This article was originally published at Shondaland.com
Hollywood can’t stop/won’t stop recycling past ideas even though it really needs new stories. Why?
Recently, Ryan Reynolds proclaimed interest in producing a reboot of Alf, the ’80s TV series about a weird yet somehow iconic alien, after promoting a series of spots featuring the fuzzy anomaly produced by his Maximum Effort agency. It’s hardly surprising Reynolds wants to get in on the rebranding of an ’80s cultural icon: There is no shortage of existing reboots in the hopper.
I can’t help but sigh at the thought of yet another remake or reboot. Sure, some reboots elevate and add value to stories; The Office is a strong example of a well-written and executed reboot — though it didn’t feel like one because the original was native to the U.K. Perhaps it’s because I’m of Gen X, a generation who largely feel “selling out” should be frowned upon, but to me, there’s something so cash-grabby about regurgitating or rebranding a story that’s already been told sheerly for the sake of the inevitable payoff. There are storytellers who would give anything for the opportunity to share their stories with the world — stories that could introduce perspectives that have been historically silenced by corporate America.
Some of the cast of The Office from L-R: John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, and Steve Carell.
To begin, it’s important to point out the difference between a reboot and a remake. While remakes stay true to the original characters and premise, reboots involve obtaining the rights to a popular intellectual property and reimagining that concept in a “today” kind of way. The now-defunct Reboot, the Hulu-produced, highly meta streaming send-up of a rebooted American sitcom, did a pretty sharp job of describing how the machine works — an interesting dichotomy in that it poked fun at its very premise and pitfalls mercilessly. Reboot asks what a reimagined popular sitcom might look right now and depicts all the choices that can involve: “I think the show is asking, like, what is it like to enter a new industry and a new environment that is frankly not banking on you anymore?” said NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour producer Candice Lim in reviewing the show.
Regurgitating stories and characters with a proven ROI is what big studios often lean on to maintain their profit margin, largely because there’s something we can’t resist about a character we’ve made an emotional investment with to some degree. People develop parasocial relationships with their favorite characters — it’s why I think I have the tendency to ride out the trajectory of a series I love as opposed to jumping ship if the plot jumps the shark. There are numerous reasons for this, all scientific: According to a recent University of Florida study of Game of Thrones fans published in the American Psychological Association’s PsycNet, we tend to grow most emotionally attached to fictional characters we identify or share personality traits with. Another study, from the International Association for Relationship Research, reveals we form close bonds with fictional characters because they provide a sense of interpersonal intimacy without the threat of rejection.
Also, nostalgia is mighty and powerful. According to a New York Times article published last year, the glut of reboots exists for the simple reason that they’re likely to draw plenty of viewers who are curious about how a fresh take on an old idea will turn out: “Distant number-crunching concludes that some substantial segment of NBC’s prime-time viewers, a demographic whose median age is around 60, may sooner revisit Night Court than sample something more novel; excellent Nielsen ratings bear that out.”
Perhaps nostalgia is also why we invest so much time in rewatching shows that might depict or have run during a simpler time in our lives: According to MovieWeb, The Big Bang Theory, Schitt’s Creek, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Friends, and The Office are six of the top 10 most rewatchable shows of all time. Yet, in a Vox piece, Cristel Russell, a professor of marketing at the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University, studied the phenomenon of rewatching television, books, and movies and reliving travel experiences and found that rewatching beloved TV shows (and movies, and rereading books, etc.) allowed viewers not to revel in nostalgia but to appreciate how much they had grown since first taking in those things: “It wasn’t yearning for the past; it was an appreciation of the present. The deep connection that you make to [the show] provides this self-reflexive moment that you’re like, ‘Wow, when I first watched this, I was 20. And now I’m 40. And I have kids.’ You see it differently, and that allows you to be like, ‘I’m a different person than I was then.’”
"As a reboot can be the emotional equivalent of your favorite comfort food, there’s much to be said for giving rebooted stories a chance.
The wild success of Barbie proves you can innovate successfully while leaning on an established cultural touchstone, getting the benefits of a reboot without rebooting. In co-writing Barbie, Greta Gerwig used a preexisting character whom young girls projected their own stories on to for decades as a springboard to tell her own fresh, relevant, feminist tale, which clearly resonated with the world to the tune of more than $1 billion in box office returns.
As a reboot can be the emotional equivalent of your favorite comfort food, there’s much to be said for giving rebooted stories a chance. But a 2020 study from New York University outlines the benefits of new and diverse experiences, linking them to enhanced happiness and a greater correlation of brain activity. Plus, a University of Washington study reveals that trying new things gives your brain a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine and forges new neural pathways — a literal expansion of the mind.
Art is highly subjective. You’re going to like what you like, I’m going to like what I like, and I’m the last person on Earth who’ll shame you for your reboot obsession while I rewatch an ancient Real Housewives episode with a handful of chips in my mouth. But why not consider checking out that new show you are curious about? Why not go see that underground film? You never know — today’s obscurity just might become tomorrow’s obsession.