Back to the '90s
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The terms "reboot," "revival," and "sequel series" have been thrown around a lot in the last decade as popular shows from the past return in various configurations to revive interest among older fans and (ideally) please a completely new audience. However, one decade, in particular, has become the source of a seemingly endless flood of resurrected ideas: the 1990s. From Saved by the Bell to Punky Brewster to Peacock's Tina Fey-produced Girls5eva, which parodies every girl group and boy band from the decade, it's clear that the TV revival trend is beginning to skew to a specific timeframe.
Netflix has aided in the induction of nostalgia by airing revivals of classic shows such as Lovesick (2014), Gilmore Girls (2016), Fuller House (2016), Twin Peaks (2017), and Will & Grace (2017). There have been even more between 2020 and 2021. In October, West Side Story was released on the big screen, and Kristen Bell reprised her role as the narrator in Gossip Girl. Grease (1978), starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, is planned to return as a musical series based on the original picture, but with new songs. But the question we must ask right now is whether we really need to revive these old shows and films, or whether they would be better off remaining in their original forms. There's a significant risk that a revived version of a favorite show or movie won't live up to fans' expectations. The much-anticipated announcement of a Friends revival elicited varied reactions from fans. While some were ecstatic, others questioned whether we could see the legendary characters having coffee at Central Perk in 2020, with partners, babies, and everything. Sure, the show is legendary in its own way, and some elements are still relevant today, but others aren't. |
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We bid farewell to our favorite characters. Everything changes over time, including the characters in our favorite series (if they return). Revivals set in the contemporary era must demonstrate this transformation, whether by having the protagonist grow up or by showing how the world has changed around them. However, how does a character fit in the year 2020 when they were created in the 1990s?
To counteract this, the encores appear to be focusing on current societal topics such as politics, class imbalance, racism, war, and gender equality. For example, many episodes of Will & Grace's revival centered on the 2016 presidential election and addressed current problems like gun rights, education, and Trump's iconic "Make America Great Again" speech. Given that the golden age of TV reboots shows no signs of slowing down, that doesn't appear to be a concern for programmers. In addition to Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, reboots or spin-offs of Battlestar Galactica, Criminal Minds, True Blood, Beavis and Butthead, Game of Thrones, a "dark and dramatic take on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and others are planned for the coming year. Who are they providing services to? The answer is unclear, but one thing is certain: if the film industry is any indication, television will soon be rebooting the reboots.
To counteract this, the encores appear to be focusing on current societal topics such as politics, class imbalance, racism, war, and gender equality. For example, many episodes of Will & Grace's revival centered on the 2016 presidential election and addressed current problems like gun rights, education, and Trump's iconic "Make America Great Again" speech. Given that the golden age of TV reboots shows no signs of slowing down, that doesn't appear to be a concern for programmers. In addition to Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, reboots or spin-offs of Battlestar Galactica, Criminal Minds, True Blood, Beavis and Butthead, Game of Thrones, a "dark and dramatic take on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and others are planned for the coming year. Who are they providing services to? The answer is unclear, but one thing is certain: if the film industry is any indication, television will soon be rebooting the reboots.
