A few thoughts on my mind: I don't know if you have mentioned it but the reboot of Battlestar Galactica was one of the best sci-fi, and best, tv series ever. On the two episode test: I watched The Regime last night on HBO. I had high hopes as it had people behind it who were behind Succession and Veep. It failed the one episode test! Excruciatingly bad, annoying, not to mention it made fun of people sensitive to, victims of, mold toxicity. But even besides that it was literally painful to watch. I felt bad for Kate Winslet and the cast, albeit she chose to star in it so . . .
Another show that I'd love to see come back — but in its original incarnation not the disconnected reboot: Penny Dreadful. Wonderful Showtime series with a shockingly good cast and was a lot of fun taking all of the famous Victorian horror figures and putting them together in very unexpected ways...
I'm digging deep into the well for reboot material: G vs E, a.k.a. Good vs Evil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_vs_E. It was a great premise and the cast had a lot of fun with it (Richard Brooks's character had died in the 1970s and still dressed like Shaft), but it had a tone that was... I want to say ahead of its time, but it's probably more accurate to say its networks (USA and SciFi) had trouble finding its audience.
The other idea (for which I will accept all brickbats aimed at me): The Facts of Life. Mindy Cohn is now four years older than Charlotte Rae was when the original series started.
[Ten-minute pause for poster's existential crisis, having now realized she is only two years younger than Season 1 Mrs. Garrett]
So anyway, Natalie is the new house mother (or headmistress?) at Eastland School for Girls and it's 2024 and being a teenager is arguably shittier than being a teenager in the 1980s, in some ways for the wealthy students and in a lot of ways for the poor and middle-class students on scholarships and let's get into that. I'm not envisioning the huge tonal shift that was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air --> Bel Air, so still a sitcom, but not as glossy.
I'm less interested in an out and out remake, but what would interest me more is to pick up serialized shows that never got a chance to finish its concept, like Flash Forward. I also hate when shows end on cliffhangers, and then get canceled with no opportunity even to wrap things up. Something like Sliders. I've actually been enjoying Quantum Leap as one of the few network shows I'm watching these days, as it honors the original and isn't just it's own universe.
Oh and by the way Tim, when you describe those candidates, both descriptions sound like the same person to me. 🙃
Shōgun is not available here (yet), as far as I know, but I don’t play to watch it even if it arrives, unless they say it’s unmissable.
I wish your lesson was recorded: I would have watched it.
My equivalent to design and architecture books are cookbooks and books about food in general. They relax me a lot. And occasionally I cook/bake what I read about.
As for remakes, I don’t think I would remake any single show. If I did, it would have to be at the very least 30 years old. No title pops to mind, but I will think more about it. Northern Exposure is a great choice.
Loved Northern Exposure, I still have a major crush on Maggie O'Connell...
Shōgun is a series that I definitely am gonna wait to binge, I want to be immersed in it — but it's not the Clavell book that I really want to see done right. I've always had a fascination with Hong Kong and its history and I absolutely loved Tai Pan. There was a rather mediocre film made with Bryan Brown (hardly a proper Scot) and a brutally underused Joan Chen. I'd love to see a miniseries of Tai Pan done right.
I can't find it anywhere but another book that lives in a similar intersection was a book I picked up at SF MOMA when I went to the Rodchenko show. I love Aleksandr Rodchenko, he was the leader and probably the best example of the Soviet Era Russian Constructivist movement. Like Lloyd-Wright he worked in a whole lot of different spaces from designing Moscow Subway Stations to news Kiosks and then was an accomplished photographer. But what he's most famous for is his propaganda work. He pretty much invented that iconic Soviet propaganda style that was exemplified by heroic workers on tractors in stark monochromes of reds, blacks, white and yellow with screaming headlines of Futura Extra Bold Cyrillic in yellow. One of the most interesting things about Rodchenko was that he didn't really buy into the whole oppressive socialist murder-ey thing but he figured out how to make his art within the confines of his society. Fascinating man and I recommend learning about him and especially his work.
On remakes - I'm always skeptical but if it's an interesting angle I'll give it a shot.
As for a show I'd like to see get another shot...with the recent talk about an X-Files reboot I'd love to see Chris Carter's "Harsh Realm" back. It was a bit too far ahead of its time and maybe the VR angle plays better now.
I think when it comes to remakes/reboots, I'm more interested in focusing on shows that had a really compelling premise, but for whatever reason didn't work the first time around.
If given the chance, I'd probably reboot the one-season UPN series "Nowhere Man." It struggled to find an audience and the battles between show creator Lawrence Hertzog and the studio were legendary. But the series touched on a lot of topics that seem relevant today. What does identity mean in an increasingly technologically based society? Is the person that we think we are a reflection of our true selves, or the person society thinks we are? All wrapped up in a complex conspiracy involving Congress and a mysterious private security firm.
I think it would be a fabulously dark show in 2024.
I don't know where to put this - and you didn't ask for it - but out of boredom I came across "Monsieur Spade" (Acorn TV 7-day trial). It's a bit of a slow burn (but quicker than "Rectify") with the first episode doing a lot of setup and world building. The last 5 minutes sucked me in.
"The Tourist" (Netflix) was also a fun surprise and thankfully Netflix dropped S2 today.
Again, sorry - you didn't ask for recommendations :)
A few thoughts on my mind: I don't know if you have mentioned it but the reboot of Battlestar Galactica was one of the best sci-fi, and best, tv series ever. On the two episode test: I watched The Regime last night on HBO. I had high hopes as it had people behind it who were behind Succession and Veep. It failed the one episode test! Excruciatingly bad, annoying, not to mention it made fun of people sensitive to, victims of, mold toxicity. But even besides that it was literally painful to watch. I felt bad for Kate Winslet and the cast, albeit she chose to star in it so . . .
Speaking of remakes, etc. looks like the Ripley trailer is up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ri2biYLeaI
Another show that I'd love to see come back — but in its original incarnation not the disconnected reboot: Penny Dreadful. Wonderful Showtime series with a shockingly good cast and was a lot of fun taking all of the famous Victorian horror figures and putting them together in very unexpected ways...
I'm digging deep into the well for reboot material: G vs E, a.k.a. Good vs Evil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_vs_E. It was a great premise and the cast had a lot of fun with it (Richard Brooks's character had died in the 1970s and still dressed like Shaft), but it had a tone that was... I want to say ahead of its time, but it's probably more accurate to say its networks (USA and SciFi) had trouble finding its audience.
The other idea (for which I will accept all brickbats aimed at me): The Facts of Life. Mindy Cohn is now four years older than Charlotte Rae was when the original series started.
[Ten-minute pause for poster's existential crisis, having now realized she is only two years younger than Season 1 Mrs. Garrett]
So anyway, Natalie is the new house mother (or headmistress?) at Eastland School for Girls and it's 2024 and being a teenager is arguably shittier than being a teenager in the 1980s, in some ways for the wealthy students and in a lot of ways for the poor and middle-class students on scholarships and let's get into that. I'm not envisioning the huge tonal shift that was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air --> Bel Air, so still a sitcom, but not as glossy.
Reboots…The Fall Guy, 6 Million Dollar Man, Small Wonder, Flipper
I'm less interested in an out and out remake, but what would interest me more is to pick up serialized shows that never got a chance to finish its concept, like Flash Forward. I also hate when shows end on cliffhangers, and then get canceled with no opportunity even to wrap things up. Something like Sliders. I've actually been enjoying Quantum Leap as one of the few network shows I'm watching these days, as it honors the original and isn't just it's own universe.
Oh and by the way Tim, when you describe those candidates, both descriptions sound like the same person to me. 🙃
Totally forgot, if there's ONE series that needs to come back. it's obvious...
...The Riches, duh.
Shōgun is not available here (yet), as far as I know, but I don’t play to watch it even if it arrives, unless they say it’s unmissable.
I wish your lesson was recorded: I would have watched it.
My equivalent to design and architecture books are cookbooks and books about food in general. They relax me a lot. And occasionally I cook/bake what I read about.
As for remakes, I don’t think I would remake any single show. If I did, it would have to be at the very least 30 years old. No title pops to mind, but I will think more about it. Northern Exposure is a great choice.
Loved Northern Exposure, I still have a major crush on Maggie O'Connell...
Shōgun is a series that I definitely am gonna wait to binge, I want to be immersed in it — but it's not the Clavell book that I really want to see done right. I've always had a fascination with Hong Kong and its history and I absolutely loved Tai Pan. There was a rather mediocre film made with Bryan Brown (hardly a proper Scot) and a brutally underused Joan Chen. I'd love to see a miniseries of Tai Pan done right.
One book that immediately comes to mind is a great intersection of two of my addictions, architecture and graphic design, Frank Lloyd-Wright: Graphic Artist https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Graphic-Artist/dp/0764920170/ref=sr_1_14?crid=304ZGNZHFNUWQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jUpzbE-UCkA9zf6IHwpB7L1lkMx13suqzn3zEmPP4pBxb_DF4Jn2W9Xnbmh7wDlbSE8b5EI8OnZrSzYhnAcOCZ4utulcNNAqgSOg1L8R2CxT3Ci4Vmg9k5bUbTJs-U8Vld_Im1HedSlfS1mW3ZM-qwpysoGnLxanXu1NGswTi01hw2S8RSVAdIo3WUx011ngqbDoypHPZQFFJXmqDydPVZuDerPMc42xs00CmlxKI4w.phw9V5Bs4j3AJXGsoQmuBffrTGnVSblgzzCA4DnAbLc&dib_tag=se&keywords=frank+lloyd+wright+graphic+design&qid=1709237279&sprefix=frank+lloyd+wright+graphic+design%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-14
I can't find it anywhere but another book that lives in a similar intersection was a book I picked up at SF MOMA when I went to the Rodchenko show. I love Aleksandr Rodchenko, he was the leader and probably the best example of the Soviet Era Russian Constructivist movement. Like Lloyd-Wright he worked in a whole lot of different spaces from designing Moscow Subway Stations to news Kiosks and then was an accomplished photographer. But what he's most famous for is his propaganda work. He pretty much invented that iconic Soviet propaganda style that was exemplified by heroic workers on tractors in stark monochromes of reds, blacks, white and yellow with screaming headlines of Futura Extra Bold Cyrillic in yellow. One of the most interesting things about Rodchenko was that he didn't really buy into the whole oppressive socialist murder-ey thing but he figured out how to make his art within the confines of his society. Fascinating man and I recommend learning about him and especially his work.
Another book that I keep coming back to is kind of embarrassing because I had something to do with it being created. It was written and designed my my father (he did a bunch of gorgeous books about the subject) it's called The Desert Southwest: 4,000 Years of Life and Art. It's basically a history of the region told through artifacts and it's my 2nd favorite of his books https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Graphic-Artist/dp/0764920170/ref=sr_1_14?crid=304ZGNZHFNUWQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jUpzbE-UCkA9zf6IHwpB7L1lkMx13suqzn3zEmPP4pBxb_DF4Jn2W9Xnbmh7wDlbSE8b5EI8OnZrSzYhnAcOCZ4utulcNNAqgSOg1L8R2CxT3Ci4Vmg9k5bUbTJs-U8Vld_Im1HedSlfS1mW3ZM-qwpysoGnLxanXu1NGswTi01hw2S8RSVAdIo3WUx011ngqbDoypHPZQFFJXmqDydPVZuDerPMc42xs00CmlxKI4w.phw9V5Bs4j3AJXGsoQmuBffrTGnVSblgzzCA4DnAbLc&dib_tag=se&keywords=frank+lloyd+wright+graphic+design&qid=1709237279&sprefix=frank+lloyd+wright+graphic+design%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-14
My favorite of Dad's books, I also had a lot to do with was about a criminally forgotten artist that I knew as a child. Enid Foster was a fascinating woman, a truly amazing & innovative artist and the ringleader of the Sausalito Artist's Colony in the 1950s and 60s. If you do a little research, you'll realize that you recognize a lot of names who were part of that. This was also the last book that Dad published, called Enid Foster: Artist, Sculptor, Poet, Playwright, Creative Force, Ringleader, Cultural Icon https://www.amazon.com/Enid-Foster-Sculptor-Playwright-Ringleader/dp/194948002X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MIW7KRQNUAVG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.n2h4uSN0jYz6dk1oPHujSA.b8Eogx_oIjuB7eqThIKRCF1eN9302dpWi9HdBeqS9pg&dib_tag=se&keywords=Enid+Foster+allan+hayes&qid=1709238689&s=books&sprefix=enid+foster+allan+hayes%2Cstripbooks%2C191&sr=1-1
Now that I've written the Mediocre American Novel, I'll let you read the more fun and interesting comments...
"Let’s hold space for fresh things, shall we?"
A fresh hot-off-the-grill White Castle Slider comes right to mind! :)
As far as shelter-porn goes, I am going to go get me some in the real world... https://www.eamesinstitute.org/
Northern Exposure????? It's like you're BEGGING me to self-promote
https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/billgoodykoontz/2024/01/23/northern-exposure-streaming-goodykoontz/72273069007/
My choice of areboot, well maybe more of a return on a cancelled series: Carnivale.
On remakes - I'm always skeptical but if it's an interesting angle I'll give it a shot.
As for a show I'd like to see get another shot...with the recent talk about an X-Files reboot I'd love to see Chris Carter's "Harsh Realm" back. It was a bit too far ahead of its time and maybe the VR angle plays better now.
I think when it comes to remakes/reboots, I'm more interested in focusing on shows that had a really compelling premise, but for whatever reason didn't work the first time around.
If given the chance, I'd probably reboot the one-season UPN series "Nowhere Man." It struggled to find an audience and the battles between show creator Lawrence Hertzog and the studio were legendary. But the series touched on a lot of topics that seem relevant today. What does identity mean in an increasingly technologically based society? Is the person that we think we are a reflection of our true selves, or the person society thinks we are? All wrapped up in a complex conspiracy involving Congress and a mysterious private security firm.
I think it would be a fabulously dark show in 2024.
I don't know where to put this - and you didn't ask for it - but out of boredom I came across "Monsieur Spade" (Acorn TV 7-day trial). It's a bit of a slow burn (but quicker than "Rectify") with the first episode doing a lot of setup and world building. The last 5 minutes sucked me in.
"The Tourist" (Netflix) was also a fun surprise and thankfully Netflix dropped S2 today.
Again, sorry - you didn't ask for recommendations :)