13 Reboots That Ruined Everything
Nuhu Danamarya
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There is no shame in taking inspiration from another person's work or even taking a dated version of it and giving it a fresh, contemporary spin. Yet, they say lightning never strikes the same place twice, and that couldn't have been truer for these shows that failed to build on the foundation laid by the shows which they are drawn directly from.
We have had a few success stories but reboots have been, for the most part, huge disappointments, both to the audience and to the stars and networks that toiled to put them on our screens.
The new TV season is in full swing and with it came more reboots because they're clearly not fazed by the abject performances of others who have trodden that path before them. We have picked 13 of the worst offenders when it comes to shows that took a once-loved material and imbued it with new ideas that weren't a good fit at all!!
1. Heroes Reborn
The original show started like a house on fire. Though the drama tended to drag unnecessarily sometimes, we were still hooked. Given how terrible the original show became from the second season forward, you'd think it'll be hard to top that level of mediocrity but alas, that is exactly what they did with Heroes Reborn.
2. Powerpuff Girls
For those of us born on the right side of the '90s, Powerpuff Girls was a staple for most of our childhoods and still conjure brings back sweet memories of a simpler, more innocent time in our lives. But the world is a cruel place and our happiness is just a glitch in the matrix, and the system is bound to self-correct at some point. Which is why we got a reboot of this show. The best advice is to stay away from it unless you are ready to see Buttercup and the girls getting high on what is basically ecstasy and twerking their heart out.
3. Charlie's Angels
First came the show that ran for five seasons from the mid-'70s to the early '80s, and then there were the movies that slightly overstayed their welcome, but ultimately didn't do as much damage as this TV reboot of this beloved franchise. It has to be considered an accomplishment of sorts that it made to seven episodes before the ax was dropped.
4. 24: Legacy
One thing you learn very quickly after watching this show is that Jack Bauer is the guy you'd want when you find yourself in a sticky situation with time quickly running out. Eric wasn't totally incompetent but when he and his show are benchmarked against the original, they're simply outshined in every way. But there is a silver lining because if you're one of many who have been wondering where Heath disappeared to when he got separated from Tara over on The Walking Dead, then you'll be glad to know he fell through a portal into an alternate universe, cut off his dreadlocks and became an Army Ranger.
5. Emerald City
What was supposed to be a modern and clearly very expensive take on Dorothy's journey into the magical land of Oz became a massive dud because it took itself way too seriously for a show that has giant battle statues and a face-changing queen. Not to mention the cliche storylines that were peppered throughout the show.
6. Ironside
The magic trick to get any project greenlit today is cranking up the violence as high as the network will allow, and that is exactly what they did with this show. That obviously didn't work out that well in this case as this show barely made it to the ninth episode before it was pulled.
7. Knight Rider
The original Knight Rider wasn't a groundbreaking phenom that reshaped the TV landscape or anything like that, but it was fun as hell and the camaraderie between Michael and KITT was excellent, and a joy to watch. The reboot took all the parts that worked and dumped them in the trash compactor and kept all the aspects of the show no one cared about.
8. Melrose Place
This was almost as unnecessary as it was terrible. An unabashed attempt to cash in on the reboot craze that blew up spectacularly in the faces of all those concerned. It had none of the nostalgic appeal of some of the others on this list and it brought nothing fresh to the table either.
9. Fuller House
We might very well be made to eat our words in the near future as this show is still alive and kicking, and is heading into its fourth season, but so far they've frontloaded this reboot with nostalgia and not much of anything else.
10. The Inbetweeners
Another amazing British show that offered up its soul on the damned altar of American remakes. It failed to capture any part of the spirit of the original that made it such a great show to watch. Everything was remixed over and over again until we were left with a husk that neither appealed to fans of the original nor the new audience they were trying to capture.
11. Heathers
This show was supposed to be edgy and a damning satire on a lot of issues plaguing the world today. What we got instead was a show that made fun of highly charged issues just because. As a result, it got banned from airing in The U.S in its original form.
12. Skins
This is just one in a long line of British shows that networks have tried, and failed, woefully at remaking for their American audience. It didn't help that allegations of child pornography began to emerge not long after it began airing due to the nature of the scenes the underage actors were made to act out.
13. Training Day
The movie had it all: drama, tension, and brutality in equal measure. Then someone thought it was a good idea to take the name of that movie and attach it to a show that had none of those qualities, save for a few similar story beats. The result was a complete trainwreck, and we rest easier knowing that it is no longer on air. But we do miss Bill Paxton immeasurably.
