Most Anticipated Upcoming TV Reboots And Revivals Ranked

Published on February 8, 2018. Updated October 31, 2019

The pull of nostalgia has begun to dominate both the big and small screen, and there seems to be endless possibilities for reboots and revivals of the most popular series and films from the past. Television has jumped on to the reboot and revival train with Will & Grace, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Hawaii Five-O and so many more. It seems, for the most part, revivals (where the original cast returns with the same premise) have been the most anticipated, but there are quite a few reboots (where there is a difference in material and most often a new cast) also on the way. Check out 15 of the most anticipated upcoming TV reboots and revivals ranked from least to most anticipated:

15. Jersey Shore (Revival)

Like it or not MTV’s Jersey Shore was a pop culture phenomenon during its original six-season run from December 2009 to December 2012. In the years that have passed since, the lives of the stars have changed dramatically, but in late 2017 MTV announced they were reuniting most of the original cast for a revival season. Jersey Shore: Family Vacation will send Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Deena Cortese, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Jennifer “JWoww” Farley, Vinny Guadagnino and Pauly D. DelVecchio to Miami, Florida for one last wild ride together again. The revival will not feature Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and will premiere on Thursday, April 5 on MTV. Although there will be many who tune in for the Jersey Shore reunion/revival, many also wish this is one show that wouldn’t be brought back.

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14. American Idol (Revival)

Despite the fact that only two years have passed since American Idol initially came to an end after 16 seasons, ABC decided it already needed to come back. ABC took over the singing competition series from Fox and cast Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan as the judges while keeping Ryan Seacrest as the host, and aside from a switch in networks and judges, not much will be different from the original series. ABC revived American Idol in an effort to compete with NBC’s popular singing competition series The Voice, but many thought American Idol had run its course long before it finally came to an end in April 2016 and it doesn’t seem there is a lot of enthusiasm surrounding this particular revival. The new American Idol premieres on Sunday, March 11 at 8/7c on ABC.

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13. Party of Five (Reboot)

After undergoing a bit of re-branding from ABC Family to Freeform, the network has taken a particular interest in expanding its teen drama genre and has given a pilot order to reboot the beloved ’90s series Party of Five. Although the original cast is not involved, the original series’ creators have signed on and will keep things true to form by focusing on five siblings, but changing the story entirely. According to the release about the reboot, the new Party of Five will focus on five siblings but instead of their parents dying, their challenge will be to stay together as a family after their parents are deported back to Mexico. The new immigration twist was a way to adapt the theme of the show to the current cultural and political climate. Despite the pilot order, there was no indication for when Freeform hoped to launch the series.

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12. The L Word (Revival/Reboot)

In the summer of 2017, Showtime announced it was bringing back one of TV’s most groundbreaking shows, The L Word. Creator  Ilene Chaiken revealed that as important as the series was during its initial six-season run in the early 2000s, now more than ever is where a series like it can thrive and is needed. “Nobody else is doing it,” Chaiken said. “There’s been a lot of interest. Showtime and I are in lockstep on this; we came up with it together. The world has changed; it’s 10 years on and we wanted to talk about where we are now, especially given where we are now politically.” The new L Word will definitely deal with the new fluidity of sexuality and the gender differences in question. “That’s not coming from me but everyone who comes in has a complete new canvas that absolutely speaks to the state of the world today and the younger generation. I have no doubt it will be incredibly relevant,” Showtime programming president Gary Levine stated. “We’re going to redefine The L Word with a new cast of characters but several of the originals will definitely be integral parts of it. It’s a generational thing and we’ll have both generations represented.” While many fans of the original series are looking forward to the show’s possible return, some criticism has evolved surrounding how politically focused the new series seems to be. Only time will tell if The L Word‘s reboot will have the same impact that the original did.

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11. Roswell (Reboot)

To many fans, Roswell didn’t get the fair shake it really deserved with only three seasons from 1999-2002 and it seems The CW feels the same way. With a few reboots on the way from the network, one is Roswell. The CW gave a pilot order for the alien-themed teen drama, but with the changes that reboots bring, it will have some of the same themes but with an “immigration twist.” The description for the new series reads: “After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer: he’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.” Of course with only a cult following already, it will be hard for the new Roswell to attract a bigger audience and have better success than the original series did. With only a pilot ordered, there is no guarantee the reboot will come to fruition.

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10. Lost in Space (Reboot)

Lost in Space ran for only three seasons from 1965-1968 and already went through one reimagining with the 1998 film of the same name, and it is being adapted again for a return to television. After a failed reboot attempt back in 2003 by the now-defunct WB network, Netflix is tackling the project with vice president Cindy Holland. “The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience. The current creative team’s reimagining of the series for Netflix is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world,” Holland said. The core story will remain the same with the Robinson family lost in a challenging and life-threatening situation in space but will be more modernized. Right now 10 episodes of the reboot have been confirmed with a May 2018 launch date planned.

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9. Magnum P.I.

Magnum P.I. was one of the most iconic action dramas from the ’80s and 30 years after the original series came to an end in 1988, CBS ordered a reboot. The description from the pilot order for the series promised that the original premise will stay essentially the same but will be modernized to reflect the climate of today.  The description for the reboot reads: “An update of the classic television series set in Hawaii [that] follows Thomas Magnum, a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator.” In a further effort to modernize and make changes from the original, reports indicate that CBS is pursuing more racially diverse actors for the title character that was made iconic by Tom Selleck.

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8. Cagney & Lacey (Reboot)

With lots of ’90s shows are being shown the love with revivals and reboots, networks are fishing as far back as the ’80s as well for old series to make new again. One of the most popular of these is Cagney & Lacey which originally aired from 1981-1988 for seven seasons and starred Tyne Daley as Mary Beth Lacey and Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney, two New York police officers who aside from their profession are very different. In January 2018, CBS announced that they had ordered a pilot for a reboot and promised to keep the premise the same but will move the central city from New York to Los Angeles. In March 2018 more news on the reboot was released when it was revealed that Grey’s Anatomy actress Sarah Drew and Blindspot actress Michelle Hurd were taking on the lead roles. While passionate Cagney & Lacey fans have been skeptical about a reboot, others feel like if done right it could be a great competitor for the onslaught of male lead police procedural shows. With only a pilot ordered, there is no word when audiences can expect the series to launch.

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7. Miami Vice (Reboot)

In addition to ’80s cop dramas Cagney & Lacey and Magnum P.I. being tapped for reboots, Miami Vice is also on that list. NBC is said to be tackling the project with production being spearheaded by none other than Hollywood star Vin Diesel and his production company One Race Television. Diesel teamed up with Chris Morgan Productions, headed by Chris Morgan who wrote six of the Fast & Furious films to date. Although things seemed to be moving quickly with the series, there has been little news of it since mid-2017. NBC first aiming for a premiere during the 2018-2018 TV season.

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6. Murphy Brown (Revival)

For some series to return it is hard to get the original cast and stars to agree, meaning there are often a lot more reboots than revivals, but in late January 2018, CBS revealed that Candice Bergen was on board for a Murphy Brown revival. The popular sitcom ran for 10 seasons from 1988-1998 and starred Bergen as investigative journalist and TV anchor Murphy Brown. With Bergen agreeing to make the revival happen, this is one old show made new again that many are actually excited about. For many, the current social and political issues of 2018 are actually the perfect era for someone like Murphy Brown and there will be endless modern material to work with. In the release for the revival, CBS noted, “Murphy Brown returns to a world of cable news, social media, fake news, and a very different political and cultural climate.” With CBS giving a 13 episode order in 2018, there is hope the revival will launch in time for the 2018-2019 Fall TV season.

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5. Charmed (Reboot)

Charmed is one of the most iconic series of the late ’90s and early 2000s, and a show that many fans are still very passionate about the show and hold strong opinions about a reboot. In January 2018, The CW announced they had ordered a pilot episode for a reboot of the series with the description, “This fierce, funny, feminist reboot of the original series centers on three sisters in a college town who discover they are witches. Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done.” While many are just tired of reboots in general, others (including original series star Holly Marie Combs) took issue with the suggestion that this new Charmed will be “feminist” insinuating the original was not. Of course, when Charmed originally aired it was nearly unheard of to have not one but three female leads and have them leads in a supernatural series, meaning this reboot should not try to detract from how groundbreaking and empowering Charmed already was. While talks of a Charmed reboot have been circulating for years, this is the closest it has come to actual production, and if it progresses there is hope that it will enthrall fans with the same entertainment and magic that made Charmed so special.

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4. Sister, Sister (Reboot)

With Full House making a comeback with Fuller House, another beloved ABC family sitcom is also reportedly making a comeback: Sister, Sister. The original series starred Tia and Tamera Mowry as twin sisters separated by birth who accidentally meet in the early teens. While ABC hasn’t made an official announcement about a reboot, the show’s stars are pretty confident in it, and although it is being called a reboot, the original stars are very involved. “We’re talking about working with the producers who were producers on the show 15, 20 years ago. Just to be sitting in these meetings with them 20 years later, it’s crazy,” Tia Mowry said. “I think fans will love it because I just feel very blessed and honored that people are still following my sister and I 20 years later. So I think they’ll be excited to see where we are right now and to see our dynamic right now. We’re just excited to just give back to the fans and make them happy, that’s really one of the main reasons why we’re doing it.” She added that it might be coming quicker than fans realize as well. “[It’s] amazing and wonderful. My sister and I are taking meetings as we speak, so it’s definitely closer than ever to making this reboot happen. We are being told that they want it to be or happen next year in the fall. So, it’s going by so fast, everything.”

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3. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Reboot)

Back in the mid-2000s, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was groundbreaking television during its five seasons run from 2003-2007, and with more discussion about the LGBTQ community and acceptance, Netflix decided to reboot the series. The new Fab Five promised that fans of the original series will be just as happy with the new spin they are putting on it. “The thing is, this was a fan-favorite and when you have a fan-favorite, people are always going to be nostalgic for the original cast. I think what we do great is that we still pay homage to that cast and what they did, but we bring something new and fresh, and people are going to fall in love with us. It’s fun, it’s emotional and we do a really great job of making America better,” new star Karamo Brown stated.

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2. Trading Spaces (Revival)

With the rise of home renovation and design shows, it seemed that TLC’s Trading Spaces really missed out on the golden age for its genre, so TLC decided to bring the beloved series back! “TLC is back into home and property with Nate & Jeremiah By Design, our new show helping distressed homeowners turn disasters into dream homes. We are thrilled to expand in this space, and what better way to do that than to bring back Trading Spaces, the series that put property on the map,” TLC President Nancy Daniels said in a statement in the spring of 2017. The revival is bringing back beloved host Paige Davis as well as the show’s popular designers but will be adding some fresh faces as well. Fans of the series can’t wait for the comeback, which will be a refreshing twist to the endless home renovation and design shows dominating TV right now. Trading Spaces returns Saturday, April 7, at 9/8c on TLC.

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1. Roseanne (Revival)

Among all the revivals and reboots, one of the biggest and without a doubt most anticipated is Roseanne. From 1988-1997 Roseanne was the biggest and most celebrated sitcom on television because of its groundbreaking themes and issues, and of course, because it was so incredibly relatable. After a lot of discussion, ABC finally confirmed the series was making a comeback with the entire original cast and would be modernized to deal with the new family issues that are being dealt with today. “As people know, this is a show about female empowerment and people speaking their minds. It was very important for us to come back and honor that and we felt like the bar was high… We’re extremely proud of the fact that we’re dealing with relevant issues now that were just like the issues we were dealing with before [like] opioids and an aging parent and health care. We felt like the bar was high, but it was our duty to honor the original show and make nine or 10 episodes that would make the audience feel a little nostalgia and also feel fresh,” returning executive producer Bruce Helford said. Roseanne returns for a special hour-long premiere on Tuesday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.