Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
12 of the worst TV reboots of all time, ranked from bad to unbearable
12 of the worst TV reboots of all time, ranked from bad to unbearable
Travis ClarkApr 9, 2018, 19:56 IST
Netflix
Advertisement
With shows like "Jersey Shore," "Roseanne," and "Queer Eye" returning this year, TV reboots are having a moment.
The "Roseanne" reboot may have premiered to high numbers (over 18 million viewers) and positive response, but that doesn't mean all TV reboots strike the same success.
For every "Twin Peaks: The Return," there is a "24: Legacy" - meaning there are plenty of truly bad reboots that get greenlit and make it onto our television screens.
Business Insider looked at 12 of the worst TV reboots ever. Some didn't last long, while others somehow found a longer life than their Rotten Tomatoes scores would suggest.
Advertisement
We ranked them from bad to worst based on those RT critic scores (we took the average of the available seasons) and broke any ties with audience scores on the review-aggregator site.
The worst of the bunch even has the rare misfortune of having a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Below are 12 of the worst TV reboots of all time, ranked by how bad they were:
"It's still not good, mind you, but it's more honest and enthusiastic about its badness, you know?" — Alan Sepinwall, Newark Star-Ledger
11. "24: Legacy" (2017 on Fox)
Critic score: 59%
Original series run ("24"): 2001-2010 on Fox
"If the story was half as compelling as an average Homeland season, perhaps audiences could overlook the political commentary. But there's little urgency driving the conventional TV action ... its stars' personalities are largely drowned out by exposition." — Ben Travers, Indiewire
10. "Dynasty" (2017-present on The CW)
Critic score: 53%
Audience score: 85%
Original series run: 1981-1989 on ABC
"I'll never watch this again. Dynasty reminds you of all the bad ways in which the world has changed. It's not niche or interesting to have a soap opera about people who are merely undeservedly loaded any more." — Hugo Rifkind, The Times (UK)
9. "Prison Break" (2017)
Critic score: 53%
Audience score: 77%
Original series run: 2005-2008 on Fox
"The question remains: Other than an effort to goose ratings with the return of a familiar title, is there really any creative reason for more Prison Break? Probably not." — Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
8. "Heroes Reborn" (2015-2016 on NBC)
Critic score: 43%
Audience score: 57%
Original series run ("Heroes"): 2006-2010 on NBC
"If you didn't watch Heroes, there's no point in trying this series. If you loved Heroes, this is a stinging disappointment. It is sad that NBC is repeating itself, and doing it so badly." — Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel
7. "MADtv" (2016 on The CW)
Critic score: 43%
Audience score: 43%
Original series run: 1995-2009 on Fox
"The sketches repeatedly rely on obvious jokes, and the general vibe just seems low-rent, even when compared to its Fox predecessor." — John Hugar, AV Club
6. "90210" (2008-2013 on The CW)
Critic score: 43%
Audience score: 35%
Original series run ("Beverly Hills, 90210"): 1990-2000 on Fox
"It seems content to trot along a well-worn path." — Marisa LaScala, PopMatters
5. "Cupid" (2009 on ABC)
Critic score: 40%
Original series run: 1998 on ABC
"You might wonder why the network would bring back a show that wasn't all that good and didn't do all that well in the first place." — David Hinckley, New York Daily News
4. "Fuller House" (2016-present on Netflix)
Critic score: 33%
Original series run ("Full House"): 1987-1995 on ABC
"It's selling nostalgia hard, but nostalgia for what? Simply because something had popularity for a time does not guarantee it a place in the history books." — Michael Idato, Sydney Morning Herald
3. "MacGyver" (2016-present on CBS)
Critic score: 26%
Audience score: 54%
Original series run: 1985-1992 on ABC
"The new MacGyver is an ill-conceived, sterile reimagining of a series that is such a product of its time that it shouldn't have been updated in the first place." — Bernard Boo, We Got This Covered
2. "The Odd Couple" (2015-2017 on CBS)
Critic score: 26%
Audience score: 44%
Original series run: 1970-1975 on ABC
"It's hard to believe that it will ever feel anything other than remarkably familiar and derivative of better properties with better casts." — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
1. "Charlie's Angels" (2011 on ABC)
Critic score: 0%
Original series run: 1976-1981 on ABC
"It feels like pre-chewed food: intended for easy digestion, it comes out (1) unappetizing, (2) textureless, and (3) devoid of character." — Linda Holmes, NPR
