They say imitation is the greatest source of flattery and when it comes to TV reboots, there’s definitely some truth in that. TV shows have never been more popular and our thirst for all things throwback is at an all-time high, with a rush of revivals landing on our screens, reminding us of some of the glory days of our youth.
Whether it’s a sequel, prequel, an adaptation or spin-off from the original, we cannot deny that producers are, right now, pandering to our nostalgic needs, allowing us to revisit some of our favourite characters and locations. While some TV reboots have been a tad disappointing, there are plenty that have proved to be popular in their own right, with more inclusive casting and a fresher perspective making it relevant to modern audiences.
Take Gossip Girl, currently filming in the streets of New York as we write this. While the original, which ran from 2007-2012, wasn’t hugely representative with a mainly all-white cast, the new reboot has an ethnically diverse lead line-up and, as writer Joshua Safran revealed, there’s set to be grittier storylines and plenty of “queer content.”
For anyone craving some old-school fun, a new series of Saved By The Bell landed on NBS streaming service Peacock (you need a VPN to watch) last summer. The beloved 90s sitcom that followed characters Zack, Kelly, Slater, and Screech through high school (and, eventually, college and adult life) features most of the original cast including Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen), and Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) with plenty of throwbacks to the original, even though our highschoolers are proper grown-ups now.
Of course, there’s been SO many other top revivals too – from Will & Grace and The Gilmore Girls to the soon-to-land Hocus Pocus 2, we literally cannot get enough.
Here’s a round-up of our favourite TV reboots worth watching…