right.

#1: Nostalgia Bait: How I Met Your Father (2022-23)

The frame story concept that made How I Met Your Mother so watchable for nearly a decade didnt exactly pay off in the way viewers expected. And this gender-swapped version didnt have the sauce. Not even Lizzie McGuire herself, Hilary Duff, could milk millennial nostalgia enough to make this one worthwhile. Outside of the overall premise, How I Met Your Father is an overstuffed cash grab that doesnt even come close to living up to the show that inspired it. And while it does try to remind us of how much we loved that show, it just invites comparison. This reimagined version is missing the personal element of that first series, which was loosely based on the creators personal lives.

#1: Shined: Saved by the Bell (2020-22)

Bringing the original shows dated cheesiness was never going to work. So they didnt. Instead, the Saved by the Bell revival managed to poke fun at its source material while still getting us to invest in a new crop of students at Bayside High. When a local low-income school closes, the students are sent to Bayside High School, and inject a dose of much-needed modern reality to a beloved sitcom. Lauded for its tongue-in-cheek approach, it scored big with viewers and critics, even if it lasted only two seasons. It remains an example of how a sitcom reboot can have it both ways.

Did these reboots hit the mark or did they just make you miss the original? Tell us in the comments.