Five Old but Successful TV Shows that Should Be Brought Back... With a Twist

The old adage, "there is nothing new under the sun," has typically applied to Hollywood, where at times it is fashionable to recycle, recast, and remake a movie or television series. Last season, ABC brought back the old 80's series V, and this season a new incarnation of Hawaii Five-O is schedule to make a return to the small screen. Here then are five other shows that networks should consider bringing back to television.

The Cosby Show: The Golden Years
The Cosby Show enjoyed one of television's most successful runs in the 80's and early 90's, earning five consecutive first place rankings in the year's end Nielson's ratings. So what is left for Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) to do? For starters, expand on the notion that while you may grow old, you never stop being a parent. By now, the underachieving Theo Huxtable (Malcom-Jamal Warner) could be having troubles making ends meet, and the impulsive Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) can be recovering from a marriage that did not work, all of which could be keeping the good Dr. Huxtable from enjoying his golden years. If the cast is willing, it's time to resurrect this great show for one more brief run, especially in this age of shifting family values.

Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before
Yes, Star Trek has been done and re-done in every imaginable way, every way except one. It is time to treat Trekkers the world over to Star Trek the sitcom. The show could be along the lines of The Big Bang Theory, a rich mixture of scientific mumble jumble and humor. This series could be centered on an Enterprise class starship, who loses its way around the galaxy (thus, the "where no man has gone before" title) along the lines of Lost in Space. While this premise may at first offend the diehard Trekker, if properly written, it would find its target audience.

The Greatest American Hero: The Next Generation
NBC has already taken one stab at bringing back the TV science fiction series, The Greatest American Hero (1981-83), going as far a shooting a new pilot in 1986. However, like V, special effects in the 80's where not what they are today, relegating the earlier series to nothing more than a kids show. Today, based on the success of Marvel's superhero movies and the advancements in special effects, it's time to bring back this series. This time around, the series could unfold more like a drama and less like a comedy. Central to the show could be the premise that there is a hero inside us all, and the suite itself could find its way into different hands and with varying results.

The Love Boat: Re-Christening the Pacific Princess
The original Love Boat enjoyed a fabulous 9 year run on ABC before famously living on in syndication. There is no use resurrecting this series as another sitcom, but exploring its many hook-ups as a drama might earn it a place on television's list of must see guilty pleasures. With the built in ability to bring in guest stars each week, no episode would lack an air of freshness. To keep the adventures going a cast along the lines of NBC's Las Vegas (2003-2008) would be ideal.

Petticoat Junction: After the Last Train Run
Popular in the 60's, and with the same rural life theme that made a success out of shows like The Beverly Hill Billys and Green Acres, Petticoat Junction deserves to be revisited again, this time as a comedy-drama of a town in transition. With the railroad closing down, and business at the Shady Rest Hotel a lot less active, the theme of the show would center on a small town struggling to keep to its values in a world eager to make it obsolete. The show could cover modern day issues from the vantage point of rural and forgotten America.

Sources:

http://www.superheroeslives.com/originals/the_greatest_american_heroine_(1986).htm