Who’s The Boss Sequel Show Gets Big Progress Update From Producer

Progress on the Who’s the Boss? revival has received a major update. The original show, which ran on ABC for eight seasons between 1984 and 1992, followed a retired baseball player (Tony Danza) taking a job as a housekeeper for an ad executive (Judith Light) in Fairfield, Connecticut, bringing along his daughter (Alyssa Milano). The show’s planned revival on Freevee was originally announced in mid-2022, from One Day at a Time reboot co-creator Mike Royce and writer Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz.

Per TVLine, Mike Royce recently appeared on an episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV’s Top 5 podcast. During the episode, Royce spoke about the future of the Who’s the Boss? revival, saying that “I have heard that we’re gonna hear.” Everything was turned in on the creative end before the 2023 writers strike, so they are now awaiting the final decision from Freevee. He assumes that they will hear about whether or not the show is greenlit “after the new year.” Read his full quote below:

I have heard that we’re gonna hear. That’s been the case for a while. I’m assuming after the new year, at this point, we’ll learn the fate of [the revival]. Everything [including the pilot script, second episode script, and show bible] is handed in, so we’re just awaiting a decision.

Will the Who’s the Boss? Revival Actually Happen?

It remains to be seen if Freevee ultimately makes the decision to revive Who’s the Boss?. So far, one of the fledgling streaming service’s biggest hits has indeed been in the comedy sphere, which could set a good precedent for the platform to pursue a sitcom with strong name recognition. However, that successful title, the comic reality show Jury Duty, was not a traditional scripted program, which may swing their decision in the other direction if they opt to pursue more low-budget comedy options.

The precedent for revived sitcoms also has a complicated history that may make decision-makers skittish. A good number of cancelled sitcoms have been revived in the past decade, including Will & Grace, Saved by the Bell, Full House, That’s So Raven, Futurama, Night Court, iCarly, and Punky Brewster. While some have been quite successful, including Paramount+’s new Frasier reboot, many have ended after two or three seasons.

Ultimately, the future of Who’s the Boss? may depend on whether or not Freevee thinks the show has the kind of name recognition to allow it to succeed in the long term. The fact that the show would feature returning stars Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano, who remain known figures in pop culture, could make their affirmative decision easier. Regardless, if they follow the timeline that Royce sets out, news on the show’s status will likely become available soon.