TV 12 TV shows that need to be rebooted By EW Staff Published on August 13, 2020 12:00PM EDT Close 01 of 13 Everything old is new again Everett Collection With the success of a wide range of television reboots that include hits like Queer Eye, Perry Mason, Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Discovery, The Twilight Zone, Arrested Development, and Fuller House, the song lyrics hold true in Hollywood, "Everything old is new again." And while it seems like new reboots are announced almost every single day, it doesn't mean the archives are empty. From evening dramas to guilty pleasures, follow along to see the reboots the EW staff would like to see back on the boob tube. 02 of 13 Bewitched, 1964–1972 Everett Collection Although fans of the original 1960's Bewitched received a fictional TV show reboot thanks to Nora Ephron's reimagining of the Bewitched universe with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in 2005, it's been over 15 years since the film's release and various reboot attempts have yet to get off the ground for television. It's time for a new Samantha Stephens to come into the picture and make Darrin go crazy with a simple wiggle of the nose. —Jessica Leon 03 of 13 Cheers, 1982-1993 Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images Cheers is a practically perfect sitcom. It's will they-won't they dynamic of Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long), and then Sam and Rebecca (Kirstie Alley); the unique chemistry of the bar's regular patrons; characters so distinct they inspired their own spin-offs (hey, Frasier). So, calling for a reboot is probably heresy. But we can't shake the idea of a gender-bent take on the beloved Boston bar. Imagine Sam is now a woman, a cynical, man-eating bar owner (her name can stay the same) and Diane is now David, a sensitive literature professor at Boston University. It'd be a chance to subvert gender norms, pick apart toxic masculinity, and still come to play in a place where everybody knows your name. —Maureen Lee Lenker Cheers co-creator looks back on the series finale 04 of 13 Dark Angel, 2000-2002 Everett Collection Max Guevara's (Jessica Alba) cyberpunk adventure got cut short! Dark Angel centered on genetically enhanced super-soldier Max as she tried to elude the covert military facility she escaped in a post-apocalyptic Seattle. It was a fantastic mix of science fiction, action, and gothic flavor. Dark Angel has a lot of what the current TV landscape is interested in: an ass-kicking female lead, a visual aesthetic that would be fun to see on a weekly basis, and a conversation about government conspiracies and overreach. With exciting action sequences and themes that were fully explored over the two seasons it was on the air, the drama certainly has more to say. The original series was set in 2019, so a reboot would have to jump further into the future. —Alamin Yohannes Dark Angel: The Complete First Season review 05 of 13 Enlisted, 2014 FOX via Getty Images The 2014 comedy starred Geoff Stults as a U.S. Army super-soldier sent back to lead a Rear Detachment Unit — yes, they're soldiers! — in Florida after getting into trouble in Afghanistan. Waiting for him were his two younger brothers, played by Chris Lowell and Parker Young. The charming series was tragically cut short after Fox canceled Enlisted following its first season. If any series deserves a revival, it's this hilarious look at a military unit of misfits and the brothers that anchor them. —Samantha Highfill R.I.P. Enlisted: You deserved better 06 of 13 Fantasy Island, 1978-1984 Everett Collection It's great to get lost in some escapism on TV, and what better way to escape than to live out your fantasies. On Fantasy Island, people went to the mysterious Mr. Roarke to have their fantasies granted, along with a price they'd have to pay. After running for seven seasons and a one-season revival in the 1990s, Blumhouse brought the concept back with their deadly, terrifying take in early 2020, and while the film was a financial success, the idea of exploring desire and our fantasy is worth returning to as a television series. Whether it's a Black Mirror-style retelling or one that takes a deeper look into Mr. Roarke and his employees, we wouldn't be mad at a return trip to Fantasy Island. —Alamin Yohannes Robert Rodriguez talks about what he learned from Fantasy Island star Ricardo Montalban 07 of 13 Hotel, 1983-1988 Everett Collection Who doesn't love a little (or a lot) of drama with their hotel stay? Aaron Spelling's primetime soap Hotel ran for five seasons as viewers watched the lives of the owners, staff, and visitors of the fictitious St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco unfold. More high-grade, soapy drama would be great, but Hotel's greatest reason for a reboot: the guest star opportunities! Throughout the original show's run, many iconic stars made guest appearances as hotel guests, and bringing this show back should result in a fantastic collection of talented actors playing outlandish, comedic, and horrible guests. —Alamin Yohannes Aaron Spelling, god of guilty-pleasure TV 08 of 13 I Dream of Jeanie, (1965–1970) NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images "Jeannie! We wish for an I Dream of Jeannie reboot!" The fantasy sitcom was ahead of its time, especially when it came to the use of special effects. With the use of blue screens and wires, I Dream of Jeannie was able to create illusions that had never been done before — although they delayed the show's switch to color due to expense. Imagine how Jeannie's transformation out of her bottle or Captain Nelson's trip to space would look now with today's special effects. Jeannie always had good intentions behind the wishes she granted, but it still landed the duo in interesting — and hilarious — situations. We'd also be open to a role reversal this time around. Who wouldn't want to see a male Jeannie and a female Master Nelson? —Jessica Leon Revisiting I Dream of Jeannie — Barbara Eden talks about her most famous role 09 of 13 The Munsters, 1964-1966 CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images The Munsters made it feel like Halloween year-round! When the comedic show about a family of monsters living in a suburban neighborhood first aired in 1964, audiences instantly fell in love with the unusual family as each episode was centered around a typical day-to-day issue with a spooky twist. A revival of the show, The Munsters Today, aired in syndication in the late 1980s, sending Herman, Lily, Marilyn, and Eddie Munster along with Grandpa Dracula to modern times via a time machine. In 2012, NBC aired the TV special Mockingbird Lane, which was based on the original CBS sitcom, but a series order did not follow. —Jessica Leon Beverley Owen, original Marilyn on The Munsters, dies at 81 10 of 13 The Secret World of Alex Mack, 1994-1998 Everett Collection Alex Mack (Larisa Oleynik) was an ordinary teenage girl until an accident at a chemical plant resulted in her obtaining new, uncontrollable powers. The Secret World of Alex Mack followed her as she tried to hide her abilities (which include telekinesis and dissolving into a puddle) from the CEO of the chemical plant with the help of her closest friends. With the retelling of the stories of young fictional characters, a recent example being Nancy Drew, Alex's story could be the next young adult series to make a comeback, either as an adult still hiding from those who would be interested in her abilities or an entirely new take on the young teen hiding from her parents and an evil group with the help of her friends. —Alamin Yohannes Alex Mack: Before Buffy, before Lost 11 of 13 Step by Step, 1991–1998 Everett Collection "Step by step. Day by day." Hopefully, we're getting closer and closer to a reboot! The American sitcom that followed a large blended family brought together by Frank (Patrick Duffy) and Carol (Suzanne Somers) was beloved and lasted a total of seven seasons in the early 1990s. The "blended family" theme is now common on television, but a reimagined Step by Step has yet to be done. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring back a story viewers loved with a more diverse cast. After all, "we'll make it better the second time around." —Jessica Leon Review — Step by Step 12 of 13 V.I.P., 1998-2002 Everett Collection V.I.P. was a silly show — and that's what made it great! Pamela Anderson starred as Vallery Irons, a woman who saves a celebrity by accident and gets hired to be the face of an actual bodyguard agency renamed after her, Vallery Irons Protection. For four seasons, the series mixed comedy and action to deliver thrilling camp. The combo of international lethal agents and a wacky figurehead is a one-two punch we'd love to see return. —Alamin Yohannes What are TV's guiltiest pleasures? 13 of 13 What I Like About You, 2002-2006 Paul McCallum/Warner Bros. TV A story about a teenager living with her older sister and their close friend in an amazing NYC apartment was all this show needed to be a hit, but it was the dynamic between Amanda Bynes, Jennie Garth, and Leslie Grossman during What I Like About You's four-season run that made it special. With Holly (Bynes) and Val (Garth)'s age difference there was a story line for everyone in the audience, which was elevated by both Bynes and Grossman's comedic chops. The WB show checked off all the right boxes when it came to a successful multi-camera sitcom. —Jessica Leon Jennie Garth would love to revisit What I Like About You with Amanda Bynes