Doogie Howser MD and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are the latest series to inspire spinoffs, but which shows should be next and which should stay firmly in the past?
For some reason – maybe it’s age, maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s a complete lack of imagination – we are about to be inundated with brand-new versions of shows from the 1990s. Before the end of the year, the US streaming service Peacock will unveil its Saved By the Bell reboot. Last week, Will Smith announced that the same service has picked up Bel-Air, a gritty reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Not to be outdone, today Disney+ has announced a new series called Doogie Kameāloha MD which, for want of a better description, is Doogie Howser MD – but Hawaiian.
This means two things. First, that this is television’s death spiral. Second, it means that every other kid-friendly TV show from the 1990s is suddenly hot property. More are undoubtedly to come, so here are five that are ripe for revival and five that should probably stay dead.