Originally published on Set The Tape
Everyone loves the 80’s. From the amazing music to the unforgettable films, the decade is one that is held in high regard for its level of creativity. The 80’s is inspiring new film and television, such as IT and Stranger Things, as well as several television shows from the time being remade, such as shoulder pad loving soap Dynasty, making a return to Netflix this week.
With the return of shows such as Macgyver, Twin Peaks, Miami Vice, and Duck Tales to our screens over the last few years, we ponder what other shows could be ripe for a return…
Magnum, P.I.
Running for eight seasons, Magnum, P.I. was an incredibly popular crime drama show that could easily make a return, what with the detective genre being as healthy as ever.
The original series saw Tom Selleck playing Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV (yep, really), who lives on a private estate in Hawaii but works as a private detective. With a show that featured exotic locations, flash sports cars, and beautiful women it does at times feel like a fantasy that most people would have, but that was a lot of the appeal.
With so many serious and ‘gritty’ shows on television, a little glossy fun like Magnum popping up again would be more than welcome.
M*A*S*H
A dark comedy that followed the United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. A careful mixture of standard sitcom humour and frank discussion about war and death.
A reboot of M*A*S*H wouldn’t necessarily need to be a direct remake. The basic premise could be used to adapt it to a more recent and relevant setting, such as the Gulf War. With people being more politically aware than during the original run of M*A*S*H, a reboot would allow for interesting discussion on politics–both at home and globally–the nature of war, and the effects that war has on those involved.
M*A*S*H wouldn’t be the easiest of choices to bring back, but it’s one that would allow for a broad range of tone and social commentary.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
I’m sure that we all remember the cartoon series He-Man, and whilst it was a good show and could easily be brought back as a revamped animated series I’d rather propose that a rebooted live-action show would be much more interesting.
The live-action film, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, may have been a bit of a mess, and didn’t make a huge amount of money, but has become so beloved as a cult classic in the years since that a live action show would surely have an audience.
With a little imagination and a network such as HBO or Netflix giving it a fair budget, there’s no reason why it couldn’t recreate the look and feel of the original animated series.
The A-Team
There are few shows that feel as 80’s as The A-Team; even if you’ve never seen an episode of the show there’s a good chance that you’re aware of it – it did make Mr T a household name after all. Following a group of mercenaries that were part of a military special forces unit before being framed for a crime, the A-Team take on various missions around the world, helping those in need.
Whilst the show was remade as a feature film several years ago it didn’t quite manage to recapture the bizarre magic of the original series. By bringing it back to television there’d be enough time to explore the characters and to flesh them out in a way that the film wasn’t able to.
With the improvements to television special effects and production values, a new version of the A-Team would be able to create over the top action sequences reminiscent of the original.
Quantum Leap
Okay, so this one is a little bit of a cheat as it only started in 1989, and what I’m proposing isn’t a reboot. But I think that Quantum Leap should come back!
Whilst you could easily remake the show with an entirely new cast and it would work fine, I think that Quantum Leap could come back to television as a continuation of the original show. With the original cast still alive and acting, and the end of the original run remaining open to continuation, a new series could pick up with Dr. Sam Beckett still leaping through time, helping people and setting things right.
Quantum Leap always tried to do new and interesting things, doing the best it could with its budget, but a modern version of the show could push further into the kinds of settings and locations that the original run was unable to do.
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