It’s not news that Hollywood is going through a pretty serious bout of reboot-itis when it comes to TV shows and movies. With word (via Deadline) going around that some folks are pretty keen on rebooting The Office, it begs one important question: when is it fine to reboot or revive an iconic TV show?
The purpose of a reboot is to reinvigorate interest in a franchise that’s been gone for a while and/or has gone stale.
With The Office, a reboot simply wouldn’t work because the damn show has only been off the air for six years. That’s barely any time in the TV landscape and it simply hasn’t been gone long enough for people to miss it.
Throw in the fact that the show still being binged on by people everywhere on streaming services, the original show is still fresh in everyone’s minds so there really is no reason to bring it back just yet other than for that sweet, sweet moolah.
When it comes to revivals, these are a bit more complex yet also more flexible than a simple reboot.
Not only can a revived show pick up where it left off (or was unceremoniously cancelled) so older fans will be satisfied, but any outdated content and themes can be updated to reflect modern times in order to hook in new viewers, meaning the time spent off-air is less of an issue with a revival than it is with a reboot.
Having said all that, there’s something to be said about not touching a TV show at all and letting it go out on a high. Sometimes the magic is a one-time thing and no amount of reboots, revivals or time can recreate that. Just because it worked for one show (Fuller House) doesn’t mean it will work for another (Gilmore Girls).
The bottom line is that not everything needs a reboot or revival straight away (if at all), especially for a show like The Office that’s still in everyone’s mind. The whole starting a sentence reboot/revival while having no idea where it’s going and hoping it finds its way may work for Michael Scott but it doesn’t work for TV shows.
Oh, and if anyone decides to reboot/remake The Princess Bride, riots will happen.