Reboot mania takes over as TV networks struggle to woo viewers

The plaid couch dominating the living room,with its colourful afghan hanging over the back,is a sign we could be back in the1990s, watchingRoseanneBarr play the loudmouth matriarch of the blue-collar Conner family on the small screen.

But the dialogue of the new reboot of ABC'sRoseanneproves this version is firmly entrenched in 2018 and its politics.

"What's up, deplorable?" Jackie, sporting aT-shirt with Nasty Woman written across it, says to her sister, in one episode. Others deal with declined credit cards, the lack of jobs, and thehigh cost of prescription drugs.

Roseanne isthe latest reboot fighting for viewers' attention by treading the line between familiarity and reinventing the show for a modern audience withtoo many channels to choose from.

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It doesn't hurt that the full original cast has signed on, including both actresses who played daughter Becky. Several high-profile former guest stars will also make appearances.

Roseannefan Sarah Lashbrookcertainly doesn't need any convincing to tune in.

"There are so many reboots out there and I roll my eyes at some of them," Lashbrooksaid.

"Buta show like thisthat just takes everyday situations that have happened throughout generations and that are still happening now ... I think that right now, in this day and age, it's something that we need to see again."

A trend that's here to stay

Aside from Roseanne, CBS recently announced it will bring back Murphy Brown, the sitcom centred on a feisty broadcast journalist, played by Candice Bergen, and her reporting team at the fictional FYI weekly news show.

Production on the 13-episode run begins in the summer, with most of the program's original cast back in their roles.

The same network has also ordered remakes of two hit shows from the1980s: Magnum P.I. and Cagney & Lacey. Netflix is bringing backSabrina the Teenage Witchand CW has ordered a pilot to revive the sisterly witch tale,Charmed.

It may seem like desperation or a lack of creativity but it's also simple economics, according to Michael Schneider of IndieWire, a website for filmmakers and moviegoers.

"The battingaverage is probably better for these reboots than it is for any other kinds of shows," Schneider said. "That's why you're just going to keep seeing more and more."

Recent success stories include the revivedWill & Grace. Thefirst episode pulled in more than 10 million viewers and made the showNBC's top comedy this season.

"We knew we could be these characters again," said Eric McCormack, the Canadian actor who portrays Will Truman on the show. Speaking at thePaley Centerfor Media's Los Angeles festival, he acknowledgedfeeling pressure to succeed.

"I feel like this [reboot] has been a magic carpet ride."

'You've got to cut through the clutter'

Reboots such as Fuller House, The X-Files, and the very popular 2010remake of Hawaii Five-0 that convincedtraditional broadcast networks that there's a hunger forthe familiar.

"You've got to cut through the clutter,"Schneider said."We've got more channels now. We've got more streaming services and they all want to make noise.The quickest way to make noise is to bring back something that we all loved in our youth."

Networks save on marketing costs because the shows they're bringing back are already so familiar. It's an upside that counters the higher salaries they need to fork out to convince stars to reprise old roles.

Then there's the cost of paying a show's original writers and creators, who at times have nothing to do with the second rendition of an old classic.

RachelLanger, who was on the writing team for areboot ofReBoot, a Canadian computer-animated classic from the90s, saidwriters need to make sure the contracts they sign take into account any and all future adaptationsacross various mediums.

"Ifyou have made the right kind of deal, you're able to make a living from something you made a long time ago and [see]it come back and be revised and renewed and refreshed," said Langer, who is based in Vancouver.

How old hits stay fresh

The struggle is keeping a reboot fresh, without tampering with the nostalgia.

Some shows opt to tackle the current political climate head on,as Roseanneand Will & Grace have done. Others remake their scenarios taking the news cycle into account, such as the remake of Party of Five, which will focus on a family of deported immigrant parents.

One of Canada's most successful television sitcoms, Corner Gas, is instead changingits format and going animated when it returnson April 2.

"This isalmost like the unleashing of Corner Gasto let it be the cartoon it always was in my mind," said creator and star Brent Butt.

"Itjust felt like Corner Gas but with a fresh new vibe to it."