Topic: If you had the resources to take over/revive a TV show....

[BlackNMild2k1]

What show would you pick? Why? and what would you do with it?


First I would choose The 4400.

It was basically Heroes before Heroes. Heroes on NBC kinda followed a similar storyline in the most general of senses.
People start turning up with special powers, the government is hunting them down, of of them is trying to unite them all someone else is trying to give everyone these special powers, one of them is way too powerful and a huge war is about to break out.

OMG I never really realized how similar the 2 are even thought they are so different. The main difference between these 2 shows was that The 4400 was good and getting better. It only didn't continue because of the Writers Strike and sadly the show was right at it's climax leading into the next season. Heroes (now that I'm writing this it's obvious) was very obviously biting on the storylines from this show that I think did it better and did it first.

I would only revive this show and let it continue from where it left off, i would not make any significant changes.

[EasyCure]

ALF!

[Halbred]

I'd bring back Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, and Darkwing Duck.

[that Baby guy]

You can bring back Darkwing Duck in your heart and on your GameCube, at least.

[NWR_insanolord]

I always thought Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip deserved a better shot than it got, but if I had to pick one it would definitely be Jericho. I loved that show, and it got a decent ending, but there was a lot more story to be told.

[Ian Sane]

I'd take over The Simpsons and then cancel it.

If WWE counts as a TV show then I would love to completely rehaul the damn thing.  And let's assume I can call it WWF again.  If not I'll just make up a new name and logo and just rebrand it as something different.  Pro wrestling today is completely devoid of anything that made me enjoy wrestling in the first place.  Taking over and rehauling the top company seems like the only way to get it "back on track".  Of course I would probably piss off the existing fanbase but I honestly don't give a ****.  I think that audience will only cheer for a dangerous style of wrestling done by steroid abusers so for the health and safety of the talent it will be better to be rid of that type of fan anyway.

I suppose I could take over TNA instead and be able to do the same thing without alienating the existing WWE fanbase.

I'm not very interesting in reviving dead TV shows as I'm usually cool with them being dead.  Even if I liked them and wanted more I think leaving me wanting more is the ideal end result.  I would much rather take something that has long ago jumped the shark and get it back on track.

[TJ Spyke]

I'd take over The Simpsons and then cancel it.

I want to smack you so hard. The last few seasons have been really good.

WWE would not count as that is a company, it would be like picking the NFL or UFC. WWE currently has 4 shows (well, technically 5, but that 5th one is a 1-hour condensed version of their main show and airs at 2AM on Sunday). I don't know how familiar you are with the reason they changed names, but they didn't do it by choice. After they were sued by the World Wildlife Fund (known as the Worldwide Fund for Nature in most countries now), they were legally not allowed to use the "WWF" initials anymore. WWE actually doesn't have a steroid problem anymore, although indy feds are a different story.

TNA is just a mess, they seem to make it up as they go along and never explain anything. Sting turned heel 8 MONTHS ago and they still have not clearly explained why. You have Samoa Joe be kidnapped on national television and no one saying anything when he showed back up 3 weeks later (or the previous year when he was trying to kill people with a machete).

There are a lot of shows, but I guess I would go with Star Trek: Enterprise. One reason is I want the primary timeline back (not the alternate timeline created in the 11th movie). The show really kicked into gear in the 3rd and 4th seasons. Manny Coto (who became showrunner in season 4)  revealed several ideas and stories they planned to do if they had been given a 5th season, including:

*Having a 3 or 4 episode arc in the Mirror Univers (similar to the two-part episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" from season 4) which would have followed up on Mirror Hoshi's attempt to become Empress of the Terran Empire
*Showing us Phlox's homeworld of Denobula
*Having Alice Krige guest star as a engineer that gets assimilated by the Borg and becomes he Borg Queen episode
*Have hints at the formation of the Federation and inch closer to the oft-mentioned but never seen Earth-Romulan War that took place from 2156-2160 (season 4 took place in 2155)
*Revealing that T'Pol's father was Romulan, thus making her half-Romulan/half-Vulcan.
*Having the fan-favorite Shran join Enterprise, possibly as an advisor.
*Follow season 4's trend of linking it to previous Trek series by finally making the Kzinti canon (they have only appeared on Star Trek: The Animated Series, which is officially not canon) and visiting the cloud city of Stratos from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Cloud"

They also would be able to keep Trip on the show as he wouldn't "die" until about 5 years in the future as it was established that he died in 2161.

[BlackNMild2k1]

WWE would not count as that is a company, it would be like picking the NFL or UFC.

No it wouldn't (& I hate to break it to you you), because NFL & UFC aren't scripted events that come on 3-5 times a week.
I would compare WWE more closely to [name Soap Opera here] as they are both fake, have horrible plot lines & come on too many times a week.

smite incoming in 3... 2... 1...

[FZeroBoyo]

Danny Phantom is still one of my favorite Nickelodeon shows and it was a shame that it got cut down after three seasons. I would certainly let it have at least one or two more. 

[TJ Spyke]

WWE would not count as that is a company, it would be like picking the NFL or UFC.

No it wouldn't (& I hate to break it to you you), because NFL & UFC aren't scripted events that come on 3-5 times a week.
I would compare WWE more closely to [name Soap Opera here] as they are both fake, have horrible plot lines & come on too many times a week.

smite incoming in 3... 2... 1...

Way to completely miss the point (something you falsely claim me of doing). I will put it ANOTHER way, it would be like lumping all of the CSI shows into one, or all of the Law & Order shows into one. WWE is a company, not a TV show. I wouldn't say "I pick NBC Universal" or "I pick Sony Pictures Television", because that would be another similar example.

[BlackNMild2k1]

WWE would not count as that is a company, it would be like picking the NFL or UFC.

smite incoming in 3... 2... 1...

Way to completely miss the point (something you falsely claim me of doing). I will put it ANOTHER way, it would be like lumping all of the CSI shows into one, or all of the Law & Order shows into one. WWE is a company, not a TV show. I wouldn't say "I pick NBC Universal" or "I pick Sony Pictures Television", because that would be another similar example.

doood. I'm just messin with you. hence the spoilered comments.

[greybrick]

I'd bring back Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, and Darkwing Duck.

I just gave you a slow clap, yes, yes, yes. This is what the world needs.

[Shaymin]

Since the whole Disney Afternoon was taken...

FIREFLY. Screw FOX, there was a lot of open threads set up during the show and Serenity just didn't fill the itch.

[TheBlackCat]

Freakazoid!  I can't believe they canceled after only two seasons, it was great.  From what I heard the only reason they canceled it was because the marketing was for little kids but the show was popular with college-age kids.  I'm not sure why that was surprising, considering stuff like the "Frenching with Freakazoid" segment and him gawking at hula girls in another.  Although I wouldn't be able to get the same sort of stars on the show Spielberg did.

[NWR_insanolord]

Since the whole Disney Afternoon was taken...

FIREFLY. Screw FOX, there was a lot of open threads set up during the show and Serenity just didn't fill the itch.

Man, I keep forgetting to go back and finish watching that show. I really have no excuse; it's on Netflix Instant and Hulu, and I own the DVDs.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Since the whole Disney Afternoon was taken...

FIREFLY. Screw FOX, there was a lot of open threads set up during the show and Serenity just didn't fill the itch.

This is another show I would allocate some funds for. Unfortunately I didn't watch the actual show until long after I had seen the movie, but if I had known about the show before the movie, I would have watched it when it aired.

[Sundoulos]

I'd bring back Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, and Darkwing Duck.

I just gave you a slow clap, yes, yes, yes. This is what the world needs.

Wha?  What about Duck Tales?  What about the Gummi Bears?  I'm ticked that Disney never released all of episodes of Gummi Bears on DVD.

[TheBlackCat]

I'd bring back Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, and Darkwing Duck.

I just gave you a slow clap, yes, yes, yes. This is what the world needs.

Wha?  What about Duck Tales?  What about the Gummi Bears?  I'm ticked that Disney never released all of episodes of Gummi Bears on DVD.

And David and the Gnomes.  My mom has the book this show was based on, she was given it as a kid.  I was quite excited when they came out with the show, since I had really liked the book.  The show ended up being extremely faithful.

[Sundoulos]

There are several shows that I would revive if I could, but they probably wouldn't fare any better than they did originally.  I believe that all of them were cancelled because they were high-budget productions. 

Tales of the Gold Monkey
This came out on DVD this past summer, finally, and I've been netflixing it.  I was only 6 or so when this came on the air, but, man, I loved it!  It got greenlighted shortly after Raiders of the Lost Ark became a box office hit.  It had a lot of similarities with an Indy movie, but it was supposed to have been based on an old Cary Grant movie called Only Angels Have Wings.  Incidentally to the discussion, a lot of people believe this show was part of the inspiration of Disney's TaleSpin.   Anyway, the show was set in 1938 in the South Pacific islands, and it had a fair share of adventure, campy 80s television, and Nazi's as bad guys.  Who could ask for more?

Oh yeah, one of the main characters was a Jack Russell Terrier who wears an eyepatch.  How awesome is that?

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
When this show hit it's stride, it was great.  Locations around the world.  Adventure.  Loose Historical context.  Indy's stint in the Belgian army during WWI made for some riveting television...the episodes about Verdun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaI9fClHb1k) and the Somme stand out in my mind.  I think the problem was, there were too many episodes that fell a little flat or where nothing happened at all.   It also felt cheapened to have Indy run into some famous figure or another in almost every epsiode.  Still, it was great stuff, and it's a shame that it got cancelled.

And for something completely different, I wish that Pushing Daisies had been saved.  I don't have much to say about it except that it was colorful, creative, funny, and it had an interesting, developing mythology.   My wife and I were hooked on it.   It deserved to go another season or two, but I think it also got cancelled because the ratings couldn't justify the high production costs of the show. 

[Caliban]

The Middleman. It was just a plain, campy, fun show to watch. It should have definitely had a second season to end it properly.

Pushing Daisies. I would bring it back for one final season, even if I was happy how the second season ended, and was sad that there would be no more of it.

[Shorty McNostril]

+1 for Firefly.  I'm surprised it took that long to get mentioned.  It popped into my mind as soon as I read the topic.  I would revive it and get Mr Whedon back in to continue the magic. 

So many questions............

*sigh*

[Spak-Spang]

Hmmm....

I think Heroes was a show that could have been better and should have been better.  I would like to go back and properly finish season 2...but I would start with the basic plot set up and completely rework it.

Other shows, I dunno.  I think the top three shows that should have never been cancelled would be Justice League Unlimited, Animaniacs, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.  Sure those are all cartoons, but they had better comedy, drama, and original ideas that most live action shows. 

As for live action, I would also consider reviving Star Trek in some form.  I loved Deep Space Nine, and I think it would be nice to get a Star Trek drama based during the Federation at war with an on going storyarc, starting in the middle of the war with the federation desperate and one the losing side of the battles. 

[TJ Spyke]

Freakazoid!  I can't believe they canceled after only two seasons, it was great.  From what I heard the only reason they canceled it was because the marketing was for little kids but the show was popular with college-age kids.  I'm not sure why that was surprising, considering stuff like the "Frenching with Freakazoid" segment and him gawking at hula girls in another.  Although I wouldn't be able to get the same sort of stars on the show Spielberg did.

That is why Nickelodeon canceled Invader Zim. They were aiming it at kids, but it was mostly watched by teens.

[Halbred]

And for something completely different, I wish that Pushing Daisies had been saved.  I don't have much to say about it except that it was colorful, creative, funny, and it had an interesting, developing mythology.   My wife and I were hooked on it.   It deserved to go another season or two, but I think it also got cancelled because the ratings couldn't justify the high production costs of the show. 

God, I love that show. I have both seasons on DVD. There was supposed to be a 3rd season in comic book form, but it never materialized.

[broodwars]

As for live action, I would also consider reviving Star Trek in some form.  I loved Deep Space Nine, and I think it would be nice to get a Star Trek drama based during the Federation at war with an on going storyarc, starting in the middle of the war with the federation desperate and one the losing side of the battles.

Supposedly, the 5th Season of Enterprise was supposed to be just that, as they were going to do the Romulan War.  But Paramount decided that they were just done with Trek and killed off Enterprise just when it was getting great.
 
In fact, that's the show if I had the resources and connections at the time, I would have taken over.  The show died early on because Brannon and Braga were (are?) incompetent writers and never let the show breath as its own experience.  By the time new writers stepped on to dramatically improve the series in its 3rd and 4th seasons, it was too late.  The damage had already been done.
 
Well, I'd either take over that show or revive The Pirates of Dark Water.  That show was so good that I'm astonished that it has never been revived considering it was also never finished.