Reboots and Revivals: Are They Necessary to Keep a Show Alive?

By Jacqueline Rappa (Advertising and Marketing Communications ’23)

A sense of nostalgia washes over when you scroll past a preview for the “iCarly” reboot or catch a glimpse of the “Full House” spinoff series while browsing through Netflix. After years of not watching these characters, they are now all grown up and tackling adulthood. But are these reboots meant to appeal to their original audience or are they looking to draw in a new generation of viewers?

Over the past few years, reboots and revivals have taken over television and streaming platforms. The purpose behind a reboot is so that audiences can feel a sense of comfort and familiarity as their favorite characters are being brought back to life. Revivals are bringing back either a cast or plot for what producers believe to be a new, fresh run.

Revivals immediately catch the attention of a familiar audience. Fans of the drama-comedy series “Gilmore Girls” religiously watched the show when it aired on The WB from 2000-2007 and continued to do so a decade later when its revival, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” aired on Netflix in 2016. When a show comes back many years later, its main goal is to bring back its loyal fanbase. Depending on how well the show goes, this can be good or bad. Many “Gilmore Girls” fans were upset by the constant lack of diversity and stereotypes still present in the 2016 reboot.

This past year, the popular 2007 drama series “Gossip Girl” came out with a reboot on HBO Max. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Savannah Smith stated that the reboot is “very Gen Z oriented, very modern, very fresh and new.” The plot centers around social media and influencer culture, which barely existed from 2007 to 2012 when the show originally aired. There is a whole new cast, however, characters from the original show still exist in the “Gossip Girl” universe. The reboot is very much trying to resonate with a new audience while still keeping familiar aspects of the show to also appeal to original fans. They are trying their best to tackle two demographics of people at once. It isn’t easy to make everyone happy when putting a Gen Z twist on an original Millennial series.

The original “Gossip Girl” has a history of incorporating problematic storylines that glossed over immoral actions and behaviors. Acts of sexual assault performed by one of the main characters, Chuck, were romanticized throughout the series. The show itself never called out this mistake or addressed it to its viewers that these actions are not okay. The “Gossip Girl” reboot focuses on topics such as accountability, social reform and gender roles. However, fans of the show in 2021 were not happy when the reboot included a student-teacher sexual relationship as a storyline, a common problematic trope in dramas with teens.

“Gossip Girl” was not the only New York City based show to be revived this year. The “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That…” is set to air this coming December on HBO Max. “Sex and the City” is unfortunately another show that did a poor job reflecting the diversity of New York City when it originally aired from 1998-2004. In 2021, it is honestly irresponsible of the producers to bring back the storylines of exclusively white, straight, and cisgender characters. It simply does not make sense for a show that is set to take place in the most diverse city in the world. It is time for new stories to be told and for representation to be the main focus.

It is up to the viewers themselves to decide if a reboot is worth watching. Just by the trailer, a viewer is able to determine if they would like to witness their favorite characters be revived or if the show simply should just not have returned. Watching rerun marathons might actually leave viewers more satisfied than anything else.