Network Execs and the Death of Original Ideas

I check headlines sometimes.

I shouldn’t.

Last week, I opened an article discussing the 26 reboots coming soon to a network near you.

26. Twenty-six. TWENTY WHAT IN THE HELL SIX. Let that sink in for a minute. I’ll wait.

Maybe I’m just admitting I’m old. But come on, kids – do any of you remember the original “Nash Bridges?” I didn’t until this article reminded me why I didn’t watch it. And yet, there’s talk of a reboot.

There were twenty-five more, but midway through the list, my brain shorted out and I lost my shit. “Party of Five?” I thought life had come screeching to a halt when CBS choked up the redo of “Knight Rider.” But nooooooo, let’s add 9021-WHY on top of it! Hey, I always wanted to know what happened to those douchecraft carriers on “Saved By the Bell” – let’s bring it back!

“(Blogger’s note: I’m kidding. I didn’t watch it when it was new.)

The movies aren’t any better. There are mountains of new ideas out there; fresh fountains of creativity from people who don’t think along party lines. Give them a chance? Noooooo. Instead, let’s remake “Pet Sematary” and bungle the book’s best part (no spoilers, but trust me – if you’re a fan, you’ll be ticked.) Fresh ideas like “Preacher Six” (lookin’ at you, Kyle) are struggling for funding to go straight to DVD, but for some reason, the Hollywood suits think we need another “Halloween.”

We don’t. We really, really don’t. And if you’re still remaking “Jacob’s Ladder,” for the love of all that’s holy, STOP IT.

Have the masses really been numbed to the point that rehashing old ideas, or potentially screwing up classics, is enough? I’m sorry, not for me. These suits need to wake up and listen to the minds who don’t think along the same lines that have already been filmed. There are so many new voices desperate to be heard; you might want to give us a chance before we stop coming to the theater in favor of DVD watch parties.

Am I self-serving when I say this? A little. I have three potential films waiting in the shadows, and I’m a starving artist.