Analysis on the joys and failings of the reboot, addressing all female reboots, sequals, or revivals, such as Oceans 8, Gilmore Girls Revival, Twin Peaks revival, etc. It is easy to be swept up in the excitement on nostalgia, but it often doesn't deliver. Lets look at why we cant always take that fuzzy feeling to the bank, by observing the box office reports as well as the public response and universal criticisms found in most of these films.
With a focus on the tentative new Prison Break reboot, this article would discuss the effective and ineffective aspects of television reboots and when and where the line should be drawn and the show should be over.
There are good and bad aspects of rebooting franchises. The main beneficial point to rebooting a franchise is to provide a fresh retelling of the narrative, either through a modern time-period, a different genre/tone or simply from a new revisioning of the character in its respective universe. Good examples of reboots are Marvel's Spiderman: Homecoming and Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Spiderman: Homecoming revisited the origins of the superhero, presenting the character at a much younger age than previously explored, his teens, and aligned his motivations with that of the already established Iron Man, so it was a natural fit. The Dark Knight trilogy bounced off the critical and commercial failure of George Clooney's Batman movies, and presented a much more gritty and realistic tone for the Batman character, unlike anything previously explored in cinema. The key point I am trying to make is, the restrictions on reboots should be a fresh vision of the character from a plot-perspective, in order to preserve their narrative integrity, not to update it for the current year or development of special effects. – Gliese436B7 years ago
I lover Prison Break and would love to see it go forward with more episodes. I think it depends on the series in terms of adaptations. In some ways reboots and great ways to update an original series. In other ways, everything is an adaptation. It can all be very derivative. – Munjeera7 years ago
I loved the first instalment of Prison Break so much but I am disappointed that they are rebooting it. I think a good aspect is to compare how other shows have rebooted themselves and if it has worked well. What I have found is that whenever a show or movie tries to do better then the original story-line, it always fails. Everything within the reboot will be criticised and deeply judged that it will seem hard for the show to continue with this. – Dana7 years ago
Nostalgia is every where as many shows which had been cancelled or ended long ago are returning. X-Files and Gilmore Girls came back, Young Justice finally got its long awaited season three, and Charmed is getting a reboot. How does this affect how we watch the new season out reboot? How does this affect our perceptions of the old show? Does waiting so long end up paying off?
Great topic! From the moment PrisonBreak ended I have been waiting for it to come back. – Munjeera8 years ago
You might also delve into, which shows get a comeback, why, and who should get to decide. Are there shows that haven't received a comeback, but should? What makes a show popular enough to warrant one? – Stephanie M.8 years ago
I think that sometimes shows shouldn't come back because they are rarely as good as the original and sometimes try too hard. I would love friends to come back, but i know that i'll only be disappointed because it can never recreate the magic of the past.
Maybe try and identify where comeback shows go wrong and some examples of this. – Emefa18 years ago
This could be a super interesting topic. Another thing to think about is the effect it can have on a new audience who didn't grow up with the original shows, and whether they should update it to fit the times or keep it as it was? Or perhaps what to update and what not to? This definitely raises a lot of questions, I like it! – Sarah A.7 years ago
Would be very interested to hear the perspective on the idea that Prison Break will be returning - is it legitimate for shows to return and pretend that the seemingly final last episode was never meant to be final? Is it okay for us to accept this re-writing of the planned narrative after the fact? – jessfaith09127 years ago
Great topic. It's such a grey area with a lot to explore, you have those who are all about the reboots (I am a sucker for nostalgia) and those who are against them. Plus, reboots tend to get a whole lot of criticism, mainly because people have so many expectations. – MikaylaMargaret7 years ago
Not that I ever watched the show to begin with, but it might be useful to mention the upcoming Will & Grace reboot, which is set to ditch its original ending because it was inconvenient. I can't imagine fans are going to be very happy about that. Sometimes tinkering with the story like that can hurt the original. – AGMacdonald7 years ago
With a Gilmore Girls and Fuller House reboot on the horizon and a continuation of Arrested Development already completed… it is worth looking into Netflix (or arguably other network's) choices to reboot old shows.
Does this have any connection with the countless rebooted movies (or Disney's rebooted classics)? Is this a general trend in popular media? Why is Netflix perfectly placed to bring back old shows? Is there a market for this sort of television/does it generate enough money to keep warranting it? Also does this trend erode the need for original works? What about nostalgia pandering or nostalgia marketing?
There is a lot you could tackle with this subject and you could easily expand it into the general culture of reboots or focus it in on one Netflix reboot show. Either way, examine the place of these reboots in our social and economic climate.
Certainly a worthwhile topic. Something interesting to address on this subject: this tendency is parodied in season three of BoJack Horseman (which happens to be a Netflix original series) with "Ethan Around" as a clear surrogate for "Fuller House." This coy self-awareness on Netflix's part merit's a place in this discussion. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
This is a great topic in that Netflix has hit the reboot market. Today there is much more creative license than in the past so it makes sense that these successful ideas can be recreated with a fresh updated look. Who was who said there are only 7 stories anyway? Everything is just a variation on the same themes. – Munjeera8 years ago
I think the reboots are a good marketing strategy, I'm sure they're looking at what age groups are now adults that had those shows and movies as children. It's to profit off of nostalgia while also trying to dissuade people from thinking it's childish and old (obvious because now it's new, rebooted and "more mature" most must tell themselves). Honestly I'm sure there's a trend going on right now where if production companies don't tie in to something older and make something completely new the demographic is smaller and less profitable. It'd be neat to see the success of reboots over originals in this climate. – Slaidey8 years ago
Perhaps also exploring the requirements for something to be rebooted, would be helpful for this topic. How successful did a show have to be in it's primed to be considered? What are the parameters for a reboot? I love this idea, particularly as it's so relevant with the reboots that are coming up or rumoured to be coming up. Good luck!
– Abby Wilson8 years ago
Interesting topic. In terms of reboots, I believe that they can be a hit or a miss. I think the big reason why there are so many reboots is because people and Hollywood have simply run out of ideas. This will be an interesting article for whoever goes through with it. – CreativeDreamer8 years ago
Must be a good crop of member-berries this winter... Putting out a reboot is a safe option financially - it's a proven method to attract an already loyal audience and possibly bring in a new one as a bonus. However, I think that Netflix has shown that there is an appetite for clever original works. I know that they don't release them, but it would be really interesting to see what the viewing figures are for the service to see if my claims are justified. – SightUnsound8 years ago
Great topic! IMHO, reboots are shameless nostalgia pandering, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We loved the old shows, and keep retuning to them, because they're good. I feel like the reboots might cause TV network execs to say to themselves, "Okay, what did those shows do correctly, that we aren't doing anymore?" Reboots don't erode the need for original work, either. If anything they're a jump-off point for new shows that embrace the conventions people like. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Interesting topic. You might also consider how/why Netflix television shows have become more popular than Netflix movies. Each year, the number of movies on Netflix decreases because less and less people are watching them. Clearly, there is a market for TV shows and perhaps their high demand has something to do with these reboots. – JadeMV8 years ago
Look into the recent franchise reboot craze, and diagnose the loss of Hollywood originality.
Or juxtapose the loss of "originality" with the increasing demand for the next big thing- perhaps there is a correlation between remaking an old film and finding a new, high-tech way of presenting an old story.
– Amanda Rose9 years ago
Not just franchise reboots, but novel and comic book adaptations, sequels, prequels, and prologues: how franchises overstay their welcome. I'm sure profitability plays a hand in the madness. – george9 years ago
Certainly this trend seems motivated by profit more than a desire for meaningful storytelling. Production companies now weigh the ability to produce a film based upon its potential to spawn sequels. I'd be interested in exploring the difficulties faced by an unestablished writer/director in obtaining backing for a unique standalone project. Would the moviegoing audience have the patience for that? – JohnArthur9 years ago
