Full transcript of “5 Sitcom Reboots That Worked & 5 That Were Nostalgia Bait”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 Gee, Cor, I thought you'd be more excited to see me. >> Yeah. >> Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the TV comedy reboots that succeeded and failed to make the jump into the modern era. >> Where's Samantha? Oh, um, she's no longer with us. >> Number five, nostalgia bait. Frasier. >> How does it feel being back in Boston? >> Mixed emotions, honestly. I'm not sure I was ever my best self here. Kelsey Grammar returned to play the aerodite radio host and psychiatrist, but many of the other fixtures that made Frraasier work the first time were nowhere to be seen. David Hyde Pierce passed on the chance to reprise his role as the neurotic Niles Crane, which apparently led to a major shift in the reboot's
0:46 overarching storylines. I >> I reached out to your uncle Niles and this is what he wrote. It was the night before Christmas and North with the house on a creature was storing except Frasier who went overboard and ruined the eggnog. Also missing from the main cast are Jane leaves as Daphne and John Mahoney, the actor who played his irassable father as he passed away in 2018. Even beloved characters Rosen Lilith, played by Perry Gilpin and BB Newear, only made recurring appearances. The show didn't have the same magic without them and was cancelled after two seasons. >> There comes a time and I realize how hard it is to let go of something, especially when it's been a part of your life for so long. But eventually, it's time to admit that we have to move on.
1:31 >> Number five, Shined, Will and Grace. A decade after the original series broke ground for gay characters on prime time TV, the bands got back together. >> We should just be what we've always been. >> A sad middle-aged lady >> and Grace. Original writers David Cohan and Matt Machchnik returned along with all four regulars Deborah Messing, Eric McCormack, Meghgan Mali, and Shawn Hayes. Reviews were kind to the belated ninth season, which began with the smart decision to retcon its original ending. >> Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What about Stan? Is he still alive? Am I still rich? Answer the last one first. >> You're rich. Stan's alive. Both single.
2:19 No kids. >> Got it. Many were surprised to find its characters's antics and quirks had aged up in the decades since its first series finale. Even lukewarm reviews still thought the show had something to offer a modern audience. But rumors of backstage tension seeped into the press. And after three seasons, NBC canled the reboot. >> We've always just been Will and Grace. >> It's okay. >> What do you mean? Maybe we've been Will and Grace long enough. >> Number four, nostalgia bait. Arrested Development. Netflix's misbegotten fourth season of the innovative and irreverent sitcom about the family who lost everything let down excited fans in a big way.
3:05 >> And as the celebrations peaked with a boat parade called the Festival of Lights, another phrase they wanted back, one man was about to hit his lowest point. Scheduling dilemmas had the show's cast mostly relegated to their own episodes, leaving few opportunities for them to interact. Regardless of the reasons, splitting up one of the funniest ensembles in TV history into their own mostly standalone episodes is still one of the most boneheaded decisions ever. >> Michael suddenly found himself living in a ghost town he himself built. how you suddenly. >> Well, that's not a great sign. >> It took the creators 5 years to come back with a much better fifth season,
3:51 but by then the show's time had passed. It didn't help that star Jeffrey Tambber's workplace misconduct story broke during filming. >> Maybe I should move into the cottage with you two. That way, one of us can always be awake. Lucille, as your therapist, I would encourage you to let go of relationships that don't serve you. >> Number four shined. The Connors. 20 years after Roseanne Bar's workingclass slice of life sitcom went off the air in confusing fashion, The Connors returned to show us that not much had changed in that time. Well, one big thing had changed. >> I know Roseanne would want me to step in and watch over the family. No, it would kill her, >> but she's already dead, so carry on.
4:36 >> Star Roseanne Bar's controversial tweet saw her fired from the revival between its first and second seasons. The crazy thing about the Connors is that it managed to find its footing without her. >> Just want to call her and say, "How am I supposed to do all this?" >> Your mother once told me that everything you needed, she gave to you before you were five. I have no idea what that means. >> Yeah, I never could figure it out either. I think it's something she got off a Snapple cap. >> While Bar herself has had plenty to say about her ousting, the show won back its devoted viewership and continued for seven seasons. Seeing a realistic portrayal of where these people would be without fantastical Hollywood endings clearly spoke to enough Americans to
5:23 keep it on the air. Remember how proud you were when I said I was going to be a doctor? >> Hey, you're my first kid. That beautiful little girl. I've always been proud of you and never more than now. >> Number three, nostalgia bait. Murphy Brown. >> Oh my god. Look. Look who's sitting next to us. >> Where? Over there. >> It's Murphy Brown. >> Who's Murphy Brown? Between 1988 and 1998, the fictional journalist played by Candace Bergen was the epitome of the professional capable woman who could have it all. The character's decision to become a single mother famously became a real life
6:09 political talking point. Transplanting her to 2018 America didn't go so well. >> I'm feeling a little nervous to tell you the truth. I mean, this is a big risk. It's a new show. What if nobody watches? What if it tarnishes our legacy? What do you think, Miles? How do you feel? >> Well, I was feeling pretty good until just now. >> The sitcom re-imagined for a postTrump presidency pits her and her journalist son against each other on competing networks, and it was immediately clear it didn't have the same bite. The very first episode sees Murphy Brown having a Twitter war with President Donald Trump and it all just seemed a lot less fun and a lot less inspired. It ended after
6:54 13 episodes. >> Everything is back on track. >> Silverberg, I've noticed that when you're trying to put one over on me, a big vein in your neck bulges, as it's doing now. >> Number three shined Fuller House. Candace Cameron Beret and Jodie Sweden returned to the roles that made them famous in this Netflix revival. only this time they were raising the kids. >> The truth is I have been so scared about how to make this work by myself. >> I love you guys so much. >> Love you too. >> I'm going to have to rent a bigger house. >> No, you're not. I'm taking the house off the market. You're all staying right here as long as you want. >> Beret's DJ Tanner finds herself a widow raising children alone when she moves back into her childhood home. Fuller House is sweet, sentimental, and a
7:40 little corny. And any fan of Full House knows that's exactly what we come for. [Applause] [Music] Many original cast members would drop in every once in a while, but the show actually managed to create new and lovable characters that fit snugly in the Full House universe. Like Girl Meets World, this reboot found a way to merge the current moment with the sappy life lessons that made the original so watchable. >> You know what? We need a group hug. Come on. [Music] >> Sorry, forgot my lucky sunglasses. I knew there'd be a hug.
8:28 >> Is it just me or do you hear violence? >> Number two, nostalgia bait. And just like that, >> I cannot believe it. Oh, it's been forever. Do we hug or bump elbows? Sign language smoke signals. Where are we these days? >> The thing about this revival is that it does remind us of the original show. It's as maddening as anything on Sex in the City. But the original show's characters and their romantic voyables are equal parts charming, thrilling, and completely infuriating. Unfortunately, this show is heavy on the infuriating part. Oh, why can't this be real wine? >> What? Go ahead, say it. I can feel judgment emanating from your pores. >> It's not judgment. It's surprise. Am I not allowed to be surprised? >> You're allowed to be whatever you want.
9:14 I just don't want to focus group this. >> The chemistry is off. Kim Catrell's presence is severely missed. Miranda's romance with Jay Diaz, Carrie's continued self-centeredness, and whatever Charlotte's doing, it all feels like a bunch of misfires without Samantha's icy wit and sexual freedom. The show makes an admirable attempt to add new characters and new layers to the show's mythology, but none of it ever comes together. >> Thought I'd let go. >> Of what? >> Expectations. >> Number two shined Raven's Home. Could a nostalgic favorite recapture its now adult audience and foster a new one? Under the capable star power of Raven Simone, Raven's Home definitely did. If raising your kids with your best friend
10:00 is both a financial necessity and a dream come true, let me hear you say whoop whoop. If you accidentally set the toaster on fire, let me hear you say. >> Chelsea, did you kill my toaster? Woo! >> Earning itself a six season run on the Disney Channel, the psychically gifted Raven Baxter returned with two children of her own. Watching her and best friend Chelsea tackle motherhood was somehow just as engrossing as it was to see them navigate adolescence 20 years before. >> Look what you did. I worked all day on this. >> Oh, mom, you didn't have to do that. I changed my project. I'm writing a paper now. >> I'm going to kill no.
10:45 >> Adapting a kid sitcom for a modern age is a huge gamble. Raven's Home and Nickelodeon's surprisingly successful IIC Carly are prime examples of how to do it right. >> Freddy, this is why we stayed friends all these years. You creepy genius. >> Uh, I actually did the whole making it part, so you know who's the real creepy genius. >> Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number one, nostalgia bait. How I Met Your Father. >> I already know how you met Dad. >> Ah, you know the basics, but it's time for me to tell you the unabridged
11:30 version. >> How many glasses of that wine have you had? >> Just enough to include the sexy bits. >> Oh, good god. Here we go. The frame story concept that made How I Met Your Mother so watchable for nearly a decade didn't exactly pay off in the way viewers expected. And this gender swapped version didn't have the sauce. Not even Lizzie Maguire herself, Hillary Duff, could milk millennial nostalgia enough to make this one worthwhile. This is a new loaf. First, I find out I'm dating my maybe dad. And now I'm going to go bankrupt because I crashed into the fanciest perve in New York. >> I'm sorry. You just found out you're maybe dating your maybe what? who what >> outside of the overall premise, How I Met Your Father is an oversted cash grab that doesn't even come close to living
12:16 up to the show that inspired it. And while it does try to remind us of how much we loved that show, it just invites comparison. This re-imagined version is missing the personal element of that first series, which was loosely based on the creators' personal lives. I was really excited for first Valentine's Day together, and now it's ruined. Does it make you feel better to know that I've had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Valentine's Day before, too? >> Sweetie, no. Why would hearing about your misfortune make me feel any better? >> A Just kidding. It totally would. Tell me, tell me. Tell me. Number one shined. Saved by the bell. >> All right, keep it moving. Come on. This isn't cocktail hour. You drop and then you drive. Very good. Here we go.
13:03 Have a good one, son. Whoa. Wa! What are you doing? >> Sorry, Dad. I wasn't thinking. >> That's my boy. Morris men never use car doors. >> Bringing the original show's dated cheesiness was never going to work. So, they didn't. Instead, the Saved by the Bell revival managed to poke fun at its source material while still getting us to invest in a new crop of students at Bayside High. >> You're smart enough to pull off all these scams. Why not actually try? You know what? Even if you wanted to, I don't think you could. >> Don't tell me what I'm good at. >> See, don't you want to prove me wrong? >> When a local low-income school closes, the students are sent to Bayside High School and inject a dose of muchneeded modern reality to a beloved sitcom.
13:50 Laotted for its tongue-in-cheek approach, it scored big with viewers and critics. Even if it lasted only two seasons, it remains an example of how a sitcom reboot can have it both ways. You know, it's a little weird, but great. >> Kind of like Screech. >> You guys remember the time that he got struck by lightning and was psychic for a week? >> And then you used his powers to cheat on a midterm. >> Yeah. Why didn't we go to like Vegas or stop the Gulf War? >> Did these reboots hit the mark, or did they just make you miss the original? Tell us in the comments. >> I love those Christmases in Seattle. >> Yeah, me too. Now we're all scattered about. I miss those times.
14:38 [Music]
