Tuesday, August 17, 2010

What's Old is New Again

It's no secret that Hollywood and our beloved TV executives are addicted to sequels and remakes...just look at the previews for the new fall shows, or the line-up of movies from the summer and you see rehashes of some familiar things.

When I saw the preview for Hawaii 5-0, I chuckled...with the A Team movie this year and the even older Hawaii 5-0 coming out...it got me to thinking which old movies or TV shows were due for a comeback and ... would they bet better movies or TV shows...
here we go!

The Jeffersons -- let's have a conservative republican Arab Muslim shop owner move in next to a liberal family on the Upper East side. Instant comedy!

Mork & Mindy - we are long overdue for an Alien among us sit com...Steve Carrel is done with the office!  seems like a no-brainer to me

Green Acres - The classic tale of wealthy couple who move to a farm to fulfill some agrarian need...Zsa Zsa carried the show in the day with a Tour de Force (kidding), but I feel like this format could work...we saw it in reality TV with Paris HIlton...let's go all the way and get a diva and her homely, caring husband to give up the penthouse view and park avenue and go shovel hay with the locals!

Alice -- there is a surprising dearth of restaurant based sit-coms on air.  Alice was just one in the 70's, and memory escapes me on some of the other lesser known copy cats, but the premise just works for a sit-com. A place where people come and go...stable characters in the place who we get to watch try and break free of the diner/bar/restaurant..Cheers executed this format better than any other, but I would never recommend trying to remake that...Anyway, let's get a single mom and move her to Portland Oregon and plop her down in an organic restaurant with local micro-brews!  We need a Vic Tayback and a Flo to lighten the story.



Battle of the Network Stars -- just do it already!!!! come on!

I will be back with some thoughts on movies that SHOULD be remade and why (I feel this is a much bigger topic)

What TV shows do you wish they would remake?
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3 comments:

  1. Eric AntakiAugust 17, 2010 at 10:02 AM

    Completely agree with the Battle of the Nwtwork Stars. Remember Circus of the Stars? Not as good as BOTNS.

    Shows to consider for remakes:
    --> ALF (with a flesh-eating Alien instead of a cat-eating one)
    --> Diff'rent Strokes - redo the entire show with 2 orphaned white kids living in a black family's penthouse
    --> Facts of Life: The Senior Years -- Instead of Tootie rolling around in roller skates, she wheels around in a hoveround. Blair has enough plastic surgery to maintain her looks - but will be played by Joan Rivers. Natalie becomes bulemic, and Jo comes out as a biker-chick lesbian.

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  2. ChrisAugust 17, 2010 at 10:44 AM

    @Eric -- I love Facts of Life the Sr years!!!! that should be green-lit without any testing needed

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  3. HeidiAugust 17, 2010 at 1:13 PM

    Totally agree with the Battle of the Network Stars idea. But no C-listers. It was one of my faves as a kid. "Filmed at beautiful Pepperdine University..." And the idea of a PNW crunchy Alice is awesome. I see her living in Eugene.

    Eric - YES to the Diff'rent Strokes remake !

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