Top 10 TV Revivals No One Asked For
No one was waiting for these shows to come back from the dead. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 TV Revivals No One Asked For.
For this list, we're looking at TV shows that were brought back (or are going to be revived) despite a lack of popular demand. It doesn't matter whether the new iteration was, or is, successful. If the majority of people weren't exactly enthusiastic about a show's return, it will be considered for our list.
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#10: “Fuller House” (2016-)
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A show about a widowed man raising his daughters sounds like dramatic television. Instead, “Full House” became known for cheesy dialogue and heavy-handed moral lessons. After ending 23 years ago, Netflix brought back the cheese with “Fuller House”. Instead of devising a new concept, the reboot is just a gender-swapped and sometimes shot-for-shot remake of the original premise. In an era of unique and nuanced sitcoms, bringing this sappy house back onto the market feels unnecessary. But despite being roasted by critics, “Fuller House” is still going, as of 2018. We’re not sure who’s still watching, but they should cut it out.
#9: “Magnum, P.I.”
Do we really need another detective show? “Magnum P.I.” followed a Navy Seal turned private investigator who solved cases in Hawaii. Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck and his moustache, entertained audiences for eight seasons. When news broke that CBS ordered a pilot to renew the series, without Tom and his iconic facial hair in the lead role, many fans were less than pleased. To make matters worse, Selleck is currently starring in the police drama “Blue Bloods” on the same network. Adding yet another detective show to the mix just seems redundant. CBS may be better off sticking with the original moustache in reruns.
#8: “Charmed”
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The original “Charmed” followed a family of witches who fought supernatural threats. After ending in 2006, the series became popular on streaming networks. All that binging may have motivated The CW to announce their “feminist reboot” of the series complete with new main characters. The announcement drew criticism for implying that “Charmed” wasn’t always about strong female characters. Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper, also criticized the reboot for building on the previous show’s success without bringing back the original team. Between its PR missteps and lack of characters that made the show bingeworthy, this reboot is going to have a hard time recapturing the series’ magic.
#7: “Heroes: Reborn” (2015-16)
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We don’t need these heroes to save the day. The original “Heroes” series got off to a strong start. However, questionable writing decisions and bad pacing led to critical carping and viewership numbers dropping. Although it was canceled by NBC, the same network brought back the concept with “Heroes: Reborn.” The revival shifted its focus onto new characters that interacted with original cast members. But with the same creator at the helm, the series risked running into the same story issues as before. And indeed, history repeated itself with the reboot, with audiences tuning in at the beginning and jumping as the season continued.
#6: “Total Request Live” (2017-)
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Nowadays, if you want to check out music videos, you just search YouTube. But before the site became popular, we’d tune into MTV’s “Total Request Live”. “TRL” brought us live performances, celebrity guest stars and, most importantly, a music video countdown. As time marched on, TRL’s ratings fell and the show was canceled. Fast forward to 2017, and MTV decided to revamp the show… with a social media countdown? Neither the hosts nor the programming quite measure up to what made “TRL” entertaining. And even if they had brought their old format back, there are more accessible and entertaining countdowns on YouTube. Ah, well.
#5: “Dynasty” (2017-)
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“Dynasty” was once a Golden Globe-winning primetime soap opera about the misadventures of the oil-rich Carrington family. But after a couple of rough seasons, the show was canceled on a cliffhanger ending. After a 1991 mini-series resolved hanging plotlines, it looked the oily drama had ended… until the CW announced a revival series for 2017. Instead of continuing plotlines, “Dynasty” fans watched the show start from scratch. And, judging by the reboot’s mixed reviews and lagging ratings, newer audiences aren’t exactly latching onto it. Despite all this, The CW has still ordered additional episodes in another effort to save this crumbling dynasty.
#4: “Party of Five”
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In the 1990s, “Party of Five” focused on the life of five siblings after their parents are killed by a drunk driver. Freeform ordered a series reboot featuring five Latino children who live by themselves after their parents are deported. On the surface, this new concept seems kinda like the original. However, the heavy issues that come with deportation are different from the heaviness of processing the loss of loved ones. Don’t get us wrong, this project could be amazing and impactful. But with its significant changes, it should be its own program instead of a revival.
#3: “MacGyver” (2016-)
If you needed to stop a villain, using only two paper clips and a rubber band, you’d call Agent MacGyver. His ability to get out of complex problems with simple tools drew audiences in for seven seasons. After the premise wore thin, MacGyver became more of a pop culture reference than an action star. But CBS thought he was popular enough for a new show. The original MacGyver actor, Richard Dean Anderson, criticized this reboot for overlooking the “insanely loyal fans.” While his statement is up for interpretation, shaky ratings and middling reviews of the new show are clear. Even MacGyver can’t invent a good revival.
#2: “Knight Rider” (2008-09)
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Please stop trying to make another “Knight Rider” happen. Back in the 1980s, the show was a fun idea. David Hasselhoff starred as Michael Knight, a man who solved problems with his intelligent talking car, KITT. When this short-lived action show ended, there were multiple attempts to bring it back. One of the most notorious was a TV reboot, starring the son of Michael Knight, in 2008. Despite the show receiving poor ratings and being canceled, rumors of a “Knight Rider” webseries persist. But hey, with Siri able to do anything KITT can do, there’s no reason to take that idea out of the garage. Before we turn off our top pick, here are some dishonorable mentions. “24: Legacy” (2017) “Melrose Place” (2009-10) “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” (2018)
#1: “American Idol” (2018-)
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This reboot hits a really sour note. There was a time where this singing competition was second to none in the ratings. But after being on top for years, “American Idol” lost its staying power. In 2016, a massive campaign was launched to let us know the show was ending after 15 seasons. But all the efforts were made nearly pointless when ABC announced they were bringing back the show in 2018. The ridiculously short revival time frame is absurd. And early interviews suggest that the format won’t be all that different. This puts the “booo!” in “reboot”.
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