Friday, January 08, 2021

Reviving Our Youth?

 In an effort to lighten the mood around here after the past few days, here's a somewhat trivial question:

If you were a TV producer, what favorite television of your youth would you revive, with a new cast, and perhaps a more modern outlook--without losing sight of what made it a hit back then?

Here are a few of mine, divided by categories:

Comedy: The Patty Duke Show (obviously no longer called that, but maybe something like "Identical Cousins"). The idea of a pair of teenagers, twins but not sisters, with very different upbringings and personalities, is still a viable source of light-hearted farce. Mistaken identity as a source of comedy dates at least as far back as Shakespeare. And with modern special effects, the illusion could be quite effective.

Adventure: The Wild Wild West. In an age where steam-punk is popular, why not bring back the show that was using it before it was called that? Plus it's a buddy-comedy adventure and has the potential to make science-fiction-like commentary on current events.

Crime Drama: Honey West. It only lasted one season, but it was a groundbreaker in putting a woman in the title role of a private eye...and without the need for a male partner (like Remington Steele or Moonlighting). Casting? I have no idea...but surely there's someone with the appeal of Anne Francis in Hollywood today.

What are your ideas?

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