The television industry's obsession with reboots and revivals is still going strong. Thus far in 2023, viewers have already seen reboots of beloved hits like "Futurama" and "Justified," and Frasier Crane and Hank Hill are among the iconic characters also making small-screen comebacks in the near future — though not always in the ways you'd expect.
Dr. Frasier Crane is coming back on the air. Kelsey Grammer is returning for this Paramount+ revival of "Frasier," which follows the title character in the "next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Mass., with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill," according to Paramount+. That means the series is going back to where it all began, as "Cheers," the series Frasier originated from, was set in Boston. The reboot's cast includes Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier's son and Nicholas Lyndhurst as his college buddy, although David Hyde Pierce is sadly not back as Frasier's brother Niles. "David basically decided he wasn't really interested in repeating the performance of Niles," according to Grammer. The revival premieres Oct. 12.
Nostalgic for the golden age of the Disney Channel? We have good news. A revival of the animated series "Phineas and Ferb," which originally ran from 2007 to 2015, is in the works, and a whopping 40 new episodes, which will be split across two seasons, have already been ordered, according to Variety. Original creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh are both involved, per the outlet. In May, Povenmire shared on TikTok that writing on the revival had commenced and it wasn't affected by the ongoing WGA strike. He also shared that the staff consists of "mostly writers from the original show" and it will pick back up with the characters as kids, although "we may do a few episodes [set] in the teenage years."
A "Baywatch" revival may be running to TV — in slow motion, of course. A reboot of the iconic lifeguard series that starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson is in development, Deadline reported. Little information about the project has been revealed, but Deadline stated that Fremantle has "held early talks with a number of broadcasters and streamers" about the revival. No creatives were said to be attached at the time. "Baywatch" was most recently revived with a 2017 film starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, which received negative reviews and disappointed at the box office.
A revival of the classic British sitcom "Fawlty Towers" is in the works with John Cleese, the original co-creator and star, returning alongside his daughter, Camilla Cleese, according to Variety. Cleese told GB News the revival will be set 40 years later and take his character to a "small bijou hotel" in the Caribbean. "If you put it in the Caribbean, it becomes very multiracial," he said. "People in the hotel business come from everywhere, so you can bring lots of different people together. The characteristic of 'Fawlty Towers' was the pressure cooker atmosphere created in the hotel."
A revival of the British comedy series "Peep Show," which originally ran from 2003 to 2015, is in the works at FX. According to Variety, Minnie Driver and Amandla Jahava have landed the lead roles in a pilot. "Taking inspiration from the original U.K. series 'Peep Show' and its unique narrative format, the pilot follows the relationship between a long-suffering assistant (Jahava) and her boss (Driver), an emotionally unstable tech entrepreneur," the logline states.
For its latest animated series, Fox is going back to the Stone Age. The network is working on a revival of "The Flintstones" titled "Bedrock," which the network describes as a "prime-time animated adult comedy" continuing the story of the original series but set two decades later. Fred is now on the brink of retirement, while Pebbles is in her 20s. "As the Stone Age gives way to a shiny and enlightened new Bronze Age, the residents of Bedrock will find this evolution harder than a swing from Bamm-Bamm's club," Fox teased. Elizabeth Banks is executive-producing in addition to voicing Pebbles, while Stephen Root voices Fred, Amy Sedaris voices Wilma, Nicole Byer voices Betty, Joe Lo Truglio voices Barney, and Manny Jacinto voices Bamm-Bamm, according to Deadline.
A revival of "The X-Files" is out there, apparently. In a March 2023 radio interview with "On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko," "The X-Files" creator Chris Carter revealed "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler is working on a reboot of the classic sci-fi series. "I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount 'The X-Files' with a diverse cast," Carter said. "He's got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory." No information about the revival has been revealed since then, though, and Carter didn't specify whether it would be a movie or a show. "The X-Files" was previously revived for two more seasons on Fox from 2016 to 2018.
Get the propane (and propane accessories) ready. After Hulu revived "Futurama," the streamer is bringing back another classic animated series, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels' "King of the Hill." Judge and Daniels are involved in the new episodes, and the original voice cast is returning, per Variety. The revival will feature a time jump from the end of the original series so the characters are now older, star Stephen Root told ScreenRant. 20th Television Animation executive Marci Proietto also teased the revival will involve "seeing the characters we love with a slightly more modern sensibility," per ScreenRant. Sadly, Johnny Hardwick, who voiced Dale Gribble, died in August 2023. According to TVLine, he completed work on a "couple" of episodes of the reboot before his death.
Starz has confirmed a revival of its 2010 series "Spartacus" is in the works and original creator Steven S. DeKnight is returning, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "It's such an incredible honor to be invited to return to the world of 'Spartacus' and to be met with unbridled creative support from my colleagues at Starz and Lionsgate," DeKnight said. "Together, we are crafting something truly unique and unusual for the next chapter in this epic story." The revival will "depict a new tale of treachery, deceit and blood unfolding beneath the foreboding shadow of Rome," Starz said, and some characters from the original show are expected to be back.
"Married… with Children" is coming back but with a twist. A revival of the classic sitcom was confirmed in 2022 with original stars Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate and David Faustino all involved, according to Deadline. The catch? It will be an animated series not live-action like the original. "Family Guy" executive producer Alex Carter is reportedly serving as showrunner of the revival, which Deadline said was being pitched to networks and streamers. "I can't really say much, but all I know is that all four of us are attached to it," Applegate told Vanity Fair. "It's not in our hands now, so we're just kind of waiting."
