I've been pondering back and forth what the meaning of a television "revival" really is. To some, it's the afterlife of a TV show. It's the success of a program 5, 10 . . . 20 years after it ended its network run. To others, its the almost always unsuccessful attempts at rejuvenating a once-classic show for an entire new generation of fans. Or, it's the attempt to make a classic "dud" a hit, by adding new elements and fixing the things that didn't work the first time.
No matter what a television revival is to you, it's almost always unsuccessful.
On a few occasions, though, the revival of classic television show has come through as successful. They remained strong, yielding both old and new fans and breaking through a legacy that was once set in stone. These are the shows that made TV history on more than one occasion.
1. Star Trek
Now come on, this is practically a given. Have you ever seen so many revivals of a series that only ran 3 seasons to begin with, getting some of television's lowest ratings at the time? This is a series that spawned so many sequels, prequels, and TV shows that you couldn't count them on both hands. The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise all made their way into homes at some point.
These were the shows that acquired some of the most devoted groups of fans ever seen for a television show. With its spin-offs, Star Trek has spent a record 28 years on television, introducing memorable characters and an entire world that has been commemorated more than any other series on television.
To think of classic TV revivals, how could Star Trek not make the list? Who would have thought that a show running only 3 years to dismal ratings would eventually be remade into 5 different series over the course of the next 4 decades? And, we can't forgot about the numerous box-office hits that made Star Trek a pop culture phenomenon even to this day. Credit has to be given to the writers and creators, of course - they left each show open to be continued in a different way. Star Trek is such an easy show to watch because of its imaginative and sci-fi premise, and was even easier to continue in 5 different revivals.
2. Family Guy
When was the last time a show was cancelled on 2 different occasions, only to be revived for a third time, going on to become one of the biggest hits on television? This is the simple story of Family Guy, the hit FOX animated comedy. It premiered on FOX in 1999, after the Super Bowl, to nearly 22 million viewers. It aired its first season over the course of 7 episodes, and was renewed for a second season. After facing stiff competition on Thursdays from Survivor and Friends, FOX yanked the show off their schedule, and cancelled it after only 28 episodes of nonsense scheduling.
At that point, FOX announced the show would be shutting down production. Because of public outcry, fan letters, and online campaigns, FOX reversed the decision and ordered a third season of 13 episodes. After only 5 episodes aired, FOX officially announced the show's cancellation, once the third season would finish airing.
Once the show went into syndication in 2003 on Adult Swim, FOX saw the high repeat ratings the show was garnering. DVD sales were reaching incredible heights, selling over 2 million copies in 2003 alone. As fans continued to keep the show alive, FOX saw their final opportunity to revive the show, and the rest is history.
Today, Family Guy remains a hit of the FOX schedule. It has just ended its 7th season, and is guaranteed new episodes until 2012. The fan-base is huge, spawning numerous merchandise, as well as direct-to-DVD movies. Clearly, this revival of a once-dead series remains one of the best on television.
3. Battlestar Galactica
This has to go on my list, because in the last 5 years or so I don't think I've seen a more devoted group of fans. The original series aired on ABC from 1978-1980. Since then, the original series has become a hit with U.S. audiences. After just 2 years, ABC decided to cancel the series, even though ratings remained strong on Sunday nights. Fans were clearly upset with such a bone-headed move.
Many revivals have been attempted. A 1980 series was written to pilot, but never materialized. In 2003, however, Sci-Fi took notice of the continued fan support of the cult series even 25 years after it premiered. Because of this, they went forward with a revival series of Battlestar Galactica. It began as a miniseries in December, and went on to get a full season pickup in 2004. It aired for 4 successful years, ending its run this past March.
Since then, the series continues to be adapted. The spinoff, Caprica, has been turned into series. TV movies are on the way, and fans are still talking about this beloved series, landing it a spot as one of television's best revivals.
Television seems to be full of remakes lately. But, none of them are turning out to be successful. NBC recently introduced revivals of The Bionic Woman and Knight Rider, both of which failed to gain a fan-base over their one season runs. ABC introduced remakes of 2 dramas, Cupid and Castle, this season. Cupid, which bombed in its first run 10 years ago, was another bust. Castle, meanwhile, is showing promise, and could just turn out to be the next big revival hit.
The CW introduced their revival of FOX classic Beverly Hills 90210. Titled just 90210, it isn't the hit The CW is making it out to be, failing to average 2 million viewers since returning this spring, a far cry off from what the original was doing even at its lowest points. They have a revival of Melrose Place on the way, but just how well do they expect that to do?
Overall, Hollywood is running out of original ideas. So, we're seeing many more revivals of classic series than we once watched. Most of them end up being disasters . . . fans just don't want to see their once favorite shows turned into something disastrous. On the other hand, networks are remaking shows that didn't work in the first place, which doesn't make much sense to me. There are those few shining-hit revivals that managed to break through the barriers and land them a spot in television history, though, and these are the ones that will always be remembered as the best.