Television Meme, Part 1

[rogueslayer452]

There was a television meme someone had posted a little while ago which got circulated around but it didn't feature all the questions, so I found the original post with them. Though because it is incredibly long for a single entry I will be splitting up my answers into separate posts by taking several questions at a time.


If you could reboot one TV show, which one would it be?
At this point I'm feeling incredibly burnt out by reboots. I feel like there are probably some shows that could benefit from being rebooted in some way or another, but nowadays it feels like everything is a reboot or a revival of sorts and nobody is taking a chance to do something original. Of course, "reboot" just means remake nowadays and not a proper rebooting of an already existing universe, which if that were the case I can definitely think of plenty fictional universes that would be wonderful to reboot in forms of prequels or sequels and such to expand upon existing lore.

If you could have saved one TV show from cancellation, which one would it be?
There are honestly too many to only choose one, which is by far the most upsetting thing.

I'm still incredibly bitter about Caprica being cancelled. I have been disappointed and devastated by shows getting unjustly and prematurely axed throughout the years, always have and always will, but nothing stings more than the absolute disservice that Syfy did to that show (a common theme with them tbh). It only got one season that was incredibly mishandled by the network and an already built-in fanbase that wasn't sticking around because of their personal feelings towards the BSG finale. The show was truly building up to something wonderful and beautiful, the epilogue that we got at the end of the finale really showed us that there was something there worth telling but we weren't going to get it, which hurt even more after the fact. So if I were to have saved a show from cancellation, Caprica would've been it. And hell, considering that reviving shows is popular right now along with having more platform options for doing so, I would absolutely want to do that, bringing back everyone who worked on the show to continue the story that they wanted to tell.

Have you ever quit a show before it finished? Why?
Yep, quite a handful of shows, to be honest. It usually stems from being either uninterested or frustrated with the direction of the show. I've come to realize that I don't really have that sense of loyalty to something once it starts frustrating me. I've been burned far too many times by shows to do that to myself. I may revisit them later once it's all done so I'm prepared for the outcome, but otherwise I don't have the time or patience to continue watching something that doesn't hold my interest or enjoyment anymore, regardless of my love for characters.

Are there any shows you wish could just be cancelled already?
I would say Bull needs to be cancelled. After everything that happened to Eliza Dushku and how she had to legally fight back against the show for basically firing and bullying her and attempting to blacklist her, never mind the only other character I liked on the show basically having been killed off, the show just needs to end. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth that it's still airing despite all of that, with no actual repercussions after the sexual harassment situation.

Comments

[violateraindrop]

You are raising an interesting point about reboots. But yeah, mostly they are used to keep is safe (and simple).

I completely agree about Bull. However, I have the weird feeling that they would cancel it and Michael would just go straight back to NCIS. His only 'punishment' would be that he is no longer the star of his own show.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

That's unfortunately very true. Some have said that he's basically the "darling" for CBS and they'll support him no matter what he does, even if it's something as serious as what happened. I mean, CBS is shit for many reasons, but it's really infuriating that that's seemingly the reality. :/

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I'll probably do this meme the same way, answer a few at a time.

Of course, "reboot" just means remake nowadays and not a proper rebooting of an already existing universe, which if that were the case I can definitely think of plenty fictional universes that would be wonderful to reboot in forms of prequels or sequels and such to expand upon existing lore.

Yeah, I would love that. And prequels/sequels that don't just repeat past plotlines/character arcs, but like you said, expand on those universes.

I have also stepped away from several shows, although I more typically just fade in and out. Sometimes it's not even quality per se, the show just ends up being very different from what I was expecting. Or it's just too lacking in teamwork. I like shows where characters really work together to fight for a common goal, so "it's me against you" setups don't really work as well for me.

I've never watched Bull, but what happened to Eliza Dushku was awful.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Or it's just too lacking in teamwork. I like shows where characters really work together to fight for a common goal, so "it's me against you" setups don't really work as well for me.

For me, it depends on the nature of the story, since sometimes some shows tend to start off that way until it gradually is about coming together. In general, I prefer it in small doses, and only when it serves a purpose of moving the plot along, especially if it's about convincing each other to work together towards a common goal. But constantly having characters, who are supposedly on the same team, butting heads in this "it's me against you" with absolutely character or relationship development and is only added to create conflict for the sake of drama, well, that gets boring.

[cozycaffe.livejournal.com]

Reboots... I don't see the point. Charmed never interested me. The rumors of a Buffy one is leaving me iffy and now there's talk about Angel, too. And it's not just tv shows living through those but movies; lots of 'em. Where's the originality and creativity anymore?

Firefly is a show I would revive. Now Santa Clarita Diet. Shadowhunters as well as I think it deserves so much better. There's like 2 episodes left now...

Grey's Anatomy. I stopped watching a long time ago. I think it definitely ran longer than it should have. I didn't think the stories were that interesting anymore for some reason; I lost interest in all of it for some reason.

I wanted to say Supernatural but it's stopping after 15 so I don't have to say anything. I still gotta catch up with it though. Oh, Bull should definitely be off'ed. I haven't watched it, was never interested but it's a whole piece of crap anyway, especially behind the scene...

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

And it's not just tv shows living through those but movies; lots of 'em. Where's the originality and creativity anymore?

It's been replaced with the lie of nostalgia and the greed of companies looking for a quick buck, basically. Sure, some remakes/reboots can actually be decent and even good, but those are incredibly rare in comparison to so many that attempt to jump on the bandwagon of rebooting everything because it's the current "fad" right now. When it comes to television, most of them don't even survive that long, and if they do they're not even half as memorable as the original. It just seems like a waste of opportunities and resources when it could be done with something more original and interesting, imho.

It would be interesting if Firefly had revival of sorts, but not a direct continuation of the series, and perhaps not even focusing on the original crew. I would love to see a new crew with appearances from the original cast there. Because I feel like the series had a nice wrap-up with the movie and the comics to feel completed for fans, but the 'verse can still continue with new characters and a new story that can expand and explore what we didn't see in the actual show, if that makes sense.

I think I only watched, like, the first season of Grey's Anatomy before moving onto something else, it just didn't hold my interest, despite my instant love for Cristina Yang. The fact it lasted so long is astounding. None of the original cast except for Meredith even exist anymore. Wild.

[cozycaffe.livejournal.com]

I thought Alex Karev was still in there. And Bailey. I'm probably confusing with earlier seasons. It's crazy how only Meredith's still there now. The hospital went through one or two name change, too.

I have to admit that when they announced Charmed, I was actually curious but then I saw the preview and I was "nope!". Some people love it a lot and others really dislike it. Apparently, they've used the same house as Witches of East End and they chose that one because it was reminiscent of the original Charmed house... I compared both and I don't see it.

So far, the only reboot I didn't mind, and it wasn't really a reboot as it was a continuation with the original characters's kids, is 90210 but even that, I didn't watch from beginning to end.

How many times can they redo Spiderman? Hopefully, this last one to link with the MCU is the last reboot it'll ever have. I mean... come on now.

There are so many books to movies (book to tv series) they can do. Instead, they're giving us Pikachu Detective and soon it's gonna be Sonic the Hedgehog (I saw the preview earlier)...

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I was always meh about the Charmed reboot, and the more information that came out about it the more I was like, "nope", because it sounded incredibly boring. I mean, yeah, the original wasn't all that great, it had its fair share of issues especially the later seasons, but this "reboot" has absolutely nothing to do with the original, so why even bother? Why not call it something else instead of using the Charmed name? That's something I never understood.

I think the only reboot I've liked so far has been Will & Grace, which, while there were some creative choices I disagreed with, it has actually done a good job with remaining true to itself while updating for the current times.

How many times can they redo Spiderman? Hopefully, this last one to link with the MCU is the last reboot it'll ever have. I mean... come on now.

Ugh, I know. I think Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was unique because it had all the other multiverse versions of Spider-Man, and it was something different than what we've been getting, but in terms of live-action movies they just kept on repeating Peter Parker's story over and over. I mean, sure, Tom Holland's Peter Parker wasn't an origin story like previous movies, but still.

Instead, they're giving us Pikachu Detective

Well, to be fair, that's more unique too since it is based off of a specific video game and it is giving people Pokemon on the big screen in a way many have been wanting for a long time, so I'd say that's more creative that people are excited for. In my opinion, it's Disney is doing all these live-action remakes of their animated movies is probably the most unnecessary thing, to be honest. They could give us something new and interesting, and instead they're giving us what we already have. Some can be good, while others not so much. The Aladdin one looks atrocious, like omg.

[cozycaffe.livejournal.com]

I do admit that Pikachu looks cool. Not sure about Sonic but I guess they had to do that, too. Disney's animated into real life isn't too bad... depending on the movie, I guess. I'm kind of excited for The Lion King but I don't know. Aladdin kinda sorta looks cool but I don't know about Will Smith as the genie *laughs*

Thing is, when they do reboots, what they think is it's gonna work because the original did. What I think they forget is that the people don't just love the show but they love the actor's play and the characters. Like this new Charmed... it's nothing near like the original but it's still Charmed because it's sisters living under the same roof discovering they're witches... but there's an outsider right from the start... kinda like Paige in the original.

I'm scared for Buffy. They want the main character to be a black girl. Got nothing against that at all, I'm all for it actually. But don't call her Buffy. Don't keep the namesake for the show. Especially since it's not quite a reboot but it's not quite a continuation either. And Buffy did finish with all potentials being actual Slayers so...

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

What I think they forget is that the people don't just love the show but they love the actor's play and the characters.

I think what they also forget is the many elements that worked for the original cannot really be replicated no matter how hard they try. It's not just assembling the same story and thinking that it works, but it's a combination good writing by certain writers, an interesting direction, the actors who played the characters, and also sometimes it's the matter of the era it was released, as well. You just can't reboot something and hoping that it will go just as well as the original for that extra nostalgia buck.

It's why a lot of movie remakes tend to aimless and soulless, they don't know what works and are only trying to bank off the original.

(But like I mentioned, some reboots/remakes can actually do pretty well on their own, but they have to work extra hard with knowing what works and what doesn't and to be its own entity, and that can be difficult to do if you don't have the right people involved.)

Don't keep the namesake for the show. Especially since it's not quite a reboot but it's not quite a continuation either.

Exactly. Just another thing reboots tend to fail at, keeping the name for the sake of being recognizable and, again, banking off the original. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a popular and recognizable name, sure, but her story has already been told. With the rich and extensive lore of that world, particularly with the Slayer line, you have a plethora of choices of stories to choose from, past or present or even future, without relying entirely on focusing on a character named Buffy.

Granted, idk what's going to become of this new "reboot" series. I haven't heard anything about it since it was announced and the backlash happened.

[cozycaffe.livejournal.com]

I think what they also forget is the many elements that worked for the original cannot really be replicated no matter how hard they try. It's not just assembling the same story and thinking that it works, but it's a combination good writing by certain writers, an interesting direction, the actors who played the characters, and also sometimes it's the matter of the era it was released, as well. You just can't reboot something and hoping that it will go just as well as the original for that extra nostalgia buck.

You've clearly put into words what I tried but was at a loss for words *laughs*

I guess we can only wait and see. It has been a while since we last heard anything about the project.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Definitely agree on Bull! I follow the JustWatch app for updates to my streaming sites, and every time I see an episode of that has been added to NowTv, just seeing his smug face in the poster has me fuming

And I keep hearing about the Jim Hensen company wanting to reboot Farscape, with a tv series focusing on John and Aeryn’s son and the next generation, but I don’t know if anything will ever come of it or not, it seems like they have just been talking about it for ages. And same with the Buffy reboot, it seems like audiences are much less for reboots when the existing show was already a much loved cult favourite. I feel differently to you when it comes to revivals, I love to catch up with old favourites again tbh, but yeah I don’t know how easy it is to carry off a reboot and do something with a show that audiences are already familiar with. It can work, I loved every version of Nikita for one, but often it just seems everyone is comparing it to the original and seeing it as an inferior copy, and you’re left wondering what was wrong with the original *shrugs*

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Same. The fact that the man still has a career after all of that enrages me.

it seems like audiences are much less for reboots when the existing show was already a much loved cult favourite.

It always seems to be the general consensus, and yet somehow networks try to do them anyway because, well, money. And while sometimes it can be successful, like with BSG and Nikita as you mentioned which I also loved, most of them often fail because none of it is handled with respect or care. Cult favorite shows are successful and loved for a reason, and sometimes it's best to leave them alone.

[raktajinos.livejournal.com]

I hear you on Caprica. I had my issues with the BSG finale, but the overall summation of the series I thought was really well done, but I'm not in the majority lol. I think Caprica also suffered from it being not originally made to be a spinoff. I think the network had the series pitched to them as an original and they forced it to be a spinoff of BSG because there was enough thematic overlap. The parts that didn't blend were the heavily BSG canon bits, but all the other stuff was great.

I also think the marketing was problematic. They followed a similar model to BSG with having a mostly-nude woman in the marketing. But whereas Tricia Helfer was a) an international supermodel and b) an adult woman......Torresani looked like a teenager. And having a semi-nude teenager in all the promos really turned me off the show.

It had some really great stuff and its shitty that it got shafted by the network on many fronts.

(fyi, borrowing this meme)

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I'm also one of the minority that loved the BSG finale. I acknowledge the flaws and issues that it had, but there was a sense of a bookend completion that I really liked, and the more I rewatch it the more emotional I get.

I don't think the issue was that Caprica was a spin-off necessarily, but that it wasn't the type of spin-off people were hoping for. I think fans were wanting something along the lines of what Blood & Chrome was later on, which sadly that also didn't get a chance to thrive either. I remember how Caprica was already being judged because the focus was going to be primarily on a teenage girl and some BSG fans were miffed because they didn't want it to become "BTVS in space" or something like that (paraphrasing, but the BSG fandom back then was very brutal esp when it came to female characters), so that combined with the mixed feelings about the BSG series finale it left Caprica kinda wandering aimlessly in terms of its particular target audience. Plus, since Syfy was rebranding itself as a network it clearly had no idea what to do with the show, obviously having zero faith in it despite it being connected to one of their most popular and critically acclaimed successful series on its network, and they just poorly mishandled it to the point of leaving it out in the dust. I'll never forgive them for that, tbh.

I, personally, loved the direction it was going in and I was anxious and eager to learn more, especially for it being connected with the BSG universe but also being its own thing. I liked that it was expanding the worlds and I was really looking forward to them going into depth of the Twelve Colonies, the different planets and their cultures, which we got a bit of. So its cancellation made me bitter for many reasons, that being one of them.

I remember reading their plans for the future seasons had they gone on, and it makes me wonder how that would've worked, but it's one of those things where it could've been fantastic, but we'll never know. *sigh*

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I think some reboots like BSG are great because the showrunners have their own unique vision that's very different from the original. I don't like the idea of just redoing a show that's already good but not making some drastic meaningful changes that allow for a new story to be told.

Agree so much about Caprica, I need to get on rewatching that eventually.

Yes to cancelling Bull. The network obviously gives no fucks and it's so frustrating that there are no consequences for such shitty behavior.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

BSG is one of the good examples of reboots done right. Because it simply wasn't just a reboot, it was a re-imagining. It took the basic premise of the original series and did something else with it, something unique, so when you look at the two together you can tell that it's not the same series but something completely different made with a lot of love and had passionate people working on it to make it work, which is what made it stand out on its own. Reboots nowadays are just attempted remakes, and any changes they make often don't improve anything and they're often too chickenshit to try and do something daring or risky -- and by that, I don't mean make it ~grittier or ~edgier, which is just repetitive and boring at this point, tbh.

CBS is just shit in general, for multiple reasons. I'm sorry for the few good shows that are still on that network for dealing with their nonsense. :/

[batmarg.livejournal.com]

Re: Bull, I tend to agree, but I suppose I'm glad the other actors haven't lost work. But better shows have gotten canceled for less...

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I kinda feel bad for wanting a show to be cancelled and for the rest on the show to lose their jobs because of one gross man's actions, but since he is not only the lead but also the title character it is hard to really know what is the right move to make when these serious situations happen. If he didn't suffer repercussions for what happened, what is the right course of action to take? Besides, like someone else said, if his show ended up getting cancelled he is still CBS's darling and would go right back to NCIS anyway. So, yeah, idk. :/

[silverusagi]

If I could save one show from cancellation, it would have to be Hannibal. But only if I could go back in time and do it, and have the fourth season air the year after the third season. I'm not as thrilled with the idea now of a time jump within the show itself, which seems to be where Bryan is leaning if it's ever brought back. (But given the way Netflix treats its properties, I'm not really thinking Hannibal will get brought back at all, and Netflix was the best bet for it.)

But if I could uncancel one right now, Santa Clarita Diet.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

But given the way Netflix treats its properties, I'm not really thinking Hannibal will get brought back at all, and Netflix was the best bet for it.

True, although if a contract is to be signed with that early on then Bryan could, theoretically, sign a contract for two/three more seasons (as that is now how Netflix handles things apparently) of the show before it finally ends, giving the show at least six seasons total which isn't too shabby. But even if it was resurrected for even just one more season I think fans would be fine with that, give a sense of closure, even though the S3 finale seemed good for what it was.

Maybe something else could help revive it, since there are so many companies now creating their own streaming services. But really, who knows? I just think we all want at least one more season though, regardless.

[silverusagi]

I would be fine with just one more season, mainly because I'm here for Hannibal and Will, and I doubt Fuller will ever get the rights to do the SotL story line anyway.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, which sucks because I really wanted to see what he'd do with Clarice.