Bionic Woman's Blast from the Past, The Big Bang Theory's Surprising Success, Meerkat Manor's Shocking Death and more!
Michelle Ryan, Bionic Woman
Question: Did I go to bed in 2007 and wake up this morning in 1984?
Bionic Woman is a new series and
Knight Rider is coming back as a two-hour movie with a new series in mind. What is going on at NBC? Are they so unsure of their ability to create new series that they are reverting back to the oldies? If so, when can I see a new
The Incredible Hulk? At the rate NBC is going, maybe we can also get those cool 1980s Toyota commercials where people jump in the air and say, "Toyota!"
— Josh
Matt Roush: Seriously, Josh, don't put ideas in these people's heads. That's how we get shows like
Cavemen. My deadlines compel me to answer this before seeing the second episode of
Bionic Woman, which I've gone on record as regarding as a work in progress. I still think this concept has some potential, especially if it evolves into something beyond a weekly downer. But a new
Knight Rider? No thanks, particularly after reading in the trades that the summer success of the
Transformers movie inspired this possible resurrection. But as for why these remakes are happening, the answer is pretty simple: The titles are recognizable and the concepts are already somewhat presold; in a time when it's getting harder for new shows to break through the clutter, that's why the most desperate execs are leaning this way. If the strong opening numbers for
Bionic Woman hold up (and given the negative mail I'm getting about it, I'm not so sure), then get ready for more. If the show does collapse (and I'm not saying it will or even should), maybe we'll all be spared.
