Hollywood can't get enough of reboots. But sometimes, TV reboots are more than just empty, hollow cash-grabs. Sometimes, they're actually worthwhile. And sometimes that can really seem like the former while actually being the latter. But what are some of the greatest TV reboots of all time?
In the modern age of Hollywood, reboots have become a go-to approach for many studios. Rather than risk taking a chance on new ideas, it's often preferable to reboot or remake or generally just resurrect a proven idea with pre-existing familiarity. (This is also called "IP," for intellectual property, if you're talking to an agent with their own parking spot in Burbank.)
While audiences tend to bemoan Hollywood's ghoulishness to reboot something from the past and transmogrify it to suit the new parameters of the present, sometimes reboots aren't just great. They're sometimes better than what came before. It's not often, mind you, but it has happened before.
To prove that reboots aren't all lost causes, here are 32 legitimately great TV reboots.
32. Masters of the Universe: Revelation
On Netflix, writer/director Kevin Smith proved he had the power. In 2021, the New Jersey auteur oversaw a revival of the original '80s classic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in a sequel/reboot that wrapped up unresolved storylines. In Revelation, He-Man is depowered and magic has disappeared from the land of Eternia. It's now up to He-Man's closest ally Teela to relocate the missing Sword of Power and restore magic to prevent the end of the world. While some fans were irked that He-Man surrendered the spotlight to Teela, the series received high marks for its epic art style, darker tone, and more serious storytelling.
31. Kung Fu
Quarter-life crisis gets a kick in the rear in this reboot of the 1970s TV juggernaut Kung Fu, which infamously starred the very white David Carradine as a half-Chinese monk who wanders the Old West. In this contemporary reboot, Olivia Liang stars as a young Chinese-American woman named Nicky who drops out of college to study kung fu at a monastery in rural China. Upon returning home to San Francisco, Nicky seeks revenge for the murder of her mentor while repairing her estranged familial relationships and using her skills to quite literally fight crime. While the original Kung Fu has its dedicated fans, the 2021 revival - which has plenty of heart, humor, and sick action scenes pulled off on a TV budget - reimagined the show with a mostly ethnic Asian cast, which felt like a correction over the original show's ghastly yellowface.
30. The Flash
In 1990, The Flash first sped his way to television with John Wesley Shipp in the lead role. In 2014, The Flash raced again, this time as a spin-off to the popular CW series Arrow. Grant Gustin dons the boots of Barry Allen, a forensic scientist haunted by his mother's murder who is shocked with superpowers during a freak storm. Set in the expansive "Arrowverse" franchise, The Flash turns up the dial over its '90 predecessor with as much focus on Barry's everyday life drama alongside his amazing superhero responsibilities. Towards the end of the show's run, Shipp reprised his role as The Flash, including wearing the same costume, in a multiversal crossover that formally concluded his story.
29. ThunderCats
ThunderCats is far from the only 1980s cartoon to get a modern reboot. But in 2011, ThunderCats got an impossibly epic, impossibly short-lived reboot that memorably combined American animation with Japanese anime-inspired designs. In this darker retelling of the original series, the kingdom of Thundera is destroyed, forcing its feline inhabitants - including the hero Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats - to roam Third Earth and defeat the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra. With a more serious tone and emphasis on character drama, ThunderCats '11 set a new bar for adult-oriented animation as well as raised expectations for reboots that target nostalgic adults. Unfortunately, the show did not finish its intended 52 episodes due to low ratings and was axed after just one season. ThunderCats, no!
28. Bel-Air
A darker, more dramatic retelling of the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sounds like a joke, at least on paper. And that's what it kind of was when indie filmmaker Morgan Cooper released a short film to YouTube that took the form of a fake trailer imagining a gritty remake of the Will Smith sitcom. The viral popularity caught the eye of Smith, who met with Cooper and shepherded his short into a real television show. Premiering in 2021 on Peacock, Bel-Air retells the story of the sitcom with a more serious approach than the laughs-a-minute original. The gamble paid off, with critics heaping praise on the series for its novel take and allowing it to become one of the most-streamed shows on the Peacock streaming platform.
27. The Wonder Years
The original incarnation of The Wonder Years fondly looked back at suburban America between the late '60s and early '70s. For a generation of TV viewers, it was the ultimate coming-of-age story about growing up during widespread societal changes. In 2021, that premise was as fresh as ever, and so came the short-lived reboot that focused its cameras on a Black family living in the same period in historic Montgomery, Alabama. Through the eyes of 12-year-old Dean (played by Elisha Williams, with Don Cheadle narrating as his older self), The Wonder Years '21 explores the trials and tribulations of adolescence with the racist obstacles faced by millions of Black Americans amid Civil Rights. The show received critical praise for its socially relevant updates on a familiar story. At the same time, the show suffered some darkened clouds when original series star Fred Savage was fired as producer due to alleged inappropriate conduct.
26. Sherlock
Remember when we were all "Sherlocked"? In 2010, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat reimagined the iconic sleuth from British literature, placing him and his trusty, oft-flummoxed sidekick John Watson in contemporary London. While Sherlock is now armed with Wi-Fi, smartphones, and sophisticated forensic science, the famous detective still relies on his unnatural deductive reasoning skills and well-read education to solve elusive cases. The show made a star out of Benedict Cumberbatch, whose role as Sherlock helped launch him into the big leagues of the Marvel Universe as the superhero Doctor Strange. It also starred Martin Freeman as John Watson, with Freeman also ending up in the Marvel franchise and leading The Hobbit trilogy. Despite the show's early praise, critics and audiences ran out of steam as the show reached its final season in 2017. Still, Sherlock was a formative show for many, especially those on Tumblr and Twitter, and it's hard to ignore how much it made big stars out of its cast.
25. Hawaii Five-0
Honestly, it's hard to wipe out from a show like Hawaii Five-0. A police procedural set in an exotic, sunny locale most people only dream of? It's like a mini-vacation every week! Rebooting from the original series that ran from 1968 to 1980, the 2010-20 iteration follows the eccentric characters who work in the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force, a specialized unit in the Hawaii Department of Public Safety. (Fun fact: The real Hawaii DPS was deactivated in 2023 and funneled into the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement.) Featuring a diverse ensemble cast including Asian and native Hawaiian actors - among them Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park - Hawaii Five-0 did more than just ride the wave of its iconic predecessor. The series lasted for a whopping 10 seasons, made up of 240 episodes.
24. Kamen Rider Black Sun
All long-running franchises have that one iteration that stands above the rest. In the case of Toei's famed Kamen Rider franchise, the 1987 tokusatsu classic series Kamen Rider Black stood out with its near-perfect execution of established series formula, with a memorably dark story about two brothers fated to fight in mortal combat. In 2022, Toei rebooted the show into Kamen Rider Black Sun, a mature-oriented reimagining that retold the story of the series with a more pronounced political bent. With Drive My Car's Hidetoshi Nishijima in the lead role, Toei had eyes set on giving Kamen Rider an air of "prestige TV." While die-hard fans are mixed on the show, Kamen Rider Black Sun is an excellent introduction to tokusatsu for anyone unfamiliar with the tropes and styles of the genre.
23. House of Cards
Putting the Kevin Spacey of it all aside, it's hard to forget when the buzziest television drama in the world was about ruthless politicians in Washington D.C.. An American remake of the 1990 British thriller, House of Cards stars Spacey as cutthroat congressman Frank Underwood who orchestrates his way to the Oval Office, with plenty of help from his equally ambitious wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). While career-ending allegations forced Spacey into a premature exit from the show, the series still aired several seasons' worth of Frank Underwood, whose dark outlook influenced the show's nihilistic vibe of hungry sharks in Brooks Brothers tailoring. While few can say they saw it end, many can't forget when they saw House of Cards begin.
22. DuckTales
Whoo-hoo! The original 1987 Disney cartoon, beloved for the fun adventures of cheeseparing Scrooge McDuck and his rambunctious nephews, was one of several original shows that helped cement the Disney Channel as a childhood staple, not to mention a viable business for the Disney empire. In 2017, well before there was a Disney streaming service that needed capital-C content, a reboot reimagined Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie as they embarked on more treasure hunts around the world. The reboot DuckTales boasted lively art design and rich characterization that made it a big hit with both critics and audiences, who lavished praise towards its balance between the new and the nostalgic. An all-star voice cast including David Tennant, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, Bobby Moynihan, Kate Micucci, Giancarlo Esposito, and even Don Cheadle (as an alternate voice for Donald Duck) helped give the show star power and texture as more than just another cartoon reboot.
21. Cobra Kai
Redemption is possible for anyone - even '80s movie bullies. The hit action-comedy series Cobra Kai continues the story of The Karate Kid movies, taking the point-of-view of original antagonist Johnny Lawrence (reprised by original actor William Zabka). Some 30 years after Ralph Maccio's Daniel LaRusso defeated rival Johnny at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny wallows in his depression while Daniel lives a happy life with a family. Cobra Kai flips the underdog story on its head, with Johnny now positioned as the "underdog" who seeks to reestablish the Cobra Kai karate dojo whilst reigniting rivalry with Daniel. Originally a YouTube Red series, Cobra Kai grew to become a major hit in the streaming era and proof that not all nostalgic retreads are beholden to the same masters of mediocrity.
20. Westworld
At least for one season, we all were round up in the lasso of Westworld. A serialized TV remake of the 1973 film by Michael Crichton, Westworld takes place in a near-future where endless capital creates violent delights. Set in a cutting-edge Old West theme park populated by lifelike androids, Westworld follows an ensemble cast of characters, from the artificial inhabitants "enslaved" by the park to visitors discovering their true selves in a lawless playground. Premiering at just the right time in summer 2016, Westworld harnessed the anxieties of our technology-dependent reality and desire for escapism by any means in a saga underscored by themes like consciousness, human behavior, class warfare, and freedom. While critics and audiences admit to falling off after its first season, it's not incorrect to say that Westworld was almost, if not exactly another must-watch event like HBO's other big TV hit, Game of Thrones.
19. Party of Five
The original comedy-drama Party of Five, which spent years suffering low ratings before amassing popularity after it won a Golden Globe in 1996, focused on the five Salinger siblings who take care of each other after their parents die in a car accident. In 2020, a critically acclaimed reboot premiered on Freeform, this time centered on the Acostas who undergo a similar challenge when their parents are deported to Mexico. While the series was celebrated for its empathetic and timely story, its low ratings doomed its prospects and it was canceled after just one season.
18. High Fidelity
Originating as a 2000 film starring John Cusack (itself based on Nick Hornby's 1995 novel), High Fidelity follows Rob Brooks, a young, hip record store owner in Brooklyn who reevaluates her failed romantic partnerships through the lens of her favorite music. Zoë Kravitz stars in the series, keeping up an unofficial family tradition after her mother Lisa Bonet, who had a role in the Cusack movie. While High Fidelity was canceled after just one season, the show was praised for its fresh take on the familiar story, as was Kravitz who flexed her leading lady muscles as the show's central charismatic curmudgeon.
17. Charmed
While it was resurrected just 12 years after the original ended on The WB - and its original cast expressed disappointment about not being involved - Charmed found new life on The CW, its themes of sisterhood and womanhood still brimming with magic. In this retelling of the original, three sisters learn they are "good" witches tasked with protecting the world from the forces of evil. With a more diverse cast featuring women of color as well as onscreen LGBT representation, Charmed '18 cast a spell over critics and audiences to last four seasons.
16. Perry Mason
It had been awhile since America heard of Perry Mason, the idealistic lawyer who always proves his client's innocence, when the 2020 reboot series aired on HBO. Based on the many Perry Mason novels that also spawned an iconic 1957-66 TV show starring Raymond Burr, Perry Mason '20 (starring Matthew Rhys) tells the "origin story" of Perry Mason in 1932 Los Angeles. Set against the Great Depression and Mason reeling from World War I PTSD, the series sees Mason take on the case of a lifetime, a child kidnapping trial that leads Mason to seek out who might be the real culprit. The show earned acclaim from critics who celebrated the show's updated style, production value, and sharp writing; unfortunately, its undisclosed ratings couldn't justify the show's budget, alluded to as much by HBO's head of drama Franesca Orsi in a 2023 interview with Deadline.
15. Animaniacs
As Yakko himself sings it: "They ran out of ideas for fresh new shows, so Hollywood did the only thing it knows." A revival of the original satirical cartoon that premiered in 1993, Animaniacs broke free from the Warner Bros. Water Tower to return on Hulu in 2020, with much of the original cast intact. While Yakko, Wakko, and Dot navigate a brand new Hollywood than they remember, the Warner Siblings haven't changed a day, roasting Hollywood and the culture at large to within an inch of its lives. Though it lasted only three seasons, Animaniacs proved itself to be as caustic and clever as '90s babies remember it, only this time, they actually understand the jokes.
14. The Tick
The Tick has become a cult TV show more than twice, but the third time was really the charm. In 2016, amid the dominance of superhero pop culture, The Tick came crawling back to TV, as another live-action series on Amazon Prime. (The show predates the platform's rechristening as Prime Video.) Peter Serafinowicz stars as The Tick, an invulnerable superhero with boundless enthusiasm and a sincere lack of awareness who befriends nervous, mild-mannered Arthur (Griffin Newman), who becomes his sidekick. While The Tick '16 looked gritty on the surface, those hard exteriors betray its chaotic and madcap sense of humor. Despite positive reviews and even a passionate fan campaign to renew it for a third season, The Tick was unfortunately canceled due to low viewership.
13. One Day at a Time
In this reboot of the 1975 sitcom, the Cuban-American Alvarez family deals with the ups and downs of the 21st century. The series centers around Penelope (Justina Machado), a single mother and U.S. Army veteran who tries hard to keep her eccentric family together while dealing with her own problems. With its take on serious issues like immigration, PTSD, and LGBTQ+ rights with equal parts sensitivity and a sense of humor, One Day at a Time earned high marks from critics who found it a fresh and inclusive spin on the tired sitcom genre.
12. Lost in Space
"Danger, Will Robinson!" In this lavish and deadly serious Netflix reboot of the original 1960s sci-fi series (itself based on an 1812 novel), a family of space explorers, the Robinsons, find themselves stranded on an alien planet after their spaceship veers off course. Eschewing the cheesiness of the original (and the ostentatiousness of the 1998 movie), Lost in Space '18 won praise from viewers for its magnificent production design, textured characters, and modern storytelling. The show was a hit in its 2018 premiere and lasted until 2021, when it finished with its third and final season.
11. The Exorcist
Initially billed as a ground-up reboot before surprising audiences as a direct sequel to the iconic 1973 film, The Exorcist shocked everyone in how it proved television can be just as haunting as the big screen. Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels co-star as priests who investigate cases of demonic possession; true to the original film, the show interrogates the limits of faith against the unknowable. While many critics and viewers expressed skepticism towards the show leading up to its 2016 premiere, it quickly won over viewers for its muscular storytelling and hair-raising psychological horror. Despite its buzz, The Exorcist failed to conjure up a third season.
10. Quantum Leap
Quantum Leap didn't just explore history, it made history too. In 2022, the reboot series Quantum Leap featured actor Raymond Lee in the lead role, making it the first American sci-fi show headlined by an Asian American actor. But the show was more than its diversity wins. The show itself earned praise in how it revisits the classic story, with Lee portraying a physicist who gains the power to travel back in time and live different lives. While the series enjoyed a loyal audience, its expensive production and the dual strikes of Hollywood in 2023 forced the show to end at just its second season. Still, fans hold out hope that Quantum Leap can come back for a third jump.
9. Magnum P.I.
Magnum P.I. is simply too cool of a show to mess up via reboot. Based on the original '80s TV classic, Magnum P.I. follows Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator in sunny, breezy Hawaii. Using his expert skills, Magnum solves cases while sorting out his new life in Hawaii. (The show also shared the same universe as Hawaii Five-0, another popular TV reboot from a classic show set in Hawaii.) Without reinventing the wheel, Magnum P.I. coasts on its easy-going charms and escapist bombast, allowing TV audiences both new and nostalgic to enjoy the waves.
8. The Office
It's hard to remember, what with it being so popular and ubiquitous, but The Office was a remake. Originating from a sandpaper dry British sitcom from producer Greg Daniels, the American version of The Office wound up a seismic pop culture juggernaut that epitomized comedic television in the late 2000s. The series challenged sitcom conventions of the time, being a single-camera, documentary-style production with no studio audience nor a laugh track. (Its initial popularity on iTunes over traditional broadcast TV also foreshadowed the changing habits of audiences.) Much has been written about the show's rise to success and cultural influence; a 2021 podcast hosted by cast member Brian Baumgartner unpacks its origins and legacy, and it's seriously a must-listen. Just know that it's one of the biggest and best TV reboots of all time, to the point its profile eclipses its English ancestor.
7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
While most audiences remember Sabrina Spellman as a teenage witch with a talking cat on her network sitcom, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina dared to reimagine Sabrina's world of witchcraft with darker tones. A stylish dramedy from producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and TV maestro Greg Berlanti, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows its title heroine (played by Kiernan Shipka) who struggles to reconcile between her witch and human sides while protecting her hometown from the forces of darkness. With its dark coming-of-age storytelling, creepy horror, and spellbinding performances, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina can make you forget about laugh tracks and the TGIF programming block. (We'd be remiss not to mention a clever tribute episode in Season 4, which guest stars Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick back in their sitcom roles.) You can practically feel the crunchy leaves under your feet when you binge this modern gem.
6. 12 Monkeys
In this reboot of Terry Gilliam's 1995 movie, a scavenger from the future named James Cole (played by Aaron Stanford, and Bruce Willis in the original movie) is sent back in time to 2015 to prevent the release of a catastrophic virus that all but destroys the world. Surpassing expectations as an empty reboot of a cult sci-fi movie, the 12 Monkeys '15, which aired on Syfy, was praised for its hard science fiction storytelling mixed with moral questions about fate and free will.
5. Doctor Who
"Good to meet you Rose. Run for your life!" And with that, we had our Ninth Doctor. After years of dormancy, the BBC brought back Doctor Who for not only a new audience, but a whole new era that hasn't stopped since. In 2005, Doctor Who returned with actors Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper (as ordinary shopgirl Rose) with a season that reinvigorated the classic British sci-fi. After Eccleston departed, the role of the Doctor was taken over by David Tennant (thanks to good ol' Time Lord regeneration). The series became an even bigger success to eventually become a huge hit abroad, especially in the United States. (Finally.) Starting in 2023, the show was renewed (not rebooted, mind you) with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor.
4. Twin Peaks: The Return
It seemed impossible, and still seems impossible in some way. But in 2017, David Lynch dared to continue the story of his acclaimed mystery drama Twin Peaks. In Twin Peaks: The Return, FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is still trapped in the Black Lodge and tries to escape while the case of Laura Palmer grows as mystifying as ever. The original Twin Peaks was renowned for its blend of detective mysteries and surreal horror. Twin Peaks: The Return lived up to that same spirit and then some, with a reflective approach that interrogates artists' (and Hollywood's) need to keep bringing back what remains in the past.
3. Roots
On paper, the mere thought of rebooting Roots sounds pointless and futile. The original 1977 miniseries was celebrated for its epic production and uncompromising story, that of an African boy who is shipped to North America as a slave in 1750. But in 2016, a reboot miniseries arrived on the History Channel. To everyone's surprise, the reboot holds up as both a faithful retelling that doesn't fail to realize the modern, still-unjust world it addresses. Its exploration of human resilience and unflinching portrait of American history - including and especially its ghastly sides - makes Roots '16 something of a miracle.
2. Fargo
The original Coen Brothers movie from 1996 was just the start. First airing in 2014 and airing new seasons sporadically over the next decade, the black comedy smash Fargo takes the spirit of the film - eccentric self-servers, the allure of crime, the chase for the elusive American dream, the maddening desolation of frosty flyover states - and reimagines it as an anthology series that span different periods. As Fargo zigzags between the 20th and 21st centuries, a single truth manifests in this bizarro universe: Things will never work out like you expect them to. Packing an all-star cast and refreshing itself each season, Fargo is easily one of the best TV shows of all time, never mind best TV reboot.
1. Battlestar Galactica
The original 1978 Battlestar Galactica hit airwaves only a year after Star Wars became a cultural juggernaut. Its ambitions couldn't match what was possible on a TV budget and scale in 1978, and thus Battlestar Galactica was little more than a cult show, albeit with a very dedicated audience. But by 2004, the world was in a different place. Terrorism loomed in the American psyche, and TV was a lot more cinematic. And so, Ronald D. Moore rebooted Battlestar Galactica for a new generation, resulting in one of the best sci-fi shows of all time that holds its own against other heavy hitters of TV. Overrun with complex characters, political metaphors, moral questions concerning humanity on the edge of survival, and generally high production values that rival the big screen, Battlestar Galactica is a sci-fi epic that forever made us expect more from TV reboots.
