Universal Pictures had a certified hit with the 1990 comedy Problem Child, as the story of the world’s most obnoxious red-headed kid earned $72 million at the global box office. Starring John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck as the adoptive parents of Junior, Problem Child would eventually pave the way for the less successful Problem Child 2 in 1991 and 1995’s made-for-TV Problem Child 3: Junior in Love, which featured an almost entirely different cast, because Michael Oliver was just too much of an artist by that point. There was even an animated series on USA in 1993, but once that third film hit the small screen, people were pretty much fed up with Junior’s antics.
Now, though, in the neverending flood of nostalgic reboots and better-late-than-never sequels, NBC and Universal are testing the waters with a Problem Child sitcom. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will be written by Old School co-writer Scot Armstrong, who also shared writing credits on Road Trip, Starsky & Hutch, Semi-Pro and The Hangover 2. It’s obviously too early to tell if Gilbert Gottfried will be on board to reprise his role as Mr. Peabody, but that might be the only casting decision that would make this a good idea.
