TV's Revival Craze

"The world is different, Mulder. When Scully started, it was just us. Dark forces in the U.S. government, there was barely a Russia. Now there's 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. Homeland Security, Russian FSB, Chinese MSS, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Blackwater. Private companies launch to the Space Station, and all of them are in bed with one another, while trying to exterminate each other, and that includes each of us." - Walter Skinner, "The X-Files"

One of the first shows to premier in 2018 is one of the oldest, "The X-Files," which debuted its 11th season (or second season depending on who you ask) on January 3. We've now seen three episodes out of a 10 episode run that could be, maybe, kind of, sort of, the last run of the show. And they've not come without flaws, many of which have been noted by critics.

A part of that stems from the fact the show debuted in 1993, now 25 years ago, and ran for nine seasons, telling more than 200 episodes worth of stories and creating a dense mythology for fans before ending in 2002. At least it seemed like the end. In 2016, FOX revived the show, bringing back original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson for six episodes. I was incredibly excited. I watched (and own) all nine seasons of the original run. And I remember gathering with some friends on a Sunday night while I was in college in 2002 to watch the epic series finale.

The return was bittersweet in 2016. Many flocked to see the series (which debuted following an NFL Playoff game to monster numbers). It was great to have Mulder and Scully back, even if not all the episodes were great. But, two years later, while I was interested to see a few more hours, this new run is a reminder that much like the world (as Skinner noted in that quote above), TV has changed.

Anderson has already declared she won't do anymore "X-Files" episodes after this 10-episode run, so I'd imaging this will, again, be the end. But it won't be the end of these shows that had a degree of success in the past. In fact, "X-Files" is just part of a modern wave, a number of which have come on FOX. "X-Files" was first, but last year FOX re-booted both "24," albeit with a new cast and to a much lesser degree of success, and "Prison Break." The "Prison Break" re-boot was decently well received by fans and and critics, and there's even rumors that it will again return.

But FOX isn't the only network reaching into the past. Netflix brought back the TGIF favorite "Full House" as a sort of spin-off, "Fuller House," which has now had three seasons for the streaming service, shifting the focus to the next generation and Candice Cameron Bure and Jodie Sweetin. NBC went to the nostalgia well for "Will & Grace," which is in the midst of the first of an at least two season re-boot run. And ABC will do the same in March, when "Roseanne" returns with all its original cast.

And there's more ideas thrown out and more re-boots in the works, so it's not likely this will end any time soon. But these recent re-boots have seen diminishing returns. "The X-Files" is putting up just OK numbers on Wednesday nights. "Will & Grace," which started with a bang, has quickly cooled. And it's unclear if "Roseanne" will be an improvement on ABC's Tuesday night lineup.

Why is that? Well, one observation I've made is that these shows largely return with the same storytelling style and sense of pacing they had in their heyday. That makes sense, because there's a reason these shows were popular with fans. But, as noted, TV has changed. Storytelling style and pacing have changed. When I've seen some episodes of these classic series reborn, they feel a bit like an outlier.

Others have noted that these re-boots often have to undue the work the series did in ending. "Prison Break," "Will & Grace," and "Roseanne" have all had to reverse big original run decisions (deaths or time jumps) in order to resume. This is both a concern when it comes to the integrity of an original series and the impact it might have on contemporary series thinking about ending their run with an eye toward being asked to return in 10-20 years.

For now, it doesn't seem like these re-boots are going to end any time soon.