When The Goldbergs came on the air a couple of years ago, it reminded me of a previous series from 1939-41 also titled The Goldbergs. It made me wonder what other titles have been re-used 2, 3 or maybe even 4 times.
Please, no remakes(like magnum, p.i.)
The American TV series “The Newsroom” (2012-2014) shares a name with an older Canadian series called “The Newsroom” (1996-2005).
The Cape (1996-97), about astronauts at Cape Canaveral
The Cape (2011) about a superhero who wore a cape.
E/R (1984-85), a hospital-set sitcom starring Elliot Gould.
ER (1994-2009), the more famous drama starring George Clooney, etc.
<Nitpick> The original The Goldbergs ran from 1949-1951 on CBS, then came back on NBC, then DuMont, and finally for a year in syndication before expiring in 1956 <Nitpick>
Nouns used as one-word titles seem popular. I’ve seen multiple series called Outlaws, Partners, and Justice. Entirely different formats and characters, not reboots.
Vega$ (1978-81), about a private investigator played by Robert Urich
Vegas (2012-13), about a sheriff played by Dennis Quaid
I seem to recall two different lawyer shows each called The Defenders. One was from the sixties and starred EG Marshall. I don’t know who was in the other one, but it was much more recent.
Plus, there’s one with a blind lawyer: he knows a bulletproof ex-con and a superstrong private eye, they team up with a rich guy who has a glowing fist.
The original Lost was a reality TV show featuring three teams of two people each, who are dropped off in an unknown country with no money, and have to figure out not only where they are, but also how to gain enough money to reach the finish line in New York City. The first episode premiered with dismal ratings on Sept. 4th, 2001, and was pre-empted altogether by the Sept. 11th Attacks which happened a week later.
I remember that the first non-breaking news program that I watched after 9/11 was the second episode of The Amazing Race (a similarly-themed show which had premiered the same night as Lost) and for the first half hour I thought it was that same show.
The Defenders (2010) starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell.
There’s also a TV show based on Marvel’s The Defenders, which aired on Netflix. It’s about a group of superheroes, although one of them, Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, is indeed a lawyer.
In recent news:
New Amsterdam(2008) - Fox fantasy series about an immortal police officer.
New Amsterdam(2018) - Upcoming NBC medical drama premiering this fall.
Took me too long to edit:
The Doctors (1963 - 1982) - Daytime drama
The Doctors (2008 - present) - Daytime talk show
Apparently there was also a British drama (1969 - 1971)
Escape was the title of several shows:
Escape (1950)
Escape (1973)
Escape (1980)
Escape (2016)
The last is a reality show. There’s also a show of that name in 2017, but it may just be a UK version of the 2016 show.
Mary Tyler Moore had two flops named Mary that had no relationship to each other except that she starred in them.
From 1961-62, Bob Newhart starred in a variety show on NBC called The Bob Newhart Show.
About ten years later, he starred in his much more familiar CBS sitcom about a psychologist, also titled The Bob Newhart Show.
Very close to the line: Thriller. Similar US and British TV anthology series. Apparently not otherwise connected.
And of course not connected to the music video by you-know-who.
Nice catch, and all spelled exactly the same-In the lead, so far.
Every time I post anything about E/R people confuse it with ER. To make matters more confusing, George Clooney and Mary McDonnell were in both shows.
The Nurses (1965)
Nurses (1991)
The Practice was a sitcom with Danny Thomas as a physician before its bland title got reused for that award-winning law-firm drama with Dylan McDermott.
Newhart himself commented about the progression of his show titles: The Bob Newhart Show > The Bob Newhart Show > Newhart > Bob. He said if he got another show they’d have to name it Bo.
“Double Dare” has been used three times: as a game show with host Alex Trebek in 1976, as a cop show in 1985, and as a Nickelodeon game show most recently.