Advertisement Eight years after the original “Beverly Hills 90210” signed off, the CW decided to revamp the popular show with “90210,” ready to debut Sept. 2.
And who could forget KITT, the smart talking car, who helped David Hasselhoff catch criminals in the original “Knight Rider”? Apparently, NBC couldn’t forget and added the revamped series to its fall schedule.
Creator Rob Thomas, who is in charge of the new “90210,” hopes ABC will fall in love with “Cupid” a second time. With lead actors in place and production to start soon, the new series should debut sometime in 2009.
Remakes aren’t new. TV networks are always looking for ways to capitalize on a show’s success and popularity. “CSI,” “CSI: Miami” and “CSI: New York” are fine examples. Not convinced? “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” should be enough proof.
“Knight Rider” and “90210” probably won’t be the last shows to be remade, which might leave some wondering which old favorites should get a second chance.
And the nominees are ...
A nonscientific poll at www.lacrossetribune.com asked readers which 1990s TV shows should be remade. All of the shows nominated debuted in the 1990s and have been off the air for at least five years. For example, although “Full House” (the wholesome family show about three single men raising three young girls, all living under one roof) aired during the ’90s, the series premiered in 1989. “Friends” (remember the show about six single friends living in New York?) debuted on NBC in 1994, but the series finale aired in 2004.
Which ’90s sitcom should be remade?
THE WINNER: “Home Improvement,” starring Tim Allen, picked up 44 percent of the vote (364 votes). Debuting in 1991 and lasting eight seasons on ABC, the show revolved around Allen’s Tim “The Toolman” Taylor balancing his time and attention between his do-it-yourself home improvement show and his family, which included wife Jill and their three sons. Tim Taylor always managed to screw up a project on air, aggravate his assistant, Al, who seemed more competent, and sought words of wisdom from his neighbor, Wilson, who never showed his full face to the audience.
HONORABLE MENTION: “3rd Rock From the Sun,” a quirky show about four aliens taking human form and learning about Earth, garnered 13 percent (107 votes) to place second. In third with 10 percent (85 votes) was Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple living in New York in NBC’s “Mad About You.”
AT THE BOTTOM: Does anyone remember LL Cool J starring in a sitcom that debuted in 1995? Apparently, one voter did and wouldn’t mind seeing a remake of “In The House,” which starred the rap star as a retired football player.
Which ’90s comedy TV show should be remade?
THE WINNER: Fans miss a familiar and eccentric Alaskan town. Grabbing 41 percent (273 votes), “Northern Exposure” focused on Joel Fleishman (Rob Morrow), who was fresh out of medical school and had to move to a small town in Alaska to pay off his education. As a stipulation of his scholarship, Fleishman had to serve as the town doctor for a few years. The series, which debuted in 1990, ran for six seasons and welcomed a new doctor when Morrow temporarily left.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jokes and love fly around a small airline company in Nantucket, Mass., in “Wings,” starring Tim Daly and Steven Weber as two brothers who love to fly airplanes. With 14 percent (93 votes) to place second in the poll, “Wings” debuted in 1990 and soared for eight seasons on NBC. “Spin City,” first starring Michael J. Fox and then Charlie Sheen after Fox’s departure, and “Ellen,” starring Ellen DeGeneres, tied for third place with 9 percent (60 votes).
AT THE BOTTOM: Before Amanda Peet headed to the Sunset Strip, she was one half of “Jack & Jill.” She played Jacqueline “Jack,” who eventually falls in love with David “Jill” Jillefsky. Jonathan Silverman played a struggling writer looking for love in New York in “The Single Guy.” Both shows captured three votes, tying to be at the bottom of the survey.
Which ’90s drama TV show should be remade?
THE WINNERS: One specialized in fighting viruses and diseases, and the other dabbled in kicking the bad guys’ butts. Voters, apparently, wouldn’t mind seeing “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and “Walker, Texas Ranger” remade in the near future, as both shows grabbed 15 percent. “Dr. Quinn” starred Jane Seymour as the title character, trying to earn the community’s trust and respect as a woman doctor in a frontier town, falling in love with a guy who lived among the local Indian tribe and raising three orphaned kids. “Walker, Texas Ranger,” starred Chuck Norris as a Texas Ranger who believed there was only way to handle bad guys — with his fists.
HONORABLE MENTION: In second place with 11 percent (50 votes), a little town called Rome, Wis., was the setting for “Picket Fences,” where the sheriff (Tom Skerritt) and the residents faced odd situations and bizarre crimes. “Chicago Hope,” which debuted the same year (1994) as “ER,” and “My So-Called Life,” which starred Claire Danes, tied for third place with 8 percent (39 votes).
AT THE BOTTOM: Dixie Carter moves from the interior decorating business (“Designing Women”) to a law firm in “Family Law.” One person voted to see a remake of the show that debuted in 1999 and ran for three seasons.
Which ’90s sci-fi/fantasy TV show should be remade?
THE WINNER: With 23 percent (118 votes), voters would like the “Highlander” series to continue since the TV series was a spin-off from the film. Debuting in 1992 and running for six seasons, Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) is simply trying to live a normal life. Does it matter that he’s about 400 years old and has a whole bunch of people trying to kill him for his immortal powers?
HONORABLE MENTION: What would you do if you found the next day’s paper on your front step? What would you do if you could leap tall buildings in a single bound or fly around the world? “Early Edition,” which starred Kyle Chandler, netted 17 percent (88 votes) for second place, and “Lois and Clark,” which starred Dean Cain as Superman/Clark Kent and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane, flew to third place with 14 percent (73 votes).
AT THE BOTTOM: With 3 percent (15 votes), “Forever Knight” fans remember the show about an 800-year-old vampire who lurks around Toronto as a homicide detective, seeking to make up for his past sins and hoping to regain his mortality.
Which ’90s short-lived TV sitcom should be remade?
THE WINNER: Based on the hugely popular movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the TV series followed Ferris Bueller and his friends through the usual high school adventures. Even with a pre-”Friends” Jennifer Aniston, “Ferris Bueller” the TV show didn’t live long enough to see a second season. However, 32 percent, or 160 votes, think the show should be remade.
HONORABLE MENTION: In second place with 20 percent (98 votes) is Kirstie Alley’s post-”Cheers” sitcom, “Veronica’s Closet,” a show about Alley’s character, Veronica, running a lingerie company. Before Debra Messing became one half of “Will & Grace,” she was one half of “Ned and Stacey,” which also starred Thomas Haden Church of “Wings” fame. The show, which debuted in 1995, placed third in the poll with 13 percent (66 votes).
AT THE BOTTOM: Two voters remember “Goode Behavior,” a show that debuted in 1996 and lasted only one season.
Which ’90s short-lived TV show should be remade?
THE WINNER: Two words. Laura. Palmer. With 20 percent, or 148 votes, spooky “Twin Peaks” intrigued fans with its big mystery of who killed Laura Palmer and the secrets residents attempted to hide when FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) came to town to investigate. Although the show, which debuted in 1990, ran for two seasons (the first season aired only eight episodes), a loyal fan base developed and a movie following the life of Laura Palmer before she died was released in 1992.
HONORABLE MENTION: Although the second-place and third-place shows both received critical acclaim during the first season, “My So-Called Life” and “Freaks and Geeks” didn’t live long enough to see a second season. “My So-Called Life” captured 19 percent of the vote (140 votes), and “Freak and Geeks” took in 12 percent (87 votes).
AT THE BOTTOM: Jennifer Love Hewitt is having more luck talking with dead people in “Ghost Whisperer” than searching for her biological father in New York in “Time of Your Life.” The short-lived series was a spin-off from the popular and always dramatic show, “Party of Five.” Imagine a shirtless Fabio and some other people running around in the Amazon rainforest after their plane crashes with an immediate rescue looking dim, and that’s the premise of “Amazon.” Both shows debuted in 1999 and were at the bottom of the poll, each receiving three votes.
