Nostalgia is a big deal in our culture, and especially in entertainment. It seems that just about every form of media has been leaning into projects from the past, seeking to recapture some of the magic that made those movies and television series so special to begin with. On the small screen, that’s led to a number of reboots of beloved older series, including some pretty major ones. Some of these projects have done fairly well, such as the reboot of Queer Eye while others have had more moderate success, such as the Roseanne reboot/revival, The Conners.
But then there are reboots and revivals that end up getting cancelled pretty early in their attempt at a fresh start. For whatever reason, our love of nostalgia just wasn’t enough to keep these shows afloat. Here are 7 television reboots that ended up cancelled — and number 1 really deserved so much better.
7) Roswell, New Mexico
We can debate whether or not The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico was a reboot of the WB’s Roswell or simply a fresh adaptation of the Roswell High book series by Melinda Metz. I think both perspectives apply but given the series’ incorporation of the stars of the original series, I’m gonna go with reboot. Roswell, New Mexico debuted on The CW in 2019 and ran for four seasons, making it one of the more successful reboots. The series followed Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason), the daughter of undocumented immigrants who discovers that her teenage crus is actually an alien. Liz protects his secret and the pair reconnect but soon run into challenges when a violent attack points to a much greater alien presence on Earth.
The series was met with mixed reviews from critics but seemed to find a fairly devoted audience. The reboot’s addition of modern political context and issues definitely helped it stand out from the original series and, as a bonus dose of nostalgia, the series used the titles of popular ‘90s songs as episode titles. It was one of The CW’s better reboots and even though it was ultimately cancelled, managed to become a favorite in its own right.
6) Saved By the Bell
The original Saved By the Bell was a major teen show on NBC in the 1990s so when Peacock debuted in 2020, it’s really no surprise that a reboot was on the streamer’s initial slate of original programming. Taking place 26 years after the finale of the original series, the Saved By the Bell reboot tried to recapture the charm for Gen Z, introducing a new cast of high school students at Bayside High while also bringing back many of the original stars to reprise their now-adult roles, giving audiences the best of both worlds.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t work. While the Saved By the Bell reboot did get positive reviews from critics, the show’s major growth and improvement in its second season wasn’t enough to keep it going. After just two seasons, class was cancelled for this nostalgic reboot.
5) That ‘90s Show
Another ‘90s series that was huge in its day, That ‘70s Show got a reboot of sorts in the form of the sequel series That ‘90s Show. Debuting on Netflix in 2023, That ‘90s Show did much what Saved By the Bell did in terms of introduced a new cast of teens while also bringing back some of the original stars to offer fans something of a “next generation” story. That ‘90s Show followed Leia Forman, daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti, as she went to spend the summer with her grandparents in Point Place, Wisconsin leading Leia to establish a friend group not unlike what her parents had back in their day.
The show’s first season saw mixed reviews from critics, but like Saved By the Bell, it also improved a great deal in Season 2. Unfortunately, even an improved second season wasn’t enough to keep the dream of the ‘90s alive and Netflix cancelled the series.
4) The X-Files
Image Courtesy of Fox
In 2016, Fox brought back The X-Files 14 years after the series first ended. The revival brought both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson back as Mulder and Scully and there was a lot of hype and fanfare for the series’ return and for good reason. The original nine seasons of The X-Files are some of the most iconic sci-fi horror television that has ever been made. However, the series — billed as Season 10 and Season 11 — was met with mixed reviews (Season 11 fared better of the two). Anderson also made it clear that Season 11 would be her final one for the series and with her departure, even with the series left open ended in the Season 11 finale, that was it for The X-Files. For now.
3) Heroes Reborn
The original Heroes, which debuted in 2006, was a cultural phenomenon as it followed a group of ordinary people who discover they have superpowers. Unfortunately, the show dropped off in its second season and ended up cancelled after its fourth in 2010. Still, that first season of Heroes left such an impression that in 2015, NBC decided to revive the series with Heroes Reborn. Debuting in 2015, the revival/reboot offered up a new group of powered individuals along with a few familiar faces.
The new series tried connecting with the original series without entirely being a repeat or true continuation, but while Heroes Reborn did have better production values than the original, it was heavy on the melodrama and lasted for only 13 episodes and a few webisodes.
2) Quantum Leap
Quantum Leap might have been one of the best sci-fi series of the 1990s as it followed physicist Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) as he “leapt” into other people’s lives in the past as part of project Quantum Leap. Each leap takes him into someone’s life where he has to fix what “went wrong” in time as aided by his friend Al (Dean Stockwell). Sam leaps from life to life, ever hoping that he will eventually make the leap back home. Three decades after the series’ end, NBC brought back Quantum Leap with a new series in 2022, this time following Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) who similarly makes a leap into the past and finds himself in the same scenario.
The revival of Quantum Leap received mixed critical reviews but had a devoted fan base that was very invested in the series. However, it was cancelled after just two seasons. The one thing that the revived Quantum Leap did do that stands out even though it was cancelled too soon was that it gave viewers a much more hopeful ending than the original.
1) iCarly
Miranda Cosgrove in iCarly.
The 2021 reboot of beloved Nickelodeon series iCarly was rare among reboots and revivals. The series not only brought back most of the original cast to reprise their roles, but it also functioned as a thoughtful, mature continuation of the original series that welcomed in fans of the original rather than trying to reinvent itself to win a new, younger audience. It’s an approach that really worked, with the Miranda Cosgrove starring series garnering critical praise and positive reaction from fans as well. The series did well enough to run for three seasons on Paramount+.
But critical acclaim and solid fan response wasn’t enough to keep iCarly going. The series was cancelled after its third season which was extremely frustrating and disappointing for fans. The revived iCarly really felt like it was gaining traction, so much so that Season 3 ended on a cliffhanger that would have propelled the series into its fourth season. However, with its cancellation, a lot was left unresolved leaving fans to wonder what could have been had one of the better reboot/revival series been allowed to continue.
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