For every unnecessary reboot of a beloved movie, there seem to be just as many unnecessary reboots of a beloved TV series. While some would prove to be a welcome improvement on what came before, there are even more (including some successful ones) that we still feel we could have done without, given our continued enjoyment of what came before. We had almost too many examples to choose from while compiling this of TV shows that did not need to be rebooted.
Knight Rider (1982-1986)
Despite its cheesy moments, Knight Rider was one of the best '80s sci-fi TV shows, boasting one of David Hasselhoff's best performances in the role of Michael Knight – a government agent whose partner in fighting crime is an indestructible car powered by a sentient artificial intelligence called KITT (voice by William Daniels). In 2008, NBC aired a soft reboot, set in the same world but following a new protagonist (Justin Bruening as Mick Traceur) and a new KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer), which lacked the charisma, the fun, and much semblance of a brain, leading to its premature cancellation.
Charmed (1998-2006)
One of the best Shannen Doherty TV shows was Charmed, which starred her, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano as three sisters who discover they are descended from witches. After The WB became The CW, despite no real demand, the network developed a reimagining starring Melonie Diaz, Madeleine Mantock, and Sarah Jeffery that managed to last four seasons, despite criticism for its one-dimensional characters and uninspired plotlines.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Creator and narrator Rod Serling's landmark horror anthology TV show, The Twilight Zone has been resurrected numerous times. However, neither the late '80s revival, nor the early 2000s version with Forest Whitaker, or even producer and narrator Jordan Peele's iteration achieved the same acclaim as as the chilling and thought-provoking classic.
Full House (1987-1995)
What made Full House successful despite its unimpressive critical reputation was a healthy dose of wholesomeness amidst its generic family comedy antics. Netflix's revival, Fuller House – which recycled the plot but made DJ (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) the leads – had a decent five-season run, despite being criticized for the same things, in addition to relying mostly on nostalgia.
The Bionic Woman (1976-1978)
Even with Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick involved, NBC's 2007 reboot of The Bionic Woman did not manage to be better, faster, or stronger, especially in the ratings. One would hope its cancellation after eight episodes teaches executives to avoid rebooting the series that star Lindsey Wagner's original sci-fi series was spun-off from The Six Million Dollar Man.
Jersey Shore (2009-2012)
For a while, it seemed like the entire world was talking about the cast of Jersey Shore, even if most of the discussions surrounding their boisterous behavior and debaucherous shenanigans were mocking and disdainful. Years after it seemed like the world had finally forgotten about this uproarious reality show, MTV debuted Jersey Shore Family Vacation in 2018.
That '70s Show (1998-2006)
A That '70s Show spin-off was first attempted in 2002 with That '80s Show, which had little to no connection to the original, potentially costing it a longer life and better reception. At least Netflix's That '90s Show – which sees Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty's (Debra Jo Rupp) home overrun with a new batch of teens, including their granddaughter – can say it earned a decent following but not enough to last more than two seasons.
Gossip Girl (2007-2012)
If there was any reason to bring back Gossip Girl, it might have been to correct the widely disappointing series finale reveal that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) was the eponymous blogger the entire time. Instead, Max's short-lived retread of the hit CW drama, running between 2021 and 2023, introduced a whole new cast and attempted to freshen up the material with the overcooked theme of teens' relationship with social media.
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000)
The CW's 90210 was developed as a continuation of producer Aaron Spelling's primetime soap opera and even featured a few returning Beverly Hills, 90210 cast members to keep its promise. However, despite the fan service, the 2008-2013 series essentially recycled the plot of the original with a new ensemble of good-looking youths.
Roseanne (1988-1997)
While the series finale of Roseanne may have left some viewers disappointed, we wonder if that was really any reason to try again with a modern revival. Not to mention, the sitcom's 2018 reboot took a rough turn in its premiere run when its star, Roseanne Barr, was fired for a controversial tweet, leading ABC to kill off her character and rebrand the show as The Conners.
Charlie's Angels (1976-1981)
Originally starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith, Charlie's Angels would find success in the early 2000s on the big screen with two feature-length adaptations starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. However, ABC's series reboot from 2011 with Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, and Rachael Taylor received universal disdain and lasted only eight episodes.
That's So Raven (2003-2007)
Years after launching her career on The Cosby Show, Raven-Symoné became the star of her own sitcom, That's So Raven, as a teen who can occasionally see the future. However, no one could predicted that, in 2017, Disney Channel would come out with Raven's Home – following the adult Raven Baxter as a single parent – which was a surprising success despite its unnecessary existence.
MacGyver (1985-1992)
CBS would produce a long list of reboots of its most popular crime dramas from yesteryear, including MacGyver, which would last a decent five seasons from 2016 to 2021. However, most would agree that the modern version with Lucas Till as a younger Mac does not quite hold a candle to the fun of the original, starring Richard Dean Anderson as an unimaginably resourceful secret agent.
Saved By The Bell (1989-1992)
Peacock's 2020 revival of NBC's hit coming-of-age sitcom, Saved By the Bell, while certainly unnecessary, was pretty well received during the short time it lasted. While The College Years could have been better, though, what really overstayed its welcome was The New Class, which replaced the entire cast, save Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding and Dustin Diamond as Screech.
V (1984-1985)
The V franchise – an alien invasion story told over the course of two miniseries and one traditional series that lasted a season on NBC – would be reinterpreted for modern audiences on ABC in 2009. Of course, by then, the extraterrestrial visitors' true, malevolent intentions were no secret, leaving little room for suspense in the reboot.
Beauty And The Beast (1987-1990)
The classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast, was reimagined as a romantic contemporary drama in the late 1980s starring Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton, the former of which won a Golden Globe for his performance. The CW's 2012 iteration with Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan would last a good while but did not capture the same magic as developer Ron Koslow's vision and, not to mention, did not bother to make the male lead particularly "beastly."
Roswell (1999-2002)
Based on Melinda Metz's book series, The WB's Roswell follows three young human/alien hybrids with special gifts living in the eponymous New Mexico town where an alleged UFO crash took place. A reimagining of the story, Roswell, New Mexico, ran for four seasons on The CW and was admired for its commentary on immigration, only to be overshadowed by criticism for being a retread of what came before.
Dallas (1978-1991)
In its prime, there were few series nearly as popular as Dallas, which is famous for having one of the most iconic cliffhangers in TV history by leaving viewers obsessed with the mystery of who shot J.R. Ewing for a summer. We cannot quite say the same about TNT's revival, which was canceled after 40 episodes in 2014.
Magnum P.I. (1980-1988)
The Jay Hernandez-led reboot of Magnum P.I. lasted an impressive five seasons (originally on CBS before moving to NBC). However, even critics and audiences who enjoyed it agree it was mostly a watered-down carbon copy of Donald P. Bellisario and Glen A. Larson's '80s classic starring Tom Selleck as the titular Hawaii-based private investigator.
Melrose Place (1992-1999)
The 2009 reboot of Melrose Place, which followed the dramatic lives of the eponymous L.A. apartment complex's residents, only lasted 18 episodes. We imagine this might be because it premiered in such close proximity to another CW drama based on a hit '90s show about young people with problems: the 90210 reboot.
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1991-1996)
Starting off as an educational computer game in the mid-1980s, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was later adapted into a hit game show and an animated series featuring Rita Moreno as the titular thief. With all due respect to the developers of Netflix's animated reboot, Carmen Sandiego, and Gina Rodriguez, who is great in the title role, we cannot help but feel that the property was already past its prime by this point.
24 (2001-2010)
The unique, real-time narrative structure of 24 and Kiefer Sutherland's engaging performance as Jack Bauer kept the drama going for eight seasons before bringing the reckless counter-terrorism agent back for the 2014 miniseries, 24: Live Another Day. Just two years later, Fox tried to continue the series as 24: Legacy, led by Corey Hawkins in a new role, which only lasted "12 hours."
DuckTales (1987-1990)
Perhaps we can understand wanting to introduce Huey, Dewey, and Louie to a new generation of viewers with a reboot of DuckTales, which aired on Disney XD from 2017 to 2021. However, we still prefer their triplets' original adventures with Uncle Scrooge, especially for its superior animation style.
Fantasy Island (1977-1984)
If we had a fantasy we would like to see come true, it would be that all reboots of Fantasy Island – set on a paradisiacal getaway where dreams magically come true – did not exist. Neither the 1998 series reimagining with Malcolm McDowell, nor Fox's sequel series with Roselyn Sánchez as Elena Roarke, or, especially, Blumhouse's darker feature adaptation managed to enchant critics and fans of the ABC original with Ricardo Montalbán as Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize's Tattoo.
Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
We would actually be willing to call Girl Meets World, which ran from 2014 to 2017, the best show that Disney Channel produced in years. Yet, when you really think about it, the sequel to Boy Meets World is mostly a reiteration of a lot of the same lessons we already learned in the original TGIF sitcom.
Heroes (2006-2010)
Despite a strong start and a relatively loyal following for much of its run, NBC's Heroes would quickly begin to lose steam as critics noted a steady decline in quality over time. The 2015 reboot Heroes: Reborn did not do much to help resurrect the franchise as it was not very well received and did not last more than one season.
The Odd Couple (1970-1975)
Inspired by the film based on Neil Simon's hilarious play, The Odd Couple, Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson's sitcom adaptation with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall worked quite well. However, after enough mismatched roommate/friend stories, CBS' reboot with Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon, despite lasting three seasons, felt a bit stale.
Dynasty (1981-1989)
Perhaps the most successful of The CW's string of primetime soap opera reboots was a reimagining of Esther and Richard Alan Shapiro's Dyanasty. Lasting five seasons and featuring a strong performance by Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington, the old "wealthy families fighting to retain power" schtick was not enough to win critics over.
The Magic School Bus (1994-1997)
In 2017, Netflix released The Magic School Bus Rides Again – a new take on the popular, educational animated show based on a series of books following an elementary school class on some epic field trips. SNL's Kate McKinnon is certainly an inspired choice to voice the new Ms. Frizzle but even she might agree she is no Lily Tomlin.
iCarly (2007-2012)
Considering how much the world of internet blogging had evolved since iCarly's original Nickelodeon run ended, we can understand why there was interest in bringing it back. Yet, we would argue that Paramount+'s reboot, which lasted from 2021 to 2023, suffered from hinging on Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) and Freddy's (Nathan Kress) romance following years of "will they, won't they" and the absence of Jennette McCurdy as Sam and Noah Munck's Gibby.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
When a short film reimagining NBC's hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a serious drama dropped in 2019, we can't deny we were intrigued. However, we never expected star Will Smith to actually help get a series adaptation off the ground, becoming Peacock's Bel-Air, which barely offers anything particularly new to the coming-of-age genre.
Frasier (1993-2004)
NBC's Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammer as his role from the Cheers cast, is a prime example of how to do a sitcom spin-off right. While Paramount+'s reboot would earn surprising critical acclaim, even its biggest fans might agree that we did not really need more than the 11 years we got of the eponymous psychiatrist's time in Seattle, especially without David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves.
