What childhood TV show would you like to see rebooted?

[Eminence Grise]

I saw on the So Farewell Then (https://foot.ie/threads/28342-So-farewell-then?p=2200536&viewfull=1#post2200536) thread that the actor James Darren died a couple of days ago, I’ll always associate him with The Time Tunnel, which I saw when I was about seven, and rewatched this year on Legend. Even though it’s almost 60 years old, the idea – two scientists working for the US government lost in time and catapulted from one era to another right at the end of each episode for a proper cliff hanger – holds up pretty well.

And it got me thinking… if I were to pick one TV show from my childhood for a reboot – not overlooking nostalgia for The Bionic Man, The A-Team, The Virginian (1. James Drury is a Rossie; 2. I have the complete box set!!) or obscure stuff like Manimal, or shouldn’t-have-been-allowed-stay-up-late-to-watch Tenko – it would be, hands down, The Time Tunnel.

So, posing the question: what would be the one childhood TV show that you’d like to see rebooted?

[CraftyToePoke]

Nighthawks.
Only saw tiny snippets, I was young & it was late but I think it might have been occasionally brilliant.

[nigel-harps1954]

I'd hate to see any of them rebooted as they'd inevitably end up sh!te!

I've had my kids watching Animaniacs in the past year or two. The reboot was nice, but it ultimately ended up a bit crap.

I'd wager I'm a fair bit younger than some of the contributing posters, but I grew up with Inspector Gadget, Duck Tales, Transformers, Rugrats and that late 80's into mid 90's era of kids cartoons.

I'd personally hate to see many of them rebooted and I think many of them stand up perfectly well 30+ years on.

[John83]

I'd also fear what nonsense would happen to them. Legend are repeating The A-Team at the moment. Half the episodes I've recorded have opened with a warning about how old-fashioned and offensive it is (and this a show that refused to shoot anyone). Though in fairness, one of those was the pilot, which is chock-full of Mexican stereotypes.

The A-Team movie was harmless. The new McGuyver seemed a bit anodyne in the few snippets I saw. I watched the Kevin Smith reboot of He-Man out of sheer nostalgia. Plus, they got Mark Hammil and Lena Heady for some of the voices. I'm sure the original wouldn't hold up much, but on balance I'd rather not have watched the new one. I never saw the new Knight Rider, V, Danger Mouse, or the Charlie's Angels movie, or whatever they've done to Lethal Weapon. I can't think of anything rebooted that was really good other than Battlestar Galactica, and then I saw almost nothing of the original of that. Even the Star Trek reboot is mostly forgettable in spite of a charismatic cast.

There's always something lost with a reboot. I remember the older repeats of Iron Man - old even when I saw them - which generally had a moment of crisis each episode in which Iron Man would clutch his chest and have to go plug in to a wall socket to recharge. The updates to make it a modern movie were fun, but things keep escallating to the point where it's just CGI point clouds fighting each other while muttering about nanotech and destiny. Some of the charm of these things is hard to replicate. Mostly, I just got too old for this ****.

[Mr A]

Would not be too bothered with reboots either but jeez I loved Pinky and the Brain and also Dangermouse.

[pineapple stu]

I can entirely see you watching those alright!

The Crystal Maze was rebooted a few years back and it was great to have it. OK, they had some celeb editions which was a bit silly. And Richard Ayoade isn't Richard O'Brien and is generally quite annoying - though I thought he did well here. Then it was dropped after four years because the ratings weren't worth it. Grumble grumble youth of today, etc! You just don't get TV like this any more -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BxudMZ3yyg

Used to love the Krypton Factor too, especially the round in the grand final where contestants had to land an actual plane.

[nigel-harps1954]

The original Crystal Maze is still the absolute peak of the gameshow era.

[Crosby87]

Rob Morrow said they want to reboot Northern Exposure but no network wants it.

[ramondo]

And it got me thinking… if I were to pick one TV show from my childhood for a reboot – ... – it would be, hands down, The Time Tunnel.

So, posing the question: what would be the one childhood TV show that you’d like to see rebooted?


The Time Tunnel was kinda rebooted with Quantum Leap - which has itself been rebooted recently - though I haven't watched any yet. Seems fitting for a show about time travel.

My choice spans RTE's transition from the 70s to the 80s, so it's a toss up between:

Eugene "worst ventriloquist in the world" Lambert, "I fluffed my lines again so I'll make it up" Godmother, the grandiloquent crazy crow, Rory and his "magic ring" (fnarr! fnarr!) et al's Wanderly Wagon,

AND,

the ultimate little head-wrecker himself, Bosco.