WHY DO WE NEED SO MANY REBOOTS?

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed television. Particularly during the 70’s and 80’s. I would watch shows like Different Strokes, Happy Days, Taxi, and The Incredible Hulk. These are just some of my favorites from those eras. In recent years I noticed a sudden surge in old TV shows and movies being brought back from the dead with either new actors or the same actors. Recently we have seen the return of shows like Murphy Brown, Will, and Grace, Magnum PI and MacGyver. We’ve even seen good movies turned into bad tv shows like The Exorcist and Lethal Weapon.

Seeing all this happen just makes me want to ask the question of why? Is there not enough good quality original programs out there? After seeing what cable and Netflix have to offer, I would say yes. But what has happened to regular television? I feel like everything on regular network television is just offering us a lot of recycled entertainment that lost consciousness during its original run and did not need to be resuscitated.

One such show that comes to mind is Rosanne. Now called The Connors. I never thought I’d ever see such a media fiasco for a television show. Although I enjoy seeing John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf playing these roles once again, it seems like a step backward in their careers. Both of them have moved on to bigger and better things since Rosanne ended in 1997. Goodman has starred in a number of good motion pictures such as The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Monster’s Inc, Flight, and 10 Cloverfield Lane and Laurie Metcalfe have won countless awards for her television and theatre work. Although I do watch the Connors, because Rosanne has always been a favorite of mine, it’s hard to watch without thinking of the show’s missing main character. Rosanne Barr.

I have never been a fan of the show Charmed but I do feel that it was way too soon to reboot a show that only ended in 2006. Especially since the TNT cable network still shows a mini-marathon of the original every weekday morning.

I fear for the future of regular network television. They have to compete with cable and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime with more services to come which are airing good original shows. They are limited in what they can show and get past the rating system. No nudity, and very limited swearing. The violence though has been intensified since I was a kid though. Shows like Supernatural have no problem showing gore and beheadings which happens to be one of my favorite shows because they don’t seem to give a damn about the ratings. They do what they want for the most part and don’t care who they offend. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why it’s enjoying it’s fourteenth season as we speak. But aside from the violence and often pushing the envelope with its anti-religious storylines and even going so far as to kill off both of its main characters, send them to Hell and bring them back in time for the next season. Pretty bold for its time. But aside from the violence the show has great writing and boldly introduced classic rock to a brand-new generation of youths whom now no longer mind listening to their daddy’s music.

I credit The CW network for consistently being able to bring us good quality television every single year. And the best part is, except for The Flash it’s all original.

Since I am a writer, I pay close attention to good stories and I know that there are other great undiscovered writers out there who can probably bring us more original and imaginative shows like what we’ve been seeing on Netflix. Stranger Things is one of my favorites and I’m currently enjoying the show Travelers. But I must say that there is one rebooted show that I do enjoy watching. It is the remake of One Day At A Time which is also on Netflix. It is very well written and can make you laugh one minute and cry the next, just like the 70’s original.