Everything old is beginning to look new again. A trend of bringing what franchises have worked in the past back for another round has swept through the major networks of television. Networks seem to be placing a lot of faith in what once worked, with reboots and revivals ranging from continuations of shows already retired to do-overs of premises. The latest past series to take a step toward the reboot treatment is The A-Team. Although not yet ordered to pilot, producers have already promised one major change to the original formula: this time, there will be ladies on the team.
According to Deadline, if it moves forward, a new go at The A-Team would feature men and women in the core group. No details have yet been released as to whether or not the incorporation of women will change the overall dynamic of the squad that had been comprised of four men in the original, but a mix of genders is likely to appeal to a wider audience than just a group of guys.
So far, it looks like Twentieth Century Fox is aiming to stay close to the mark of the premise of the original NBC show. The foursome will be a group of Special Forces operatives who have been framed for a crime. Determined to clear their names, the group will dig deep into the shadows of the system to expose the black-ops conspiracy that had cast them out as criminals. With a myriad of skills brought by each member that will range from military training to technological prowess, the diversity of abilities within the group could allow a new take on the old idea to be fresh.
Despite the rather serious nature of the premise, the potential reboot has been described as incorporating elaborate con missions and lots of humor. If ordered to series, the overall formula will follow episodic adventures, although it is likely that the sweeps ratings months will feature returns to the big conspiracy.
The original The A-Team ran for five seasons from 1983 – 1987 on NBC, becoming a small screen hit and ultimately inspiring a big screen film in 2010 with a star-studded cast that included Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper. Between the lingering nostalgia for the original and the recent memory of the film, The A-Team remains a pop culture staple ideal for returning to television.
The team behind the attempt to reboot The A-Team has the potential to create an ideal action adventure series for the small screen. TV director Tawnia McKiernan (who also happens to be the daughter of the creator of the original A-Team) and Chris Morgan of Fast and Furious franchise fame will be executive producing, while a familiar Fox face, Albert Kim, will be adding writing the adaptation to his duties as executive producer of Sleepy Hollow. If ever there was a recipe for success for a reboot, the A-Team may have nailed it.
