Until now, most of the cast reunions I've shared on "Harvest Gold Memories" have come from U.S. television networks, notably NBC and ABC (for some reason, CBS has not done many that I'm aware of). But let's face it, the world is a big place that has really been shrinking since the advent of the internet, global media conglomerates, etc. That's why some of today's post comes from Australia's Seven Network (which appears on Channel 7). Evidently, for a while, a morning show there (much like NBC's Today Show or ABC's Good Morning America here in the U.S.) had a feature they called "Where Are They Now" which ran in 2007.
For a period in the mid-to-late 1970s, ABC television scored a major ratings winner with a television show that began as a Movie of the Week based on a science fiction novel called "Cyborg" by Martin Caidin. The novel itself wasn't quite a bestseller until television came knocking, at which point, the book flew off the shelves. However, the movie and TV show were based loosely on the book, so the similarities are fairly limited.
6MDM: The Six Million Dollar Man
People cover 7/4/1977
I certainly didn't think of it back in 1977, but some American television shows were exported to Canada, Australia and elsewhere and became as popular there as they were here. One of those was the sci-fi show "The Six Million Dollar Man" which was a ratings winner for the ABC network here in the U.S. The lead actor who played Col. Steve Austin, was Lee Majors, someone best known for his prior work on the Western TV show "Gunsmoke". Lee Majors was seen by kids of that era as THE coolest man on earth not only because he starred in this show, but also because in real-life, he was married to the hottest woman at that time, none other than Farrah Fawcett (whose bathing suit poster lined countless boys' rooms back in the day). Alas, their marriage didn't last, and neither did the ratings of "The Six Million Dollar Man". But Lee Majors' went on to star on another hit show known as "The Fall Guy" a few years later.
The 6MDM (Six Million Dollar Man) also spawned it's own spinoff, "The Bionic Woman" which was almost as popular, in part, because Gen Xer girls, like their mothers who were asserting their newfound independence with divorce in mass numbers (only to discover that being single-parent households was much tougher than they'd anticipated) liked that show.
The most popular school lunchbox in 1977
While "The Six Million Dollar Man" lacks a fansite as extensive as "The Bionic Woman" does (be sure to check out The Bionic Woman Files (www.bionicwomanfiles.com/) to see what an awesome job someone did for that show), and the most poplular school lunchbox among boys in 1977 is now a collectors item, all is not relegated to vague memories.
After spending a decade near the top of TVShowsonDVD.com's "Most Wanted" Unreleased DVD list, in late 2010, after years of bickering between the shows' producers and Universal Studios over content rights, both bionic shows were finally digitized and are now available on DVD. "The Six Million Dollar Man" had more seasons on the air, so it's release was much a bigger deal, and the entire series was released last year with some fanfare, while the 3 seasons for "The Bionic Woman" were released very quickly to retail stores with considerably less fanfare. However, after the initial full-season release, each season of "The Six Million Dollar Man" will eventually come to your local Best Buy, Target, or to Amazon.com. Season 1 of 6MDM is already out, and Season 2 is due out in time for the 2012 holidays on November 6, 2012.
Needless to say, this show was a big hit, especially among grade school kids. Sure, the show was campy with sound effects that one could hear kids trying to imitate all over school playgrounds, and equally campy slo-mo special effects, but that didn't stop kids from tuning in week after week. Anyway, I can't really call this post a "cast reunion" since it consists mainly of one man.
Still, as I noted at the beginning of this post, we can thank Australian TV for this "Where Are They Now?" video, which can be seen below, or at http://youtu.be/yxh5HEPbenQ:
Now that your memory has been refreshed, check out my very first posting on this blog, and be sure to view the commercial for the Mazda CX-5 there. I'll just close with some of the awesomely cheesy sound-effects used in 6MDM. Check them out!
On June 13, 2012, one of the many prime-time soaps that aired from the late 1970's to the early 1980's is set to be re-introduced to TV viewers. In this case, I'm referring to "Dallas", which is scheduled to reboot on cable network TNT. Clearly, as basic cable competes with 200+ stations, more and more cable networks have turned to original programming, like TV Land with it's Betty White/Valerie Bertinelli (yes, I'm leaving the other two actresses out) show "Hot in Cleveland" or Fran Drescher's "Happily Divorced" just to name two. However, the remakes have met with varying degrees of success. None are completely original programming; and at least a few major network remakes of TV shows from the '70s and '80s have already bombed.
Today, I look at why some TV show reboots failed, while others did OK. You may note that I already covered how NBC's former chief believes "Must See TV" is history (see my post HERE), so I think it's pretty obvious that the definitions of success today aren't exactly what they used to be. Still, a few TV show reboots (as they've come to be known) have done so poorly in terms of ratings they were taken off the air.
I have a few thoughts on why.
For example, back in 2007, NBC tried remaking "The Bionic Woman", which starred Michelle Ryan in the role that Lindsay Wagner effectively created. It failed. In 2008, NBC tried again with "Knight Rider" which also failed, while rival ABC tried a few years later with a remake of "Charlie's Angels" which also failed. Side note: NBC's "Bionic Woman" reboot didn't quite last a full season, although you can find the full season of that on DVD in the bargain bin of many retail stores for like $7.99 these days. However, interestingly, last year, Universal stuck gold by releasing the original "Bionic Woman" from the '70s on DVD, selling at a significantly higher price than the reboot (which was effectively already in digital format). On the other hand, some reboots like "Hawaii Five-0" (CBS) seem to be doing OK, and it's also rumored that CBS might also be thinking they can succeed with a reboot of "Bewitched" (see HERE). Thoughts on Keys to Successful TV Show Reboots
I think there may be a few keys to a successful TV Show Reboot.
First, don't presume the original audience is going to automatically tune in. They may watch initially to satisfy their curiosity, but if the producer/network wants to keep the ones who watched the original shows coming back, they really shouldn't simply discard the show's entire heritage for the sake of making it better or more modern. For example, the reboot of "The Bionic Woman" did that; I saw almost nothing in that show which even hinted that another show by the same name ran 30 years earlier, no sound effets (modernized or original), no discussion of the "evolution" of bionic technology from the '70s (perhaps with flashbacks to the original), nothing. Instead, try to capitalize on the shows' many years of tevision heritage. Obviously, if the cast is no longer alive or unwilling/unable to participate, that can make things a bit more challenging, but good writers can still pay heritage to a show's long tradition without discarding it completely. Remember: viewers today have access to Google, and chances are, they alredy KNOW the show is a remake, so don't try to pretend that is isn't.
That may be one reason why the "Hawaii Five-0" reboot on CBS is surviving. The show is a police drama in the 50th state, and there's no disconnect among viewers between today and the fact that another version of "Hawaii Five-0" ran from 1968 to 1980. Police will always be around, even though they haven't brought back cast from the past, the premise of the series seems perfectly logical.
Also, depending on the changes the producers make to the show and it's basic premise, there's a genuine risk of drawing the original viewers in initially only to lose them if they try to be TOO alluring to younger viewers. But today, discarding a group of viewers as irrelevant won't work. The average viewer today has access to more than 4 stations, so every viewer group counts!
Next, it really goes without saying, but having a sexy cast is key to luring new viewers in. Indeed, I think this may be the one and ONLY thing virtually every reboot has gotten right, but remember: having a sexy cast still won't carry a show with lousy writing! The writers can make or break the show, yet too many seem to view this group as afterthoughts to the overpaid cast.
Finally, an important one seems to be competing in a time slot you can realistically compete in. The good news for the "Dallas" reboot is they're stepping in when the seasons for many shows just wrapped up, so audiences are eagerly looking for something new. TV Land launched it's new series "Hot in Cleveland" during a lull after the seasons had just wrapped up elsewhere, and it seemed to help draw in viewers. NPR: "The Old With The New: Generations Clash In New 'Dallas'"
As I was writing this post last night, I had a few final thoughts and revisions I wanted to make, and as it turns out, NPR covered the "Dallas" reboot this morning. Their coverage seems to fit the theme of my thoughts, so it's worth sharing with my readers below, or you can catch it on NPR's website at http://n.pr/LXypVk:
I was never big Dallas watcher because I was a kid in junior high school who wouldn't be caught dead watching the same thing my parents watched, and campy soaps certainly fit the bill. But successful shows today actually DO lure several generations in. In fact, parents actually did watch "Glee" with their kids, making it a big ratings success. Whether the "Dallas" reboot can manage the same thing remains to be seen, but they seem to have learned these lessons, so I think the prospects look pretty decent, but I'll have to see before I reach any conclusions.
My impression, if you look at the promo ads for the Dallas reboot, is that they're indeed trying to sex it up, and notice how the ads include the younger guys, shirtless, in front? Hot women in towels, also in front? The new guys in the cast are none other than Jesse Metcalfe, the hottie who is best known as the gardener who banged Gabrielle Solis (played by Eva Longoria) on ABC's "Deparate Housewives", and the other young addition is played by Josh Henderson.
But unlike some of the failed reboots, they are also including the original cast in, too, perhaps to try and lure some of the original viewers in as well. Smart move on that.
What kind of pop culture blogger would I be if I didn't share one last piece with you?
As scary as it is for me to admit (and perhaps some of my readers), AARP magazine actually has some the original cast of "Dallas" on the front cover (see HERE), as they're doing publicity for the show's remake. It's hard to believe, but J. R. Ewing, portrayed by Larry Hagman, is now 80 years old! It seems like just yesterday when he was a young hottie in "I Dream of Jeannie", but I guess that was over 40 years ago! For the record, today, Larry Hagman is 80, Linda Gray is 71 and Patrick Duffy is 63 -- all certified AARP members, but apparently they still want to do TV!
If the reboot doesn't work for you, rest assured, most of the originals can be found on DVD or are available as streaming media so you can watch from your mobile device. I, for one, will give the reboot a chance. Who knows, maybe other characters like Lucy Ewing (played by Charlene Tilton) will appear on the reboot!
Author P.S., November 24, 2012: Just months after his appearance on the opening of the Dallas reboot, actor Larry Hagman, who was known for playing J.R. Ewing on the original version of Dallas passed away from cancer (this was his second experience with cancer according to the Los Angeles Timesobituary for Mr. Hagman). Although his role on Dallas was the one he became most famous for playing, Larry Hagman arguably became a television star in the 1960's starring in the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" and that was a role that television viewers remember him best for.
Writer, speaker, brother, son, friend, spouse, advocate for people with autoimmune (type 1) diabetes, thinker, dreamer. Reading and writing is becoming a lost art, but we can learn a lot from reading the medical and scientific literature before drawing conclusions. The press publishes abbreviated facts to fit into limited space, I don't mince words or omit facts.
