The third season of Jared Padalecki’s Walker began airing on October 6, 2022, which confirms the success of the reboot of the series that originally starred Chuck Norris. Walker’s premise was interesting enough to get another chance and Redditors have come up with other TV shows they feel have outlines that are tailor-made for reboots.
These range from shows that had a long run but lost steam such as Once Upon a Time to series that showed promise but were soon canceled like Y: The Last Man. It’s interesting to check out the Redditors’ opinions since they give solid reasons why the shows weren’t as successful and why their potential reboots could be.
Terra Nova (2012)
Terra Nova was about a group of people from the future settling 85 million years in the past to combat the overpopulation crisis. Redditor PetyrDayne thinks Terra Nova had a “mind-boggling overarching mystery narrative and the dinosaurs were the cherries on top. Should have been a great show.”
Terra Nova didn’t last longer than a season due to so-so ratings, but the outline of the series has stood out for being very intriguing. Terra Nova was released at a time when TV shows didn’t have big budgets, so a revival with the same premise and greater production values might just do wonders.
The Dresden Files (2007)
The Dresden Files was a dark fantasy series about a professional wizard who uses his talents to solve supernatural crimes. Redditor brotherkin writes that “they tried making a show out of it, but no one watched it. Such a shame because the books are great.”
The series was based on the book series by Jim Butcher which has a dedicated fanbase. The idea of a wizard detective certainly sounds appealing to this day and is worth another shot. With streaming services now the primary platform for shows, The Dresden Files will have a greater chance of success since ratings won’t be an issue.
Designated Survivor (2016-19)
Designated Survivor is usually credited as a show that got worse after switching showrunners, as the original vision was hampered. The premise of the series is about a low-level official who’s sworn in as president when every other candidate is killed.
Redditor rcc12697 feels that the “idea of trying to find out who committed the terror attack is very gripping… but they ruined it with unnecessary twists and a convoluted plot.” Designated Survivor shed its original outline to become a standard political thriller, which wasn’t nearly as interesting. A do-over with the series focusing on investigations into the mysterious attacks would be a great reboot.
Revolution (2012-14)
Revolution’s story took place in a post-apocalyptic 2027, 15 years following a blackout around the world that left the Earth as a dystopian environment. Redditor BismarkUMD thinks the show could have been a success if they “let the characters develop. Create chemistry. Let the audience grow on them. Skip all the world-building – go right for the action.”
Although Revolution was praised for its sci-fi backdrop, the protagonists didn’t really stand out on their own to gain the strong fanbase the series needed to move forward. A revival where character development is the heart of the matter, along with a more gritty, survival-based presentation might just work to Revolution’s benefit.
Y: The Last Man (2021)
There is no shortage of great characters in Y: The Last Man, which follows a dystopian world where only one man remains after a cataclysmic event. Redditor GarlVinland4Astrea thinks that the “show failed due to execution and how they structured it.”
The series received positive reviews overall but didn’t focus as much on the main premise as it did on the protagonist’s nomadic adventures. With the message received that viewers would have liked more to do with exploring the mysterious deaths of the world’s men, another shot at the series seems like the setup for improvement.
Merlin (2008-12)
Merlin had a good run during its time but never quite made it to the upper echelon of TV shows. Redditor Low_Entertainment_96 thinks that “if it had a larger budget, was not made for children, and was serialized, it could easily be one of the best shows out there.”
Merlin followed the legendary sorcerer at a young age as he and Prince Arthur took on numerous adventures. The series remains popular within its fandom, but a reboot can have a larger reach through greater production values and complex themes. Viewers today are more inclined to be interested in shows that feel like movies, so Merlin can have the same premise if it gets an upgrade.
Once Upon A Time (2011-18)
Once Upon a Time is about fairy tale characters who are transported to the real world and put on the path to remembering their backstories. Once Upon a Time lasted for several seasons, but its heyday is generally considered to be the original one when the premise was strictly followed.
Redditor makesyoudownvote writes that “the idea really only works as a miniseries. It should have only been one or two seasons.” A reboot of Once Upon a Time with a succinct story that only depicts the characters’ journey from the real world to their fantasy lands will do a better job at landing with viewers.
Dollhouse (2009-10)
Dollhouse was a cyberpunk show where individuals are captured and have their personalities wiped clean to then be handed as dolls to bidders around the world. Redditor HandLion feels the show would have “worked well if they didn’t spend most of the first season resetting the protagonist’s personality every episode in a "personality of the week" format.”
Eliza Dushku played the main character as she went through different personalities, which had the effect of creating a disconnect with the audience since the protagonist changed so much. Another Dollhouse that depicts just one personality looking to uncover her real identity while escaping persecution sounds like a series worth following.
The 100 (2014-20)
The 100 follows a group of young people returning to Earth a century after a nuclear collapse and encountering the descendants of the survivors. While there are some interesting characters in The 100, Redditor WaterHaven thinks the show “felt like it needed manufactured drama with characters being so inconsistent.”
The 100’s selling point is easily its premise since it's appealing to check out how humans have evolved after such devastation and the clash between the humans who never experienced it. Another attempt at The 100 can dive into this aspect over the relationship drama that the series had to truly dive into the science fiction aspect of things.
Timeless (2016-18)
Timeless follows three protagonists chasing after a thief who plans to use a time machine to rewrite history. The series didn’t quite land with viewers during its run, with Redditor bros402 claiming that “it would have benefited from not having 42-minute-long episodes.”
A Timeless reboot would work well with shorter episodes that highlight the time period the characters have traveled to. Filling up a longer runtime meant that the adventure felt a little slow in pacing, which a revival will do well to avoid. On the face of it, a time travel plot across various time periods will always sound like a fun story to check out.
Source:gamerant.com