The Bluth family reunion
TV show revivals actually aren’t anything new. They’re not quite commonplace, but they’re not unheard of in the entertainment industry. Since the 1970s, networks have been revisiting or relaunching fan-favorite shows, from Star Trek to Get Smart.
But we’ve hit peak revival. With the recent returns (real or promised) of shows like Coach, Community and Arrested Development as well as the looming threat of fresh Full House, why does it seem as though writers and producers are completely out of new ideas?
The short, unfortunate answer is ultimately to make money.
Look at the precedent. Networks love to swoop in and take over when another network is about to pull the plug. After all, the process involves little creative work: The characters are already written, the plot is already developed, and the fans are already present.
In the case of the popular medical comedy Scrubs, ABC salvaged the show for two more seasons in 2009 after NBC announced it would not renew the show during its seventh season.
Although the program’s fans were grateful for the continued run of the show at the time, critics panned the final episodes ABC produced, and viewers ended up abandoning the show in droves.
This pattern isn’t unique to Scrubs. In fact, it’s almost exactly the same for every other revived TV show.
Fans of the cult-classic Arrested Development could not have been more supportive and enthusiastic when creator Mitch Hurwitz announced that a fourth season would air on Netflix, seven years after Fox killed it. The 15 episodes were viewed by a wide audience, but most reached the same agreement: It was a disappointing return. A similar process is happening with Community — now airing its sixth season on Yahoo! Screen — as we speak.
Why can’t we just let a good thing be? Does everything need a sequel? What happened to the beauty of originality?
I suppose the entertainment industry has the all-too-familiar quenching desire to milk every last penny out of a fan base, and I suppose that’s understandable, albeit frustrating, given today’s market for popular TV shows and movies.
Full House revival rumors have been circulating for quite some time, and that hearsay is looking more and more like a reality. Warner Brothers and Netflix are supposedly looking to bring the show back from the dead, and the reactions are mixed.
I love Full House as much as the next person, but can’t we just let it be?
If money is involved, the answer is probably no.
