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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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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FoMoni t1_j5friuq wrote

Hogan's Heroes.

  • Edit: Nevermind, turns out they're trying to reboot it. Sigh.
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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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Maninhartsford t1_j5ftdyp wrote

Replying to Xemone (#1,439,231)

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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Xemone t1_j5ftjg6 wrote

Replying to admiralvic (#1,439,262)

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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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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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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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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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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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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amendmentforone t1_j5fzweo wrote

Replying to Neo2199 (#1,439,554)

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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SynthD t1_j5g6yz2 wrote

Replying to hrakkari (#1,439,414)

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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TheSecretAgenda t1_j5gdzkk wrote

Replying to Neo2199 (#1,439,554)

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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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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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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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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Maninhartsford t1_j5gvoku wrote

Replying to D_B_4986 (#1,441,578)

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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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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PreviousTea9210 t1_j5gzerj wrote

Replying to hrakkari (#1,439,414)

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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TheSuiteLifeOfChase t1_j5hcd8h wrote

Replying to admiralvic (#1,439,262)

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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DragonTonguePunch t1_j5hd2ok wrote

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

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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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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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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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wmansir t1_j5hp9dp wrote

Replying to IonicBreezeMachine (#1,439,244)

>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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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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edenzoutcast t1_j5hs432 wrote

Soap! I really loved the cast and craziness.

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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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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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MattyKatty t1_j5iutdf wrote

Replying to tagen (#1,442,152)

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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SeaToShy t1_j5j1cko wrote

Replying to bros402 (#1,439,725)

>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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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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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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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6ee8 wrote

Replying to spaycedinvader (#1,439,535)

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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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6j9x wrote

Replying to Maninhartsford (#1,439,708)

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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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j6oa3 wrote

Replying to VitaminTea (#1,447,967)

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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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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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_j5jj9wd wrote

Replying to kittentarentino (#1,448,166)

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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Radulno t1_j5jjhh4 wrote

Replying to Neo2199 (#1,439,554)

> 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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Radulno t1_j5jjvp4 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,443,330)

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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Radulno t1_j5jkgap wrote

Replying to PineappleBetter8444 (#1,450,010)

> 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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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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hotpietptwp t1_j5jtjlw wrote

Replying to ReverendDoktor (#1,441,456)

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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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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stumblebreak_beta t1_j5k8n9r wrote

Replying to camlaw63 (#1,446,824)

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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reasonedof t1_j5kaptl wrote

Replying to dasheeshblahzen (#1,446,578)

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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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.

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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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MattyXarope t1_j5oikks wrote

Replying to colin_forreal (#1,446,789)

"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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