2017 isn’t over, so why should the trend of sitcom revival talk wrap up before the year’s through? According to a Tuesday report from TV Line, yet another NBC hit of years past is inching closer to resurrection.
TV Line has spoken with multiple sources who claim informal talks with stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt about a limited run return for Mad About You have begun. Reiser, who shot down such talk as recently as 2016, is said to be the force nudging the idea forward. The updated incarnation of the show would find Paul and Jamie Buchman dealing with empty-nest syndrome after their daughter Mabel goes to college. If that sounds like a retooling of where the show left off, well it sort of is. Roseanne and Will & Grace seem pretty happy with disregarding bits of their past, so this approach would be par for the course.
Despite Mad About You airing on NBC during its run and the network’s naked thirst for reviving its past hits (howdy, The Office!), TV Line notes that the Peacock Network isn’t involved in talks of Mad About You‘s return. The show’s producer Sony is said to be involved in these discussions, although Sony TV has declined comment on the matter.
Having a brand name is no guarantee of success, either. Will & Grace was a ratings winner for NBC in 2017, but the popularity of resurrecting shows from years past feels overblown considering the number of failures trotted out to try and capitalize on a presumed built-in audience. 24: Legacy got the ax, Dynasty continues to live on The CW thanks to international distribution and ABC’s upcoming American Idol reboot already feels lost in the shuffle just to point at a few cautionary tales.
NBC have arguably been the most bullish of the networks in terms of revivals, reboots and updates and their track record isn’t exactly flawless. For every Will & Grace return, there’s a disaster like 2008’s Knight Rider redo. If nothing else, a Mad About You revival would be pretty much guaranteed to have a cheerier result than 2011’s mega-bust The Paul Reiser Show, so that’s a plus for the potential parties involved.
(Via TV Line)
