What popular TV shows ended and will NEVER get a reboot / spin-off series?

Submitted by ericdeben t3_10iq6p5 in television

Recently, shows like That 90’s Show, Fuller House, and Bel-Air have brought back TV series from the 90’s that I think most people thought were long gone. One could make the argument that no series is ever really over. Eventually, every show that was once successful is likely to be revived for nostalgic fans or new audiences one way or another.

Can you think of any critically-acclaimed shows that should never in a million years receive the reboot treatment?

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admiralvic t1_j5fsaqb wrote

I don't think The Drew Carey Show ever will. Not only does it barely exist outside of antenna broadcasts, there would be no point in ever revisiting the franchise.

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tagen t1_j5gui5x wrote

I’ve only ever seen a couple episodes, but you cannot fucking find it without shelling out a lot of money. The clips i’ve seen are so funny

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MattyKatty t1_j5iutdf wrote

There is a Restoration project in the works over at /r/TheDrewCareyShow but I'm not sure if I can link to the project directly here since it'd probably be considered warez (even though you can't buy it digitally and it's available all over archive.org in worse quality).

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Xemone t1_j5ftjg6 wrote

That's a good one. I know the cast wouldn't miss a beat in a revival, but I wouldn't really think there'd be anything to show either. Any typical revival-esque framework like focusing on their (possible) kids or something just wouldn't work with the way the show was originally.

And a full reboot I can't see working at all. It was definitely most suited for its time, even if it's sadly unavailable to watch nearly anywhere.

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Stockpile_Tom_Remake t1_j5hnn79 wrote

I’m pretty sure the licensing is a mess for streaming which is why it’s so hard to find

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admiralvic t1_j5hnujk wrote

Correct. It's the same reason why it doesn't really exist in DVDs either.

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BuffaloWilliamses t1_j5i8knq wrote

Frankly I never remembered the music being that important to the show other than the intro music, which I still love to this day.

At this point I'd accept a version of the show with cheaper music dubbed in if it meant its available for streaming or DVD.

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MattyKatty t1_j5iv0a1 wrote

The music that needs licensing is usually episode centric, as in a full opening or perhaps my favorite. There's countless more that you can't really edit around, or even if you could it would ruin the episode anyway.

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TheSuiteLifeOfChase t1_j5hcd8h wrote

I feel like most of those type of shows that were based on one man and his stand up is hard to reboot. Not impossible but a good reboot allows for new stories to be told, and typically these shows try their hardest to be a one perspective show. You'd have to get back drew Carey and make him the main character again I think, and like you said there's no point in that

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HotpieTargaryen t1_j5fvjeq wrote

Seinfeld. They had their reunion season on Curb. Both LD and Jerry have been very clear on the no reboot front.

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tagen t1_j5gur0y wrote

Idk if Michael Richards is still persona non grata in Hollywood or not, but I couldn’t imagine the show without him

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mike10dude t1_j5h2iac wrote

I am sure that lots of places would be okay with working with michael richards if it got them a new seinfeld show

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BigPoppaPuff t1_j5hoaje wrote

He used the n word during a standup set. You just can’t do that.

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stunts002 t1_j5j5mqq wrote

That was before the Curb reunion season and they actually made a joke out of it.

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The_perfect_Melody t1_j5j0zxi wrote

Why Tf is this getting downvoted. I like seinfield but Kramer IRL disappointed me for that one. Unforgivable

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hrakkari t1_j5fuch5 wrote

The Wire is about the least rebootable show I can think of.

It’s perfect the way it is.

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SynthD t1_j5g6yz2 wrote

David Simon said he’d make another season if something like drug legalisation happens. So yes, this is more impossible than a joint sequel to Louie and the Bill Cosby Show.

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PreviousTea9210 t1_j5gzerj wrote

The great thing about The Wire is that it exists in a universe (our own universe, really) that has so many explorable aspects that don't need The Wire to explore them.

Just look at We Own This City. Completely separate show, based on a real investigation, done through completely different storytelling methods, but something about it still felt like a successor to The Wire.

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Bushgjl t1_j5fvwvb wrote

I mean just in how the nature of TV has changed since that time, it's more event focused and there aren't really ensemble casts anymore.

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GarconMeansBoyGeorge t1_j5lur31 wrote

I could almost see a world where the boys from season 4 are the focus. I’d watch it in contempt, but I could see it.

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wednesdayware t1_j5iefe0 wrote

>It’s perfect the way it is.

Even season 5? Hardly perfect.

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kittentarentino t1_j5hiu86 wrote

Sorry guys, we’re never seeing Firefly again

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Reldaw t1_j5hljl7 wrote

Same for Dark Matter and Farscape. I'll be surprised if Babylon 5 actually makes it.

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Darmok47 t1_j5ikrtm wrote

Babylon 5 does have the original showrunner, but like the original, it's airing on a doomed network (The CW)

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TheSeventhAnimorph t1_j5iqs7d wrote

Nah, that's probably still possible; there's been talk about it, and there was a new comic series last year, which would arguably qualify as having been a reboot/revival itself, anyway.

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kittentarentino t1_j5is34w wrote

It ain’t happenin’ friend, Joss ain’t comin back. Hold the comic dear

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Radulno t1_j5jj9wd wrote

Doesn't need to Joss to do it. Plenty of shows are rebooted without the original creator. The fact that still get other media stuff means it could be rebooted one day.

In fact, I would say any show that people even remember about now could be rebooted. The ones that can't are the ones that got a few episodes only before getting cancelled and that nobody remembers

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Neo2199 t1_j5fw6jd wrote

'Lost': While the showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said in various interviews they are not against the idea of reviving/rebooting 'Lost', they stressed that they will not part of any reboot. The show ended in 2010 & we haven't seen any actual plans to revive the show.

But since this Hollywood where they never say never, Disney might greenlit a Lost TV movie or a limited series to commemorate the popular show's 20th anniversary in 2024.

To be honest, I won't mind a Lost TV movie a la 'El Camino', 'Deadwood: The Movie' or 'The Day of the Doctor'.

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Maninhartsford t1_j5fy960 wrote

The movie is just the showrunners sitting in beach chairs calmly and repeatedly explaining to the audience that the island wasn't purgatory for 2 hours

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Neo2199 t1_j5g6hk6 wrote

And we see Hurley in the background waving his hands & exclaiming "Dude!"

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Cole-Spudmoney t1_j5iyrzi wrote

The next day, on reddit: “…So what you’re saying is they were dead the whole time??”

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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6j9x wrote

There seems to be so many people who think the ending meant they were dead the whole time and I see it repeated often. The ending to AI is another one that isn't suppose to be ambiguous but people seem to misconstrue what is happening a lot too. They weren't aliens. They were just more advanced robots.

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amendmentforone t1_j5fzweo wrote

Lost was such a unique show of its time that I couldn't see them rebooting, per se. Endless attempts at duplicating the mystery box / unique character experience have been done, with little success.

The mythology of Lost, with all its magic and science fiction tropes, could definitely allow for some sort of sequel though (like a TV movie or mini-series as you suggested).

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TheSecretAgenda t1_j5gdzkk wrote

I could see The Hurley Chronicles being a thing where he sends his minions out around the world to help people in trouble kind or like Touched by an Angel /Highway to Heaven sort of a show.

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VitaminTea t1_j5ipbqt wrote

Doing a Lost spin-off at a different Dharma site always seemed like a pretty interesting idea to me.

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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6oa3 wrote

I imagine what would happen would be that it fails to capture the same audience the original did. Then they will do what Fantastic Beasts did when no one was liking the movies so they decided to bring them back to Hogwarts. A Lost spin off can only avoid the island for so long.

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Radulno t1_j5jjhh4 wrote

> they stressed that they will not part of any reboot.

I'm not sure how that answers the question. Tons of reboots, sequels and such are done without the original people involved.

The fact they even think to ask the question and answer it means it's actually a very real possibility.

Knowing Hollywood, I'd say any show that people even remember could be rebooted/sequelized/whatever.

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mickeyflinn t1_j5kilpx wrote

...

There have been dozens of Lost clones since the show started.

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spinereader81 t1_j5hgng8 wrote

House. It ran its course and people moved on.

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hankjmoody t1_j5iatoh wrote

And it was also effectively a reimagining of Sherlock Holmes stories.

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reasonedof t1_j5ka2u4 wrote

the basic format has also been reworked to death.

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Sloblowpiccaso t1_j5jabbs wrote

Hahaha nah its just too soon for house, it will totally be rebooted, its such a good premise.

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LovelyRita999 t1_j5frhk9 wrote

I was gonna say The Cosby Show, though I guess technically it already had a spin off

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mickeyflinn t1_j5kiq1f wrote

And the Cosby Show was as tried and true TV formula.

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LiveFromNewYork95 t1_j5fwouo wrote

I feel like if circumstances were different Everybody Loves Raymond would be right there with these types of shows getting revivals. It's one of those slice of life shows that would be easy show to jump right in and see how the characters are reacting to the current events. But Peter Boyle dying not long after the show ended really hurt any chances of seeing the a revival and the door was slammed shut when Dorris Roberts died, you can't do that show with both of Ray's parents gone.

Plus you have one of the son's dying and you'd have to navigate re-casting vs writing him out.

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spaycedinvader t1_j5fvwi7 wrote

Sister Sister

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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6ee8 wrote

The Mowerys are doing Christmas movies at the moment. I watched one and Ray and Lisa played her parents. There parts weren't even relevant to the plot. They had them green screened in Hawaii talking over the phone. They have mini reunions like that all the time. There is a Netflix show with a Mowery and Jackie Harry too.

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Astrosaurus42 t1_j5hgw54 wrote

Wasn't Smart Guy part of the Sister Sister universe?

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colin_forreal t1_j5ia25i wrote

No, he’s just their brother in real life

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MattyXarope t1_j5oikks wrote

"Tia and Tamera's real-life little brother, Tahj Mowry, has appeared in four episodes of the series. He played Tia's cousin Tahj in "Get a Job", a kid visiting a "Mall Santa" in "Christmas", and appeared in a crossover role in "Child's Play", in which he played T.J. Henderson, his character from fellow The WB sitcom Smart Guy. T.J. is a genius SAT tutor who is hired to help the girls prepare for their SAT in season five."

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PhillAholic t1_j5r8ugb wrote

I think it was in early production but was recently canned.

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ReverendDoktor t1_j5glij9 wrote

Northern Exposure. The cast wants it. The fans want it. The world needs what this story has to offer.

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DragonTonguePunch t1_j5hcm7o wrote

It was in the works but quietly shelved, likely because one of the co-creators died from a home accident. Rob Morrow found out about the news and cancellation on Twitter.

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hotpietptwp t1_j5jtjlw wrote

I loved that show until the last season. After they started cutting Fleishmen and then he finally left, it didn't feel the same, even though it had a wonderful ensemble cast. Some shows can survive without the lead, but Northern Exposure didn't IMO.

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PAUMiklo t1_j5gn81b wrote

if there is a chance to make a dollar nothing is sacred, so the answer is nothing

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mikexmachina t1_j5gy8wr wrote

Friends. As much as I loved the show, and as much as people say they want it, no one should in any way to try to reboot/revive it.

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Solid_SAm t1_j5rowvx wrote

Technically New Girl is like a friends reboot.

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DC4MVP t1_j5inohh wrote

Not to feed into the cliché but if it did get rebooted, it'd cover every box of diversity that they can cram into it.

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FoMoni t1_j5friuq wrote

Hogan's Heroes.

  • Edit: Nevermind, turns out they're trying to reboot it. Sigh.
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IonicBreezeMachine t1_j5fs2ts wrote

There have actually been discussions about a sequel series to Hogan's Heroes. See for yourself: https://deadline.com/2019/09/hogans-heroes-series-sequel-reboot-village-roadshow-entertainment-group-al-ruddy-rough-house-pictures-danny-mcbride-david-gordon-green-and-jody-hil-1202736850/

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wmansir t1_j5hp9dp wrote

>The reimagined version will be a single-camera action adventure comedy series set in present day focusing on the descendants of the original heroes, now scattered around the world, who team up for a global treasure hunt.

I see nothing! to do with the original premise.

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FoMoni t1_j5fsv59 wrote

I just saw that, what a shame 😕 I guess I should have checked Google BEFORE posting and not immediately afterward lol.

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IonicBreezeMachine t1_j5ft332 wrote

Meh, it happens. The only ones who know about these in development projects are obsessive nerds like myself. LOL

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livingmybestestlyfe t1_j5fv5t4 wrote

Oz. Not sure a prison show like that could be made today.

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Bushgjl t1_j5fwtkn wrote

Probably not lol, like 2/3 of the characters are rapists.

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shiningshawna t1_j5hk1mp wrote

Murder, She Wrote.

Angela Lansbury was famously against a reboot with Octavia Spencer attached, saying that the time and place of the original series couldn't be replicated. Most of the original actors have now sadly passed, too.

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LupinThe8th t1_j5hh015 wrote

We were very fortunate to get a third season of Twin Peaks in 2017, and it was magnificent, an almost perfect revival.

It will never happen again. Since the end of season 3 we've lost too many people, like Warren Frost, Catherine Coulson (she was dying as they filmed season 3, and they wrote it in), Al Strobel, and maybe most importantly Angelo Badalamenti who died this past December.

You cannot do Twin Peaks without Badalamenti's music, it's practically a main character, and I bet anything David Lynch would have no interest without it. If he even were interested otherwise, and I doubt it, it seems to have been something of a career retrospective for him, so I think he said what he wanted to.

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camlaw63 t1_j5iakxi wrote

Mad Men

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mattrobs t1_j5j9z30 wrote

You cannot reboot perfection

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camlaw63 t1_j5k3bwc wrote

I agree. Every moment of that show was prefect

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reasonedof t1_j5kahs4 wrote

Kiernan Shipka wants a Sally spinoff (which is the only spinoff I would argue might work).

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stumblebreak_beta t1_j5k8n9r wrote

I’d they can make de-aging CGI cheap and perfect then I want to see a Mad Men prequel with John Slattery playing young Rodger Sterling joining his dads company in the 40s/50s. Sleeping with all the secretaries, self medicating PTSD with alcohol, learning the business, getting verbally (probably sometime physically) abused by his father and then finding comfort from a supportive Bert Cooper.

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wkomorow t1_j5hpxgi wrote

Nearly any Western. It is hard to imaging Bonanza, the Rifle Man, Gunsmoke, etc. today. It is funny how much 40 years ago Western dominated TV.

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mickeyflinn t1_j5kjcjn wrote

There are so many Westerns on TV now

  • Big Sky
  • Yellowstone and all its iterations
  • Outer Range
  • Joe Pickett
  • When the Heart Calls
  • Walker
  • Dark Winds
  • The English

and so many more.

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wkomorow t1_j5km7mp wrote

But none are reboots of classics, I can not imagine the Rifleman rebooted.

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mickeyflinn t1_j5lcd3r wrote

> I can not imagine the Rifleman rebooted.

Already been done with The Gambler Returns (1991). Also there was remake in the works in 2011 that fizzled out.

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bros402 t1_j5fyhfv wrote

Lost

Six Feet Under

The Good Place nope I bet someone will at least try a spinoff or reboot at some point

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SeaToShy t1_j5j1cko wrote

>Six Feet Under

Can’t believe I had to collapse so many comments to find this.

>The Good Place nope I bet someone will at least try a spinoff or reboot at some point

The spinoff will be the dot on the i of Jeremy Bearimy.

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mike10dude t1_j5gldth wrote

Seemed like hbo max was interested in a new six feet under show a few years ago but they recently said it's not happening

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bros402 t1_j5gwp4m wrote

...good, a new six feet under would be fucked

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DragonTonguePunch t1_j5hd2ok wrote

While it is technically a spin-off, Family Matters would never get a reboot.

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[deleted] t1_j5ftycm wrote

[removed]

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WalkerSunset t1_j5fy2fx wrote

The Salvage 1 pilot was great, the series ran out of ideas very quickly.

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Wagnaard t1_j5hezbi wrote

I'm guessing The Cosby Show isn't being revived, rebooted, remade or otherwise reviewed.

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D_B_4986 t1_j5gn100 wrote

Buffy the vampire slayer

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[deleted] t1_j5h8gnc wrote

[deleted]

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Radulno t1_j5jjvp4 wrote

Seriously do people even read the question before answering? Any show that has still an active following, even attempts of rebooting it already and cross-media content still released today has very high chances to get rebooted...

It's the show no one remembers that have no chance, so there's thousands of them but they won't be cited in this thread because nobody even talk about them.

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SackofLlamas t1_j5ie6dd wrote

Another show in the same universe with a different lead character isn't just possible, it's probably good business sense.

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Maninhartsford t1_j5gvoku wrote

There's been a couple "direct to book" spinoffs and reboots in the last few years that make me feel like they're testing the water, but I don't think any of them got any traction.

As for the Whedon factor, they'd probably just make it without him. That's what happened with the nevers, and he didn't showrun the last couple of seasons of the original anyway

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edenzoutcast t1_j5hs432 wrote

Soap! I really loved the cast and craziness.

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[deleted] t1_j5fr470 wrote

[deleted]

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Xemone t1_j5frwm1 wrote

Friends had a spin-off, though - Joey. However, given the context of this post I guess it technically doesn't count.

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Maninhartsford t1_j5ftdyp wrote

Fun fact, in season 2 when they knew they were canceled but producing episodes to fill out the contract, the writers wanted to put in a throwaway line about how Ross and Rachel were no longer together, just to give the show a lasting trivia impact. NBC said no.

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dasheeshblahzen t1_j5i7hpj wrote

I’m surprised there hasn’t been a new recent Golden Girls-type show (obviously with new characters).

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WR810 t1_j5iptey wrote

I know this doesn't have a lot to do with what you said but there was a Golden Girls spinoff called Golden Palace.

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ascagnel____ t1_j5leb5p wrote

There were multiple spinoffs -- probably the most successful was Empty Nest.

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reasonedof t1_j5kaptl wrote

I actually think this would work pretty well as a reboot. I don't think you could have done it with any of the others alive but there's a bunch of older actresses that would kill it in a variation of this.

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Atlast_2091 t1_j5j5sxd wrote

Dark there's just no way even NETFLIX owns it.

Gravity Falls Disney own lightning in the bottle even live action wouldn't work either.

Chainsaw Man only S1 but this series may have the best western cinematography done by JPN studio for anime.

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HalfYeti t1_j5jdk2i wrote

Firefly ... ignoring the fact that Ron Glass is dead and Adam Baldwin is a fruit loop, Whedon is done.

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Radulno t1_j5jk70v wrote

Not sure why that matters, Fox/Disney could very well reboot it without him involved (or not more than just a vague producer credut)

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PineappleBetter8444 t1_j5jfdou wrote

  • All In the Family (way too popular and the way they casually threw around certain swear words would be unacceptable, even in a more open society today)
  • I Love Lucy. This will absolutely never happen. The cast is way too iconic and besides, it's called I Love Lucy, which starred it's namesake
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Radulno t1_j5jkgap wrote

> way too popular

That's in general a big reason to reboot something lol

> the way they casually threw around certain swear words would be unacceptable, even in a more open society today)

A reboot could happen without being faithful to that aspect of it

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staedtler2018 t1_j5gn8nh wrote

Don't think they'd reboot Twin Peaks as it is far too associated with a singular person (David Lynch).

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m0atzart t1_j5i0vd6 wrote

Dukes of Hazzard.

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Nateddog21 t1_j5i7d72 wrote

Buffy(hopefully) My Wife & Kids(tho I wish they would) George Lopez. (Same opinion as above)

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Kaguya138 t1_j5ix3fk wrote

Babylon 5

Farscape

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MrPotatoButt t1_j5ixz1z wrote

Sssshhh, don't give Hollywood any ideas...

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Roan-forever-alone t1_j5j4hz2 wrote

Deadwood, no one can writes in deadwoodian outside of david milch and he’s sadly affected by alzheimer.

Someone maybe will produce another show about the town of deadwood but it will be classic western stuff

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Elektribe t1_j5joph2 wrote

None.

So long as enough time passes and the value drops on an IP so it's not expensive - it's up for grabs. Over the last 70 odd years, not as much has changed in TV beyond the motifs, more acceptable skintones, and a degree of acceptance that there are demographics people wanna fuck that are not bimodal. Beyond that... we as a society are still super hooked on fucking cops shows out the ass, racist shit (even if it's acceptable to have more skintones), and a lot of right wing garbage.

Thus... so long as we continue our trajectory, there will always be the possibility of rebooting any given franchise that fits the complete garbage ass ideology we can't stop sucking down like addicts. A few tweaks here and there and any IP is basically as good as another in this day and age. Even all the cold-war bait is still applicable, not that we've ever ended it - we just shifted to China, and the same old tropes the nazis left behind for us are still reuse-able and beloved by ignorant people.

Many of the stories we utilize even today are rehashes from much older shows and movies and such anyway. FFS, look at the dozens of fucking Marvel movies making bank... off what are basically slightly tweaked rehashing of 50-60s comic books that basically have much of the messaging intact. And are heavily linked to promoting imperialist warmongering and doing apologetics for atrocities committed by the U.S. while selling everyone an oligarchy under the name of democracy.

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Howie-Dowin t1_j5k1gcd wrote

Some shows rely so heavily on one actor. How would you do Columbo without Peter Falk?

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DCAbloob t1_j5l9rhj wrote

They tried with Mrs. Columbo which ran under various names for two seasons.

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AndrewSS02 t1_j5kp5nf wrote

The Shield. Was a different show altogether about police drama and politics there in.

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Bullitt4514 t1_j5o0o7z wrote

The 4400, The dead zone, stargate Atlantis, terminator, the Sarah Connor chronicles, heroes(at least they tried)

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avivagirl t1_j62dslm wrote

The Ed Sullivan Show.

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iLikeSaints t1_j5i8rlw wrote

MASH.

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robreddity t1_j5ii2vu wrote

Shhh nobody tell this guy about AfterMASH!

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iLikeSaints t1_j5itjg8 wrote

On no, i was only thinking about reboots and not spin-offs! I've actually seen AfterMASH and it was't so bad. Defo not the original but it filled a certain lack after MASH ended.

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WR810 t1_j5ipqo7 wrote

Or WALTER.

Or Trapper John.

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mickeyflinn t1_j5kiegm wrote

What shows will never get a reboot or spin off? NONE. There is no show that a spin off reboot can not be made of.

Are there show shouldn't get rebooted? No.

0