Usually I don’t struggle with Television Editions as much as I have this year. Not that the themes are bad, they are absolutely wonderful! But they simply fall into the category of me not having any experience with them. So, instead of bringing you three I have seen, I’m putting together a to-be-continued-list. Having seen most or majority of the original shows, I’m bringing out three revivals that I want to see. Despite me being extremely hesitant about revivals *cough* Gilmore Girls *cough* due to their ability to ruin everything.
1. VERONICA MARS (2004 – 2007 / 2019 – …)
Now, I love Veronica Mars’ original run a lot! I think I have seen the first two seasons multiple times. Third one was a bit of a let down but I got over it. Then the awful 2014 movie happened. No offence but it was rushed and deserved a way better script that it got. Now the show has been revived and I’m not sure what to do. I rewatched the beginning of season 1 recently and realised I still love this show. It has its place in my withering heart. But is the revival going to ruin the magic of Veronica Mars? That is always and forever the biggest rival for these revivals.
SCRATCH THAT! While searching for an image I saw a major spoiler online and well, bye Veronica Mars revival. Sorry, I’m not gonna watch it – EVER! I already had Gilmore Girl revival ruin one of my favourite shows, I’m not gonna let Veronica Mars do the same.
2. WILL & GRACE ( 1998 – 2006 / 2017 – 2020)
I remember Will & Grace from my teen years but I was never really watching it. So I started a long process of watching the show from beginning to the very end, revival and all. I’m on season 7 at the moment, taking a long break but basically just two seasons behind of the revivals. Anyway, I have heard great things about this particular revival. It will come to an end next year, which is bitter sweet but I’m guessing necessary. Revivals are something like a unicorns in my eyes. They come, shine bright, and go as mysteriously as they arrived. Sometimes they shine but mostly the don’t. They just simply aren’t as bright as the first time around.
3. PRISON BREAK (2006 – 2009 / 2017)
Not going to lie, I really want to revisit Prison Break every time I see it mentioned somewhere. That first season, albeit a bit over the top, was amazing! I remember watching it with my parents and that, on its own, is a rare occasion. The show had a lot going for it but then, well, as many shows do, it crash landed. It happens, it’s accepted, not all shows can carry on a great plot throughout the following seasons. Anyway, apparently they brought it back for one last season in 2017. Honestly, I want to see it but I don’t know when. Again, it didn’t go over that well so I mean, are revivals ever going to break the curse? Probably not.
THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES
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I havent seen any of the first two and only few seasons of the latter so I am not the demographic for revivals here 🙂 I always wanted to see Will and Grace tho
The only one I watched regularly was Will & Grace which I loved when it was on but less so when I rewatch it nowadays (though Debbie Reynolds as Grace’s mom is always comedy gold).
I’ve never seen a single Veronica Mars and Prison Break I watch perhaps three episodes of. It’s not that I didn’t like it but in those pre-DVR days it was on the wrong night for me to watch faithfully.
So many to choose from this week! Which shows the lack of originality rampant in Hollywood now. Be that as it may I chose three whose original conceptions I loved. I was good with two of the remakes the third not so much.
Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980/2010-?)-The elite branch of Hawaii’s police force…the Five-O…headed by Steve McGarret (Jack Lord), his faithful assistant Danny Williams (Dan-O) (James MacArthur) and their squad fought crime on the big island for 12 years kicked off by propulsive classic opening music. In 2010 the concept was updated but kept basically the same with Alex O’Loughlin & Scott Caan taking over for Lord and MacArthur and is still running today.
Dallas (1978-1991/2012-2014)-Life in the oil business and Southfork ranch specifically centered on the Ewing clan headed by Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes) & Jock (Jim Davis), their sons-the ruthless J.R. (Larry Hagman) and good guy Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and their wives Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) and Pamela (Victoria Principal) as their spar and manipulate everyone and each other for 13 incredibly successful years. In 2012 a new version premiered following J.R. & Bobby’s sons John Ross and Christopher (Josh Henderson & Jesse Metcalfe) as they wheedled and cajoled like their Pappies. Not nearly as successful it only lasted two years but was a decent redo.
The Odd Couple (1970-1975/2015-2017)-In 1970, two years after the successful Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau theatrical film, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman premiered as neat freak Felix Unger and major slob Oscar Madison who tried to live together without killing each other when they separate from their wives. They did so humorously for five years. In 2015 a new version premiered with Thomas Lennon as Felix and Matthew Perry as Oscar which limped along for two years. The difference was Lennon & Perry were talented actors playing parts whereas Randall & Klugman were ideal fits who were perfection in the roles, better even than Lemmon and Matthau in the original film.