Nostalgia fuel: 5 reboots of geeky TV shows about to hit our screens

One of the latest global trends is that of bringing back old shows and movies with new TV shows. These new ‘resurrections’ are a continuation of old storylines, which is a plus for viewers wanting to pick up where things dropped off, though some a few decades down the line.

Viewers are already swamped for choice when it comes to television. Fans clamour for new episodes of Game of Thrones, Dr. Who, and The Walking Dead. Even with these ratings-behemoths, studios don’t seem to be satisfied with the numbers they’re pulling in. Okay, I’m probably being too hard on the studios here and this may be more of a godsend for fans of older programs.

Regardless of how many new TV shows studios push out, viewers will always wear nostalgia goggles. Hollywood is already proving the success of continuing old titles with the likes of Jurassic World and Mad Max: Fury Road. Now it’s time for the small screen to try its hand at bringing things back. Whether these ‘new’ offerings will satisfy viewers and push ratings remains to be seen.

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These are the five TV shows you should be looking out for.

Heroes Reborn

Heroes was a phenomenal success when it first aired. The show gave us the plights of everyday people dealing with their new abilities and seeing the choices they made. It turned traditional comic book TV shows on their heads and brought the genre to a global audience.

Unfortunately, Heroes aired during the fabled writer’s strike of 2007-2008. This event impacted noticeably on the show; season two started off strong but tapered off. It was strong enough to get renewed for an additional two seasons – bringing the show up to four – but that was the end of it. Even the DC Comics side-stories couldn’t help the shows waning popularity.

It seems as though viewers want more, or the studios think they do – the verdict is still out on that one. This year Heroes will be returning to TV screens with Heroes Reborn, a continuation of the original series. While there is still speculation on a few points, the trailer thankfully gives us a better look at the show. Let’s hope Hiro isn’t constantly depowered this time around.

Yata!

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Twin Peaks

What can we really say about Twin Peaks? The show started off as normal as can be. Laura Palmer, daughter of a local businessman, Leland Palmer, is founded murdered. FBI special agent Dale Cooper is brought in to solve the case. On the surface, the town is boring and mundane.; if you spent a day there wouldn’t see much out of the ordinary, besides a woman carrying around a log like a baby. Agent Cooper soon discovers the truth behind Twin Peaks.

The show was strange. The characters were strange. Everything was strange, but it was excellent. It turned the ‘Small Town America’ setting on its head and gained a cult following over the years. Unfortunately, the main villain was revealed early on and the show’s ratings began to fall, though not because of that. Twin Peaks only lasted for two seasons and ended on an excruciating cliffhanger.

The show’s revival has been met with its own weirdness. David Lynch, the show’s creator was onboard for the continuation, the off, and then on again. We can only hope he stays on because without him there is no Twin Peaks. Besides a third season, the show will have a tie-in novel, which will bridge the gap between the second and third seasons. The show did end in 1991 and the time between then and the supposed 2017 release has to be explained.

Now that’s a damn fine cup of coffee.

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The X-Files

Agent Dana Scully is asked to watch over Agent Mulder’s cases. The FBI is concerned about him and what he’s up to. At first Scully is sceptical about the goings on, but eventually falls down the rabbit hole that are the X-Files.

This was another ratings monster during the nineties. It followed a Monster-of-the-week schedule (like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer) as well as an over-arching story. Our two agents covered everything from UFO cover-ups to strange evolutions of humans, to guys with yellow eyes who eat livers. It had a good nine season run, but when David Duchovny left at the end of season 7 the show just wasn’t the same. It was followed up by two movies, The X-Files and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, but neither managed to gain much traction with the general audience.

Now they’re back, or soon will be. Not much is know about the new series, but it will consist of a limited amount of episodes, which is probably the studio’s way of testing the waters. Let’s hope they’re back for good.

I want to believe.

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Ash vs. Evil Dead

The Evil Dead movies are cult classics. Their black comedy and violence have managed to gain a loyal following over the years. The trilogy first launched in 1981 and was Sam Raimi’s (Spider-Man 2002) first foray into directing theatrical movies.

The first two movies share the same premise, and part of the second movie is a retelling of the first. Several people got to a cabin in the woods and find the Necronomicon, aka the Book of the Dead. After stupidly reading some of the words out loud they summon the Deadites (demons) which start terrorising and killing the campers. Ash, the protagonist, has to put an end to these emissaries of chaos and send them back from whence they came. Ash is flung into the middle ages for the third movie, which takes a more comedic approach than the first two films.

The Evil Dead received a decent reboot in 2013, but it wasn’t quite up to the original standards. There was a similar movie as well My Name is Bruce, starring Bruce Campbell as himself, but again it wasn’t quite the Evil Dead. Of course there was comic continuations, but something such as Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash isn’t canon.

The movies are now receiving a true sequel in the form of Ash vs. Evil Dead.  Not much is known about the plot, but it at least confirms the redone version of Army of Darkness is the true ending and not the original.

Groovy.

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Dragon Ball Super

This is more of a delight to myself. Most readers will have seen at least an episode of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or the often argued ‘not canon’ Dragon Ball GT. The shows follow the exploits of Goku, a Saiyan with incredible power, and his friends who protect the Earth from all sorts of dangers. There’s also a character named Krillin who keeps dying.

All three shows ran for a total of 508 episodes, which is a gigantic feat, not to mention it’s accompanied by 26 movies, specials, and OVAs.

The show’s original run ended with GT in 1997 and fans thought that was the end, especially since the series creator, Akira Toriyama, wasn’t involved with Dragon Ball GT. In the past few years, there have been two new Dragon Ball movies — Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ — which have sparked renewed interest in series, or at least testing grounds on its continuation.

Dragon Ball Super is a continuation of Dragon Ball Z, taking place 6 months after the Buu Sage. The series has already launched to much fanfare and is only on its second episode.

Krillin!