The quality of reboots, remakes, and spin-offs of old shows and movies seems like an age-old debate. While on one hand, we get to see some of our favorite shows in a new light, we also seem to lose what once made these shows so impactful to us. 

A prime example of this can be seen when comparing the shows Full House and Fuller House. In Full House we see characters deal with an array of real issues such as eating disorders/diet culture, child abuse, smoking, underage drinking, and drunk driving. If we look at its successor Fuller House, they have many of the same characters reprise their roles, but they are now used to instill nostalgia in us instead of shedding new light on potentially controversial issues. Common Sense Media has made the comment that “fans of the original show will want to tune in for the nostalgia alone,” suggesting that this is a show made for nostalgia. 

While some remakes aren’t going for nostalgia, they still don’t make the same mark on society that their predecessor did. This includes the new remake of Saved by the Bell.

After a controversial joke made about Selena Gomez in the remake, Screen Rant made an article addressing how the joke went against the original. They stated that “the original Saved by the Bell knew its moral obligation to viewers, exploring important social issues like drug use, trauma, loss, and drunk driving with sensitivity and seriousness,” seeming to believe that the new version does not do these same topics justice. 

We can’t forget the classic show Boy Meets World and the show that follows main characters Topanga and Corey’s teen daughter Riley, Girl Meets World.

According to CBR.com, Boy Meets World “was a classic 90’s show. It was fun but mature, teaching audiences about the struggles and hardships of growing up, becoming an adult, and taking responsibility for your actions,” but the high enjoyment of the original made Girl Meets World not able to hold up in comparison. It also tries to tackle important issues like bullying, but it seems to miss the mark more often than not.

While much of this article has focused on shows doing too little, sometimes new shows do too much. This is the case with the current iCarly reboot.

On IMDb, user Watcher101 explained that “there’s the very forced and very apparent shoving of representation down your throat while not even trying to be subtle about their agenda-pushing” while “riding on the original series’ coattails… relying almost solely on nostalgia.”

iCarly isn’t the only show to rely on this feeling of nostalgia for views, but it is a prime example of the emotion not being enough to hold together a show or franchise. Despite the reboot being a huge success, many of those who watched for the nostalgia aspect simply couldn’t continue due to such a large change in the subject matter and characters. It shows that aging the characters to follow their storyline may also not be the best option when rebooting a show. 

Another show that’s reboot simply didn’t do what fans were hoping it would is the Gossip Girl reboot. The characters of Gossip Girl were not ones that the common person could relate to. Audiences were drawn in by the deception and drama of the show. While the current reboot still follows extremely over-privileged teenagers, they have cut out what once made the show interesting for many.

In the Guardian’s review of the new show, they state that the old show’s “raison d’etre was the unspeakable joy of watching people relish in lives buttressed by more money than you knew existed, drinking martinis at 16 at impossibly glamorous clubs, and the exquisite catharsis (or schadenfreude) of seeing awful people being awful to each other in gloriously pitiless ways.”

The new Gossip Girl has gone nearly the opposite direction. Instead of the “leader” of the group being one of the meanest, she is now the kindest, seemingly straying off of the original show’s intent. 

While it is only tv shows that are mentioned in this article, reboots and remakes of movies also tend to miss the mark of where they should be compared to the original. One of the greatest downfalls is simply the lack of creativity among many of the shows and their dependence on the nostalgia of those who used to watch them. There are some remakes and reboots that have proved successful, but they typically change the premise of the original to a degree in which it is almost unrecognizable allowing for added creativity and elaboration on new and improved storylines.

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