What old (as in no longer airing) TV shows don’t need anykind of reunion show? This could be because of the way the show ended (ie the finale wrapped everything up so well that we don’t need to ever revisit the characters or because the finale made it impossible to film anything worth watching) or simply because the show itself was so bad no TV special could redeem it. I can think of two shows offhand.
The first is Six Feet Under. I just finished rewatching the entire series thank’s to Netflix. I think they went as they could with the characters as a group by the end. The last couple episodes fairly neatly wrapped all the ongoing storylines while giving us an idea of what was next for everyone. The last few moments of the finale was the most brillant thing I’ve ever seen on TV. Sure we knew that everyone would eventually die, but we were shown how. Not only that we were given indications of what everyone’s life was like between the finale and their deaths. We know Ruth lived to a ripe old age, finally got to be on her own terms, and died surrounded by family. Or that Brenda remarried (but still had to put up with Billy until he bored her to death). That Rico’s dream of a family business came true. Keith was murdered, David also remarried, and one of their son’s followed in his footsteps. Or Claire; you could watch her death scene, never having seen anything else of the series, and still know that the woman on her deathbed led a full live life. There’s no need to see anything else.
The other is Battlestar Galactica. While the finale was hardly satisfying it left nothing to build on. Who want’s to watch the remaining characters try to adapt to being stonge-age hunter-gatherers and die off one by one? Or a teenaged Hera die in childbirth? Maybe a sequel following their descendants trekking out of Africa and slaughtering Neanderthals. Nope, that would still be crap. Any TV-movie would be The Plan (“meanwhile bellow decks”) or a prequel (which is what Caprica is).
The first thing I thought of was I Love Lucy. I’m assuming the slapstick would be a little too deadpan. Although the reaction around the country would probably be similar to Ryan O’Neal’s reaction in this scene.
I agree with Six Feet Under, and now am wracking my brain trying to think of another series that actually ended well enough to make me happy. Most things I like <Firefly, Saving Grace, Dresden Files, etc etc> all get cancelled as soon as the tv gods realize I like it. Clearly, I am not to spend my time watching tv.
First thing that came to mind was Small Wonder. Absolutely crap show to begin with, and besides - how would they handle Vicki? Find a new girl to play her, or rely on some hokey storyline about improvements and upgrades?
I don’t have a response to this thread, but I think seeing this thread caused me to have a dream last night that included Ann Guilbert, who returned as “Millie Helper” in the “Dick Van Dyke” reunion show some years back (although in my dream she looked more like Sophia’s mother in one of the “Grumpy Old Men” movies than either Millie or Grandma Yetta).
As I said in the other reunion thread, Newhart does not need a reunion. That show got wrapped up in nice little package when Dr. Hartley woke up from his dream (nightmare?).
I was going to put in the other thread that I’d like to see a Young Ones reunion, just to see if any of the guys became productive members of society.
But, Ade and Rik went on to do Bottom and they pretty much played characters you could assume were grown up versions of Vyvyan and Rik, so I guess we got our answer. Mike is probably just a white collar drone and Neil works at a coffee shop/book store. Nothing to see here.
Considering how things were going until the reboot movie, it’d be like burying something in the Pet Semetary. “Oh god, you turned them into an monster! Why, why couldn’t you just let them stay deeeeeaad?” ::wailing, sobbing::
Sure we knew that everyone would eventually die, but we were shown how. Not only that we were given indications of what everyone’s life was like between the finale and their deaths. We know Ruth lived to a ripe old age, finally got to be on her own terms, and died surrounded by family. Or that Brenda remarried (but still had to put up with Billy until he bored her to death). That Rico’s dream of a family business came true. Keith was murdered, David also remarried, and one of their son’s followed in his footsteps. Or Claire; you could watch her death scene, never having seen anything else of the series, and still know that the woman on her deathbed led a full live life. There’s no need to see anything else.
