"X Files"A new season of "The X-Files" is in the works.
It’s been a banner spring for fans of long-dead TV shows.
In just the past two weeks, there’s been news of two sitcom revivals (Full House, Coach), a drama comeback (The X-Files), a cult-sketch-series reunion (Mr. Show) and a variety series that may be reincarnated as a sitcom (The Muppet Show).
These new projects join an already-airing update of The Odd Couple, this fall’s resurrection of Heroes, a planned 2016 return to Twin Peaks, and a slew of old movie titles being transformed into TV shows (Wet Hot American Summer) or pilots (Rush Hour, Problem Child, Minority Report, Uncle Buck).
What’s odd about the small screen’s current infatuation with chasing ghosts is that it comes smack in the middle of what’s widely considered a new Golden Age for the medium. We expect TV today not only to be better than it used to be, but creatively superior to the feature film industry - where reboots and tentpoles are now the (depressing) rule.
USA Films via YouTube"Wet Hot American Summer" is one of many movies getting a second life on the small screen.
So why are programmers suddenly so interested in recycling?
Ironically, the fact that there are so many shows on TV right now - and so many good-to-great shows - may partially explain why small-screen suits are eager to bring back old ideas.
“People are just desperate for attention,” one television-industry vet told Vulture.
As we noted earlier this year, there were over 325 different scripted series produced for broadcast, cable, or streaming networks in 2014. While some of these shows bring new eyeballs to TV - Empire is the most obvious example - for the most part, the rapid explosion in original fare means networks are frequently settling for lower ratings, fewer breakout hits, and less advertising revenue.
Chuck Hodes/FOX"Empire" is one of the few original shows to stand out in a crowded field.
Worse, it’s now become a regular occurrence for heavily promoted new shows Cannon The Complete Series Boxsetdvd like Fox’s new comedy Weird Loners, NBC’s Allegiance, USA’s Dig, or A&E’s The Returned to open to scary-low premiere ratings.
“There’s so much product, John Adams The Complete Series Boxsetbox set it’s hard [for something new] to stand out,” our industry vet explains. “Somebody sees a new series now and it’s, ‘So what?’ There’s ten a day.”
By contrast, even a rumor The Last Ship dvd collection that a network is considering a reboot The Librarians Season 2 dvd boxset sale or remake of a beloved title can set off a social media (and traditional media) tsunami.
“You announce something like Full House or Coach, and boom - instant interest,” our TV vet says. “People are buffeted with so much content flying at them … anything you can do to get them to say, ‘I’ll check that out’ - that’s huge these days.”
Your browser does not support the video tag. YouTube via ABC "Full House" revival news generated huge interest on social media.
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