by Herbie J Pilato
With NBC’s recent cancellation of the new Ironside (starring Blair Underwood), and newly-announced development of a revamped edition of Murder, She Wrote (to feature Octavia Spencer), I once more feel compelled to offer a few words of counsel on the remake genre…specifically with regard to NBC and its inability to grasp the redo market, especially at the very expense of choice properties from its esteemed list of Universal-connected titles.
As one of the most prestigious networks in TV history (and I my first cherished employer, as a former NBC Page), NBC has presented a cache of superior programming selections over the decades. But time and again in the past few years, the network has failed to take the proper steps in rebooting classic Universal television shows, such as The Rockford Files, The Munsters and The Bionic Woman, among others. In the process, they are damaging core brand names and franchises, and losing millions.
How can any of that be a good thing?