The 11 Best and Worst TV Reboots
Second chances
Call it a reboot; call it a revival; call it a comeback. Whatever you want to call them, TV reboots are having a bit of a resurgence lately. Maybe it’s because people are feeling nostalgic, and networks are just giving the fans what they want. Maybe producers are having trouble coming up with original ideas that could carry a series past a pilot episode. Whatever the case may be, there are plenty of reboots to choose from on TV these days, and other fairly recent revivals you should consider watching, too. Of course, we'll also warn you away from some duds. Credit: Mike Yarish/Netflix
One Day at a Time (2017 - Present) - BEST
One Day at a Time is a reboot done right. The original series ran on CBS from 1975 to 1984, but the reboot found a home on Netflix instead. The show follows a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles together: an Army veteran single mom, along her kids and her mother. It covers some pretty heavy topics very well, like racism and sexism, and has been highly praised by fans and critics alike. The show first hit Netflix in 2017, and a third season is on the way. This should give the show a chance to earn even more praise, as well as additional well-deserved award nominations.Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix
24: Legacy (2017) - WORST
24: Legacy definitely deserves to be on a list of worst reboots. The show is a spin-off of 24, and both series aired on Fox. Whereas the original 24 was a hit, Legacy got either mixed or downright bad reviews. It was similar to 24 in that it covered events one hour at a time over a 24-hour period, but it followed a new hero, Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins), instead of Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer. And apparently, 24 fans just didn’t show up to support it. It was the lead-out program for Super Bowl LI, and received the lowest post-Super Bowl viewership since 2003. Ouch.Credit: Guy D'Alema/Fox
Will and Grace (2017 - Present) - BEST
I was surprised by how good the reboot of Will and Grace is, and most critics agree. The show originally aired on NBC from 1998 to 2006, and was one of the most successful sitcoms series featuring gay main characters during its first run. After years off the air, a 10-episode reboot season premiered in 2017, and it’s been renewed with no end in sight. The show still features the characters whom fans loved from the original — Will, Grace, Karen and Jack — the story and production values have just been updated a little bit. The formula seems to work, and NBC is sticking to it.Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016) - WORST
I wanted to love the Gilmore Girls reboot; I really did. The original show remains one of my favorite series, but the revival just didn’t seem to hit the same notes. It had its moments, and it was nice for fans to revisit Rory, Lorelai and Emily Gilmore after all these years. But the continuation felt a little mean-spirited and stuck in time rather than truly “revived.” There’s a chance Netflix could bring it back for more episodes, but Amy Sherman-Palladino seems pretty busy with the critically acclaimed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel these days, so the Gilmores' fate is a bit unclear.Credit: Robert Voets/Netflix
Queer Eye (2017) - BEST
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy aired on Bravo from 2003 to 2007, and the makeover show proved to be a surprise hit during its first run. On the show, the “Fab Five” would help out another man (usually straight) with revitalizing his wardrobe, decor, personal grooming, lifestyle and food habits. In the Netflix reboot, the new cast of guys on Queer Eye do basically the same thing. The reboot got rave reviews, and is considered a great update to the original series. It’s been renewed for a third season, and will be back in 2019.Credit: Netflix
Fuller House (2016 - Present) WORST
As popular as Fuller House is, I haven’t heard a single fan of the show say it’s actually good. Fuller House is a sequel to Full House, which originally aired from 1987 to 1995. It’s another Netflix reboot, which the streaming service seems to be really into these days. But this one in particular must be very popular, because it’s been renewed for a fourth season already. The show centers on two of the original Full House daughters, plus one of their best friends, and explores their lives as adults. One of the daughters is raising her own family in their old house, and shenanigans ensue. Credit: Mike Yarish/Netflix
Wentworth (2013 - Present) - BEST
Wentworth is an Australian drama series that began its run in 2013. It’s considered a “reimagining” of Prisoner, an Australian soap opera that aired from 1979 to 1986. Wentworth follows a woman who gets sent to prison after being charged with the attempted murder of her husband. The show bears some similarity to Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. It’s had six seasons so far, with a seventh in the works to air next year. The show receives both critical and fan acclaim, which is exactly what a network wants from any reboot.Credit: Foxtel
Heroes Reborn (2015 - 2016) - WORST
Poor Heroes Reborn. It really should have been good. A continuation of the science-fiction TV drama Heroes, Heroes Reborn began with the same basic premise as the first series: Ordinary people learn that they have special abilities. Superheroes are huge right now, so you’d think that people would eat this one up — especially since it brought together some old heroes and new characters. Critics said the show was melodramatic and disappointing. That, combined with lackluster ratings, meant that NBC never renewed Heroes Reborn, and left it to languish as a “mini-series.” It’s probably best to let this franchise rest for a little while.Credit: Christos Kalohoridis/NBC
X-Files (2016 - Present) - BEST
X-Files may not technically be a reboot, since the show never really went away for long enough to be rebooted. I’m referring to Season 10 of The X-Files, which takes place 14 years after the ninth season. The new season brought back Agents Mulder and Scully, plus some other fan favorites, and put them right back in the mix of investigating strange happenings. Many of the episodes were well-received, though there were a few duds. Even so, I’m going to stick it in the “best” category for a good effort. Although an 11th season is theoretically on the way, the show’s future is now up in the air.Credit: Fox
V (2009 - 2011) - BEST/WORST
Listen, I love Morena Baccarin. She really made her role in Firefly her own. But she couldn’t completely save this version of V, a remake of the 1983 miniseries. It aired on ABC for just two seasons. V begins when several large spaceships show up above major cities in the world, and bring with them some strange, extraterrestrial “Visitors.” While the original V is considered one of the better science-fiction shows out there, this one got much more mixed reviews, and ends up just on the cusp of the best and worst columns for me.Credit: Michael Courtney/ABC
Charlie’s Angels (2011) - WORST
This reboot absolutely deserves to be on the “worst” revivals list. The original Charlie’s Angels series ran from 1976 to 1981 on ABC, and was about three women working in a private detective agency in LA. It got mixed reviews, but was hugely popular, and went on to become a bit of a cultural touchstone. The reboot, by comparison, was cancelled after just one season after failing to recapture any of the originals show’s magic. It was badly acted, badly written and badly plotted, with none of the campy fun of the first series. Skip it; believe me.Credit: Nathan Bell/ABC