Why settle for reruns when you can watch brand new episodes of your favorite old shows?
We’ve seen a massive wave of TV series revivals over the past couple of decades, with the casts of many beloved sitcoms and dramas from the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s reuniting for one more season — or, in some cases, several more seasons. But of course, not all of these reunions worked out the way we might have hoped. Some did prove they were worth bringing back by fully living up to the original… and some had us wishing they had just quit while they were ahead and not tarnished their legacy.
What follows is not a ranking, but an assessment of 30 of the buzziest live-action revivals and sequel series, with each assigned a grade based on how well they recaptured the magic of their predecessors.
Read on for our potentially hot takes, then leave a comment and let us know which revivals you’ve liked (and disliked) the most.
24: Live Another Day
Photo : Fox/Everett Collection
Live Another Day was like a highlight reel for a 24 season twice its length. The truncated 12-episode order made for a tighter story that was bolstered by dynamite performances from series newbies Yvonne Strahovski (as London-based CIA agent Kate Morgan) and Michelle Fairley (as drone-happy terrorist Margot Al-Harazi). Thanks to the dramatic and complicated reunion between Jack Bauer and Chloe O’Brian — plus, the season’s gut-punch of an ending! — 24 delivered one last thrill ride that sated its fans and harked back to CTU’s glory days. — Matt Webb Mitovich
90210
Photo : The CW/Everett Collection
Though an endless parade of changing showrunners prevented this CW gem from building and maintaining the momentum it deserved, we still consider it a worthy successor to the original Beverly Hills, 90210 — a sexy, soapy good time that gave us characters worth falling for. Will we ever forgive the revival for breaking up Donna and David? Probably not. But no show is perfect. — Andy Swift
And Just Like That…
Photo : Max
Max’s Sex and the City revival comes with a new title and a conspicuous hole in its cast, with Kim Cattrall only managing a brief cameo as SATC’s Samantha Jones. The new series tries to make up for its past sins, too, by adding more diversity to the cast, but only a few of the new additions fit in well, with others (like Sara Ramirez’s highly divisive Che Diaz) getting jettisoned. It’s fun to see Carrie and company back on the streets of Manhattan, and there are glimmers here of the old SATC magic, but it’s a far cry from the glory days. — Dave Nemetz
Arrested Development
Photo : Netflix/Everett Collection
We still worship at the altar of this dysfunctional family comedy’s original Fox run, and we’d even defend the first Netflix season… to a point. But it did get a little unwieldy, with the cast rarely sharing scenes together, and then Season 5 turned out to be an aggressively unfunny train wreck, threatening to make us forget what we ever enjoyed about the Bluths. Sorry, but they blue it. — D.N.
The Comeback
Photo : HBO
HBO’s stinging showbiz satire was built for an encore (it’s right there in the title!), and Lisa Kudrow was once again incredible as fading sitcom star Valerie Cherish, who was forced to relive her traumatic experience working with Paulie G. in a gritty prestige drama. The belated sophomore run’s barbs were just as sharp as the original season, and Mickey’s failing health added a touching emotional layer amid all the laughs. This is the rare revival that proved it had plenty of juice left… and yes, we’d happily take another season right now, thank you. — D.N.
The Conners
Photo : Disney
Roseanne Barr’s conservative politics loomed large in the first (and only) Roseanne revival season, which seemed out of character for Roseanne Conner. Once the rest of the family had time to grieve Barr’s alter ego, The Conners morphed into something that more resembled the original series, with less focus on politics and more stories driven by working-class family drama, which now spans four generations. Yes, this particular revival has been plagued by continuity errors, but it’s been an absolute joy having Dan, Jackie et al. on our screens again. — Ryan Schwartz
Criminal Minds: Evolution
Photo : Paramount+
TVLine championed (with a “B+” review) Paramount+’s November 2022 revival of the long-running CBS crime drama, for going “deeper and darker” with the BAU agents we know so well. Season 2, though, was too much more of the same (loathsome UnSub Elias Voit and all), spent less time at home with agents, and at times dared you to see what was occurring during moody, underlit scenes. — M.W.M.
CSI: Vegas
Photo : CBS
At first a healthy serving of member berries (with CSI vets Jorja Fox and William Petersen leading its cast, succeeded by Marg Helgenberger), this procedural by its third season had very much found its own voice and place in the larger franchise. Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mandeep Dhillon, Ariana Guerra and Lex Medlin gave us new characters we were vested in, and whose absence we now lament. — M.W.M.
Dallas
Photo : TNT/Everett Collection
A delicious concoction of old grudges and new blood, this criminally short-lived TNT drama was the perfect vehicle to introduce a new generation of viewers to life at Southfork Ranch. Though Josh Henderson often stole the show as J.R. Ewing’s unscrupulous son, the show’s ensemble was loaded with compelling performers. Need we remind you of Judith Light as a coked-out crime boss? “Mama like,” indeed. — A.S.
Dexter: New Blood
Photo : Showtime/Everett Collection
If you found the last couple seasons of Dexter disappointing, you’re not alone, but consider its 2021 sequel series a franchise mea culpa. Not only did it give everyone’s favorite serial killer a new location filled with fresh acquaintances, friends and enemies, but it also delivered a killer ending that we – Dexter included – all deserved. If you opted out at the time but remain curious, check out New Blood before the upcoming prequel (Dexter: Original Sin) and new revival (Dexter: Resurrection) hit. — Nick Caruso
Frasier
Photo : Paramount+
No, the new Frasier on Paramount+ doesn’t hit the supremely witty highs of the original, and the void left by the absence of David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane is a gaping one. (Jack Cutmore-Scott doesn’t quite work as Frasier’s son Freddy, either.) But this revival got better as its freshman season went along — Nicholas Lyndhurst is a certified gem as Frasier’s professor pal Alan — and Kelsey Grammer is as sharp as ever as the titular shrink. — D.N.
Fuller House
Photo : Netflix/Everett Collection
From its cheesy humor to that ludicrously tiny living room couch, Netflix’s Full House update fully recaptured the magic of the original series — even if it wasn’t able to recapture Mary-Kate and/or Ashley Olsen to come back as Michelle. Sure, the show relied way too heavily on nostalgia (half of the jokes were just, “Hey, remember when that thing happened 20 years ago?”), but the chemistry between cast members new and old was strong enough to keep fans tuning in for five seasons. — A.S.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Photo : Netflix/Everett Collection
Yes, we understand the complaints — about Rory, mostly — but we still cozied up to A Year in the Life like an oversized mug of coffee on a brisk fall day. The writing had lost none of its zing, Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop gave series-best performances… and in a topsy-turvy world, it was just so comforting to walk the idyllic streets of Stars Hollow again. Even if it only existed to give us more Paris Geller, it was easily worth it. — D.N.
Girl Meets World
Photo : Disney Channel/Everett Collection
The Powers That Be attempted to appease nostalgics with the occasional appearance by Shawn, Eric and Mr. Feeny. Unfortunately, the writing, even for the OGs, was geared towards a much younger audience, not Boy Meets World fans. Worst of all was Cory’s transformation into a poor man’s Mr. Feeny. It was frankly embarrassing watching him relinquish control of his classroom week after week. As a result, the weekly life lessons rang hollow. — R.S.
Heroes Reborn
Photo : NBC/Everett Collection
As fun as it was to get reacquainted with characters like Noah Bennet, Hiro Nakamura and Mohinder Suresh, their appearances weren’t enough to recapture the initial magic of NBC’s original series. The stakes felt especially high for this revival, too: After a strong first season, Heroes began to lose its way narratively and take itself too seriously, and Heroes Reborn presented a chance for redemption and closure. Instead, the revival couldn’t seem to get out of its own way, resulting in a web of convoluted storylines that failed to engage us emotionally. — Rebecca Iannucci
iCarly
Photo : Paramount+
When iCarly’s titular vlogger signed back on after nine years, we weren’t confident that she and her squad could recapture the extremely specific zany energy that made hits out of so many mid-’00s Nickelodeon shows. However, we’re happy to report that we were wrong — Carly and her friends transitioned seamlessly into the 2020s, giving just enough of that familiar wackiness while also getting us invested in their lives. Maybe that’s why the show’s unceremonious cancellation after three seasons came as such a crushing blow. — A.S.
Law & Order
Photo : NBC
With vets Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson reprising their roles as DA Jack McCoy and Det. Kevin Bernard, respectively, we were already sold on Law & Order’s return after more than a decade off the air. But clunky writing and a revolving door of great cast members have made the show a lackluster affair thus far. Still, we’re hopeful that after so much change — and the recent addition of ER alum Maura Tierney — the revival can finally settle in and start delivering on its potential. — Keisha Hatchett
Leverage: Redemption
Photo : Freevee/Everett Collection
The con was back on, missing nary a beat, when nearly the entire gang from TNT’s five-season caper drama got back together for Freevee’s July 2021 revival. Is Timothy Hutton’s dearly departed Nate missed? A bit. But it’s been a joy to see Gina Bellman’s Sophie lead Eliot, Parker and sometimes Alec in the delivering of payback, while also teaching newbies Harry (Noah Ayle) and Breanna (Aleysa Shannon) a sting or two. — M.W.M.
Mad About You
Photo : Spectrum/Everett Collection
Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt’s NBC sitcom was always just kind of OK, so it’s fitting that the Spectrum revival season was more of the same: a comforting, middle-of-the-road throwback to a simpler era. The attempts to update married yuppies Paul and Jamie Buchman to modern times were admittedly clunky, but Reiser and Hunt were still in fine form — and with a show like this, that’s enough, right? — D.N.
Murphy Brown
Photo : CBS
Bringing back Candice Bergen’s politically charged CBS sitcom sounded like a good idea, but it ended up feeling hopelessly retro and stale: a George H.W. Bush comedy in a Donald Trump era. It was nice seeing the FYI gang together again, and Jake McDorman was actually pretty good as Murphy’s now-adult son Avery, but the jabs at Trump fell flat, and it played more like a wheezy reunion tour than a vitally current update. — D.N.
Night Court
Photo : NBC
In its defense, NBC’s fresh take on the ’80s courtroom comedy does boast a vintage performance from John Larroquette, who still knows how to hit a punchline as grumpy attorney Dan Fielding. But the new version — with Big Bang Theory alum Melissa Rauch starring as judge Abby Stone, the daughter of original judge Harry Stone — suffers from a fatal lack of laughs, with the canned laugh track straining at times to sell the jokes. It’s also seen a fair amount of cast turnover already… but hey, so did the original! Adding the great Wendie Malick to the cast is a positive sign, but for now, our verdict remains: thumbs down. — D.N.
Party Down
Photo : Starz
We basked in the comedic excellence of Season 3 (which reunited almost all of the original Party Down crew), as Adam Scott’s Henry once again donned that signature pink bow tie. Jennifer Garner and Zoë Chao were fantastic additions to the team, and look no further than “KSGY-95 Prizewinner’s Luau” (aka, the one where they all consume psilocybin mushrooms on the job) for one of the series’ best installments. And that finale cameo? Chef’s kiss! — N.C.
Prison Break
Photo : Fox/Everett Collection
Eight years in the proverbial making, this nine-episode revival from Spring 2017 proved to be very much worth the wait. It reunited a flurry of familiar faces (from the expected to the Kellerman), introduced a meaningful newbie or two (whoa, Whip is whose son?!), reasonably accounted for Michael’s “death” and, perhaps best of all, packed the fun twists (the hand tattoo mask!) we expect from this crafty crew. — M.W.M.
