Ready for a reboot

If the Twittersphere is correct – and let’s be honest, the Twittersphere is always correct – CBS are planning a Charmed reboot in the near future. I loved me some Julian McMahon as much as the next girl, but that announcement got this writer thinking: does the future of TV lie in a well-timed revamp? I figured if I can’t beat them, I may as well join them, so here’s a list of shows I don’t think anyone would object to making a comeback.

1) The Hour (The ‘why-was-it-cancelled?’ Show)= Apparently poor ratings led to The Hour’s untimely end, but everyone I’ve spoken to seems as heartbroken about its end as I am. Especially since Season Two left us with so many unanswered questions. I won’t say too much, as I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it (if that applies to you, go and watch it now). Still, some enquiring minds need to know what happens with Bel and Freddie. Bring back The Hour, BBC: it was undoubtedly some of the best British drama we’ve seen in a while.

2) Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (The ‘we-need-more-like-it’ Show)= I’m going to be honest: in terms of comic timing, dance moves, and general brilliance, I don’t think anyone will ever come close to matching Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, I do believe there’s a serious gap in the market for a show like this. As budgets get bigger and competition gets badder, shows seem to need unbelievable or overly complex, ‘miss-an-episode-and-you’re-lost’ plotlines to be picked up for more than a season. I think we’ve forgotten the real beauty of 90s TV: the ability to tune in to a random episode of something and spend half an hour laughing, crying and just generally having your heart warmed. TV bigwigs, take note.

3) F.R.I.E.N.D.S (The ‘we-wish-it-hadn’t-ended’ Show)= As an unimpeachable source recently told me (yes, again, I’m talking about Twitter) the kids of Friends (Ben, Emma, and the triplets) would now be 18, 11, and 15 respectively. As far as I’m concerned, that’s another good ten years of comedy robbed from us. Granted, there can be too much of a good thing; the gang that holds a special place in our hearts might have become hated by now if the show hadn’t hung up its hat gracefully when it did. That said, I for one would still tune in to any Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter/Tuesday special they decided to make. While the cast have denied reunion rumours numerous times, a girl can dream. In the words of Chandler Bing: could I be any more hopeful?!? Probably not.

While I hope TV studios continue to produce shows that are new and fresh, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with occasionally building on an old idea. Especially when they were as well-executed as these ones.

 Image courtesy of monkeyinthecage.com