Fans of shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Magnum P.I., iCarly, and countless others cringe when they hear the word “reboot” spoken about their beloved TV series. No one wants to see their favorite character completely re-imagined by show creators who don’t understand what made the original TV show their favorite in the first place. However, this hesitation hasn’t stopped writers from re-envisioning The Flash speeding down the streets of Central City in 2022, or having our favorite Navy SEAL Steve McGarret run the 5-0 task force. But what if these creators get it right and blow all of our expectations out of the water?
Through the years of television, audiences have seen plenty of rebooted TV shows that have exceeded all expectations and other that have simply just flopped. Everyone wants to forget those that didn’t live up to the original legacy, but some fans would argue that there are a handful of reboots that blow the original out of the water. Some diehards don’t want to admit that their new guilty pleasure is the reboot instead of the original. So, which of these shows are fans claiming to be better? Here are the top rebooted shows, ranked.
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6 Magnum P.I.
CBS
Magnum P.I. premiered on CBS back in 1980 through 1988. The reboot premiered 38 years later on CBS in 2018. The original series starred Tom Selleck, who plays Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator. With some persuasion, he enlists the help of his friends T.C. (Roger Mosley), Rick (Larry Manetti), and Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman) in different jobs on the island of Oahu. The reboot follows this exact plot line with a few changes. In the new series, Higgins is a woman, who is played by Perdita Weeks. Thomas (Jay Hernandez) and his friends Rick (Zachary Knighton) and T.C. (Stephen Hill) are all Navy SEALs in the reboot. The chemistry between Weeks and Hernandez really set the bar for the revamped Magnum P.I., which fans swear makes it better than the original. Earlier this year, CBS canceled the reboot, but NBC picked it up for two more seasons, a testament to its quality.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 iCarly
Paramount+
The Los Angeles Times calls iCarly the original influencer. Dan Schneider created the hit television series back in 2007, which follows the titular character Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), who lives with her law school dropout brother Spencer (Jerry Trainor). Together with her best friend Sam (Jeannette McCurdy) and next door neighbor Freddie (Nathan Kress), they create a hit web show aptly named iCarly. The reboot, which premiered in 2021, shows Carly, Freddie, and Spencer as adults and how their lives have turned out. The revival of iCarly knocks the original out of the park as it brings back a nostalgic feel for audience members who grew up on Nickelodeon, while bringing in a new fan base with its adult sense of humor.
4 Doctor Who
BBC
The original Doctor Who premiered back in 1963 and by popular demand the fans requested that the show come back in 2005. Doctor Who follows an alien who claims to be a doctor and has come to earth to save the planet from another alien race. Every couple of seasons, a new actor becomes the Doctor, which keeps fans on their toes as they wait to see who will play their beloved character. Actors who have played the doctor in the past include David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and many others. The reboot series is described as having more of a plot and heart compared to the original that started off as an educational show.
3 The Flash
The CW
The Flash follows Barry Allen, whose life is completely altered when he gets struck by a particle accelerator. Barry, along with other citizens in Central City, develops superpowers. In his case, he develops super speed and can run faster than a speeding bullet. The series first premiered in 1990 with John Wesley Ship playing the beloved Barry Allen. The reboot on The CW cast Grant Gustin as the Scarlet Speedster while paying homage to the original by having Ship play Gustin’s father. Fans of the original and the reboot love the dynamic of mixing the old with the new, not only for bringing Shipp back, but also some of the villains that he faced as well. They continue to praise the 2014 show for casting Candice Patton and Jesse L. Martin as the West family.
2 Hawaii Five-0
Hawaii Five-0 is a cop drama about a task force in Hawaii that is run by Commander Steve McGarret played by Jack Lord. The original series premiered back in 1968 and ran until 1980, quickly becoming one of the longest-running cop shows of its time. The procedural show captivated audiences every week and coined the catchphrase “Book ’em Danno” as the tagline for the show. The 2010 reboot also follows Steve McGarret, played by Alex O’Loughlin, who is a former Navy SEAL commander. McGarret, along with his partner, Detective Danny Williams (Scott Caan), set off to find the man who killed his father. Fans of the reboot love the brotherly love between Williams and McGarret, which has become the contributing factor of why it’s better than the original.
1 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Berlanti Productions
Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a beloved sitcom that premiered back in 1996 on ABC. The show followed Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart), who lived with her two 600-year-old aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick), while trying to figure out how to be a witch and attend high school at the same time. In 2018, Sabrina returned to our screens in a darker tone than its predecessor in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Vox the Netflix original “messy” and a “gorgeous thrill ride” as Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) not only attends Baxter High but the Academy of the Dark Arts. Audiences loved the playfulness of the original, however, fans can’t stop watching the reboot as Sabrina navigates the witch world in this darker retelling.
