Hollywood is basically a copycat business. If something works once, then it will probably work again. That’s why we have 11 live-action Batman movies and seven live-action “Transformers” movies.
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In TV, this obsession with established properties leads to an endless string of reboots, most of which are totally unnecessary. We’re not saying they’re all bad, but the list of good ones is far outnumbered by the bad ones. With news that a new — and absolutely unnecessary — version of the high school football drama “Friday Night Lights” is in development, we thought it was time to take a look at some TV’s worst reboots.
‘Good Times’ - 2024
“Good Times” is one of the most influential and impactful TV series of all time. Many of its storylines still hold up in modern times, so there was no reason to do this animated reboot. No matter how good the producers’ intentions were, the execution clearly didn’t work out, and social media let them know how bad it was.
‘Friday Night Lights’
NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” is widely considered one of the best shows of the last 30 years. It follows the lives of the players, coaches and residents of a Dillon, Texas high school football team. There’s really no need to do a reboot when we can stream the original on Netflix right now.
‘Charlie’s Angels’ - 2011
ABC tried to capitalize on the franchise’s resurgence with a new action drama following three women from different backgrounds who become secret operatives for Charlie. They forgot that chemistry was a big reason why the ‘70s original worked, and the lackluster attempt was canceled after four episodes.
‘Ironside’ - 2013
Do you know how underwhelming a reboot has to be that even Blair Underwood’s magnetic personality can’t save it? That was the unfortunate place NBC’s “Ironsides” found itself in when the network tried to reboot the old school crime procedural.
‘24: Legacy’ - 2017
“24" is one of the most addictive shows ever. Its real time format makes it really hard to watch one episode and walk away. Fox counted on this with its 2017 reboot starring Corey Hawkins. Unfortunately, without Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer there to connect it to the original, fans just couldn’t muster the same emotional investment.
‘The Office’ - 2025
This may be a little unfair, but we just don’t know if Peacock’s new version of “The Office” will be able to catch the same lightning in a bottle this time around. So much of that first one’s magic can be found in the way the cast worked together. That can’t be duplicated.
According to Deadline, the synopsis finds “the documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is searching for a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters.” The cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Gbemisola Ikumelo and Melvin Gregg.
‘Charmed’ - 2018
After the OG “Charmed” stars went all Karen on the new cast, we were really rooting for the reboot. Sadly, it committed the cardinal sin of sci-fi/fantasy stories, it was boring.
‘Heroes Reborn’ - 2015
When NBC’s original “Heroes” premiered in 2006, it became an instant phenomenon. However, as the mythology got more convoluted, fans became less interested and the show ended in 2010. The network tried to recapture the magic in 2015, but it just picked up from the same disappointing place and fans couldn’t be bothered.
‘And Just Like That…’ 2021
“And Just Like That...” is technically a continuation and not a reboot, but we still need to talk about this mess. “Sex and the City” was a product of its time. Its universe worked in the late ‘90s/early 2000s, but now both its characters and their issues just feel old and out of date.
‘Night Court’ - 2023
What made the absurdity of the original “Night Court” work was the chemistry and timing among the cast. They’re still working on the chemistry, but heading into Season 3, the new cast does seem to have found some much need comedic timing. The series has improved since its premiere, but it still has a long way to go to become a truly fun show to watch.
‘Veronica Mars’ - 2019
This is a case of the last few minutes of a finale essentially ruining a stellar series. This continuation of the mid 2000s UPN drama and the 2014 follow up movie is a spectacular Season 4 of the cult hit. Unfortunately, the creator decided to kill off a major character in the final episode, which not only put a stain on the revival, but the entire franchise.
‘The Twilight Zone’ - 2019
When you hear that Jordan Peele is producing an updated version of “The Twilight Zone,” you’re probably expecting something a lot spookier than what we got from this Paramount+ reboot. While most of the episodes were thought-provoking, they didn’t quite live up to the franchise’s creepy legacy.
‘4400’ - 2021
This reboot of the excellent 2004 USA Network series didn’t have the same captivating draw as the original. It was a retread that felt like a retread and just made viewers want to find the original.
‘Kojak’ - 2005
In the ‘70s, Telly Savalas starred as hard-hitting, womanizing detective Kojak. He fit right in with the ridiculously over the top masculinity of ‘70s TV. Even though Ving Rhames tried to bring more character depth to the 2005 reboot, the whole premise just didn’t work for a modern audience.
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