Reunions are always disappointing. Whether a family, school or television show reunion, we always walk away a little disappointed. Aunt Jane, who used to chase us off her freshly mopped kitchen floor with a broom, is now creeping along slowly with the aid of a walker. Mac McDreamy, the handsome captain of the football team, is now fat and bald. Opie's aunt Bee is dead, and Beaver Cleaver isn't nearly as cute as he used to be.

When you think about it, reunions can be downright depressing, yet we still continue to support themand the movie industry just keeps right on buying into the hype of reviving our best loved classic television shows.

Webster defines 'classic' as a work of acknowledged excellence and authority. Therefore, a television 'classic' is a creation of the highest excellence. Why would anyone want to mess with perfection? Yet, the movie powerhouses do it all the time, even though less than a handful of television revivals on the big screen have been worthy of a nod. Most have been complete disasters that left us wanting little more than a refund on our movie tickets.

From 'The Avenger's' to 'Bewitched', the trail of classic remakes have been major flops. Take the 'The Brady Bunch', for example. The big-screen remake turned our favorite all-American blended family into a bunch of twisted psychotics!

In all fairness however, Hollywood has done an outstanding job in reviving some of our most beloved shows from years gone by.

#1-FUGITIVE. Some even say the movie might have actually been a little better than the classic series starring David Janssen, but who can go wrong with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones?

#2-STAR TREK. Trekkie and non-Trekkie fans alike agree that the galaxy looked better on the big screen, and it has raked a lot of money into theaters through the years too. The most recent is even better than all the rest.

#3-BATMAN . A darker version of the more humorous television version of the sixties, but a very credible remake, especially when paired against the likes of 'Hulk'. Anytime a movie spins off as many sequels as this one has, you know it's worthy of a favorable nod.

#4-CHARLIE'S ANGELS. Its box office success demanded a sequel, so that means something was very right about this remake of Charlie's sexy detectives.

#5-MISSION IMPOSSIBLE-Along with 'Fugitive', modern screen technology made this another remake that is often considered a far cry above the classic television versionbut then again, it had Tom Cruise.

Some things are best left alone, and television classics are definitely one of those things. Reincarnation never remakes something into its original state, so let's just quit trying to resurrect our most lovable tv shows. Just let us remember Aunt Bee and little Theodore Cleaver as the timeless beloved characters they were when we loved them best.

Learn more about this author, Sheila-Ann Bender.
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