While the term 'reboot' is usually met with geek torches and pitchforks, I think we can expand the definition to airing of new episodes of old shows. Fellow Prairie Nerd Jason Powers and I have compiled a list of 6 shows we want to see return to television.
1. Star Trek (Michael)It is high time to bring Trek back, but perhaps with shorter seasons. I would love to see a Trek series that follows the British TV series model of 6-12 episodes per season. This gives the writers time to really focus on the story and characters, as well as more of a budget to work with.
If you give a 12-epsode season the budget of Voyager and Deep Space Nine's 24 episode season, we could see more amazing things on a Trek show than we have ever seen before. This means more non-human aliens, more alien planets without looking like the same set, and new starship special effects.
Whether the story wraps up TNG, DS9 and VOY timelines, or gives us the reboot universe, mirror universe or even a year in the life of a Starfleet officer on a planet, it won't matter. It will be spectacular.
2. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Michael)I can't even express how badly we need this show back on the air. Even if Mike, Crow and Servo run out of bad 60s movies to make fun of, we have a ton of new movies they can watch! (Dragon. Ball. Z.)
You wouldn't even need to update the ship or effects. That was part of it's appeal. Bring back Mary Jo Pehl as the villain as well, and even add a new crew member or two.
3. Tomorrow People (Michael)So few remember this show, but in the 1990s Nickelodeon aired the British remake of a classic series The Tomorrow People, which featured the story of kids with teleportation, energy and telepathic powers that were a result of ancient aliens crash landing on Earth. Each new season had a new story with the same characters, and it was absolutely awesome.
4. Firefly (Jason Powers)I know it has become somewhat cliché for a nerd, to rail against the premature canceling of "Firefly" a decade ago, but hell, count me in.
That show was way better than the ratings showed, and just needed some time for the word of mouth to spread. "The Walking Dead" and "Breaking Bad" both saw their highest ratings starting late in season 2.
One consolation is that there have been some very unfounded rumors circulating that "Firefly" could come back as an animated series. I am cautiously optimistic about this because Joss Whedon has enough on his plate already, and the cast had moved on to other projects.
5. The Prisoner (Jason Powers)I know they tried to bring this back already in 2009, but they failed miserably. I want this show to come back as close to the original as possible.
Perhaps if the BBC could get Russell T. Davies, who was responsible for the original 2005 reboot of "Doctor Who" to do it, it could be done right. Davies has a good eye for updating '60s camp.
6. Freaks and Geeks (Jason Powers)While not a genre show, this nugget of joy about high school misfits only lasted one season back in 1999, but launched the careers of just about everybody involved. They obviously couldn't use the original actors, because they are all too old and too expensive now, but maybe an updated version using the same creative team would work.
Cancellation isn't the endDr. Who, if anything, taught us that if shows have a rabid following, people in charge will take note and bring a TV series back.
It had been decades between Dr. Who seasons, but the BBC made a genius move when it aired completely new episodes of the show. No new spin was given to the series, just updated writing and effects. It captured the imagination of the old series as well as the heart of the story.
Some of these shows would need new spins because of their original premise, but as Dr. Who advanced its timeless ideals and heart, so can these shows.
Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com
