7 Shows that Should be Made

NBC announced this past week that they will reboot Heroes, the only show in TV history that has the distinction of imploding into a pile of ash and debris quicker than the Death Star, (ironically, due to a singular fatal weakness, an inability on the writers part to plan for anything after the first season.) And much like the Galactic Empire, NBC has seen fit to try again on their ultimate planet destroying idea. Thus, barring an unexpected rebel attack, we will be looking at a 13-episode miniseries (read backdoor pilot) set in the Heroes universe. This once again proves that even though there are a literal infinite number of show ideas, spinoffs, reboots, and remakes that could be made by TV executives, it's easier to pull an idea out the trash than apply a little effort and make something new.

However, if you are a Heroes fan congratulations, I don't want to take away your thunder. However, if we are going to be resurrecting shows, I have a few ideas (both old and new) of my own which I think the networks might consider. (Firefly is not on this list, but it should be.) Buried in the following list I promise there is as at least one gem.

Star Trek

Let's start with a no brainier. Star Trek started on TV and it belongs on TV. The current crew is young, sexy, and most of them aren't big enough actors, yet, that they could afford to turn down a steady paycheck. After all J.J. Abrams has made it pretty clear that he's done with the franchise and has now moved on to ruining Star Wars. That means Star Trek is available and can be saved. This would be a good way to bring the franchise back to its roots, hour-long adventures that force the viewing audience to take stock of their place in humanity, while still being entertaining. I'm not saying we do away with the fun of the movies. You can still have the flash (and even the lens flare) on the small screen, but we can leave the over-the-top (popcorn) stories to the silver screen, and the studio would still be free to release movies after every few seasons. (It was a formula that worked for Next Generation.) As a bonus most of the sets have already been built, the studio would only needs to make an investment in whatever new sets are needed for the current season.This is definitely a prime time network show, like a 9 pm slot. So you know they could also cram as many commercial breaks into it as they want.

Why it Would Work: Star Trek has been a staple of TV since the sixties. Now the new movies (one good and one bad) have created a whole new generation of fans. This is a golden opportunity for the studio to prove the versatility of the franchise. Besides the last movie left off with the crew of the Enterprise embarking on its 5-year mission. Boom, TV premise set. You can even rehash old TV storylines for the modern audiences and combine them with brand new ones, all the while throwing in the angst of being sexy and young and in space. Its been too long since new Star Trek was on TV. So I say, let's boldly go where we have all gone thousands of times before.

ALF

ALF was a sitcom based around a strange hairy alien that crash landed on Earth and was taken in by a typical 1980's TV family. The show was as corny and awesome as that description might sound. It also never got a proper send-off, ending on a cliffhanger, with ALF being captured by the United States Air Force for "testing." And that is where our show picks up, twenty-four years later. ALF has spent the better part of two and a half decades with the USAF. He lives a relatively cushy life in a government facility, using his wits to basically get whatever he wants. Then something happens and ALF finds himself free of the facility, and on the run. He gets taken in by another Earth family, but this one is a little less 80's sitcom and little more Modern Family. ALF (who has been isolated form the world for almost 25 years) now all of a sudden has to contend with life on the outside of his luxurious prison, and all the comedic problems of a modern American family. (Does ALF get a smartphone? An online dating profile?.. The ideas are practically endless.)

Why it Would Work: ALF has never really left the pop culture subconscious. He pops up every few years in commercials or for cameos. Let's face it, of the original actors on ALF, he is the only one who ever got another acting gig after the show's cancellation. So there is a fan base. Also, by updating the look and feel of the show we can give it a real Modern Family, type vibe. ALF and cast can even talk to the camera (in the post-reality TV world humor stylings of The Office and Modern Family.) Call NBC and hire some snappy comedy writers and I think we got a Fall hit.

The Fresh King of Bel-Air

I know what your thinking, (wait a minute, you can't replace Will Smith,) and I want to reassure you I would never. What sparked this idea was that fact that I read an article (i.e. some random thing on the Internet) the other day that said that Will Smith is now the same age that Uncle Phil was when the Fresh Prince first started airing. That gave me a crazy idea, "What if hot dogs had cheese injected directly inside them," then I found out that Oscar Meyer beat me to that one, so I came up with another one, "What if we redid Fresh Prince except this time, Will Smith was the dad." Obviously he would never be Uncle Phil, those shoes were too big to fill, as were his pants (rest in peace James Avery,) but we can see how Will Smith (the character) has evolved from punk kid to successful (and rich) father figure. It's not even that big of a stretch. It would basically be a fictionalized version of (real-life) Will Smith's real life. We can give him a fake high paying pseudo-celebrity job like a news anchor or radio DJ and then watch how a kid from the streets of West Philly handles raising rich kids in Bel Air. I would even bet that Will Smith could come up with a few child actors who were seemingly born to play the parts of his kids.

Why it Would Work: Two words, Will Smith. As a teenager he was a driving force behind the last show that basically rocketed him to stardom. Now he can call this one his retirement gig and pass the torch onto his own kids, (which he has been unsuccessfully trying to do for years now.) However, I would argue that the focus would still have to remain mostly on Will, not the kids. And unlike ALF, the new Fresh King would not need a format change. We can cut the laugh track, but the Fresh Prince's penchant for wittiness and breaking the fourth-wall would fit right in with today's sitcoms. Added bonus, the original cast would be more than welcome to come back for frequent cameos, all excluding Carlton, who I would expect to be a regular on the show. (Will Smith needs Uncle Carlton to be his partner in crime.) Someone call Alfonso Ribeir's people... Do you think he is available?

Flash Gordon

Yes, I know it was briefly rebooted for one season in 2007, but that version was never quite up to snuff. It was made by Sci Fi, (not SyFy) back when that channel still had some credit to its name. However, it was very underfunded and felt a little claustrophobic. Channels like Starz or Showtime are always looking for shows to rival Game of Thrones, and this could be a good one. Throw a lot of money at it, limit it to to ten episodes a season, and you could get an intriguing, exciting, and sweeping story about the human named Flash Gordon who gets lost in an alternate dimension, trying to find his way home. Along the way he can get caught up in plots of intrigue, power, war, and frontal nudity. There is a lot of potential to make a show that has its own creative flare yet brings together elements of other shows and movies that audiences love so much. It would require massive writing chops on the part of the writers and producers, but they do have some source material to draw from. However, they do not have to remain completely beholden to that source material. The show would need to distinguish itself form the old campy serial feel, yet not be so over the top to as turn people off. It is a fine line to walk, but a happy medium can be found.

Why it Would Work: The show can do a good job of straddling that border of science fiction and fantasy, and yet bring something new to the table. Also, giving it adult themes and not pulling punches will help keep people interested. Even better the show has name-brand recognition, but not a large group of hard-core fans that will call for people's heads if something is off from the old TV show or movie. Deep characterization and a rich background world would be critical for success on this one.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Forget the campy/corny Sean Connery movie. I am talking a full ten episode-season based on the first volume of the acclaimed comic book series. A group of literary superheroes are brought together by a mysterious figure to stop an equally power literary villain from destroying London. One-part superhero story, one-part steampunk, this Alan Moore classic crosses genres in amazing and awe inspiring ways. It gets even better, because unlike my proposed Flash Gordon project the source material is both strong and rich in subtext and background. Moore has already laid the groundwork of a world where all our literary characters are real and breathing. Everything from Shakespeare to Lovecraft exists in this world as fact, but not so outrageous as to temper the seriousness and awesomeness of the series. This would also be a proposed project for an adult network, (HBO, Showtime, etc.) Alan Moore makes no PG allusions to murder or sex in his comics and the show shouldn't either. Drop all the unnecessary silliness and put back in the grit and danger of the comics. Then, all you have to do is hire some actors with real acting ability and you have a true recipe for success. This unique idea deserves a second chance to have some screen time.

Why it Would Work: The name recognition alone is worth its weight, but I promise that in an age where anything superhero or comic book is becoming blockbuster gold, this is the kind of project that the world needs. Better yet, this idea can be sustained. The second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is even better than the first, and with other resources like the Black Dossier and the 1910's volume, there is more than enough to make this into a sustainable show. If Walking Dead proves anything, it's that comics (even non-DC or Marvel ones) can turn a huge profit when done right.

House of Winterfell

Let's switch gears for the next entry and talk spinoff. Game of Thrones has been a TV success story for the past three seasons and the fourth season will be even better, but the time between seasons is so long. Now I have a way for HBO to fill that gap, a spinoff/prequel series set in Winterfell. The one thing I always regretted was that we never really got a lot of time to see the Starks as a family. How they interacted, what they did together, what everyday problems did they face? Yes, we get a sense of all that, but I want to see it. I want to be a part of their challenges and problems with one another. We can flush out how much Catelyn really hates Jon Snow, or the relationship between Robb and Theon Greyjoy. We can also get a sense of what is going on in the North and in the Seven Kingdoms before the death of Robert Baratheon and the events of the first season. It would certainly deepen our connections to the characters and the eventual heartbreak we would feel at the events of the main show, but also I think it would just be kind of fun to watch the people that we love just be happy and alive together, as a family.

Why it Would Work: It wouldn't. I'm not a fool, of all the shows I suggest on this list, this is completely unlikely. It is just a fantasy of mine, (also an excuse to make the graphic I did.) The actors who play Bran, Rickon, Arya, and Sansa are way too old to ever go back and do something like this, so we would have to make it a cartoon format, which might lessen the serious tone of the entire universe. (you know Clone Wars-style.) Still it would be nice to get at least one season where a character played by Sean Bean wasn't killed.

The Secret Life of the American President

Has it ever struck you how sometimes American Presidents are kind of like the Doctor. Basically, you have a long list of men, mostly white, who seem to regenerate into someone else every four to eight years, yet they all seem remarkably similar, (mostly because they're bland politicians.) Sure there are a few notable ones, Lincoln always wore that hat and scarf, and Clinton was known to get a little too friendly with his companions, but let's take this idea a step further. What if the American president, in addition to his other responsibilities, was bestowed with the powers to fight monsters, protect the planet from the paranormal, and maybe even time travel (maybe). This power might also explain why President's age much faster than the rest of us. Also, the show doesn't have to be linear. We can go back and watch Washington fight British werewolves, or Andrew Jackson take down a chupacabre. maybe Kennedy wasn't really assassinated but died fighting a Communist robot, and the subsequent assassination was staged. Both tongue in cheek and sci-fi alternate history this show would be like Chuck meets the X-Files meets West Wing. This kind of show would be perfect for the History Channel. Hell, their definition of history has loosened up so much over the years you can fly a spaceship being driven by Nostradamus through it.

Why it Would Work: I would only ever expect a cult following of this show, but that following would be made up of crazy fans who dress up like sasquatch hunting minutemen and will start furious Kickstarter campaigns at the drop of any mention that the show might even be slightly threatened by cancellation, which it probably would be every twelve episodes. So we do the next logical thing, we attach Joss Whedon's name to it and badda bing badda boom we have ourselves a show, that will probably still be canceled, but at least it will make tons of money in DVD sales.