Rebooting forgotten shows like The L.A. Complex is a good idea

Vulture

"I wish more reboots happened for shows that need a do-over," Kathryn VanArendonk says in reaction to The CW's recent announcement that it is rebooting the 2012 Canadian drama. "Hollywood should be rebooting odd misfires, ideas that gelled too late in the game, great premises that were stuck with terrible titles, and well-conceived shows that were sent into the battle of network scheduling as sacrificial lambs against a competing network’s powerhouse series. Reboots should be for TV shows that felt like glorious failed experiments when they first aired, that took big swings and didn’t catch on because they seemed too weird. Beyond L.A. Complex, I’m thinking specifically of shows like Terriers, Trophy Wife, Lone Star, Wonderfalls, and Better Off Ted. (And yes, there are concepts for which I will always be Charlie Brown with the football. If you revive Smash, I will watch it.) This isn’t just because these shows deserve a second chance — they do — but also because the model of the old TV property made new again favors reboots over revivals. A reboot forces the show’s audience and creators to put some distance between the original and its adaptation, and that comes with an expectation of reconstruction and renovation that’s at odds with a revival’s 'bring everything back exactly as it was' mentality. That’s not to say that a revival cannot create similar distance. But at least so far, they often don’t."