Watching TV nowadays has turned into a time capsule. Everywhere you look, a show or movie gets rebooted with a modern cast of the biggest actors from 20 years ago. Nepo babies have always been a thing in Hollywood, business, and even medicine. These are kids whose parents have given them every resource to step up over the competition.
Hollywood has always been a game of power and influence. People with power and influence (and money) make the decisions for everyone: what show gets made, who gets to be involved, and how many resources will be dedicated to the showâs success.
Hollywood History
While this structure hasnât always been the healthiest for everyone involved, it did seem to work. Directors and studio executives will present the public with their latest starlet, and the public simply accepts that they will be shown everywhere until Hollywood takes them off-screen.
The issue with this structure is that the most powerful and influential industry giants eventually have kids. As most parents do, they want to use their resources to give their children everything they can. Sometimes the child wants to be an actor or a musician, and when dad is the biggest director or producer in 20 years, that pipe dream gets a lot more attainable.
This is never meant to tear anyone down or ignore the skill and talent that they may have, but there’s something to be said about every brand-new actor being the child of every older actor. With what can be viewed as a reduction of risk-taking in the industry, there’s an epidemic of âNew Show,â with the same name as a show from 20 years ago and a cast of the original actorsâ children.
The Reboot Epidemic
The worst part of it all is that, sometimes, the reboots work. While they may sound counterintuitive, the industry loves proof of purchase, and when rebooting an old show costs less and makes more, it reaffirms the idea that thereâs no need to try new things when the old things make plenty.
These reboots arenât bad, but they’re frustrating. Instead of newer ideas getting their time to shine, itâs a case of directors and actors paying for a producer role to relive their golden glory days of stardom. Newer actors are passed over for the kids of someone who made it big 30 or 40 years ago.
It started years ago, with shows like Fuller House and movies like Ghostbusters that were able to profit without relying on advertising or quality. These shows and movies were cheap to make and cheap to sell, especially if the cast of the original show didnât become super expensive actors. The familiarity and nostalgia that drive these decisions aren’t an incorrect way of thinking about things, but when it becomes every show and actor, a little irritation is warranted. In 2026 alone, Malcolm in the Middle, A Different World, and Glee have been announced or released for a reboot.
Ideas for shows and movies that arenât reboots are still relying on this safer format of a previously established story and a previously established fanbase. Stories continuing a huge franchise or stories based on best-selling books are becoming more and more common, rather than the production of original screenplays.
As the generation financing the making of these shows, they have every right to make decisions best for them and for their family, but the general public is allowed to be a bit annoyed that every face we see just looks familiar. The idea for a show needs a backup fanbase to even be considered.
The line between new and old is never as big as we think it is. Every idea is in some way based on something else. Some people got the job because of their skill, not because of their parents. These things donât diminish the slight frustration of looking for a new idea or a new face and not finding one anywhere.
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