Top 10 FAILED TV Show Reboots
Some things are better left untouched! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for rebooted television shows that tanked horribly.
Transcript
00:00 Seriously? You actually came back?
00:03 Yes I did, and for more on this breaking story, let's go to me!
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for rebooted television shows
00:11 that tanked horribly.
00:12 But we are not going anywhere, no matter what!
00:15 Oh, you will.
00:16 We'll be excluding animated programs since they'll be their own list.
00:19 Number 10. Kojak
00:21 What, you lose your hair? You going to a couple of stakeouts? So you're Kojak?
00:24 Back in 1973, CBS launched a new police procedural called Kojak. Famed actor Telly
00:29 Savalas played the titular character for five seasons before the show was canceled in 1978.
00:39 Fans were delighted when two more Savalas-led TV movies were released in 1985 and 1987.
00:45 Additional small-screen films along with books have also continued Kojak's story.
00:48 In 2005, Ving Rhames starred in a short-lived TV reboot of the show set in modern times.
00:54 Unfortunately, despite Rhames' likability and reputation, the USA Network pulled the
00:58 plug after 10 episodes.
01:00 It's another example of how just because something was popular once doesn't mean it will be again.
01:05 Do no good killing me.
01:06 Wrong. Killing you is going to give me a lot of satisfaction.
01:10 Number 9. Bionic Woman
01:11 The Bionic Woman was a spin-off of the popular The Six Million Dollar Man.
01:15 What's your name?
01:18 Jamie Summers.
01:19 Both featured individuals who had been augmented with bionic implants to give them superhuman
01:23 abilities.
01:30 While the original show only lasted three seasons, NBC commissioned a reboot in 2007
01:35 featuring Michelle Ryan as Jamie Summers, previously portrayed by Lindsay Wagner.
01:39 The reboot stayed mostly true to the lead character's origins but failed to garner any
01:43 critical acclaim.
01:44 How did you do that?
01:45 Pilates.
01:46 The nail in the coffin was the 2007 writer's strike that halted production on the show.
01:52 Shortly after the strike ended, NBC announced the show's cancellation.
01:55 You only have one bionic arm.
01:58 You should really do something about that.
02:03 Number 8. Ironside
02:04 This isn't going to work.
02:05 She brought him in the leg.
02:06 She hit the hostage?
02:07 Did I stutter?
02:08 It'd be easy for audiences today to have no knowledge of who Robert T. Ironside was.
02:12 Miss Gordon, my name is Ironside.
02:16 I'm a police officer.
02:18 Originally played by the legendary Raymond Burr, Ironside was a police drama featuring
02:22 the titular character who uses a wheelchair.
02:25 Church number one was Father Miles' church until he was transferred.
02:28 He was a fixture there, had been for years.
02:32 Now let A represent Father Miles.
02:36 The show focused on Ironside's ability to solve crimes using his unique insight and
02:40 intelligence versus physical intimidation.
02:42 The show was revived in 2013 with Blair Underwood taking on the lead role.
02:45 I was thinking about running a marathon, see if she has a trainer.
02:48 They're the new bartenders for people who don't have time for a shrink.
02:51 Critics slammed it, citing it as being mundane and monotonous.
02:54 There was also a big backlash over casting a non-disabled actor in a disabled role.
02:58 I didn't know.
02:59 Sure you did.
03:00 She told me how you close your door.
03:02 Only four episodes made it to air of the nine that were made.
03:05 Number 7. Party of Five
03:07 Fox's Party of Five ran for six seasons and helped propel the careers of Matthew Fox,
03:11 Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf.
03:13 All I'm saying is, there's no way we're going to make the next $15,000 last four months
03:18 if all of us are writing checks.
03:19 And leasing Jeeps.
03:20 I like the Jeep.
03:21 Focusing on the lives of five siblings who lost their parents in an accident, audiences
03:25 watched this family grow and evolve over the show's six-year run.
03:28 So much for your lectures on responsibility, huh?
03:31 Is this why you wanted to control the accounts so you could blow it all yourself?
03:34 Hey, I was trying to do something good here.
03:36 This investment was for all of us.
03:38 When Freeform ordered a remake, the hope was to see this formula work again.
03:41 And it almost did.
03:43 Well, it did among critics, at least.
03:45 If they are sent away, their five children and their restaurant becomes the sole responsibility
03:51 of a 24-year-old.
03:52 The show garnered a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but even with such acclaim, it couldn't
03:57 seem to bring in the views.
03:58 Do you have a girlfriend, Bear?
04:00 A secret girlfriend?
04:02 A tiny little secret girlfriend?
04:04 That's mine.
04:05 Terrible ratings doomed it to oblivion after only one season.
04:09 Number 6. The Muppets
04:10 Seriously, who doesn't love The Muppets?
04:13 These lovable puppet characters have been entertaining audiences for decades.
04:16 You call yourself a doctor, Dr. Bob?
04:18 I'd never call myself a doctor.
04:20 They don't come when you call them anyway.
04:23 And thanks to Jason Segel's reboot of the film franchise in 2011, these fuzzy creatures
04:27 were back in the minds of viewers.
04:29 The new 2015 series was framed much like more modern comedies, using a single camera and
04:34 mockumentary-style filming featuring both the personal and professional lives of our
04:38 favorite Muppets.
04:39 I'm not happy with the janitor knowing what I throw away.
04:41 Can you have someone put a layer of generic trash over my private trash?
04:44 Unfortunately, the ratings soon began to slip, and the network changed showrunners in an
04:48 attempt to reboot the reboot.
04:49 By that time, the damage was done, and the show was canceled after a single season.
04:53 I like this, Kermit.
04:55 Come here, you decisive little frog, you, and tell Denise what you want.
04:59 Number 5. Melrose Place
05:01 Now here's yet another example of a studio going back to the well to see if they can
05:05 milk a property even more than they already have.
05:07 If I told you it was my mom's idea, would that mean anything?
05:10 Melrose Place was a successful Fox show that centered around the lives of young adults.
05:14 The stove is gas.
05:15 We'll just split the utilities.
05:16 Wait a second.
05:17 You mean I can't have any of your peanut butter, even if I have a craving?
05:20 Having produced more than 200 episodes, it shouldn't come as a surprise that someone
05:24 was going to want to try and bring it back.
05:25 Much like virtually every show on our list, the revival sparked huge interest at first,
05:30 but fell off a cliff quickly with terrible ratings.
05:32 Never trust a man who's sprayed tans.
05:34 Or a woman who has no loyalty for her co-worker.
05:36 Here you go.
05:37 Back up your office.
05:39 It seems the newer version couldn't quite replicate the attraction of the original.
05:42 Poor thing.
05:43 She's lived here, what, 30 seconds?
05:45 Number 4.
05:46 Heroes Reborn While this was held as a limited run event
05:49 series, audiences seemed to be confused about what exactly Heroes Reborn was trying to do.
05:53 I came here tonight because I thought maybe someone could give me a few tips.
05:58 Help me out a little.
05:59 You came to the wrong place, my friend.
06:02 It takes place a while after the original series' setting, and most of the cast is
06:05 filled with new faces.
06:06 It looks like both of you are going for a little ride.
06:08 No need, we'll take 'em both now.
06:14 Like the original show, it features a host of ordinary people gaining superpowers, and
06:18 also like the original show, it ended on a cliffhanger.
06:21 Although Heroes had a great first season, it suffered major setbacks due to the 2007
06:25 writers' strike, and limped along for two more seasons afterward, before its cancellation.
06:29 My name is Claire Bennett, and this is a temp number.
06:33 I guess I've kinda lost count.
06:37 The reboot's ending suffered the same open-ended fate, except this time, it was said to have
06:41 been on purpose.
06:42 They just did the right thing.
06:43 And now, they just wanna be left alone.
06:48 Number 3.
06:49 Knight Rider Turns out that even an upgraded Turbo Boost
06:52 couldn't launch this reboot into a success story.
06:54 I still can't believe you built another one.
06:57 What do you mean, another one?
06:58 The original Knight Rider came out in 1982 and was a huge hit with audiences.
07:02 Kid?
07:03 Yes?
07:04 Shut up.
07:05 It was your idea to play.
07:07 A somewhat frivolous pastime anyway when you could be briefing me on our mission instead.
07:11 Most of the credit can be given to the show's main character, Michael Knight, played by
07:14 David Hasselhoff.
07:15 A story about a guy and his talking car sounds ridiculous, but Hasselhoff's charm steered
07:19 the show in the right direction and made it a staple of the 80s.
07:22 Did my dad give you a name?
07:23 I am the Knight Industries 3000.
07:24 You may call me Kit.
07:25 Alright, Kit, so where are you taking me?
07:26 I'm going to the mountain roads, as they will provide the best environment in which
07:27 to elude the car following us.
07:28 The what?
07:29 So it may not come as a surprise that all the TV movies and revival attempts without
07:39 him have largely crashed and burned.
07:41 What once seemed cute and charming now comes off as cringeworthy cheese.
07:44 Fine, whatever.
07:45 Is this the part where you break my legs?
07:46 Number 2.
07:47 Charlie's Angels
07:48 Whoa, whoa.
07:49 Remember what Charlie said.
07:50 What?
07:51 These are just conversation starters.
07:52 The original Charlie's Angels is fondly remembered as an entertaining piece of television history
07:57 from the 1970s.
07:58 Morning, angels.
07:59 Good morning, Charlie.
08:00 Are we ready, Bosley?
08:01 It also spawned a small media franchise with multiple films, an animated television program,
08:07 and even a web series.
08:08 Given the attention it received on the back of the movie's success, a rebooted TV show
08:12 was inevitable.
08:13 Only four episodes aired on ABC in 2011 before the network pulled the plug due to horrible
08:18 ratings.
08:19 Of the mere eight episodes made, seven were released, with the final eighth one only being
08:22 made available much later.
08:24 I trust you're all enjoying my yacht.
08:27 It's amazing.
08:28 The only thing we're missing is the owner.
08:29 We were hoping you would drop in on the celebration, Charlie.
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08:49 1.
08:51 Charmed
08:52 We know this reboot lasted four seasons, which is not only pretty good for a TV series in
08:55 general but is the longest of any of the other entries on this list.
09:07 Weirdly though, it received quite the amount of backlash and fan hate, so we're surprised
09:10 it even made it through one season.
09:19 Although branded as a reboot, there was no acknowledgement of the original Charmed or
09:22 its cast in the newer stories.
09:24 It was essentially a brand new show that used similar elements from the original.
09:32 Former castmates Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs tore the reboot to pieces and called
09:36 out some of its anti-original sentiments.
09:39 Aside from attempts to pander to modern audiences, it really brought nothing new to the table,
09:43 sealing its fate in 2022.
09:50 Have you ever had your hopes and dreams about a new reboot crushed from a terrible retail
09:54 telling of a great story?
09:55 Let us know in the comments!
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