Gossip Girl, Harry Potter, Sex and the City. TV remakes of popular classics are nothing new. And for some fans, that’s exactly the problem.
It feels like every other week there’s talk of another classic film or TV show being rebooted (1995 hit movie Clueless is the latest), to the delight of fans who want the story to live on and the horror of purists who want their favourite characters left alone.
And Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the supernatural drama series which was arguably one of the biggest shows of the 90s, is dividing fans with its upcoming comeback, blending familiar faces with a new cast in an attempt to reawaken the magic.
But some Metro readers are confused by plans to resurrect the popular show, particularly because the finale of the original series ended the need for a single slayer (aka ‘the chosen one’).
And yet, last week it was announced that 15-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong is taking on the role of the slayer, starring alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is reprising her role as Buffy Summers.
Buffy’s back, but does it make sense?
Commenting on Armstrong’s casting as the chosen one, Metro reader Ashley James shared their confusion, writing: ‘Wait? chosen ONE. I thought everyone who could be a slayer was a slayer now?’
And user Houltcore pointed out: ‘The entire purpose of the series finale was that there was no chosen one anymore’.
For some, this apparent oversight has put them off the upcoming reboot. Mr.Biscuit wrote: ‘If a show undoes itself in a reboot then it’s not worth watching’.
Happyellen was similarly unconvinced, adding: ‘Imagine redoing Buffy, this won’t workkkk. Buffy was perfect, leave it at rest and just let us rewatch the OG’.
However, others were unfased by the potential plot change. Jon-El Queens said: ‘I’m glad we are having just 1 new Slayer and not like 30 from last season,’ they wrote.
Meanwhile, Jackie N was delighted with Armstrong’s casing, commenting: ‘So happy with this choice. I was so afraid I couldn’t warm up to the new lead…but this is perfect’.
Sunnmoon0227 said: ‘I’m so excited and so happy for this young actress with such a magical future in front of her, she is gonna be amazing as our new chosen one, well done Ryan Kiera Armstrong’.
Metro’s take on the Buffy reboot
Metro entertainment reporter, Laura Harman, is also unconvinced by news of the Buffy remake.
‘Had this reboot been announced a decade ago, I may have been naive enough to be excited – but the news has only made me concerned, with good reason.
‘The series was pioneering at the time, stamping on stereotypes and progressively exploring LGBTQ+ narratives and characters. The series had complex heroes and villains and subverted all the typical horror and teen-drama tropes in the best possible way.
‘The legacy it has left is huge, which means that any reboot has the potential to tarnish the reputation.
‘Particularly when the original series managed to strike such a unique chord with the audience of the time and become a cultural phenomenon – how can that success be replicated in a way that feels organic and not a cringe-inducing stretch for the series to be as ‘woke’ as it once was?’
Remake fatigue is real
But it’s not just Buffy’s return that’s dividing Metro readers, many expressed their frustration with the constant remaking of popular shows.
‘[I’ve] never been a fan of reboots…just shows how stale creativity has become,’ Joseph Noon shared.
Maureen Dowlan added, ‘Why can’t today’s writers come up with something new? I hate remakes,’ and Norma Bellis said: ‘Reboots never work, I won’t be watching.’
Neil Sayer simply wrote, ‘Almost all of them are terrible’.
However, not everyone is anti-reboots, with Tri Stan sharing: ‘Good stories deserve to be repeated. It makes no difference to the old ones or what you remember.’
Along with the recent casting for Buffy, work on HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter adaptation is currently underway and just this week the trailer for Welcome to Derry, a series based on Stephen King’s novel It and the subsequent film adaptations, was unveiled.
It feels like TV reboots are everywhere and, according to Dr Mareike Jenner, a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University with a research focus on reboots, that’s because they pretty much are.
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‘TV reboots are becoming more common, but much of this is because of the passage of time — after all, there’s more film and TV history to source from,’ she told Metro.
But there are other factors too. Between Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+ and numerous other streaming services, there are many more platforms pumping out new TV content these days.
So there’s more content to watch, but it’s also harder to capture audiences’ attention, making reboots hugely appealing to TV bosses.
Sick of reboots? Watch these shows instead
- The Trial of Christine Keeler: Based on a true story, this 2019 drama was recently added to Netflix and viewers are calling it ‘outstanding’.
- Overcompensating: This Prime Video comedy series follows a closeted former football player and boasts a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Love Rat: First aired on Sky and now available on Netflix, the British thriller follows a recently divorced woman who enjoys a whirlwind romance with a man who is not who he seems.
- Code of Silence: The new ITV drama stars Rose Ayling-Ellis as a deaf caterer who is asked by police to help lipread conversations with dangerous criminals.
Nostalgia sells
It’s become increasingly hard to break through with new TV shows, Dr Jenner explains, but using something that’s already recognisable to audiences works.
In the age of streaming and algorithms, platforms like to serve up what feels familiar. And viewers are drawn to the look, feel, and vibe of shows associated with a specific time, even if the reboots don’t really dig into what made the originals meaningful.
‘At the same time, TV reboots are strangely ahistorical,’ Dr Jenner adds. ‘They reuse names and titles, maybe even some bars from the theme tune, but are forward-facing. So you don’t need to know the old version to understand the reboot.’
And the apparent penchant for familiar content isn’t exclusive to TV. In fact, the top 10 films of 2024 were all sequels (Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Moana 2, for example), except for Wicked, which was still based on existing material.
On the horizon are sequels to Freaky Friday and Dirty Dancing, while follow-ups to A Simple Favour and Bridget Jones were recently released.
It doesn’t look like reboots are going anywhere, but Dr Jenner adds: ‘Name recognition only gets you so far. Once the audience tunes in, entertainment needs to be provided.’
The release date for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is yet to be announced.
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