TV reboots and rebirths: Everything old is new again

If you are hit with a bout of deja vu when you switch on the TV, you’re not alone.

Lately, some of our beloved TV characters have made a leap back to TV land – from the recently-concluded Heroes Reborn to the currently-airing The X-Files.

These are not the only two old favourites making their rounds on air. In the upcoming months, at least five old shows will be given a new lease of life.

Fuller House

The original hit sitcom, Full House, ran for eight seasons from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. The show not only provided lots of laughs for the entire family but introduced us to future millionaire entrepreneurs The Olsen Twins, Ashley and Mary Kate, who played Michelle Tanner.

str2_gkreboot_fullerhouse_tbkhoCome Feb 26, Netflix will release a 13-episode special which focuses on DJ Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure), who is now a single mum with three sons. After her husband dies, her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and best friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) move in to help raise her kids.

With the exception of the Olsen Twins, most of the cast members are set to reprise their roles (either regular or recurring) so watch out for John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and Lori Laughlin.

Twin Peaks

When it was announced that cult favourite Twin Peaks will return as a limited series in 2016, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show, fans rejoiced! But the happiness was short-lived when director David Lynch, who was tasked to direct all episodes, had a tiff with the network on how many episodes to make (initially, it was supposed to be nine).

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Luckily for us, the network agreed to Lynch’s demands and it’s all systems go again.

Good news: original cast members like Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, Miguel Ferrer and Sheryl Lee are set to return to the series. Bad news: the new series won’t make it for the 25th anniversary; instead, it is scheduled to air early next year.

Xena: Warrior Princess

XENA: Warrior Princess, which ran from 1995 to 2001, became a cult favourite thanks to the charisma of lead actress Lucy Lawless. NBC has announced that it is now ready to move forward with a reboot of this fantasy action series.

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“Yes, we’re in the early stages of developing a new take on Xena and we’re looking for a writer. We want to do it,” NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Greenblatt, however, wouldn’t commit on whether or not Lawless will be invited to participate in the project. saying: “We’d love to have Lucy be a part of it – if we felt that her presence didn’t overshadow the direction we take with it. ”

Watch out for the reboot later this year.

Prison Break

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People must really love the pairing of Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell. These two are currently seen in the Flash/Arrow spin-off Legends Of Tomorrow but it seems that’s not enough.

Miller and Purcell will be reprising their roles as Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows respectively, in the reboot of the TV show that made them popular – Prison Break, the prison drama which ran for four seasons between 2005 and 2009.

Purcell tells E! News: “Wentworth and I were aware of it about three months ago, or actually way before that. And we’re just stoked. We’re very, very happy to come back. I know the fans have been wanting that and we have too.”

While the first two seasons of the series were exciting, fans were not really feeling the final two seasons.The actors and producers are tight-lipped about the plot, although it is said that the new series will take off from where Season Four ended.

Shooting starts in April and it will premiere in the 2016/17 TV season in the United States.

24: Legacy

Fans love the real-time concept and the network knows it. Even though Kiefer Sutherland has said he won’t return for another season of 24, Fox has decided to go ahead with a reboot which will introduce an all-new cast.

According to Fox’s Twitter account, the reboot will be titled 24: Legacy. Fox released an official description of the show: “Strong and smart, Eric Carter came from a very rough background and turned his life around in the Army Rangers. Now back home in Virginia with his wife Nicole, he’s pulled back into action as his past comes looking for him.”

We are guessing terrorists are involved here, which is why he asks for the help of CTU.

Don’t even try to compare the new character and the beloved Jack Bauer. “We wanted (the star) to be as different from Jack Bauer as possible, whether that’s an African-American or a Latino actor,” Fox CEO Dana Walden tells Entertainment Weekly in an earlier interview.

Fox executive Gary Newman adds: “As you can imagine, bringing 24 back, we want to really try to create some distinction and make this feel different than Jack Bauer’s 24, so having a diverse actor in that lead role I think would be helpful in doing that.”

True to its word, a few days ago, the network cast Straight Outta Compton breakout star Corey Hawkins in the leading role.

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