Perfect TV Show Endings That Were Ruined By Revivals
If there's one thing Hollywood is apt to do, it is to take old things and make them new again. For the past decade, television and movie series revivals have been released in droves. Rather than take chances on new intellectual properties, Hollywood execs have chosen to bet on the past success and popularity of projects gone by. Sometimes it works, and there have been several great reboots and revivals over the past few years.
Unfortunately, there is a tendency for studios to throw a whole lot of projects at the wall to see what sticks. For every successful reboot or revival, there are three or four that have disappointed audiences and failed to live up to financial expectations. Reboots and revivals are different — a reboot involves a total redo of a property's original story and usually doesn't exist in the same universe as its previous iterations. On the other hand, a revival is meant as a return to something, a reinvigoration of an existing storyline, set of characters, or style of production.
Revivals are much harder to pull off than reboots, and quite a few over the years have erased the goodwill earned by many properties by the end of their initial runs. Here are just some of the revivals that sullied the perfect TV show endings of their respective shows.
Fuller House
"Full House," a family sitcom that aired from 1987 to 1995 on ABC, was a good reflection of the entertainment industry at the time. Thanks to the charisma of its ensemble cast, a premise that easily invoked sentimentality, and its syndication on ABC Family, it remained a favorite of all ages well beyond its final season in 1995. Its series finale was the perfect ending to a hackneyed show that defined a hackneyed era, and it ended on the perfect family-friendly note.
Despite the series' sugar-sweet ending, many people were excited when Netflix announced a revival of "Full House" — now called "Fuller House" — which premiered in February 2016 and had new episodes in production until 2020. The revival followed the now-grown D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Steph (Jodie Sweetin), and their childhood friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) as they worked together to raise D.J.'s kids after the death of her husband. The new show was a close duplication of the original: three connected adults work together to raise three rambunctious kids.
Unfortunately, "Fuller House" leaned heavily into nostalgia and reflected the most saccharine and corny elements of the original show, and it just wasn't something that fans liked. The truth is that "Fuller House" wasn't really that different from "Full House," but it was an unsuccessful revival because it came out about twenty years after audiences were interested in new, corny sitcoms.
Will and Grace
The "Will and Grace" revival aired in 2017 and lasted for three seasons until 2020. The first iteration of "Will and Grace" — which aired on NBC from 1998 to 2006 — was incredibly popular and was one of the first shows on cable TV to star openly gay characters.
In the original premise of the show, Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) had been in a romantic relationship before Will came out as gay, but the series followed them living together as roommates. Much of the show surrounded the complexities of Will and Grace's new relationship and explored the importance of the platonic love they had for each other.
The 2006 series finale saw a time jump wherein Grace's daughter and Will's son end up in opposite college dorm rooms, which leads to a reunion between Will and Grace. It was a sweet and well-received ending, and it's a shame that the writers of the revival threw it away, pretending that the entire flashback was actually just a dream that Karen (Megan Mullally) had after nodding off. The revival didn't receive particularly favorable reviews and was a waste of what was a great original ending.
Arrested Development
It's not surprising that Netflix chose to revive "Arrested Development." The sitcom — which aired from 2003 to 2006 on Fox — was hugely popular, critically lauded, and often regarded as a show that didn't last as long as it should have because it was too far ahead of its time. The show only went on for three seasons in its initial run but it ended with the family exactly where they needed to be — miserably and happily together, for better and worse.
After years of fans lamenting its premature cancellation, Netflix revived "Arrested Development" in 2013. Unfortunately, the divisive Netflix season of "Arrested Development" decided to take the best part of the original show — the symphony of comedic chemistry that existed between the many talented folks in the show's ensemble cast — and did away with it completely.
Most of the 4th season of "Arrested Development" keeps the Bluth and Fünke family members apart, with each person undergoing their own absurd journey with occasional familial overlap. It's a bummer to watch Michael's arrogance run unchecked without his family's mocking or to watch Gob's delusions of grandeur come to fruition without disdain from his mother and brother. While fans were left wanting more after the original run, this revival demonstrated that perhaps the best things are left as is — however short and sweet that might be.
The X-Files
First airing in 1993, "The X-Files" was incredibly popular for almost a decade. The show was unlike anything else that had been on television before and it launched stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson into incredible success. The show originally ended with the death of its longtime antagonistic specter, the Smoking Man. Unfortunately, adding a new season to the show apparently meant that they had to undo the Smoking Man's death, and it totally undermined the value of the original ending.
The only thing that seemed to be holding back a potential revival was the rumored-to-be contentious relationship between former stars Duchovny and Anderson. But over the years, the two made amends and recovered their old friendship. While the 2008 movie, "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," filled some of the void, the 10th season of the series — arriving almost 15 years after the show finished — aired on Fox to the excitement of many fans.
Unfortunately, the reboot didn't live up to critical or audience expectations, despite the fact that Season 10 Episode 3 ("Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster") was considered a decent homage to the original format of the show. The 10th and 11th seasons expanded an already Byzantine mythology without resolving the many questions with which fans had been left from the 2002 series finale and trivialized the original, trippy ending of the series.
Murphy Brown
The original run of "Murphy Brown" — starring the ever-talented and confidently hilarious Candice Bergen — has remained a cultural staple since it ended in 1998 after a decade on the air. "Murphy Brown" was one of the best sitcoms to capitalize on the 1980s television trend of embracing the power and complexity of older women. The show chronicled the life of a 40-something woman in the workforce and the many obstacles she faced thanks to the expectations of a male-dominated workplace. More importantly, "Murphy Brown" broke ground when Murphy became a single mother with the birth of her son, Avery.
"Murphy Brown" was always a politically provocative show with a point of view, but it was also funny and character-driven. In the show's 2018 revival, however, it became a show that sought only to make a point in an era of extreme political unrest. The show's new iteration lacked its predecessor's ability to explore societal issues with the right level of nuance, and struggled to balance those issues with the main goal of any sitcom: to make people laugh.
The original ending of "Murphy Brown" was zany, ridiculous, and sentimental, but it was also a beautiful sendoff to a cast of sitcom characters that would never be recreated in another politically relevant comedy. Ultimately, the revival felt like it was a step too far and in the wrong direction.
Veronica Mars
When "Veronica Mars" aired on UPN in 2004, Veronica (Kristen Bell) was a high school student who had been sexually assaulted the same year in which her best friend, Lily Kane, was found murdered at her family's mansion. After her friend's murder, Veronica's father, the town sheriff at the time, accused Lily's father of killing her and subsequently lost his job. Veronica was ostracized by her peers and both she and her father turned to work as private investigators.
"Veronica Mars" is still one of the only shows that has really explored the realities of drug-induced assault and what that trauma recovery process can look like. Despite this heavy material, there was always just enough hope and levity to keep viewers from despairing too much. The third season of the show ended on a note that was ambiguous; Keith's election campaign was in trouble but there was still hope for Veronica's future with Logan and her career. It gave viewers the chance to imagine the ending they wanted.
Many people were excited about the "Veronica Mars" revival, but they probably weren't prepared for creator Rob Thomas to dial up the darkness to the extent he did. Thomas never intended for her to be happy, and the ending of the revived 4th season devastated many fans with the death of Veronica's longtime love, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring).
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Roseanne
The original ending of the sitcom "Roseanne" saw writers deploy what was already an incredibly overused trope when they revealed that the Conners' lottery win, which had been a plot for all of Season 9, was actually just a dream that Roseanne had come up with in her new career pursuit as a writer. It was a weird ending to a beloved show, and it was meant to be an explosive, end-it-all finale.
"Roseanne" was a revival that came onto the scene with a lot of goodwill thanks to the original series' popularity and the beloved status of stars like John Goodman. Unfortunately, the revival was heavily influenced by Roseanne Barr's politics. Instead of returning to a world where Roseanne and Dan Conners were just a working-class, married couple trying to get by and support their children in a sometimes-hard but mostly-loving and funny environment, the "Roseanne" revival took many opportunities to affirm Donald Trump and Barr's particular brand of MAGA politics.
The show decided to put politics before comedy, character, and even the nostalgia upon which any revival would depend. The show's 10th season disappeared quickly thanks to the real-life controversy surrounding Roseanne Barr and her inflammatory, politicized comments and actions. The revival was a disaster, but it did lead to a new show called "The Conners," which followed the family (minus Roseanne) in a much more successful and better-received sitcom.
Girl Meets World
"Girl Meets World" is a revival in a similar vein to "Fuller House." Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) — the romantic leads of the original series, "Boy Meets World" — returned to television screens as the parents of a preteen girl named Riley (Rowan Blanchard) for the re-branded sitcom. "Boy Meets World" ran from 1993 to 2000, with Cory as the main character and Topanga as his longtime girlfriend. For the revival, Cory and Topanga took on the parental roles and the protagonist was their daughter, Riley.
The revival aired on Disney Channel — meaning it was intended for a preteen audience. The original sitcom was airing at a time when family sitcoms were still popular on network television, and full channels dedicated to programming for preteens didn't exist. While "Girl Meets World" aired for three seasons and helped launch young stars Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter into promising careers, it wasn't met with a particularly joyous reception from fans of the original show.
"Boy Meets World" ended on a high note with Cory and Topanga's graduation from college and subsequent step into adulthood. Cory wasn't a boy meeting the world anymore, he was a man. It was the most traditional possible ending to an archetypical coming-of-age story, and it should have marked the end of our time with Cory. Instead, we saw him as an adult 10+ years later, and it felt like seeing a high school teacher years after graduating.
Gossip Girl
The return of "Gossip Girl" in 2021 was both a revival and a reboot. It took place in the same universe as the original show — and at the same school that the original characters attended — but it followed a new crop of students and their wealthy families. The reboot also chose to feature the students' young, disgruntled teachers as well.
The original "Gossip Girl" was never considered a critical darling. It was a primetime soap — one that attracted viewers with its glamorous characters and over-the-top drama — and it arrived at a time when many were obsessed with the lives of the rich and famous. The sumptuous excess that so many people wanted to vicariously experience through characters like Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) has been largely vilified in recent times thanks to a public consciousness permanently altered by the cold realities of economic struggles and political turbulence.
The new "Gossip Girl" installment was not only poorly written, but it also sought to capitalize on an audience that had become largely disillusioned with stories of mega-rich, teenage brats living in a New York City bubble. There is still an element of enjoyable escapism to the show, but it undoubtedly hits differently in 2021 compared to 2007. It was entirely strange to end the show with some truly insane plot resolutions (including the reveal of Dan as Gossip Girl and the rushed marriage between Chuck and Blair) and then try to revive it ten years later.
Mad About You
"Mad About You" is a New York City-set sitcom that completed the comedic NBC slate along with "Seinfeld" and "Friends." The show aired from 1992 to 1999, with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser starring as a professional, newlywed couple living their lives in a decade marked by economic growth and aspirational television. It was a time when Hollywood was interested in telling stories about affluent white people and their affluent white people problems.
Shows like "Mad About You" and "Friends" had a numbing effect for many — it was an escape from the higher-stress problems that many viewers dealt with in their day-to-day life. It absolutely served a purpose at the time — and that is perhaps a reason why they are still so revered — but is it a purpose that needed to be revived?
The original "Mad About You" was never as popular as "Friends" or "Seinfeld," but given the fact that neither of these seems remotely close to a potential revival, it makes sense that Hollywood went with the next best thing. Unfortunately, it was a revival that felt wholly unnecessary. "Mad About You" ended with a 22-year jump into the future, and it was nice to see where the Buchman family ended up. That time jump was a tight ribbon tied around a thoroughly medium show, and it was something that never needed to be unwrapped.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Amy Sherman Palladino created "Gilmore Girls" in 2000, and though the show never reached the level of popularity that other, similar dramedies managed, it always had a strong, dedicated fanbase. Palladino's work — the most recent example being Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" — is known for its fast-paced dialogue, referential humor, and brassy leading ladies.
Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) is still Palladino's most entertaining protagonist, and "Gilmore Girls" is especially known for launching Melissa McCarthy's career. The ending saw Rory choosing not to define her life by a man and pursuing journalism and Lorelai and Luke finally getting together for good. In addition, the show ended with Lorelai's promise to continue Friday night dinners with her parents, something that would have been unfathomable to her in Season 1.
"Gilmore Girls" went off the air in 2007, but it found an incredible resurgence of popularity thanks to the show's availability on streaming. Following this viral renaissance, Netflix ordered a miniseries continuation of the show in 2016, and fans were especially delighted to learn that Amy Sherman Palladino would be writing and running the series. Unfortunately, Rory's earnest, sheltered countenance didn't translate well into adulthood and many viewers were upset by her ongoing affair with her engaged ex-boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger. Without McCarthy's Sookie and Herrmann's Richard Gilmore, the miniseries projected a melancholy that couldn't quite be overcome.
Futurama
"Futurama" has been revived for a third run by Hulu, and the new iteration of the show has big shoes to fill given how much fans loved the finale of the second run of the series.
"Meanwhile," much like the finale of the first run of the show ("The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings") is centered around the romantic relationship between Fry and Leela. "Futurama" is a comedy with an ensemble of interesting characters that explores a wide range of topics, but at its core, it is a love story. Fry and Leela spend decades of their lives together on a deserted planet Earth, only to find the professor has traveled through time to fix reality. Fry and Leela enjoyed their lives together, but they agree to reset the universe and relinquish their memories of those lives.
It's hard to imagine a more appropriate ending for a show that constantly seeks to change as much as possible and then immediately undo it. "Futurama" is largely about human nature and our unrelenting aversion to change. Fry and Leela have a beautiful lifetime together only for everything to go back to the way it was, including their memories and the perpetual will-they-won't-they status of their relationship. Only time will tell if they can top an ending that was already considered to be quite perfect.