by Charie Winburn

Created on: May 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

The word revival has three appropriate definitions, "restoration to life, a new production of an old play and a showing of an old motion picture" (Dictionary.com). As reality television has dominated the airways the revival of old programming is becoming more and more popular. There are oldies that live forever like "I Love Lucy" and "Dragnet" and others get remade such as "Beverly Hills 90210"and "Melrose Place."

Number one on the revival list has to be "I Love Lucy". Being the first show with a female lead character added to its original popularity but the comic genius of Lucille Ball has transcended the years. It premiered before cable and was the most watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons. People everywhere were watching the slapstick comedy every week. During Lucy's pregnancy (although on the show she was "expecting" not pregnant because that word couldn't be used on TV) people were so caught up in the storyline that the re-run came to be. "I Love Lucy" has been revived numerous times over the years most recently by TV land and Hallmark. If you are a fan of the fabulous redhead you will probably find her antics showing somewhere.

Number two for me would be "Dragnet". Dragnet was the first show to give people a look into the life of policemen. It wasn't only about the excitement of catching the bad guys but also portrayed the mundane tasks policemen face everyday. Although this show premiered in December, 1951 people today still recognize the four note introduction and the opening monologue, "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." This line has been used many times through the years in different aspects of crime drama including a satire in which the words were changed to be "Only the facts have been changed to protect the innocent."

The original "Dragnet" was a radio program which ran from 1949 through 1957. It ran on television from 1951 to 1959. The first revival ran from 1967 to 1970. There were also revivals after main actor Jack Webb had passed away in 1989 and 2003. There have also been movies and even a cartoon based on the original program. One sign of a great program is how many people want to parody the program. 23+ Parodies are on the books for Dragnet ranging from Saturday Night Live to Seinfeld and even, believe it or not, PBS.

Current revivals don't seem to be doing well. "90210" the remake of "Beverly Hills 90210" is a remake where the jury is

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>