Reboots, revivals, and remakes

Sophie Yang, Staff Writer

Hit shows from the past are making a comeback, with services producing more TV shows annually. HBO announced a reboot of the popular show Gossip Girl, a spinoff series with the same name and general idea, but a different cast and storyline. Along with HBO, Disney plans to revive the original Lizzie McGurie show, with a similar cast but different storyline. Another classic show, Queer Eye is back on Netflix, with a different cast but using the same premise as the original show. With the current trend of renewing old shows, students feel it’s mostly unnecessary.

 HBO:

Viewers are pleased with HBO’s production of new shows like Euphoria and Game of Thrones. Euphoria has easily become a top grossing show for young adults, earning an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% on IMDb. The hit show is created by the cable network HBO, which plans to soon release a new streaming service, HBO max, where old and new shows alike can be watched. In contrast to the fresh new shows like Euphoria, HBO announced the show Gossip Girl is returning on HBO max, focusing on how a new age of media affects teens in New York. 

“I think no one’s really going to watch it [Gossip Girl] because everyone really loves the original cast,” says sophomore Ellie Oif, a long time fan. “The new show is not the original cast, and I feel like it’s going to be hard to access since it’s on a specific streaming service.” 

Although reboots are starting to come back 

Disney:

Disney continues to produce top grossing films and, similar to HBO, plans to release a new streaming service, Disney+. The service will house old and new movies and shows. At the D23 expo, Disney released the trailer of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a 10 episode spinoff show based on the original High School Musical movies. Additionally , the show Lizzie McGuire,  starring Hillary Duff, is planned to return  after 15 years off air. Fans like sophomore George Weiler feel it’s not necessary to redo the classic hits.

“I loved the high school musical movies, they were my favorite movies as a kid.I’m a little worried the new TV show won’t be very good. I feel like it might ruin the original.” Weiler says. 

After bringing back Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dumbo, Cinderella and Aladdin, Disney plans to make more live action remakes including Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Lady and The Tramp and Snow White. These original movies are currently available on Netflix. 

Netflix:

Last October, Netflix revived the hit show Queer Eye after over a decade. The original show aired 12 years ago, but the new series has been very popular. Earning a 91% on rotten tomatoes, Queer Eye has hooked the interest of old and new fans. Featuring the “Fab 5,” a group of queer identifying men, Queer Eye aims to help others with lifestyle advice. Senior Samantha Chaney is a dedicated fan of the new Queer Eye series. 

“I’ve only seen clips of the original and it has a similar vibe. The cast, the Fab 5 are different people, so their take on the show is different.” Chaney says.

The entertainment industry continues to produce more reboots, revivals, and remakes to possibly spark the interest of older generations and give a feel of nostalgia although students generally seem not excited for the return of some shows.