It is arguable that it was during the 1990s that the greatest quality of television programming was produced- from “Fresh Prince” to “ER,” there was definitely no shortage of great entertainment, no matter what your taste. Long before the days of shallow “sitcoms” of today like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Tyler Perry’s Whatever He Wants,” the genre of situational comedy had more to it than just comedy- the sitcoms of the 90s actually had substance.
One such program that is still cherished today for its quality of both drama and laughter is “Boy Meets World,” a show that aired in 1993 until its end at the turn of the century. It’s no surprise that when a sequel to the famed series was announced and confirmed in November this year, many rejoiced in happiness, especially since the show will star members of the original show’s cast. With the way television is these days, this show is almost expected to be a failure, but the idea of revisiting past TV shows can eventually lead to gold, especially with how big a show’s fan base is.
Although one can argue that critically acclaimed shows in the past deserve to stay untouched because it could tarnish the show’s name and reputation, it can never hurt to revisit past material and take concepts of such to incorporate into future endeavors- if people didn’t do that, we probably wouldn’t have some of our favorite movies of today or any of our favorite songs.
Furthermore, the idea of tapping into past television shows gives producers nearly unlimited possibilities for what could be a great show, urging producers and directors to give into their fantasies and answer the lingering “what happened to…” questions they have after a show ends, like “what happened to Will after his family moved out of the mansion in ‘Fresh Prince’?” or “what ended up happening to Michelle after the abrupt series ending to ‘Full House’?”
Spinoffs or “sequels” of past television shows, although unoriginal in numerous ways, overall are made with the intention of attracting new people to the series, which is the reason behind many of today’s remakes of past movies like “Tron,” “Red Dawn,” and the upcoming “Star Wars” film. Although longtime fans of such franchises will argue that the prestige that their favorite series have gathered is untouchable in nature, producers are merely trying to spread awareness to new generations.
Whether you like the idea or not, we can all agree that it is always a joy when the favorite theme songs of our past are played on screen leading to a 30-minute dose of nostalgia. If anything, the concept of revisiting past TV shows will lead to the series gaining more awareness, which translate into fans, which will translate into sales.