Good Idea or Bad? Looking at various sci fi and fantasy television projects currently in the works and pondering whether they will fly or crash.
What Is It? First introduced by Charles Addams in a 1930s comic strip, the Addams’s are a creepy collection of characters that make up an extended family who do not quite fit in with the normal world but who revel in their own eccentricities.
What Is in the Works? A new television reboot of the property is in the works with Into the Badlands creators Alfred Gough and Milles Millar set as the writers and showrunners. Tim Burton is also currently in talks to come onboard as director and executive producer. This project is currently early in the development stages and no network or streaming service is attached at this point.
Good Idea or Bad? The original series from the 1960s is a classic that lived on in reruns for many years and sparked the imagination of many who watched it as they were growing up (though I have to confess that I personally preferred The Munsters). Most notable about the series–beyond the excellent cast that brought the family to life–was its celebration of eccentricity and being different at a time when television preferred to reinforce the normalcy of the average suburban family. Younger viewers may not be as familiar with the black and white show, but have almost certainly encountered the big screen reboot from the ’90s and/or the recent animated reboot that hit the theaters in 2019.
The property has gone through multiple incarnations, with each developing their own fans. Having Tim Burton attached to the latest version seems like a marriage made in heaven (or would it be hell in this case?), assuming that he brings his A-game. His Dark Shadows reboot seemed like a sure thing on paper, but flopped badly when it arrived in theaters. Of course, Burton is not the driving force here as Alfred Gough and Milles Millar are spearheading the project. If Burton does come onboard, you have to imagine that his influence will be felt, but Gough and Millar will be the showrunners and will make most of the decisions I would assume.
In any case, I consider this to be a mostly good idea if they pull it together with the right quirkiness. The concept works well on television, and it will be nice if Burton can find some of his old magic to help give the show a spark. The reboot could work if done right and it appears to have some good creative talent behind it, so I will be willing to give it a look if it makes it all the way to a finished series. Though I can see that some might be less than thrilled with this project seeing as the property has already been reworked multiple times (and the TV series would likely not tie in with the current film series).
Notable Facts: The Addams Family started as a one-panel cartoon strip that first appeared in The New Yorker in 1938 created by Charles Addams. The 1964 television series has since become a classic, though it was cancelled after only two seasons. The series lived on in reruns for years and a Saturday morning animated spin-off appeared on television in 1973 (though only two of the original cast members voiced their parts). There was also a reunion movie on television in 1977. The franchise moved to the big screen starting in 1991 with the two well-received movies directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family and Addams Family Values). A third movie (The Addams Family Reunion) would follow later in the decade without Sonnenfeld involved. A second animated series would appear in 1992 with John Astin returning to voice the role of Gomez. A rebooted live-action TV series arrived in 1998 with a new cast (though John Astin appeared as Grandpapa in a few eps) and ran for two seasons like the ’60s series. The CGI-animated The Addams Family arrived in theaters in 2019 and proved a hit, with a sequel to that currently in the works. You can read more about the various incarnations of the franchise at this link.
Do you think that a television reboot of The Addams Family is a good idea or bad? Chime in with your comments below.
More from CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.
I say: “Go ahead and give it a shot”. Reboots are tricky business and sometimes just plain ill-advised (think: Family Affair). If the worst that happens is that it flops then someone will push the hideously overused CANCEL button and that will be that.
Frankly, with Tim Burton involved I’m hopeful.
Thanx for reading.