Remember those days of staying up late at night in elementary school past 10 to catch an old episode of Full House on Nick at Nite?
Yes, it was daring to see Danny Tanner on the screen at such a late hour, but it was so worth it; especially when he butted heads with Uncle Jesse.
We see Uncle Jesse in those steamy Greek yogurt commercials, but now when you browse through Netflix, the character appears next to a reboot of the show we all loved: Fuller House.
Recently, many shows from decades ago have had reboots on TV and Netflix for the main reason of intellectual property.
Is there a serious case of writer’s block sweeping throughout the country?
Is there a panic spreading throughout Hollywood?
What could be the reasoning behind all of these TV rejuvenations?
Associate professor of communication, Chad Dell, Ph.D., shared his thoughts on the trend with, “I have mixed feelings. As someone who is a boomer and watched those shows, it’s interesting to see them but on the other hand, I’d much rather see new stories about new characters.”
Dell continued,“What they’re doing is taking characters with a track and sales record and trying to sell them to us again which I find disappointing.”
Variety reported that multiple shows from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s are making their returns.
For example, Full House came back as a Netflix series, retitled Fuller House. Since its first release, the series has received a 7.2 rating from IMBD with Forbes reporting that the show had drawn in 4.6 million viewers throughout the season.
The list also included Battle of the Network Stars, The Gong Show, The Jetsons, Miami Vice, Roseanne, and Will and Grace.
Another notable show that has resurrected after many years off the air is Murphy Brown.
The show was a hit sitcom that first aired on November 14, 1988 and aired its final episode on May 18, 1998.
Murphy Brown has been revived for a 13-episode season and premiered on Sept. 27, just a couple weeks ago.
The sitcom originally focused on the life of former alcoholic, Murphy Brown, played by Candace Bergen, who was an investigative journalist and news anchor for the news station, FYI.
Brown is a tough, hot-headed woman who is considered the most famous hard-hitting news anchor in America.
The show follows Brown and her friends as they humorously live their daily lives working in the competitive and controversial industry.
Nearly 20 years later, it was announced that there would be a reboot.
In the revival, Brown has been retired from broadcast journalism for a couple years.
She had received multiple offers to return to broadcasting over time, but it wasn’t until the country’s most recent election that Brown was inspired to return.
Brown was approached by news station, CNC, to host her own morning news show called Murphy in the Morning.
Now, here we are again: Brown brings her former colleagues, Frank Fontana and Corky Sherwood, to co-host along with the program’s old producer, Miles Silverberg.
Murphy is suddenly shocked when she discovers that her son, Avery, has been given his own morning show on rival network, Wolf News.
The season will follow what happens while the two shows are scheduled to air against each other through the intriguing political comedy the show provides.
In regard to Murphy Brown’s comeback, Dell said, “I’m not excited. I enjoyed Murphy Brown when it was on the air, but I haven’t watched the new version of the show.”
Dell added, “I’d rather spend my time watching The Good Place or Insecure, not a rehash of Roseanne or Murphy Brown.”
Although Dell is interested in the fresh content TV offers, there are plenty who resort to watching their favorite reboots.
Murphy Brown received a 1.0 Neilson rating in the 18-29 age demographic along with having 7.5 million viewers, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
The show leans toward a liberal direction.
Bergen’s character went back to broadcasting all because of the stir that has taken place in the U.S. since the results of the 2016 election.
The show tackles issues such as politics, sexual misconduct, and feminism.
With the program’s return, it’s fascinating to see an old show like Murphy Brown take on such relevant topics.
According to ABC, studios and production companies have found it easier to create new storylines for old shows of which they already have ownership.
This is called intellectual property, which is the basis of the newest pattern of past programs coming back.
Once one reboot took place with success, another came along, and another.
Studios noticed this and wanted nothing more than to keep it going.
There have been new ways of marketing that weren’t used with the original version of TV shows that are being used today, which stirs excitement for both new and returning fans.
Considering the high viewer ratings, it doesn’t seem like these reboots are slowing down.
But what show will come back next?
PHOTO TAKEN from TVLine.com
