Five Classic TV Shows/Movies That Should Never Be Rebooted [VIDEO]
So what do you do when you read Disney wants to "reboot" the 1990 classic movie Home Alone? You and I would get uncomfortable. And seeing the language "reimagined for a new generation of viewers" gets further under your skin. It's time I put together a list of tv shows and/or movies that should NEVER be rebooted.
And yes, we will start with Home Alone, and I don't think I should have to explain myself too much. First off, even Disney would never be able to recreate the performance and nuances of a then 10-year-old Macauly Culkin. Yes, there were sequels, let's just forget that third one or, yeah, there was a fourth one too. Sequels can be a slippery slope, hit or miss. I mean:
As for the rest of the list, I did some crowdsourcing with some very good results.
Beetlejuice is a stand-alone, fantastical, comedic masterpiece. Michael Keaton finally won an Oscar a few years ago, but he was well overdue after his clever and hilarious portrayal of the afterlife's biggest goofball. Now Beetlejuice has the distinction of recently being turned into a Tony-nominated musical. Musicals rebooted from movies are another slippery slope, and way back in the day, musicals were turned into movies. I can give a slight pass in this case. But again:
For the next never reboot, I'm turning to TV and to Little House on the Prairie. This is one of my "holy grail" shows. I can't recall a day I didn't get home from school and watch it and yes, I watched its sequel, Little House: A New Beginning, which isn't a reboot, it just pushed the story ahead and it introduced new characters. The story of the Ingalls and their time in big woods and in Walnut Grove has been turned into a mini-series and a musical. Melissa Gilbert played "Ma" in the musical version. I give the full circle moment a slight pass. But Allison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson? Come on!
The next suggestion for a never reboot comes from Dave Spencer and, in my opinion, it's the only "set in a radio station" sitcom that worked, WKRP in Cincinnati. Sure, you could reboot this one due to all the music that's come out since 1982, all the different station formats that exist now, but the chemistry of WKRP's actors was undeniable. It was also a fairly accurate look at what really goes on at a radio station, a look behind the curtain so to speak. And, no, you can't reboot this:
Last but not least, is a movie that not only should never rebooted or replicated, just don't, Hocus Pocus. I included it because, Halloween will be here sooner than you think and two, just watch it! The chemistry, the slapstick humor, the understated humor, the characters, it's an instant (cult) classic. And two words, Bette Midler:
What movies and/or tv shows would you never be on board for a reboot?