The Overwhelming Epidemic of Disappointing Reboots
By Katherine Stoneman & Sarah Dreher
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In the history of TV shows, originality has been one of the determinants of whether or not a show is enjoyable, but this is all thrown out the window when it comes to the current trend of TV show reboots. This trend has captured various shows such as the teen series Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. Keeping the hit titles in the reboots entices fans of the original series to revisit their nostalgia and maintains the market for reboots, creating incentives for companies to continue. Those that hate the cheapness of taking creative ideas and turning them into mass-produced and mediocre products still watch the shows to pick them apart; however, this only accomplishes adding views and lining the pockets of the people producing them. Discovering the reason behind the shift may be the key to unlocking new ideas.
One of the recent examples of this phenomenon that succeeded in getting original fans talking failed miserably. The original Gossip Girl series aired in 2007, garnering millions of fans and quickly becoming a classic. When the news of the reboot struck, many fans were not pleased because they felt Gossip Girl could not be replaced. The reboot kept the same name with no add-ons, making no attempt to separate it. The series aimed to capture the catty drama from the show in 2007 but failed to live up to expectations. Season one received a rating of 38% on rotten tomatoes but still managed to get picked up for a second season that aired in late 2022. The amount of negative feedback the show received resulted in it being canceled as people felt it lacked a good storyline and was “boring”. The cancellation of the series maintained the familiar pattern of reboots that tried and failed to capture the essence of what they were trying to mimic.
In the summer of 2022, another popular teen drama that fell victim to this phenomenon came in the form of the Pretty Little Liars reboot, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. In Original Sin, the show focuses on a series of tragic events from 20 years before the original took place and explored the effects that it had on the group of teen girls being tormented by an unknown murderer called “A.” The reboot series took place in a neighboring town to where the original show was set, with the same teen girls in a high school. They each have to deal with the themes of relationships, romance, and teen drama. Both shows center around the mysterious, unknown villain, “A,” who sends threatening texts, knows every secret, and hunts the group of girls to an extreme. At the end of the show, the main character, Imogen, mentions giving her baby to Aria and Ezra Fitz for adoption, a main couple from the original.
Despite those connections between the two shows, the reboot of Original Sin fails to live up to the standards and popularity of the original Pretty Little Liars, disappointing countless fans for being a much darker and more confusing show. Throughout the first season of the reboot, the audience kept searching for easter eggs and waiting for any connections to Pretty Little Liars but were continually disappointed. As a stand-alone show, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin garnered enough popularity to come back for a second season, but as a reboot, failed to rekindle the popularity and love that the original Pretty Little Liars had.
Seldom does a new idea that engages fans in the same way that classics have over the years present itself. The vast majority of shows feel identical, having nothing special that sets them apart from the countless other shows that come out each month. In modern times, the ability to produce TV shows has been available for almost a century, providing an outlet for those with creativity and vision. Every year more and more series have been produced, creating a multiplying pool of genres and original content. At some point, it may have seemed that every idea had already been made in some form, making it harder to come up with something truly unique. With access to the internet, there is almost no room for originality as someone at some time has had the same idea. Finding a way to twist an existing concept could become exceedingly effective for entertainment that does not fall flat in an attempt to copy something else.
The difficulty of making something unique is combined with the fear companies experience of their product not making enough money. They are too worried about messing up when it comes to a never done idea that would require them to stick out their necks, leading industries to turn to older shows that already have a fan base with the belief that they can do no wrong and utilize it for the current success. Even with the various reboots, a scarce few receive praise as the vast majority are met with negative opinions.
With the ever-flowing criticisms, reboots remain a successful endeavor for companies. The use of a beloved name can result in large numbers of people watching it either to compare it to the original or to see how bad it is. Regardless of a person's intentions, they contribute to the total number of views, making the show seem more successful since ratings are not the only thing that is considered when it comes to a series renewal.
Reboots such as Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars will not be the last. To promote creativity and push for better content that is not a knockoff, viewers have to make the conscious decision to not participate when it comes to watching them just to make fun of them. Through this, the culture surrounding ideas when it comes to entertainment may shift into a new era of creativity and uniqueness.
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