Sci Fi TV Reboots that Should Happen: Reboots are all the rage mostly because the entertainment industry prefers name recognition over original ideas. But there are some properties that truly deserve a do-over because they didn’t quite achieve their goal the first time around or because they were cut short. This column takes a look at those shows.
What Is It?
Due to a malfunction on his ship, NASA astronaut Captain William “Buck” Rogers gets trapped in suspended animation in orbit in 1987 and wakes up five hundred years later. Once revived, he teams up with Colonel Wilma Deering of the Earth Defence Force to tackle threats to the planet such as Killer Kane of the Draconian Empire and more.
Aired: 1979-81, NBC, 2 Seasons Totaling 37 Episodes
Starring: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O’Connor, Thom Christopher, Felix Sila
Developed By: Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens
Where Did the Original Fail?
1979’s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century delivered a second attempt at a big-budget sci fi series on television (this time on NBC), following the cancellation of Battlestar: Galactica after one season the prior year (by ABC). Buck Rogers still brought in some of the epic sci fi of BSG, but it did not take itself quite as seriously, leaning more into a tongue-in-cheek approach. But while the first few episodes delivered some enjoyable sci fi romps with wit and humor, diminishing returns set in quickly. The quality of the writing declined, while the budget could not keep up with the ambitions of the creative team, and the show started to veer into bad camp at times. Then, after Buck Rogers got a second-season renewal (just barely), it took a more serious approach, but with scripts that showed no improvement. That ultimately doomed it to cancellation, and the broadcast networks mostly shied away from expensive sci fi for years afterward. (You can read more about the show at Cult-SciFi.com.)
Why Reboot It?
We don’t necessarily need a direct reboot of the 1979 version of Buck Rogers, but there is still plenty that could be done with the character. And in fact, there was an attempt to revive the character as a web series in 2009 by James Cawley, the guy who produced and starred as Captain Kirk in the fan-made Star Trek: Phase II web series. He planned on hearkening back to the original comic strip and serial, and he even produced the short teaser referenced above that featured Gil Gerard and Erin Gray as Buck’s parents. But things apparently fell through, and nothing more has come of the web series.
A reboot of this property would still definitely be welcome, though, because it’s Buck Rogers! And how is it that we do not have a decent series (or even a movie) with this character by now, especially with all the advancements in special effects? The entertainment industry loves name recognition, and Buck Rogers is known worldwide. You don’t have to do much explaining with this character, and you can take him in any of a number of directions. The reboot could pay homage to the original comic strip and/or movie serial and also take a similar tongue-in-cheek approach to the ’70s series (just hire some decent writers). It could also go the darker Battlestar: Galactica reboot direction, but then we have had more than enough grim sci fi/fantasy on television at the moment, and The Orville has shown the right way to do a fun and clever genre show. There were some talks of a Buck Rogers movie a while back, but nothing appears to be moving quickly on that front, so how about getting him back in action on the small screen?
Where Can You Watch It?
The series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but you can track down episodes on YouTube.
Do we need a reboot of Buck Rogers, or should that character remain in the past? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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