Stop making unnecessary TV follow-ups

That 90's Show. New Night Court. More Futurama. A True Lies adaptation. An Alien TV series (as if the franchise in general isn't already tired) How I Met Your Father. What is going on here? There is such a freaking obsession with rebooting or bringing back shows from the dead, whether anybody actually asked for it or not. I'm hugely offended by That 90's Show in particular since they're not even able to get all of the cast back to make appearances. And Futurama ended so perfectly any possible attempt at continuing the show could **** up the show's continuity severely.

This has been a growing problem for a long time (Lord knows how much it exploded during the 2010's), but it just keeps getting worse. I'm so tired and frustrated at this point.

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I agree, but I think it’s all just down to a lack of creativity.

That's why I never watch TV, except for old stuff. Too much garbage coming out these days.

I think it's just a nostalgia thing. They have a built-in audience, so they're already starting out with a bunch of people who want to see the new show.

I usually give them a chance if I watched the original show, but while some of them are good, most of them don't live up to their original shows.

I was looking forward to the upcoming follow-up to "Frasier", but then I read that David Hyde Pierce isn't going to be in it, so I don't have high hopes for it anymore.

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I strongly disagee with this and think it's almost all down to the following.

Quoted for truth.

It's risk aversion.

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Fair enough; I certainly appreciate that perspective. For various reasons, I can’t seem to get fully on board with it.

As excited as I've been for several of the continuations/follow-ups/whatevers, I have to admit, it's hard to think of any that were particularly worthwhile.

The most exciting by far was Arrested Development, and by the end that was so bad I'm not even sure I finished the last season (even though the first tacked-on effort had its moments, at least).

I am looking forward to the upcoming "Justified" continuation, especially as it has a new setting so it potentially has some new notes to hit. Love Timothy Olyphant and Rayland Givens. And this is an adaptation of more Elmore Leonard source material, with a narrative in Detroit rather than Harlan County, KY.

Oh, and last year's new season of "The Kids in the Hall" for Amazon was very, very good.


But sure, in general...meh. Though I don't think the reboot success rate is much lower than new shows in general. They just have the added layer of disappointment.

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Oh yeah, forgot about that. Very likely that'll be good, though compared to the examples in the OP it might be fair to note that one-off movie continuations (like with Deadwood) are different, and more likely to work out well.

How are they supposed to reboot Frasier without David Hyde Pierce? I mean John Mahoney's passing can easily be written into the show, but can't see a way to legitimately reboot this show without Niles.

I keep holding out hope for a Home Improvement follow up. Like a 6-10 episode miniseries or something.

Personally, I like my TV in short runs with guaranteed closure better than a hit show that runs for years and then gets so bad it ends like Everybody Loves Raymond.

I assume that Frasier will move to a different city, so his brother won't be around him every day anymore.

I'll give the new show a chance, but I don't have high hopes for it.

One of the few follow-up shows that worked is a TV show that was a follow-up of a movie series.

"Cobra Kai" did a fantastic job of following up from the Karate Kid movies.

A friend of mine LOVES Cobra Kai

Of the ones I've seen, the only one that is really working is The Conners. Even after Roseanne was fired, the show got even better. The reboots of Will & Grace and Murphy Brown were a disaster.

As long as people keep tuning in, they'll keep making them.

Same as marvel.

I thought of starting this topic, but see it’s here already! Yay!

I get why the studios want to keep doing reboots or continuations, it’s a built in fan base and audience and the potential for additional revenue, even if the quality is far below the original. But, what I don’t understand at all is why do the stars agree to do it? Is it primarily motivated by the opportunity to make even more money, do they have hubris and actually believe they can make a show as good as the original, do they just really miss the cast and want to work with them again, and can’t find another project to do, and the quality deficit is not a priority? Why do these already very wealthy stars, and wealthy creators, etc, who built their reputation and standing through the original show choose to return for continuations or reboots that are just nowhere near as good as the original and therefore not worth doing? They have to know that, right?, and yet…

I'd guess, depending on the actor, mostly money/fame/influence (never underestimate the desire for fame/notoriety/influence once it's left you) and, for some, that faint hope that it'll actually be good 'this time'.

But, basically, option 1.

Honeykid, that's a great point. I hadn't considered the possibility that some of these stars may not have had as successful careers after they ended the show that made them famous and that they may be looking for a path back towards cultural relevance again. To be "in the conversation" the way they once were. What does everyone else think? Do you agree with honeykid that money and the opportunity to be culturally relevant again are the main motivating factors?

TV has a comfort zone in stagnant repetition. Movies try to avoid that. Sometimes movies get the TV bug and start counting.