Now if you have not read my previous article (p.s. you should) I went on a tangent about how there are not enough TV shows set in college. This also had me thinking about areas in which Hollywood lacks television originality. So far, I have heard rumors about a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Clueless, and Daria reboot. Then there are currently rebooted shows like Gossip Girl, iCarly, and Saved By the Bell.
Now before you judge and call me a hater, I actually enjoy some of the rebooted shows like iCarly and Gossip girl. But as much as I enjoy these shows, I can not help but think about the lack of sustained attention that they can hold in terms of viewership. What I mean is that producers and writers can only bank on nostalgia up until a point; It eventually wears off and is not as gratifying nor impertinent to watch, especially if the plot is weak.
I feel as though reboots work as a temporary 2 season type of thing, while original ideas for shows have the ability to withhold attention and viewership for a sustained period of time. With original TV show ideas, there is more potential to build and develop characters as seasons go by and guide the plot towards something more meaningful for 4 or 5 seasons, compared to shows mainly banking on faulty nostalgia.
Not only that but whenever there tends to be an announcement about a reboot, the original fans of the show go on social media and assess whether the casting or plot will live up to the original. I can’t lie, it’s good free publicity for the show but when it airs, the general disappointment of original fans seems like a huge risk compared to having an original show and organically converting fans as you go and get more people connected to characters and share opinions as they go through series on social media.
I guess it’s hard to understand the lack of investment for original ideas for television shows because I know there is probably an abundance of producers and writers in Hollywood, especially those who have marginalized identities and want to share their voices with others to relate to. I just feel like reboots are temporary enjoyment of nostalgia if you are bored. Streaming platforms are especially guilty of this. If your site is a platform for accessible TV don’t you think that your content should be ahead in terms of originality?