TV Tuesday
Reunited and it feels so good!
Tuesday at 9/8 central CBS is running the 159th episode of one of it's classic TV series: The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. This episode was written 40 years later, with all the surviving cast members in it. This will be an actual episode, with the actors in character, not just actors sitting around reminiscing about the good old days.
On that note, how do you feel about reunion shows?
If there's a good reason for it, I think it's fun to take a trip down memory lane--provided you don't stomp my fond memories into the ground. If the show was good enough to be considered a classic, don't subject us to a script that is really nothing more than an excuse to bring everyone together for a flimsy reason--namely driving some ratings. Also, make sure that it's a show that people have really missed and had time to miss. I was amused a few years ago when 90210 had a reunion special a little over a year after it went off the air.
1. What show would you like to see brought back for an hour or two episode, to see how the characters are doing now? (This should be a show that it might be possible to do a reunion on.)
I'd love to see them do a Happy Days reunion show just because I love Happy Days so much. Well, at least the years before Richie joined the Army and it became all about Fonzie, thus losing the central dynamic that made it so much fun. It would be fun to see if Joanie and Ciachi are still married and to see the C's as grandparents. Also, did Fonzie ever settle down? And do they all still go down to Arnold's or was it run out of business by McDonalds? Part of me wonders if a reunion show like this wouldn't be best in the spirit of the two big screen Brady Bunch movies where the world has moved on but not the characters and humor mined from that. Of course, then again, I did love Happy Days and this might only irritate me no end if this is what we get.
A Fawlty Towers reunion would be fun--provided they got the right script and did it well. To see where Basil and company ended up would be hilarious and we could always use a bit more un-PC humor!
2. Pick a show that could not realistically be brought back for a reunion, because some or all of the cast members are gone. What if they could have done a reunion before it was too late? Name the show you'd most like to see.
I'd love to have seen a reunion of the cast from Burns and Allen or the Jack Benny Show. They were also so influenctial in the radio days of creating the sit com and to see them all reflect on this would be great fun.
3. Which reunion show have you watched and thought "Wow, they should have left that one alone!"
The previously mentioned 90210 reunion special comes to mind. There was also Knight Rider 2000 and then anything with the Green Acres cast.
~Bonus~ Which do you prefer- a "reunion" episode of the series, or a "cast reunion" where the actors sit around and talk about the making of the show?
I've found that in most cases, the clips shows make me nostalgic to see whole episodes of the show. I'd far rather see something like Nick-at-Nite does, where you see whole classic episodes and then get some segments from the cast on the episode in question or working on the show. Sci-Fi did a great job with the Star Trek: TOS Special Edition episodes a few years ago when we got interviews with cast, crew and guest stars about the episode airing. And I learned stuff about the episodes in question--and this is from the guy who has read most of those kiss and tell books about the production of the show and knows a bunch about classic Trek. Man, why those weren't included as extras on the DVDs is beyond me. That was GREAT stuff.
posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/12/2004 10:38:00 AM |
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