Revive a series

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Throughout the years, there have been some great TV series'. Some were cancelled before their time, some quit while they were on top, some out-stayed their welcome and some are dynasties that have become hard to stop. I'm sure we can all think of examples to match with the above.

Some series' left the doors open for any future seasons. Twin Peaks is one example. While the end of season 2 is brilliant, it left the opportunity for another season to follow, but closed out it's initial run with a magnificent moment all the same.

Spin-off shows can be good, like "Frasier", or can be "Joey"'s. While they can build upon already established characters the audience know, they can then branch out into their own separate 'universe' without tainting the originating series. So does that make this the best way to revive a series to pique interest with the viewers again? Arguable for sure.

So, patient reader, if you were to revive a series, would you do so via a spin off? What show would you make a spin off, of?

For me, I'd bring back 'Oz'. The series ended in such a great way that it tied up MOST of the stories it had been carrying, but didn't tie up ALL the stories.

Spoiler

The prison has to be evacuated after Chris Keller mails an anthrax like substance in a jar to the prison where, duh, the anthrax like substance starts doing the rounds. Speaking of Keller, he stages a suicide to make it look like Tobias Beecher has thrown him off the upper tier of 'Emerald City.' And it does, it really does. Keller is a crafty bugger.

What's great is there are likely some members of the original cast that could be brought back and new stories can be formed. Given that Oz's doors have been closed for nigh on a decade now, it would be ace to see how the writers would think the characters may have changed in 10 years time, which ones they'd bring back, and give younger actors a chance to get more noticed (potentially).

 

[Davi323]

If I wanted to revive/bring back a series, my immediate thought would be Arrested Development, but they are already doing something with that...

How about a Smallville spinoff based on Gotham City? Obviously, like Smallville, it would exist outside of the standard continuity, apart from the comics and films. But, to have a series about a teenaged Bruce Wayne developing the the physical skills and science knowledge needed to become the god damn Batman? I would watch. And you know that like Smallville had cameos by the late Christopher Reeve, Gotham would have Adam West at some point. Who can say no to Adam West? He is a god among men.

 

[Mr. HD]

If I were to revive any series, it would most definitely be Heroes.

I LOVED Heroes. I didn't think much of it until I finally watched the First Season of it a few years ago. I was blown away. It was such a great show. It didn't have much action, but what drew me into it was how deep they would develop their characters. It was amazing. It was to the point where you could relate to them and know what they're about in a way not many other shows did. It was the perfect balance between storyline development, plotlines, and action. Season 1 impressed me so much, I bought Seasons 2, 3, and 4 and watched them this past Summer.

Some people shy away from the series because people aren't fighting in every episode and things aren't blowing up. I actually sat down and watched this series and I loved it. You have so many stars breaking out into superhero roles and they played their roles to perfection.

But let me get to the point, we were given an ending, but it was more of a cliffhanger than anything. Sylar became a good guy, I don't think we even know what happened to Dr. Suresh, Claire jumps off the Ferris Wheel straight into the ground in front on several TV Cameras and rearranges her bones in front of them revealing to the world that she has powers.

It would be cool to pick up where they left off. Would the Government react the same way Nathan did when he rounded up all the Heroes, would they try to enlist them to work for the government, or would they test on them? I want to know just what happens, but the writers feel it wouldn't draw a lot of people or whatever I read. I just hope somewhere, Kring and Co. are quietly working on a Season 5, maybe 6 and even a Movie!

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

There have really only been two series that I have adored over the years and both have been off TV long enough that they could be brought back in a revamped format:

Moonlighting: The story of beautiful model,Maddie Hayes, whose best years are behind her who discovers that her accountant has left with every penny she ever left leaving her a bunch of loss making businesses including a private investigation agency. She attempts to close it down but gets drawn in by the charismatic but immature lead investigator (who has never had a case), David Addison to attempting to turn them around. Comedy, a 'will they, won't they' plot and a tendency to break the fourth wall. Maybe (?) the 80's retro phase is over, but I think the basic premise could operate in any time period.

Due South: The tail of idealistic Mountie, Benton Faser, and his deaf wolf, Diefenbaker, who comes to Chicago on the heels of his father's murderer. There, he is reluctantly assisted by streetwise Chicago cop, Ray Vecchio. After catching the murderer, Benton stays on as liaison to the Canadian Consulate. The show falls somewhere in the middle of being a cop show but with an odd couple comedy dynamic, were Ray is regularly baffled, disgusted and, ultimately, amazed at how Fraser gets leads in cases (including regularly tasting things you wouldn't put near your mouth). I think this would work amazingly in this age of CSI were we could have the contrast of Benton's traditional methods and tracking skills against the technologies that, we are led to believe, police forces use now.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Veronica Mars for sure,I don't know if any of have seen this show but it basically made nancy drew look like a bitch. It's about this girl who is an outcast and her dad is a former sheriff fired from his job because the small town they basically live turned of him because he couldn't solve the murder of a billionare's daughter who just happened to be this girl's best friend.Anyway,he becomes a P.I and she just naturally picks up the skills from him,basically she starts off in highschool and it goes on from there. Never got a proper series finale and the last episode aired was extremely sad and unsatifying

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I would have to pick Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This was a solid science-fiction TV series, and I really enjoyed both seasons. The Sarah Connor Chronicles revolved around the John and Sarah Connor characters, and you get to see what their lives were like after the events of Judgement Day. The storylines were very intriguing for any Terminator fan, because every Terminator fan wants to know what happened after T2: Judgement Day. What could possibly be next for Sarah and John? Who could they trust? How will they battle new enemies, and who will be their allies? How will they survive? There's so much stuff to think about after T2, and this series did help fill in some details in the Terminator universe. The acting was pretty enjoyable, the writing was solid, and the special effects were decent enough, but the huge drop in ratings for the second season caused a cancellation.

If I could revive this series, I would pick up where the second season left off. "Born To Run" was a superb season finale. This episode was packed with plenty of suspense, action, and drama, and this finale provided a great cliffhanger. John Connor was suppose to be the brave hero, who led the fight against skyNet, but due to a bizarre series of unfortunate events, John Becomes a stranger, and his supporters don't recognize him as the beloved hero. The finale for season 2 left so many unanswered questions. As far as the story goes, there's still some material to work with, and they could pace everything towards Rise Of The Machines.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles was an entertaining TV series, and the cancellation felt so disappointing. I was hooked into this one from beginning to end, and I would definitely follow this show again, if a revival happened.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Quantum Leap.

It followed the formula originally established by "The Fugitive" in the 60's: the brooding loner on the run from authorities who were determined to rein him in. Each week, he interacted with people from all walks of life in an effort to attain his goal. This formula was followed by "The Immortal," "Run For Your Life," "The Invaders," along with other shows that did variations of this theme.

No one did it better than "Quantum Leap," because of the versatility of Scott Bakula, the star. He's one of those totally likeable characters that can insert themselves into any situation and make it seem believable. As Dr. Sam Beckett, Bakula had to "leap" into the lives of various characters and live portions of their lives until he could find a way to fix whatever situation needed fixing and move on to something else. Sometimes, he leaped into women and had to function as a female (while we saw Bakula on our TV screens, people around him saw him as the person he had leaped into).

In the most provocative episode, he leaped into the body of Lee Harvey Oswald and tried to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy.

The show ran for five seasons and was abruptly cancelled; I never knew whether it was for ratings or some other reason. It was announced that the producers were going to follow up the series with a couple of TV movies, but it never happened.

There's never been a series I enjoyed more. Wish it was back....although, if Scott Bakula didn't reprise his role, I don't know if it could ever be as good.

 

[BK Styles]

Firefly, hands down. If you've never seen it, I heavily advise it. Fantastically written with a phenomenal ensemble cast, Joss Whedon's concept for this revolved around two things: A western set in space, and nine characters staring off into space and seeing nine different things.

It had action, comedy, romance that never had the chance to fully develop, intelligence, surprises, twists and turns, all in 14 episodes. Whedon kept the universe going after the series was cancelled, writing graphic novels and releasing feature film 'Serenity' to tie up all of the loose ends, but once you've read the graphic novels, you cannot help but wonder what could have been had he been able to continue with the series. Amazing things, I'm very confident of. Hell, Nathan Fillion (central character Captain Malcolm Reynolds) has even said if he had enough money, he would by the rights to Firefly and start it up again.

I only watched it last year but the amount I love it is unreal, and the amount I wish it had a longer lifespan is even more so.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I've got two that I would have to revive, Walker Texas Ranger and Reba. Both of these shows are obviously cheesy but I enjoy every second of every episode when it comes to these two shows and if they just kept on going forever I would be a very happy little boy. Walker never ceased to deliver with the constant action scenes and the mediocre acting of the cast that just seemed so bad but genuine at the same time which is what made me a fan. Reba is one that I saw on the Lifetime network one day while channel surfing and expected total crap and ended up realizing that Reba is actually one of the funnier shows out there that constantly delivers and McEntire has serious comedy chops.

Now for the spin off ideas, with WTR it would have to be Walker taking a desk spot and having the actual cases be run down by Trivette, Sidney and Gage. I think hardcore fans would still enjoy it and as long as Chuck Norris still had a decent amount of screen time then casual fans would enjoy it.

With Reba it would be very funny to have the setting be Cheyenne and Van getting their own house with their two kids and then Reba moves in with them since she's older and Kira & Jake would be out of the house. It'd be perfect because throughout the show alot of the comedy was framed around Cheyenne and Van having trouble growing up and being responsible and independent.

 

[J.J.]

The A-Team. Growing up there was Dallas, A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider and Hunter as shows I watched in the 80s. I'd love for the original A-Team to be on TV, every week it was like watching a movie on TV considering the action TV shows today don't hold as much action as those shows did 26-27 years ago. Then again I don't know if any TV show today could have the type of budget to accommodate all that went on in those shows on a weekly basis.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I have to be "that guy" who says Firefly, just like BK. It only got halfway through the first season and Fox canned it, because that's what Fox does with awesome shows. Months later, for whatever reason, the show caught on like wildfire. It developed this cult following, that turned into a mainstream following, and evolved so much so that they made a movie (Serenity), which is equally as good! Though it is short it is rating as many to be the best Science Fiction series of all time, and it's hard to argue. Amazing, relateable cast of characters that you quickly grow to love. Fun stories with simple plots, but more complex, weaving backstory at the same time. I know, everyone loves Firefly, but it's just SO DAMN GOOD! Joss had talked about wanting to renew the series, but there are so many issues at this point. They'd have to get the full cast and crew back together, and many of them have their hands in other time-consuming projects. Besides that, Fox has always been a complete bitch about the rights and royalties to the show, which they refused to give up when canceling the show.

I'd also really love to see a new Star Trek series, done completely by JJ Abrams. He's done such a fantastic job with the reboot films, that it only seems right. Trek has had good movies in the past (ok...so Khan was good...), but it's ALWAYS been about the TV series. I'm not a huge fan of TOS, but I've seen every episode of TNG at least twice. I just started DS9, but I hear Voyager isn't worth my time... I think it would be great to have a new Star Trek series, whether it be based on the TOS cast rebooted by Abrams, or a completely new adventure!

If I were to revive any series, it would most definitely be Heroes.

Please, no more Heroes! (ha...that's a game...haha) THe first season of that show was amazing, and I actually own it on BluRay. The second was good, but the third was just catastrophic. They are LUCKY they got to do a fourth and final season to wrap things up, and even that almost got cut halfway through. I liked where they ended things - it gave the whole show a sense of closure with the main characters. By the time the third season was over they had killed almost all of the characters (either literally, or the just disgraced them so bad they might as well have been dead) and wasn't worth watching. Glad I drudged through the next one, because the finale was REALLY cool.

If I wanted to revive/bring back a series, my immediate thought would be Arrested Development, but they are already doing something with that...

Right you are! They begin filming at the end of this year for the next season! I'm excited that they are doing something almost revolutionary with it too, as the show will be done exclusively on Netflix. I know, it sounds weird, but after a lot of thought and talk with a few friends inside the television industry, it actually is a cool opportunity for media. If you don't have a Netflix subscription by this point, cancel your cable and get with the times!

How about a Smallville spinoff based on Gotham City? Obviously, like Smallville, it would exist outside of the standard continuity, apart from the comics and films. But, to have a series about a teenaged Bruce Wayne developing the the physical skills and science knowledge needed to become the god damn Batman? I would watch. And you know that like Smallville had cameos by the late Christopher Reeve, Gotham would have Adam West at some point. Who can say no to Adam West? He is a god among men.

I've seen all of Smallville, and I stuck with it through all its ups and downs, to arrive safely at the amazing series finale...and it only took TEN SEASONS to get there! I've given a teenage Batman series a lot of thought in the past, because I was such a fan of Smallville, and because I generally hate Superman and praise Batman... I don't think it would work. Superman is "homey". He's got a family, people that love him, a steady job... Batman's parents died. He didn't have friends, he only had a butler and a giant-ass house. I'm sure they could do something - re-invent his character a bit to make it accessable. But let me say: Batman fans are WAY more hardcore than Superman fans. If they destroy the Dark Knight's legend on TV...dC will have a field day with all the backlash. The LAST thing I want to see is some cheesy, heartfelt moment ALA Smallville, in which the troubled teen Bruce Wayne has his first kiss with some blonde bombshell and suddenly realizes that there IS happiness in the world after-all! Batman is dark. There's no happy ending, just some really messed up content, some even more messed up villains...don't even get me started on what would happen if they did a teenage version of the Joker.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Right you are! They begin filming at the end of this year for the next season! I'm excited that they are doing something almost revolutionary with it too, as the show will be done exclusively on Netflix. I know, it sounds weird, but after a lot of thought and talk with a few friends inside the television industry, it actually is a cool opportunity for media. If you don't have a Netflix subscription by this point, cancel your cable and get with the times!

Are they still doing the film though, or is it JUST a series? (I know, I'm greedy, I want them both!)
Can't wait for it to return though, been a big fan of it for a while and love just being able to put on any disc from any season, hitting 'Play All' and know I'll be entertained. The 3rd season seems a bit hit or miss due to the extended MR F storyline with Charlize Theron and only 13 episodes, but I still rate it.

A spin-off I would have liked to have seen would be a show for Mike from Spaced.

The 2 seasons of Spaced were fine as they were and I'm glad they went with quality over quantity, but with the Mike character there seemed to be a lot of potential to do more with him. He gets let back in to the Territorial Army in season 2 for goodness sake! Have THAT be his spin-off; Mike in army training/camp.
I don't know how many people will be aware of the show, but in Scotland there's a show called Gary Tank Commander which is silly but well received. The characters are simple, the premise is simple and the stories are simple too, they could easily have done something in that vein for Mike too!

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

If I wanted to revive/bring back a series, my immediate thought would be Arrested Development, but they are already doing something with that...

How about a Smallville spinoff based on Gotham City? Obviously, like Smallville, it would exist outside of the standard continuity, apart from the comics and films. But, to have a series about a teenaged Bruce Wayne developing the the physical skills and science knowledge needed to become the god damn Batman? I would watch. And you know that like Smallville had cameos by the late Christopher Reeve, Gotham would have Adam West at some point. Who can say no to Adam West? He is a god among men.

I was just surfing through Wiki and I found out that the cconcept of Smallville was taken from a show which revolved around the Bruce Wayne on his path to becoming Batman. The series fell through though possibly because of what Mike just wrote in his earlier post. Clark Kent is just more relateable than the rich guy with issues that Bruce Wayne is. Clark Kent is just an everyday bloke trying to maintain his friendships while trying to save the world. Bruce has always been depicted as a bit of a loner.

You can read more about this stuff here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Wayne_(TV_series)

As for the TV show I would revive, that would have to be FireFly. No show as awesome as that deserves to be canned after just 11 episodes. And I believe that the best was yet to come. The first season did not even have too many adventures and focused more on just establishing the characters. That would have probably changed in the forthcoming seasons.

 

[codebreaker1212]

For me it has to be Reaper great show really funny.