Though every TV show that's ever existed technically has the potential to get rebooted or revived for modern audiences, not every show's concept supports such revisiting and revamping. A Mad About You revival, however, feels like a perfectly natural fit for broadcast TV, considering the show's focus was entirely on its limited character group. And while it recently sounded like talks were stalled on that front, former star Paul Reiser sounds a lot more positive about its chances, assuming NBC (or whoever) is indeed interested. In his words:
For a long time we discussed never doing it, and then we said, 'You know what, it could be actually fun.' And we've kind of actually said sure. And now the studio needs to figure out if they know how to do it.
Who could blame Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt and other Mad About You cast and crew members for being hesitant to bring the show back after being off the air since 1999? After all, it was only in recent years that TV studios figured out better ways to bring shows back to life, with Netflix leading that charge through projects like Arrested Development's latest seasons, the Fuller House spinoff, and the One Day at a Time reboot, among others. So the prospect of returning to Paul and Jamie's lives for new episodes might not come across as quite the mismanaged cash-grab that it might have a decade ago, which is presumably a big draw for the two leads. Well, three leads, assuming daughter Mabel would also be around for the fun.
Talks first started last year concerning a Mad About You revival, after NBC execs saw just how popular Will & Grace was with today's audiences. Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser weren't completely for or against the idea at the time, and their stance was a common one in Hollywood, saying the show ended in such a great way that returning would threaten to disrupt it. But the behind-the-scenes conversations became ever more optimistic after that, with more interested heads prevailing, only for it all to slow down again. Reiser told Variety he'd just spoken with Hunt about a revival less than a week previous, so maybe this latest round of talks could get the job done.
None of this amounts to official interest, mind you, but it would appear the Mad About You revival ball is in NBC's court. The network may not want to over-populate its fall (or otherwise) schedule with big comedy returns, since it already has Will & Grace, as well as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which the network saved from its Fox cancellation earlier this year. Not to mention all the relatively recent talks about how much NBC would like to get some form of The Office back on the air, along with 30 Rock, The West Wing and more modern classics. Mad About You's biggest obstacle right now might just be an abundance of revival competition.
Speaking to the show's long-lasting popularity, Sony Pictures Television teamed up with a Chinese TV studio a few years ago to bring Mad About You to international audiences, and it was the first Chinese TV series to be developed by using traditional American writers rooms and production styles. It didn't last very long, airing for only the first part of 2016, though a whopping 60 episodes were produced in that short time.
Do you guys want to see Mad About You returning to NBC at any point soon? Let us know below, and stay tuned for a fall season full of revivals and originals. You can find al the dates fit to print in our fall TV premiere schedule.
