This article was originally published on the EIDR website in March of 2026. Pulling an all-nighter...
Make it Again, Sam
For as long as there has been television, there has been the temptation to do it again.
This is not unique to TV, of course. Storytelling has always been iterative. Ancient myths were retold across generations, Shakespeare borrowed liberally from earlier sources, and Hollywood has never met a proven idea it didn’t want to revisit. But television has developed its own particularly efficient – and occasionally shameless – version of this practice. When a series works, it rarely stays finished.
At first, this was largely a matter of necessity. Early television was ephemeral. Episodes aired once and were gone, often not even recorded. If audiences wanted more, the only practical solution was to make more. But as recording, distribution, and eventually streaming made television persistent, something changed. Shows no longer disappeared. They accumulated. They became libraries. And once something exists in a library, it can be taken off the shelf and used again.
Sometimes that means a revival: the same show, continuing where it left off, as if the intervening years were merely an extended commercial break. Doctor Who (1963–1989, revived 2005—), Will & Grace (1998–2006, revived 2017–2020), and The X-Files (1993–2002, revived 2016–2018) all fall into this category, picking up their original continuity and asking audiences to do the same.
Sometimes it means a reboot: start over, keep the name, and try again with a new cast, a new tone, or a new audience. Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979 → 2004–2009), Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980 → 2010–2020), and The Equalizer (1985–1989 → 2021– ) demonstrate how flexible this approach can be, ranging from faithful updates to near-total reinventions.
And sometimes it means something in between – a reimagining that keeps the bones but changes the shape. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–2003) returned as Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020), shifting from light sitcom to gothic horror. Cosmos (1980) returned not as a sequel, but as a modernized reinterpretation of its original mission. Even Star Trek has crossed media boundaries, moving from live-action (1966–1969) to animation (1973–1974) and back again, blurring the line between continuation and reinvention.
There are also cases that defy tidy categorization. Is a limited-series return like Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016) a revival or an epilogue? Is BH90210 (2019), in which the original cast plays fictionalized versions of themselves, a revival, a parody, or something else entirely? Television, like any long-running system, accumulates edge cases.
What unites all of these efforts is a simple premise: recognition has value. A familiar title carries built-in awareness, a pre-existing audience, and a degree of reduced risk. In an industry where failure is common and success is unpredictable, returning to known properties is not just creatively appealing – it is economically rational.
Of course, recognition cuts both ways. Audiences bring expectations with them, and those expectations can be difficult to satisfy. A revival must balance nostalgia with relevance. A reboot must justify its existence beyond the title. A reimagining must convince viewers that change is not betrayal. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not. And sometimes, as with multiple iterations of The Twilight Zone (1959–1964; 1985–1989; 2002–2003; 2019–2020), the experiment is simply repeated until it does.
The result is a television landscape where few ideas ever truly end. Series pause, reset, evolve, and return, often decades after their original run. What once would have been considered a conclusion is now more accurately described as an intermission.
Below is a sample of the numerous television series that have been revived, rebooted, remade, or reimagined over the years: programs that, for one reason or another, refused to stay finished.
Series that (Thankfully) Just Won’t Die
|
Title |
Dates |
EIDR ID |
|---|---|---|
|
24 |
2001–2010 |
|
|
24: Live Another Day |
2014–2014 |
|
|
12 oz. Mouse |
2005–2007 |
|
|
12 oz. Mouse |
2018–2020 |
|
|
Absolutely Fabulous |
1992–1996 |
|
|
Absolutely Fabulous |
2001–2004 |
|
|
Animaniacs |
1993–1998 |
|
|
Animaniacs |
2020–2023 |
|
|
Are You Afraid of the Dark? |
1990–2000 |
|
|
Are You Afraid of the Dark? |
2019–2022 |
|
|
Arrested Development |
2003–2006 |
|
|
Arrested Development |
2013–2019 |
|
|
Barney & Friends |
1992–2010 |
|
|
Barney's World |
2024–2025 |
|
|
Battlestar Galactica |
1978–1979 |
|
|
Battlestar Galactica |
2004–2009 |
|
|
Beavis and Butt-Head |
1993–1997 |
|
|
Beavis and Butt-Head |
2011–2011 |
|
|
Beavis and Butt-Head |
2022–2025 |
|
|
Bergerac |
1981–1991 |
|
|
Bergerac |
2025— |
|
|
Beverly Hills, 90210 |
1990–2000 |
|
|
BH90210 |
2019–2019 |
|
|
Bionic Woman |
1976–1978 |
|
|
Bionic Woman |
2007–2007 |
|
|
Blue's Clues |
1996–2008 |
|
|
Blue's Clues & You! |
2019–2024 |
|
|
Burke's Law |
1963–1966 |
|
|
Burke's Law |
1994–1995 |
|
|
Cero en conducta |
1998–2003 |
|
|
La escuelita VIP |
2004–2004 |
|
|
Charmed |
1998–2006 |
|
|
Charmed |
2018–2022 |
|
|
Clifford the Big Red Dog |
2000–2003 |
|
|
Clifford the Big Red Dog |
2019–2022 |
|
|
Clone High |
2002–2003 |
|
|
Clone High |
2023–2024 |
|
|
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage |
1980–1980 |
|
|
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey |
2014–2014 |
|
|
Cosmos: Possible Worlds |
2020–2020 |
|
|
Criminal Minds |
2005–2020 |
|
|
Criminal Minds: Evolution |
2022–2025 |
|
|
Dallas |
1978–1991 |
|
|
Dallas |
2012–2014 |
|
|
Danger Mouse |
1981–1992 |
|
|
Danger Mouse |
2015–2019 |
|
|
Dexter |
2006–2013 |
|
|
Dexter: New Blood |
2021–2022 |
|
|
Doctor Who |
1963–1989 |
|
|
Doctor Who |
2005–2022 |
|
|
Dragon Ball |
1986–1989 |
|
|
Dragon Ball Z |
1989–1996 |
|
|
Dragon Ball GT |
1996–1997 |
|
|
Dragon Ball Z Kai |
2009–2015 |
|
|
Dragon Ball Super |
2015–2018 |
|
|
Dragon Ball Daima |
2024–2025 |
|
|
Dynasty |
1981–1989 |
|
|
Dynasty |
2017–2022 |
|
|
Fantasy Island |
1978–1984 |
|
|
Fantasy Island |
2021–2023 |
|
|
Fraggle Rock |
1983–1987 |
|
|
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock |
2022–2024 |
|
|
Frasier |
1993–2004 |
|
|
Frasier |
2023–2024 |
|
|
Full House |
1987–1995 |
|
|
Fuller House |
2016–2020 |
|
|
Futurama |
1999–2013 |
|
|
Futurama |
2023— |
|
|
Get Smart |
1965–1970 |
|
|
Get Smart |
1995–1995 |
|
|
Ghostwriter |
1991–1995 |
|
|
Ghostwriter |
2019–2022 |
|
|
Gilmore Girls |
2000–2007 |
|
|
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life |
2016–2016 |
|
|
Hawaii Five-O |
1968–1980 |
|
|
Hawaii Five-0 |
2010–2020 |
|
|
Heartbreak High |
1994–1999 |
|
|
Heartbreak High |
2022–2026 |
|
|
Heroes |
2006–2010 |
|
|
Heroes Reborn |
2015–2016 |
|
|
Hi-5 |
1999–2011 |
|
|
Hi-5 House |
2013–2017 |
|
|
iCarly |
2007–2012 |
|
|
iCarly |
2021–2023 |
|
|
Johnny Test |
2005–2014 |
|
|
Johnny Test |
2021–2022 |
|
|
King of the Hill |
1997–2010 |
|
|
King of the Hill |
2025— |
|
|
Kung Fu |
1972–1975 |
|
|
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues |
1993–1997 |
|
|
Kung Fu |
2021–2023 |
|
|
Law & Order |
1990–2010 |
|
|
Law & Order |
2022— |
|
|
MacGyver |
1985–1992 |
|
|
MacGyver |
2016–2021 |
|
|
Mad About You |
1992–1999 |
|
|
Mad About You |
2019–2019 |
|
|
Magnum P.I. |
1980–1988 |
|
|
Magnum P.I. |
2018–2024 |
|
|
Melrose Place |
1992–1999 |
|
|
Melrose Place |
2009–2010 |
|
|
Matlock |
1986–1995 |
|
|
Matlock |
2024— |
|
|
Mission: Impossible |
1966–1973 |
|
|
Mission: Impossible |
1988–1990 |
|
|
Muppet Babies |
1984–1991 |
|
|
Muppet Babies |
2018–2022 |
|
|
Murphy Brown |
1988–1998 |
|
|
Murphy Brown |
2018–2018 |
|
|
Mystery Science Theater 3000 |
1988–1999 |
|
|
Mystery Science Theater 3000 |
2017–2022 |
|
|
Night Court |
1984–1992 |
|
|
Night Court |
2023–2025 |
|
|
Oggy and the Cockroaches |
1998–2019 |
|
|
Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation |
2022–2022 |
|
|
One Day at a Time |
1975–1984 |
|
|
One Day at a Time |
2017–2020 |
|
|
One Piece |
1999— |
|
|
One Piece |
2023— |
|
|
Party Down |
2009–2010 |
|
|
Party Down |
2023–2023 |
|
|
Perry Mason |
1957–1966 |
|
|
Perry Mason |
2020–2023 |
|
|
Punky Brewster |
1984–1988 |
|
|
Punky Brewster |
2021–2021 |
|
|
Quantum Leap |
1989–1993 |
|
|
Quantum Leap |
2022–2024 |
|
|
ReBoot |
1994–2001 |
|
|
ReBoot: The Guardian Code |
2018–2018 |
|
|
Reno 911! |
2003–2009 |
|
|
Reno 911! |
2020–2022 |
|
|
Roseanne |
1988–1997 |
|
|
Roseanne |
2018–2018 |
|
|
Rugrats |
1991–2004 |
|
|
Rugrats |
2021–2024 |
|
|
Sabrina the Teenage Witch |
1996–2003 |
|
|
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina |
2018–2020 |
|
|
Sai de Baixo |
1996–2002 |
|
|
Sai de Baixo |
2013–2013 |
|
|
Samurai Jack |
2001–2004 |
|
|
Samurai Jack |
2017–2017 |
|
|
Saved by the Bell |
1989–1993 |
|
|
Saved by the Bell |
2020–2021 |
|
|
Scrubs |
2001–2010 |
|
|
Scrubs |
2026— |
|
|
Star Trek |
1966–1969 |
|
|
Star Trek: The Animated Series |
1973–1974 |
|
|
Star Trek: The Next Generation |
1987–1994 |
|
|
Strawberry Shortcake |
2003–2008 |
|
|
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Bitty Adventures |
2010–2015 |
|
|
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City |
2021–2024 |
|
|
Teletubbies |
1997–2001 |
|
|
Teletubbies |
2015–2018 |
|
|
Teletubbies |
2022— |
|
|
The Equalizer |
1985–1989 |
|
|
The Equalizer |
2021–2025 |
|
|
The Liver Birds |
1969–1979 |
|
|
The Liver Birds |
1996–1996 |
|
|
The Magic School Bus |
1994–1997 |
|
|
The Magic School Bus Rides Again |
2017–2020 |
|
|
The Odd Couple |
1969–1973 |
|
|
The Odd Couple |
2015–2017 |
|
|
The Outer Limits |
1963–1965 |
|
|
The Outer Limits |
1995–2002 |
|
|
The Powerpuff Girls |
1998–2005 |
|
|
The Powerpuff Girls |
2016–2019 |
|
|
The Proud Family |
2001–2005 |
|
|
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder |
2022— |
|
|
The Smurfs |
1981–1989 |
|
|
The Smurfs |
2021— |
|
|
The Twilight Zone |
1959–1964 |
|
|
The Twilight Zone |
1985–1989 |
|
|
The Twilight Zone |
2002–2003 |
|
|
The Twilight Zone |
2019–2020 |
|
|
The X-Files |
1993–2002 |
|
|
The X-Files |
2016–2018 |
|
|
Twin Peaks |
1990–1991 |
|
|
Twin Peaks: The Return |
2017–2017 |
|
|
Veronica Mars |
2004–2007 |
|
|
Veronica Mars |
2019–2019 |
|
|
Whose Line Is It Anyway? |
1998–2007 |
|
|
Whose Line Is It Anyway? |
2013–2024 |
|
|
Will & Grace |
1998–2006 |
|
|
Will & Grace |
2017–2020 |
|
|
WKRP in Cincinnati |
1978–1982 |
|
|
The New WKRP in Cincinnati |
1991–1993 |
|
|
X-Men |
1992–1997 |
|
|
X-Men '97 |
2024— |
