This post falls in the recent category of my solicitation via Facebook regarding ideas of what to post about. The question “Whatever happened to…” sort of morphed into “What 80″s tv shows you want back and why, were they good , would they hold up to time?”
So here I am – what do I want to see back and why?
Currently there are three revivals I currently enjoy – “Hawaii Five-O”, “MacGyver” and “Magnum P.I.” (notice I’m not saying they are the best shows, only that I am enjoying them). There does seem to be a bit of revival fever going on with a variety of older series coming back or talks about other shows getting new life. Here is my own short list.
“The Six Million Dollar Man”
No, I don’t want a movie, which is apparently happening with Mark Wahlberg, because this premise isn’t a one-shot idea but something that would need to be on-going. The idea of inflating it to The Six Billion Dollar Man certainly makes sense. Several years ago there was a revival of “The Bionic Woman” which didn’t work out, for a number of reasons, but the idea of cybernetic enhancements could certainly have a lot of storytelling potential with regards to what is or isn’t humanity. Then there are the various stories of a super spy which are fun. I think this idea is ripe for revival because it may not be timely, but the technology is close to make things a bit more plausible.
“The A-Team”
While the movie was fun the lack of follow-up was greatly disappointing. The premise of a disavowed ex-military squad on the run helping others has so much more potential than the original series offered. Add to that the shifting landscape of veterans in the country today, and there is a lot of potential for some social commentary in addition to the solid action that would be fun to watch.
“Star Trek”
Because anything produced past 2005 doesn’t count.
Those are the ones that come to mind for recurring television series. There are others, some that would work better as film franchises or as a limited series – Flash Gordon is one example. Other ideas are so unpopular they wouldn’t be feasible – Space Academy/Jason of Star Command is an example of that category.
Recently there was a new series of “Thunderbirds” produced, and while it wasn’t the same, it did a decent job of honoring and staying true to the original while forging its own path. There are a number of other Gerry Anderson shows that would be a good fit for the revival treatment, including “Space 1999” and “Joe 90” (with, of course, a bit of modernization).
“Ultraman” was a sort of gateway drug for other tokusatsu series, which differ from the general kaiju programs and films, and there is a new animated series on Netflix which I am enjoying. This got me to thinking of other Japanese programs such as “Space Giants” or “Space Battleship Yamato” that could be remade now with modern technology and storytelling to provide a solid updated viewing experience.
What are some of your ideas for a television revival?