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Hollywood is in love with remakes. If a movie did well before, they think it'll do even better in a remake. If it didn't do so well before, but it still seems like a workable story, it'll do better in the remake because they'll improve it this time. Television has toyed with the remakes, with some doing better than others. "Star Trek" has gone through several iterations, though in fairness, none are truly "remakes" so much as building on the previous series to launch a new series. The reboot of "Battlestar Galactica" is supposed to be pretty good from what I've heard, though I've not seen any episodes of it. I remember the original back in the 1970s, with Lorne Greene, and that they even got so desperate by the end of the series that they did a tie-in with "CHiPs", so it seems the bar wasn't set too high by the original. The new version of "Hawaii Five-O" is pretty decent, and it was also fun on one of our trips to Hawaii, to return from a dive trip and find them shooting scenes for a Five-O episode at the marina.
In that line of thinking, I decided I would offer my list of ideas for potential television series remakes, which I think might work well.
- "Golden Girls." Yeah, I know a lot of you are probably thinking I slipped a cog somewhere, but hear me out on this. The concept worked well, and offered a great scenario for diverse subjects and gags. In my imagined reboot, I'd love to see Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence in two of the lead roles. Reuniting those two in a sit-com would be incredible, and the odds are, ample other comediennes would scramble for a shot at one of the other two title characters.
- "M*A*S*H." It would be hard to imagine gathering a better cast than Alan Alda, Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit, Henry Morgan, Larry Linville, Gary Burghoff, et al, but in our current political climate, I think it might be time for another thought-provoking comedy that explores both the horrors of war, along with the coping mechanisms that some use to deal with said horrors. M*A*S*H was one of the best imaginable settings for such a series, as it focused on a cast of characters that were themselves non-combatants, but forced to regularly face the casualties of war. Perhaps an update to Viet Nam might be a good change, or even a step back to WWII. Either way, we need to remember that war is always ugly, regardless of how much we might be told it is necessary.
- "The Time Tunnel." Irwin Allen's time travel series lasted only thirty episodes, but the concept is one that offers tremendous story potential. If done correctly, it could be an entertaining and educational way to foster a greater interest in history. With modern special effects and a focus on historical objectivity, audiences might give it the attention it failed to garner nearly fifty years ago. For an added twist, it also offers an incredible comedic potential, if the producers decided to take it that way.
- "Happy Days." I'm a bit torn on this one. The original series was actually spun-off from a skit on the series, "Love, American Style." It rode a wave of nostalgia during the troublesome years of the 70s, harkening back to the more hopeful years of the 50s. Hollywood tends to like the nostalgia kick, and the American culture might be ready for another "trip down memory lane," perhaps moving the setting into the 70s or 80s. "That 70s Show" was perhaps similar thinking, just with a different title instead of doing a reboot of "Happy Days." I'd have to ask, though, if we were really ready for Disco to rise again.
- "I Dream of Jeanie." This is one of those series that just wouldn't be the same without Larry Hagman or Barbara Eden, but I do see possibilities in reviving the scenario. It could easily be flipped around and played differently, say, with a female mortal finding the Djinni's bottle. The Djinni could either be male or female, depending on how the producers wished to play out the story, but the comedic potential would still be there - the mortal faced with the reality of a supernatural being that they must keep secret, and the Djinni having to come to terms with a modern world after having been locked away in the bottle for centuries.
- "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." Yes, I know Jacques Cousteau is no longer with us, but his legacy and work still continue. As a kid, I was always fascinated by the Cousteau programs, and they were one of the main factors in my always wanting to learn scuba diving. The oceans are by no means fully explored yet, and the more we learn, the more we realize how vitally important the seas are to the survival of life on land as well. We have producers and stations that happily spend money on ridiculous reality shows that are nothing more than an opportunity to figuratively peek in someone's windows and watch their exaggerated drama each week, so why not bring back some reality that is both educational and breath-taking? The Cousteau divers are still out there, exploring, learning, and working to conserve our oceans. I'd much rather keep up with them, than keep up with the Kardashians.
That's my short list. You're certainly free to agree or disagree, and the truth is, either of us is just as likely to be right as Hollywood is at any given time. Heaven knows, Disney sure made a poor call on their adaptation of "The Lone Ranger," and it's far from the only movie this year that has failed to live up to expectations.
We'll know it's time to worry, though, when someone suggests a remake of "My Mother, the Car."
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