Back to the future for TV shows

Will Smith's production company is developing a new sitcom with similarities to Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Photo / Supplied

The number of TV shows being revived these days begs the question, have major studios run out of ideas?

Whether it is a series being resurrected for the big screen or simply updated for TV, a tried and tested sitcom or drama is now more appealing than a gamble on a new series.

Of late, retired TV shows such as Twin Peaks, Full House and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air are being resuscitated. The TV series Baywatch, which starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, is also coming to a cinema near you.

Then there are a number of movies being remade or simply updated such as Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice and The Notebook.

The thought of TV favourites returning to the big or small screen gets fans of the show excited and is certainly welcomed by any actor who starred, big or small, in those productions.

Yet just because the TV series were successful in the past is no guarantee they'll be a money spinner for the studio or network a second time around.

That is as much of a gamble as a new series. The only difference is there is no need to establish new characters and themes, it's all laid out.

It's like buying the shell of a vintage car and refitting it with a new interior and motor.
In recent years there have been a few flops, notably the revival of Dallas, about a filthy-rich feuding Texan family which originally ran for 14 seasons, from 1978-1991. Oil started flowing again in Dallas in 2012 but it lasted just three seasons.

That revival wasn't as bad as the Melrose Place reboot. The series, revolving around young adults living in a Los Angeles apartment complex, was a huge success in the 1990s, but its rehash in 2009 lasted one season.

Melrose Place was, of course, a spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210, which ran for 10 years before being axed in 2000. The show was reincarnated as 90210 in 2008 and ran for five seasons before the plug was pulled.

Closer to home, Wentworth, which was the "reimagination" of 1980s Australian drama Prisoner, has been a major success for Foxtel, which has just announced a fourth season.

So, while fans may get warm fuzzies about their favourite TV sitcoms and dramas from yesteryear making a comeback, the bottom line is, as always, how they rate in front of today's audiences.

Revived TV Shows

Prison Break: About a man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit (Wentworth Miller, right) devising a plan to escape. Lasted four seasons and cancelled in 2009. Fox has ordered a 10-episode run - a sequel - which will air in 2016.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air: A sitcom which helped launch the career of singer-turned-actor Will Smith (above). Initial run was 1990-96. Smith's production company is developing a new comedy which will have similarities.

Twin Peaks: Mystery thriller about the murder of Laura Palmer. Though it lasted two seasons (1990-91), it was very popular. Slated to return in 2016 with director David Lynch again behind the camera.

Full House: The sitcom about a widowed father who does his best to raise three children ran from 1987 to 1995. The reboot by Netflix is called Fuller House, featuring former cast members.

- AAP