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Fandom Take 2: Electric Boogaloo
Apr. 26th, 2010 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
whyareyoulikethisNow that Monday is here, it's time for some Deep Thoughts with Fangasmic. Today's essay is one that was promised you last week: reboots- and no, we don't mean that tragically underrated 90s Canadian cartoon.
The ongoing trend of remaking old properties has been well documented in the mainstream media. Every day seems to bring the rumors of another one; they're everywhere. Off the top of my head I can think of several: Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Brady Bunch, The Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Battlestar Galactica, the upcoming movie of The A-Team, and the list continues. Most recently we've heard that Gilligan's Island is getting re-heeled, and Man From U.N.C.L.E. possibly not far behind. It begs the question, what else is left to reboot? (If you thought I Dream of Jeannie was safe/too problematic thanks to its 1960s gender politics, think again.)
It's easy to see where the trend comes from. Viewing past pop culture through the ironic lens of the present is what makes the successful VH1 franchise I Love The Decadewhateverthefuck tick. And forget individual shows, there's a whole cable channel devoted to nostalgic television that does pretty well for itself. There's obviously a market for this stuff.
Reboots may be a one-trick pony with limited narrative scope- look at that list above, you'll notice that BSG is the only non-movie up there with more than 2.5 hours of material- but that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone. Just recast it with younger, more attractive people, throw in some explosions and a few winking nods at the silly conventions of the original and boom! You've got yourself a remake.
And sure, maybe no one has ever considered The Brady Bunch sacred territory, but what about shows that Fandom has embraced? What happens when an old fandom gets rebooted, not just a franchise?
( What happens? People stop being polite...and start getting REAL. )
The ongoing trend of remaking old properties has been well documented in the mainstream media. Every day seems to bring the rumors of another one; they're everywhere. Off the top of my head I can think of several: Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Brady Bunch, The Mod Squad, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Battlestar Galactica, the upcoming movie of The A-Team, and the list continues. Most recently we've heard that Gilligan's Island is getting re-heeled, and Man From U.N.C.L.E. possibly not far behind. It begs the question, what else is left to reboot? (If you thought I Dream of Jeannie was safe/too problematic thanks to its 1960s gender politics, think again.)
It's easy to see where the trend comes from. Viewing past pop culture through the ironic lens of the present is what makes the successful VH1 franchise I Love The Decadewhateverthefuck tick. And forget individual shows, there's a whole cable channel devoted to nostalgic television that does pretty well for itself. There's obviously a market for this stuff.
Reboots may be a one-trick pony with limited narrative scope- look at that list above, you'll notice that BSG is the only non-movie up there with more than 2.5 hours of material- but that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone. Just recast it with younger, more attractive people, throw in some explosions and a few winking nods at the silly conventions of the original and boom! You've got yourself a remake.
And sure, maybe no one has ever considered The Brady Bunch sacred territory, but what about shows that Fandom has embraced? What happens when an old fandom gets rebooted, not just a franchise?
( What happens? People stop being polite...and start getting REAL. )
