TV Reboots, Remakes And Revivals Coming Your Way

Lizzie McGuire, Punky Brewster, Saved By The Bell and more are coming back to TV. (This is for the Editorial Fellowship.)

A spate of new television revivals and reimaginings are in development at several networks and streaming sites looking to capitalize on nostalgia.

Here are ten recently announced projects that may be coming back to the small screen soon.

The Animaniacs

Amblin Television / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: The original Animaniacs ran for five seasons on Fox and The WB from 1993 to 1998.

What to expect: Join the Warner brothers Yakko, Wakko and their sister Dot as they run amok on the Warner Bros. studio lot. Pinky & the Brain will pop back up on their quest for world domination, too.

Premiere: Nov. 20, 2020 on Hulu. A second season has already been ordered for 2021.

Beavis & Butt-Head

MTV / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: MTV aired five seasons of the original Beavis & Butt-Head from 1993 to 1997. A revival ran in 2011.

What to expect: This head-banging, dim-witted pair became staples of MTV and are now emblematic of the Gen-X revival boom. In this new meta iteration, the duo "will enter a 'whole new Gen Z world' meant to appeal to both original and new fans.

“It seemed like the time was right to get stupid again,” said creator Mike Judge, who will write, produce and voice the titular characters again.

Premiere: Comedy Central announced the new production in July.

CSI: Vegas

CBS / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: CSI debuted on CBS in 2000. It ran for 15 seasons, ending with a two-hour series finale in Sept. 2015. Several spin-offs were launched from the original, including CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and CSI: Cyber.

What to expect: TVLine reported CBS was eyeing a limited-series revival set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the crime procedural. The serious would reportedly take place again in Las Vegas with several original cast members including Jorja Fox and William Petersen presumably in talks to return. Producers are reportedly also casting new characters to join returning favorites

Premiere: The original plan to mark the series' anniversary fell through due to the coronavirus pandemic but production is still underway on this as-of-yet-ordered revival, Deadline reported.

Gossip Girl

The CW / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: Based on Cecily von Ziegesar's book series, The CW's soapy teen drama Gossip Girl aired for six seasons from 2007 to 2012 and launched the careers of Blake Lively, Leighton Meister, Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford.

What to expect: Kristen Bell will once again narrate the series that follows a group of teenagers at the same prestigious private school. This time, though, the series will focus on a racially diverse clique with more emphasis on social media, queer content and, of course, a secretive twist.

Premiere: It was originally supposed to debut this fall on HBOMax but was pushed to 2021 because the coronavirus pandemic halted production, Vulture reported in May.

Jodie

MTV / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: A spin-off of Daria, this new series will focus on Jodie Landon, a supporting but fully rounded overachieving character from the original show who prevailed against the pressures of the "model minority" trope. Daria, itself a spin-off of Beavis & Butt-Head, ran for five seasons from 1997 to 2002 on MTV.

What to expect: Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross will voice Jodie, the focus of this new show. The series will pick up with her character post college-graduation and "will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today."

Premiere: Comedy Central announced it ordered the series in June.

Lizzie McGuire

Disney+ / Via YouTube

Original run: The Disney Channel comedy made Hilary Duff a new "it girl" as the titular character navigating her way through the changes of growing up. It ran for two seasons on the "House of Mouse" network from 2001 to 2004 and included a theatrical film that provided plenty of memes and a Millennial anthem.

What to expect: The new series would star Duff (and her animated alter ego) as a 30-year-old New Yorker. Her family (as played by Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas) would also pop up along with her middle school bestie/OTP Gordo (Adam Lamberg).

“The good news is, just like me and everybody who loved Lizzie and has grown up with her, Lizzie’s also grown up,” Duff said at the D23 Expo convention in 2019. “She’s older, she’s wiser, she has a much bigger shoe budget, which is super exciting. She has her dream job. She has kind of the perfect life right now.”

Premiere: Production on the Disney+ Lizzie McGuire revival screeched to a halt earlier this year after original series creator and revival showrunner Terri Minsky was fired after only two episodes, Variety reported. Some have speculated that the grown-up series may not see the light of day. Others envisioned it winding up on Hulu like the Disney-produced Love, Victor, if it weren't the squeaky-clean image the brand upholds.

In July, Duff said she was hopeful the revival could get off the ground again after the coronavirus pandemic lets up.

"Disney has certain things that have to be met for their brand, and I totally understand that, and they totally understand my needs," she told PopSugar. "So we're in a really good place of being like, 'Hey, we pressed pause, and we're regrouping.' There's been a lot of like creative meetings, obviously virtually. I think we're on the right path, and I want it to happen more than anyone and they obviously feel the same way."

Punky Brewster

NBC Universal / Via YouTube

Original run: The OG NBC series "Punky Brewster" aired from 1984 to 1988 and spawned a concurrent animated spin-off, It's Punky Brewster, that lasted two seasons.

What to expect: Soleil Moon Frye returns to the titular role, now a single mom raising three kids who encounters a girl in the foster-care system who reminds her of herself. Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Punky's ex-husband and original series regular Cherie Johnson returns as Punky's best friend, Cherie.

Premiere: No Peacock streaming date has been announced yet for the 10-episode series.

The Ren & Stimpy Show

Nickelodeon / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: The wacky Nickelodeon cartoon ran for five seasons from 1991 to 1996 and has developed a cult following for its dark humor. It was previously repackaged for adults in 2003 on Spike TV.

What to expect: Time break out the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" dance for whatever misadventures and antics this dog and cat duo embark on.

Premiere: The reimagined series was greenlit by Comedy Central in August, along with other adult animation series like Beavis & Butt-Head, Clone High and Jodie.

Saved By The Bell

NBC Universal / Via YouTube

Original run: The original Saved By The Bell lasted four seasons on from 1989 to 1993. A spin-off, Saved By The Bell: The College Years, ran for 19 episodes from May 1993, to Feb. 1994; a TV-movie finale aired Oct. 7, 1994. Another spin-off, Saved By The Bell: The New Class, ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000.

What to expect: It's back to school at Bayside High. But this time, things are a bit edgier. No longer a Saturday-morning light sitcom, this single-camera "reimagining" aims to be a funny show about high school with some familiar faces from the original show (Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley Lauren).

A trailer released Monday included several throwbacks to the original run — like Jessie's (Berkley Lauren) "after-school special" addiction to caffeine pills.

In the series, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played the rambunctious Zack Morris, is now California governor, who proposes sending students from low-income high schools to highest performing ones in the state, like Bayside High.

Premiere: No premiere date has been announced yet but it will stream on Peacock. Are you "so excited?"

Who's the Boss

ABC / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: Tony Danza and Judith Light starred in this sitcom about a former baseball player who becomes a live-in housekeeper for a well-off divorced businesswoman. Alyssa Milano played Danza's daughter and Danny Pintauro played Light's son in the blended family comedy. The series ran for eight seasons on ABC from 1984 to 1992.

What to expect: Danza and Milano are set to reprise their roles from the original series, Deadline reports. The new show will focus on generational and parenting differences while Milano and Danza's characters live under the same roof. Light and Pintauro are said to be "supportive" of the new series.

Premiere: No word on when the show will debut. No network has been announced for the new show but the Norman Lear-produced revival remains in development at Sony Pictures Television, reports CNN.

The Wonder Years

ABC / Via Garrett Mitchell

Original run: The nostalgic glimpse at a '60s coming-of-age story starring Fred Savage ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 to 1993.

What to expect: ABC's ordered a pilot script that will focus on a Black middle-class family living in Montgomery, Ala., during the turbulent late 1960s.

Premiere: Empire co-creator will produce the new series for ABC and the series will be developed for the 2021-22 television season, wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

How do you feel about remakes and reboots? Will you tune in to any of these shows?