TV franchises often attempt to make a comeback years after the end of their original shows, but this can have disastrous effects, failing to bring back the initial popularity. A franchise revival can fall flat for many reasons and occurs most often when the initial source material is so popular that living up to its legacy is practically impossible. Instead of striking out with new stories, actors, and themes, the shows are a poor imitation of a franchise that gained success because of its originality. When a reboot is truly terrible, it’s canceled after just one season.

Reboots have gained traction in television thanks to the second wave of success lesser-known series have found after being added to streaming services. Shows like Suits and White Collar are getting revivals that producers hope will spark a whole new slew of seasons, as the original shows are practically more popular than they were while they aired. While this is great for the actors and creators, and work needs to be recognized, the revival represents a big problem in Hollywood. Fewer and fewer shows based on original IP are being funded or finding a foothold among the behemoth of streaming.

10

Heroes (2006–2010)

Spun off as Heroes Reborn (2015)

Discussions about Heroes and its failed continuation, Heroes Reborn, are more prevalent than ever as there’s a new reboot in the work. Heroes Reborn only ran for one season and has been deemed a miniseries retroactively since it didn’t get picked up for another round of episodes. While a few of the original characters from Heroes made an appearance, the show failed to get the audience invested in the new characters from the beginning. Additionally, the show strays from some of the most compelling aspects of Heroes.

For the next installment of the Heroes universe to work, it must expand upon the original stories as well as dive into original territory. If yet another Heroes reboot fails, the series will continue fading into obscurity, which is a shame considering how strong the first two seasons of Heroes are. However, the show was destined to fail after being struck by the 2007-2008 writer’s strike, which sent its story off course for the remainder of the series. Heroes Reborn didn’t solve this, but the new show must rewrite its history.

9

How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)

Spun off as How I Met Your Father (2022–2023)

It’s fair to say that How I Met Your Mother had its problems, as the series has faced criticism in the past few years about its sexism, racism, and homophobia. However, it’s difficult to find a sitcom from the 2000s without these problems. When the How I Met Your Father revival was announced, it didn’t make much sense. Centering a female perspective was intriguing, but How I Met Your Mother ran for nine seasons and explored every possible pitfall and blockade standing in the way of the characters finding their true loves.

There are much better shows for people who miss How I Met Your Mother that tackle similar themes of life and love as well as have an amazing group dynamic. The chemistry between the friend group was essential to How I Met Your Mother and something that How I Met Your Father severely lacked. Canceled quickly, How I Met Your Father put the potential for How I Met Your Mother‘s continuation to rest, as many new sitcoms are better spiritual successors to the hit show.

8

Gossip Girl (2007–2012)

Rebooted as Gossip Girl (2021–2023)

The raw, messy, and melodramatic nature of the original Gossip Girl made critics and parents react harshly against it, but it’s also what makes its atmosphere impossible to recapture. When the reboot of the show was announced, many viewers of the first show were skeptical but excited. Modernizing the juxtaposition of wealth and class of the first Gossip Girl, adding the influx of technology since the end of the 2007 version, and allowing for more explicit depictions of mature content all spelled success for the show. However, the writing and performances left much to be desired.

Comparing the quality of the shows is difficult, as the Gossip Girl reboot had a huge number of resources at its disposal alongside a much larger budget. However, even though the revival was objectively more aesthetically attractive and technically impressive, it felt cold and distant from the audience. Even when the main characters of the initial version were behaving terribly to each other, they still felt accessible, and it was fun to watch them self-destruct. The same can’t be said for the reboot.

7

Full House (1987–1995)

Spun off as Fuller House (2016–2020)

Though a five-season run is a solid success story for most TV shows, Fuller House‘s source material, Full House​​​​​​, ran for eight and made an enormous cultural impact. Full House was never described as boundary-pushing or particularly innovative. However, it was popular because it understood its audience and what they wanted from the story very well. Full House‘s visual style has become synonymous with sitcoms of its period, and it empathetically dealt with important lessons for young audiences coming of age while it aired.

Fuller House season 1 has the worst reviews overall, but the series did slowly improve throughout its run. However, its biggest issue was that it felt like an extension of Full House with more stilted dialogue and was missing its emotional core. Due to the long run of Full House, few storylines hadn’t already been touched upon and done better in the original series. Though it found a bit of success while airing, it won’t have the longevity the Full House has today.

6

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996–2003)

Rebooted as Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (2018–2020)

Kiernan Shipka made her name playing Sally Draper on Mad Men, but Chilling Adventures of Sabrina gave her the opportunity to be the protagonist of her own series. However, the sharp contrast in tone from the source material, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, was off-putting to many viewers. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a light-hearted take on witchcraft and the supernatural through the lens of a traditional high school setting and coming-of-age narrative. Nothing about Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is reminiscent of a typical teen drama.

Delving deeply into the occult and the horror genre, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina attempted to be more tonally similar to a series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer rather than its predecessor. There’s nothing wrong with this shift, and it was a valiant attempt on the part of the writers and creators to distinguish the series. However, it wasn’t what audiences were expecting and would’ve been better served as an original series without ties to the first show.

5

Charlie’s Angels (1976–1981)

Rebooted as Charlie’s Angels (2011)

The Charlie’s Angels TV series already had a strong follow-up to the movies made in 2000 and 2003 with Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz. However, when a piece of IP is as popular as Charlie’s Angels, it’s difficult for production companies to avoid over-using them due to the promise of potential profit. Though the 2019 movie was poorly received as well, the 2011 show is possibly the worst iteration of the classic story.

The series was canceled almost immediately during the run of season 1, and it left out of the conversation when discussing the legacy of the Charlie’s Angels franchise. Many of the critical reviews were biting, bordering on brutal. However, it’s easy to see why when watching the show today. Had the first show and early 2000s movies not been such big hits, the 2011 Charlie’s Angels could’ve buried the entire narrative in a mismanaged and ill-advised series. While it’s unlikely that producers will leave the story alone, hopefully, the 2011 series serves as a cautionary tale.

4

The Odd Couple (1970–1975)

Rebooted as The Odd Couple (2015–2017)

The first show version of The Odd Couple from 1970 was a continuation of the franchise itself, as it began with the movie in 1968. When both the movie and the show came out, divorce was a much more taboo subject and was rarely touched upon in mass media. This outlook on divorce is strongly contrasted today, which immediately put the 2015 show at a disadvantage. Starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon as the titular pair, the men are still emotionally impacted by their divorces, but the series did little to modernize the premise.

By 2015, the sitcom formula was growing tired, and there were great examples of shows pushing the boundaries of the well-trodden formulaic approach. Unfortunately, the 2015 The Odd Couple leaned into this antiquated type of storytelling and failed to connect with younger audiences. Additionally, the show was simply not funny in many cases, as the essential conflict between the messy Oscar (Perry) and the neat Felix (Lennon) can only be played out so many times.

3

Friends (1994–2004)

Spun off as Joey (2004–2006)

Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) was one of the core characters on the hit sitcom Friends and was consistently one of the most popular actors. His popularity stemmed from his comedic timing, but by the end of its ten seasons, Friends was cemented as one of the most well-loved sitcoms of all time. It’s successfully maintained this level of popularity to this day. However, after ten seasons, it’s not surprising that fans were a little burnt out from the formula of Friends, leading its spinoff to flop.

Joey followed its titular character, leaving New York City and moving to Los Angeles to become a movie star. Joey always had acting aspirations, but this move was counterintuitive considering how New York was a large part of Friends‘ plot. Additionally, without the chemistry of the original actors, the show was a sad shadow of the original work. It was especially disappointing because there were so few Friends cameos on Joey despite the deep connection between the characters on Friends.

2

Charmed (1998–2006)

Rebooted as Charmed (2018–2022)

Though the first Charmed was never a critical hit, it was enormously popular with audiences and translated the subjects of magic and witchcraft into the modern day. The 1998 Charmed capitalized on the societal interest in supernatural and occult themes, with series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer treading similar, if more complex, territory. While there’s still a significant target audience for these types of shows, the reboot that came out in 2018 never found its footing.

Charmed aired on The CW for four seasons, which was a remarkable feat considering it never reached the heights of cultural discussion as the original. The best parts of the show were the necessary updates to the initial premise. Increased diversity and discussions of feminism and gender discrimination were at the forefront of the show’s topics. Unfortunately, many of the criticisms lodged against the show were rooted in bias rather than a genuine critique of the writing and structure. The reboot will likely be forgotten about much faster than the initial series.

1

The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)

Rebooted as The Twilight Zone (2019–2020)

It’s not the fault of Jordan Peele that the recent iteration of the horror-sci-fi anthology series, The Twilight Zone, didn’t reach the heights of the original. Peele is a modern visionary in horror and understands the issues plaguing the larger culture that is best suited to discussions onscreen. However, trying to recapture the magic of the 1959 series was always going to be a fine line to walk. The Twilight Zone is one of the most influential pieces of science fiction in both film and television.

It came out at a time when anxiety about technological development was at an all-time high in the wake of the detonation of the first nuclear bomb. This action sparked the Cold War, which informed many of the topics explored in The Twilight Zone, as well as the discrimination and whistleblowing of the McCarthy era. While there’s no shortage of anxiety permeating the culture today, other shows, like Black Mirror, have already updated the themes of The Twilight Zone, making the 2019 iteration redundant.