From A Different World to Mean Girls, Hollywood has been profiting from the rise of movie and TV show reboots. It seems like everywhere we turn, there is an old TV show or movie being rebooted and marketed across all social media platforms.
Recently, Gen Z has expressed mixed feelings about the rise of reboots. It’s either we’re eating up the fact that our favorites are coming back to our screens, or we’re expressing frustration over the fact that the reboots aren’t as iconic as the originals. It makes me wonder why Hollywood is so focused on bringing back the classics we grew up with instead of creating new memories for the next generation?
Nostalgia is the main reason why Hollywood is able to continue to profit off reboots. Seeing a familiar character or hearing about a movie that we once loved as kids can take us back to a time when life felt more simple.
When it comes to Gen Z, these reboots bring back memories of what we watched for comfort after a long day of school. They can also remind us of the characters that we once loved and were inspired to be like at some point. Our emotional connection to these shows and movies is what creates the nostalgic feeling that Hollywood is utilizing. In reality, these reboots are getting a lot of our attention because they are allowing us to reexperience a piece of our childhood that seems far gone.
Even as Gen Z emerges into adulthood, nostalgia is still something we ironically hold onto. In the midst of all the responsibilities that come with growing up, being able to see Tik Tok ads promote the return of Camp Rock or Victorious, gives us hope that our memories from childhood will continue to live on. Especially in today’s political and economic climate, the future can sometimes feel uncertain, making it easy for us to reminisce about the past.
But as much as we love seeing these shows return, some of these new reboots are not hitting the same as the original. For example, I watched Camp Rock 3 and was so unimpressed that it made me go back and watch the original movies. Knowing that my brain has matured since the first Camp Rock, I couldn’t help but notice how iconic the original movies still are compared to the newer version.
 I understand Camp Rock 3 is for the newer generation, but I feel they won’t get the same experience that Gen Z had with the original. This is why I feel keeping up with all these reboots can get disappointing at times, especially when the reboots aren’t giving us the same energy as the original.
With that being said, I would prefer to see Hollywood use our nostalgia as inspiration to create brand-new stories. Instead of bringing back old shows and movies, Hollywood should create something new and iconic just like they’ve done before. I say this because, as I get older, I want to be able to create new memories with the media I consume as an adult rather than just relying on the memories strictly from childhood. I think if Hollywood focused more on creating original shows and movies, we can have new favorites that over time become iconic classics for the next generation.