Highly Anticipated Upcoming TV Reboots And Revivals Ranked

Published on February 5, 2020.
Telisa Carter

What’s old is new again is definitely the motto that Hollywood has been living by for the past few years, and the fad of bringing former beloved shows and films back to life doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Over the past few years fans have seen an incredible amount of television shows either revived with the exact same cast or completely re-imagined with a new cast along with new twists on the original stories. Now, there are a whole lot more in the pipeline from television’s biggest networks, and their new streaming services. Take a look at the highly anticipated upcoming reboots and revivals for TV ranked:

22. Punk’d

Did we really need a Punk’d reboot? No. Are we getting one? Yes. The upcoming content streaming service Quibi has decided to remake the former Ashton Kutcher led series, and this time Chance the Rapper will be the one behind the pranks as celebrities are “Punk’d.” “Punk’d is one of MTV’s most iconic franchises,” the “Hot Shower” rapper stated, as part of the announcement. “I grew up watching this show and it’s surreal to be in the driver’s seat this time around on Quibi.”

21. High Fidelity

2000’s High Fidelity starring John Cusack and Lisa Bonet has become somewhat of a cult classic, and now Hulu is reimagining the film as a series! Making this particular reboot even more interesting is that Zoe Kravitz has been cast to star in the series while her mother Lisa Bonet starred in the film. Kravitz will star as a woman named Rob who owns a record store and recounts her top five breakups.

Hulu

20. Supermarket Sweep

Supermarket Sweep is coming back as one of many among ABC’s “retro renaissance.” The fast-paced series follows three teams of two as they battle to see who can fill their basket with the most valuable goods in order to win cash prizes. Comedian Leslie Jones has been tapped to host the reboot. “I’ve always dreamed of being on Supermarket Sweep,” Jones said in a statement. “Seriously, I tried out for the show years ago; and after getting turned away, I knew I’d have to take matters into my own hands. Being able to bring the iconic game show back to life on ABC is my ultimate redemption story!”

EPA/NINA PROMMER

20. Sister, Sister

Fans of the original ’90s sitcom series Sister, Sister have been very excited about the prospect of a revival for years now, but as of right now it is hard to be too excited because it is very unclear exactly when the show will actually happen. In January of 2018 it was seemingly confirmed that original stars, twins Tia and Tamara Mowry, were in talks to solidify the revival. “Yeah, it’s happening. I’m excited!” Jackee Harry who portrayed Lisa Landry told Steve Harvey at the time. Unfortunately there have been very few updates since, but fans are still holding out hope that the revival is still in the works.

ABC

19. thirtysomething

In early 2020 ABC announced that it had picked up a pilot for a sequel series to reboot the original show thirtysomething that ran from 1987 to 1991. The network also announced that the reboot would be titled thirtysomething(else) and the story will follow the children of the original characters as the new generation experiences life in their 30s. Fans of the original will also be happy to hear that seven of the original cast members have signed on to reprise their roles including Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, and Patty Wettig.

(c)MGM Televison/courtesy Everett Collection

17. Walker, Texas Ranger

Changing and adapting anything as beloved as Walker, Texas Ranger is a difficult feat, but a reboot of the iconic Chuck Norris led series is on the way. CBS TV Studios is said to be behind the reboot and Supernatural star Jared Padalecki has been cast in the lead as Cordell Walker. The series is about “a man finding his way back to his family while investigating crime in the state’s most elite unit. Our broken widower and father of two returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years for a high profile case – only to discover that there’s even more work to be done at home. In a nod to the original series, Walker and his new partner — one of the only women in Texas Rangers’ history — are the modern day heroes our world needs, following their own moral code to fight for what’s right, regardless of the rules.”

PREMIUM —

16. Rugrats

Rugrats was a defining childhood series for many ’90s kids and Nickelodeon is seizing on the current love of nostalgia by planning a reboot of the series. In 2018, Nickelodeon ordered a 26-episode series for the new Rugrats and also has a live-action film featuring CGI characters planned for 2020. Both the TV series and the movie will include new adventures with beloved characters Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie and Angelica, and will also introduce a new world of characters.

15. Frasier

It seems as though a Frasier revival has been in the works for quite some time, but it seems to be getting closer than ever to actually happening. After first breaking the news in 2018 that he was working on a new Frasier, original star Kelsey Grammer, updated the news in late 2019. “We’ve got it hatched. We’ve hatched the plan, what we think is the right way to go,”he said at the time. “We’ll see how people respond to it because it’s not going to be the same place, it’s not going to be Seattle. It’s not going to be the same Frasier — it’s going to be the man in his next iteration. Hopefully that’ll be something people like watching. But I think it’ll be funny,”he added.

NBC

14. Designing Women

Another reboot that has been in talks for quite some time is for the CBS comedy Designing Women. Twenty-five years after the original wrapped up after seven seasons, a reimagined version was picked up by ABC. The new Designing Women — which is a multicamera comedy like its predecessor — will follow the next generation of Sugarbakers with a crop of new, young, female designers at an Atlanta interior design firm. The new take will still have the same razor-sharp dialogue and ability to cut through the political, cultural and social factions that rarely agree on anything. Original series creator Linda Bloodworth Thomason and executive producer Harry Thomason will be behind the new series which is being described as a “sequel” to the original.

Everett Collection

13. Nash Bridges

After a five year run from 1996-2001, Nash Bridges is lined up for a revival! The original show focused on an inspector, Nash Bridges (played by Don Johnson), who worked in the San Francisco police department’s special investigations unit, along with his partner, Joe Dominguez (Cheech Marin). In November 2019, Johnson confirmed that instead of recasting the series, the revival will see Johnson and Marin reprising their lead roles. He also revealed that as of right now, USA Network is preparing to launch the series as a two-hour TV film that will serve as a backdoor pilot. “It’s a two-hour television film, and they’re looking at it as kind of a way to launch it again as a series. Good Lord, I don’t know how I feel about that,” Johnson revealed.

CBS

12. Clueless

Following the short-lived Clueless series from 1996-1999, the 1995 pop culture staple is getting ready for another return to television. In late 2019 it was reported that CBS TV Studios had ordered an hour-long Clueless TV series. The new series however is reportedly going to be centered around the character of Cher’s best friend Dionne after Cher mysteriously disappears. Deadline reported: “Written by Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey (Will & Grace), the new Clueless — Mean Girls meets Riverdale meets a Lizzo music video — also is set in high school. It is described as a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sunglasses-wearing, oat milk latté and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when the high school queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong No. 2 Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans. How does Dionne deal with the pressures of being the new most popular girl in school, while also unraveling the mystery of what happened to her best friend, all in a setting that is uniquely 2020 L.A.?”

Source: Everett Collection

11. The Baby-Sitters Club

Although it has become popular to reboot and revive former iconic television shows, many networks are switching it up by adapting beloved films into series! In 2019, Netflix began production on a 10-episode series of The Baby-Sitters Club. “The themes of The Baby-Sitters Club ​still resonate 30 years after the original book series was released, and there has never been a more opportune time to tell an aspirational story about empowering young female entrepreneurs,” Netflix said in a statement. Although the young actors playing the lead roles of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn haven’t been announced yet, it was reported that Alicia Silverstone had taken on the role of Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer, the mother of club president and protagonist Kristy. Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein will join Silverstone as her love interest and Kristy’s step-father, Watson Brewer. Netflix’s series comes after the short-lived 1990 series that lasted only one season, and of course the beloved 1995 film starring Schuyler Fisk, Larisa Oleynik, Tricia Joe, Bre Blair, and Rachael Leigh Cook.

© Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

10. Clarissa Explains It All

With a re-imagining of Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Netflix, it didn’t take long for another Melissa Joan Hart series to end up in the rumor mill. In 2018 it was reported that Nickelodeon was getting ready to bring back Clarissa Explains It All and Melissa Joan Hart would be reprising her role as Clarissa Darling, but this time would be playing the mother of the family. Although it seemed like things were coming together for the revival, in 2019 the actress revealed the series was on hold while she worked on other projects. “There’s no update. No, I’ve been busy on my Netflix show, and just been trying to get family time on the side, and that show’s kind of on hold right now,” she said.  “I honestly don’t know. It’s up to the writers in the show, and the producers, and then the network, what they would want. I mean, I don’t know.”

Nickelodeon

9. The Jetsons

Now that we are only forty years out from the year when the iconic comedy cartoon series The Jetsons was set, it looks like ABC is looking to revive the series! In early talks with ABC it was revealed that the network was planning a live-action version of The Jetsons with Robert Zemeckis as executive producer, and is planned to shoot in front of a studio audience. Unfortunately, not many updates have been available on the series since 2018, however there have been no reports that ABC have cancelled the pilot either, so fans are holding out hope that The Jetsons come to life soon!

Everett Collection

8. Practical Magic: Rules of Magic

Another ’90s film that is being adapted for television is 1998’s Practical Magic. Instead of a reboot or revival, the new HBO Max series called Rules of Magic will serve as a prequel to the popular film that starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two sisters with the power of witchcraft. This time, however, the story is set in the 1960s, with the eccentric aunts Franny and Jet (played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest in the film) taking the lead. While the sisters become feared and revered, their brother Vincent leaves an unexpected legacy. According to HBO Max, their journey towards self-discovery and self-acceptance will see them contending “with grief, war, bigotry and dark magic, not to mention a centuries-old curse designed to keep them away from love.”

Everett Collection

7. Lizzie McGuire

There is no denying that Lizzie McGuire is one of the most buzzed about and highly anticipated upcoming revivals, but fans are now slightly concerned due to behind the scenes issues. In 2019 it was confirmed that Lizzie McGuire was coming back with a revival series for Disney+ with Hilary Duff reprising her beloved role. In the revival, Lizzie is “a little less frantic and a little more confident,” and the story will pick up where she is around 30 years old. She seemingly has her life together – her dream job as an assistant to a well-known New York City decorator, her dream guy, and a beautiful Brooklyn apartment — but she encounters a crossroads. Luckily for her, she can lean on her friends, her loving family, and her 13-year-old alter-ego in animated form, Lizzie to help her navigate life as an adult.” To make the revival even more exciting, Adam Lamberg has agreed to reprise his role as Lizzie’s best friend Gordo meanwhile her original family will be back as Jo, Sam and Matt McGuire.

Disney Channel/Ali Goldstein

6. Rumored Reboots and Revivals

Along with quite a few reboots and revivals that are in the works, there are several others that have either been rumored or have been started and cancelled. Some rumored reboots and revivals include: Animaniacs, Bewitched, ALF, Conan the Barbarian, and Gremlins: Secrets of Mogwai!

Everett Collection

5. Grease: Rydell High

With many choosing to forget Grease 2 ever happened, WarnerMedia is looking to entice fans to its all new streaming service HBO Max with a brand new take on the iconic 1978 film Grease! The Grease reboot will instead be adapted into a series called Grease: Rydell High. Rydell High “reimagines the global smash hit movie with some characters you already know, and a whole lot more you will soon meet. It’s still the 1950s, a world that rocks with big musical numbers from the period combined with new original songs as well. It’s the peer pressures of high school, the horrors of puberty, and the rollercoaster of life in middle America with a modern sensibility that will bring it to life for today’s musical lovers.”

HBO Max

4. Battlestar Galactica

After several versions of Battlestar Galactica have already graced the small-screen, NBCU’s new steaming service Peacock is giving it another try! The series will be developed by Sam Esmail who is hesitant to call it a “reboot.” “BSG fans, this will not be a remake of the amazing series Ronald D. Moore launched because… why mess with perfection?” Esmail tweeted. “Instead, we’ll explore a new story within the mythology while staying true to the spirit of Battlestar. So say we all!”

rt Streiber / © SCI FI CHANNEL / courtesy everett collection

3. Punky Brewster

While many audiences are skeptical of brand new takes on their former favorites, many are more open to them when they include the original stars and that is exactly what Punky Brewster is doing! The revival of the ’80s series will see Soleil Moon Frye reprise her role as Punky who is now all grown-up as a single mother to three children and is trying to get her life back on track. In the midst of it all Punky will meet a young foster girl named Izzy, who reminds Punky of her younger self. Freddie Prinze Jr. has been cast as Travis, Punky’s ex-husband, who is a working musician who’s constantly in and out of town. Meanwhile Broadway actor Quinn Copeland has been cast as Izzy. The new Punky Brewster will be available on NBCU’s new streaming platform Peacock.

Everett Collection

2. Gossip Girl

When Gossip Girl first aired in 2007 it was seen as one of the most scandalous teen series to hit TV, but a lot has changed in the real world and television since then, and TV better be ready for a whole new Gossip Girl series from HBO Max. An official summary for the reboot reads: “Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The prestige series will address just how much social media—and the landscape of New York itself—has changed in the intervening years.” Screenwriter Joshua Safran also said that the cast will be much more diverse than the original including “nonwhite” lead roles and “a lot of queer content.” The best news of all however is that while the original cast has not been rumored to be involved, Kristen Bell will be reprising her role as the voice behind Gossip Girl!

Andrew Eccles / © The CW / Courtesy Everett Collection

1. Saved by the Bell

It really is amazing it took this long for a Saved by the Bell reboot to come to life, and now it is finally happening, thanks to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, Peacock! Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez were the first to sign on to reprise their roles as Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater, and it was revealed that the iconic character Zack Morris is at the center of the premise of the new show. The reboot will focus on the story of what happened when California Gov. Zack Morris receives backlash for closing several low-income high schools and proposed that the affected students be sent to one of the highest-performing schools in the state – which includes Bayside High. Mark-Paul Gosselaar has agreed to appear in at least a few episodes as Zack Morris. Meanwhile, Josie Totah has been cast as Lexi,  who is considered to be the most popular girl in school, and is equally admired and feared by the students. Additonally, Mitchell Hoog as been cast as Zack Morris’ son Mac Morris. Belmont Cameli will play Jessie Spano’s sensitive but football playing son Jamie Spano.

(c)NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection.

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