Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and like most drugs, it will kill us all. If you don’t believe me, just check out the roster of scheduled television programs for the next two years.
In 2013, Netflix released a fourth season of the beloved (and prematurely cancelled) show, “Arrested Development” 10 years after it originally premiered. Then FX aired the first season of its film-to-miniseries project, “Fargo,” based on the Coen brothers’ 1996 film of the same name, in April 2014.
More recently, fans of surrealist director David Lynch rejoiced when it was announced that his cult TV show, “Twin Peaks” would be airing new episodes in 2016. And just this weekend, Fox CEO Gary Newman said the company was “in talks” to reboot the long-running science-fiction series “The X-Files.”
As a film and media arts major, all these releases (and even just the announcements) made me jump for joy. It also lead me to debate whether or not I’d cave in and buy TiVo.
And while I have a special place in my heart for new, original programming (shout out to Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and Fox’s soon-to-be-classic “Bob’s Burgers”), there’s an undoubtedly euphoric feeling when a TV show from the past comes back to deliver even more tears, laughs and surprises after a long and seemingly permanent hiatus.
But even if you’re planning on tuning in to see more Laura Palmer or Agent Fox Mulder in the years to come, it’s time that we, as a TV-viewing society, evaluate what it means to have so many reboots in so little time.
First, we’re going to have to get rid of these arguments about “originality.” Characters and stories have been recycled since the beginning of written word, and I’m OK with that.
Honestly, is it really that big of a deal to have eight feature-length, live-action Batman films?
I’m not worried about there “not being any more original stories.” I’m more concerned with our nostalgia pangs getting in the way of good entertainment.
For instance, do you think there could have been a “Twin Peaks” revival before every alternative teen girl was reblogging screenshots from the show on Tumblr? Is David Lynch, the man who declared he would never return to the television medium, really basing his career trajectory on activity from a microblogging website?
The same goes with Fox’s “Arrested Development” and “The X-Files.” Both are highly popular on the Internet, being endlessly posted on people’s “quirky” Pinterest boards and binge-watched on Netflix.
But what does it mean when audiences can just reblog their way into a major television studio’s program schedule?
Media consumers are getting restless. In this new world of streaming seven consecutive seasons of “The West Wing” on our laptops, we’ve grown a collective sense of entitlement.
Television shows now seem to run our lives, and we panic upon realizing we’re only three episodes until the finale. Our entitlement has caused us to make sure that the constant stream of entertainment will never end.
Didn’t like the “Lost” finale? Just beg Damon Lindelof for a reboot in two decades!
We can see this happening before our very eyes with AMC’s new “Better Call Saul” show. Fans were obviously restless as Walter White’s story came to an end, and they desperately needed more episodes to get their “Breaking Bad” fix.
“Never fear!” AMC said, “What about an entire show about that wisecracking lawyer? That’ll surely win us some Emmys!”
So what do the critics have to say about these nostalgia-driven reboots?
Last week at the Golden Globes, FX’s “Fargo” won Best Miniseries or Television Film and the always-creepy Billy Bob Thornton won for his portrayal as the somehow even creepier Lorne Malvo.
The show won similar accolades at other award shows, like the Emmys and the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, leading me to believe that these reboots have deeply resonated with their audiences.
But this doesn’t mean everything is deserving of a revival. Even though I consider myself an “X-Phile,” I don’t know what I think about seeing Mulder and Scully back on the small screen again.
Believe me, there are new stories out there looking to be told. Sometimes they’re hiding on various shady streaming websites, but they are there!
Instead of angrily tweeting at Ryan Murphy for a seventh and eighth season of “Glee,” try letting dead things die and move onto newer (and better) entertainment.
SidneyRose Reynen is a 19-year-old film and media arts sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach her on Twitter @sidneyrose_TDR.