The 32 greatest TV reboots
Aug. 30, 2024If you wanna make some easy cash, just recycle and rehash!
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Hollywood can’t get enough of reboots. But sometimes, TV reboots are more than just empty, hollow cash-grabs. Sometimes, they’re actually worthwhile. And sometimes that can really seem like the former while actually being the latter. But what are some of the greatest TV reboots of all time?
In the modern age of Hollywood, reboots have become a go-to approach for many studios. Rather than risk taking a chance on new ideas, it’s often preferable to reboot or remake or generally just resurrect a proven idea with pre-existing familiarity. (This is also called “IP,” for intellectual property, if you’re talking to an agent with their own parking spot in Burbank.)
While audiences tend to bemoan Hollywood’s ghoulishness to reboot something from the past and transmogrify it to suit the new parameters of the present, sometimes reboots aren’t just great. They’re sometimes better than what came before. It’s not often, mind you, but it has happened before.
To prove that reboots aren’t all lost causes, here are 32 legitimately great TV reboots.
32. Masters of the Universe: Revelation
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Putting the Kevin Spacey of it all aside, it’s hard to forget when the buzziest television drama in the world was about ruthless politicians in Washington D.C.. An American remake of the 1990 British thriller, House of Cards stars Spacey as cutthroat congressman Frank Underwood who orchestrates his way to the Oval Office, with plenty of help from his equally ambitious wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). While career-ending allegations forced Spacey into a premature exit from the show, the series still aired several seasons' worth of Frank Underwood, whose dark outlook influenced the show’s nihilistic vibe of hungry sharks in Brooks Brothers tailoring. While few can say they saw it end, many can’t forget when they saw House of Cards begin.
Redemption is possible for anyone - even ’80s movie bullies. The hit action-comedy series Cobra Kai continues the story of The Karate Kid movies, taking the point-of-view of original antagonist Johnny Lawrence (reprised by original actor William Zabka). Some 30 years after Ralph Maccio’s Daniel LaRusso defeated rival Johnny at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny wallows in his depression while Daniel lives a happy life with a family. Cobra Kai flips the underdog story on its head, with Johnny now positioned as the “underdog” who seeks to reestablish the Cobra Kai karate dojo whilst reigniting rivalry with Daniel. Originally a YouTube Red series, Cobra Kai grew to become a major hit in the streaming era and proof that not all nostalgic retreads are beholden to the same masters of mediocrity.
Originating as a 2000 film starring John Cusack (itself based on Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel), High Fidelity follows Rob Brooks, a young, hip record store owner in Brooklyn who reevaluates her failed romantic partnerships through the lens of her favorite music. Zoë Kravitz stars in the series, keeping up an unofficial family tradition after her mother Lisa Bonet, who had a role in the Cusack movie. While High Fidelity was canceled after just one season, the show was praised for its fresh take on the familiar story, as was Kravitz who flexed her leading lady muscles as the show’s central charismatic curmudgeon.
While it was resurrected just 12 years after the original ended on The WB - and its original cast expressed disappointment about not being involved - Charmed found new life on The CW, its themes of sisterhood and womanhood still brimming with magic. In this retelling of the original, three sisters learn they are “good” witches tasked with protecting the world from the forces of evil. With a more diverse cast featuring women of color as well as onscreen LGBT representation, Charmed ‘18 cast a spell over critics and audiences to last four seasons.
In this reboot of the 1975 sitcom, the Cuban-American Alvarez family deals with the ups and downs of the 21st century. The series centers around Penelope (Justina Machado), a single mother and U.S. Army veteran who tries hard to keep her eccentric family together while dealing with her own problems. With its take on serious issues like immigration, PTSD, and LGBTQ+ rights with equal parts sensitivity and a sense of humor, One Day at a Time earned high marks from critics who found it a fresh and inclusive spin on the tired sitcom genre.
Magnum P.I. is simply too cool of a show to mess up via reboot. Based on the original ’80s TV classic, Magnum P.I. follows Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator in sunny, breezy Hawaii. Using his expert skills, Magnum solves cases while sorting out his new life in Hawaii. (The show also shared the same universe as Hawaii Five-0, another popular TV reboot from a classic show set in Hawaii.) Without reinventing the wheel, Magnum P.I. coasts on its easy-going charms and escapist bombast, allowing TV audiences both new and nostalgic to enjoy the waves.
While most audiences remember Sabrina Spellman as a teenage witch with a talking cat on her network sitcom, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina dared to reimagine Sabrina’s world of witchcraft with darker tones. A stylish dramedy from producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and TV maestro Greg Berlanti, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows its title heroine (played by Kiernan Shipka) who struggles to reconcile between her witch and human sides while protecting her hometown from the forces of darkness. With its dark coming-of-age storytelling, creepy horror, and spellbinding performances, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina can make you forget about laugh tracks and the TGIF programming block. (We’d be remiss not to mention a clever tribute episode in Season 4, which guest stars Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick back in their sitcom roles.) You can practically feel the crunchy leaves under your feet when you binge this modern gem.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he’s your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
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