'Roswell' and 'Magnum P.I.' reboots are in the works
Today's reboot news spans an 80's action 'dad' (or 'mom') series and late 90's WB teen drama...
A 'Roswell' reboot makes sense. Yes, I said it.
News of a Roswell reboot takes you back to a time when The WB's (now CW) market share of 90's teenage dramas encompassed what could easily be surmised as the 'golden age of television' for teens; spawning sacred cows such as Buffy, Dawson's, Smallville, Felicity, Gilmore Girls, and Charmed.
Yet here we 15 years since Roswell's three season run concluded and it appears the CW is teaming with The Originals producer Carina MacKenzie to reboot The WBs alien drama that followed the lives of three young alien/human hybrids with extraordinary gifts. Here's the pitch:
"After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer: He’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance."
While the new logline doesn't stray from Jason Katim's (Friday Night Lights) original series, it appears the CW's reboot will age Roswell's central characters beyond high school. One of the bigger unknowns is if the series will follow a trio of alien leads, originally played by Jason Behr, Kathrine Heigl, and Brandan Fehr.
In the rare instance where reboots are warranted, The CW's decision makes total sense here, especially since Roswell fills a sci-fi niche with timeless tropes still relevant for today's tween generation. And despite Roswell's engaging first season, the entire series can essentially be disavowed due to the forgettable second and third seasons.
Why not cancel 'Blue Bloods' and pay Tom Selleck a whole lot of money to reprise his character in 'Magnum P.I.'?
Really, don't ask logical questions when it comes to reboots, especially since Tom Selleck is only 72 years young and currently stars on a CBS show that is #notgood.
But that's neither here nor there since CBS is indeed moving forward with a new iteration of Magnum P.I. which tells the story of Thomas Magnum, a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who becomes a P.I. after returning home from Afghanistan. He’ll get help from fellow vets Theodore “TC” Calvin and Orville “Rick” Wright, as well as a disavowed former MI:6 agent named Juliet Higgins.
It's unknown if the rebooted "Magnum" will reside on the plush 200 acre Hawaiian beachfront estate owned by the never-seen-author and estate owner, Robin Masters. It's also unknown if Juliet Higgins (originally played by a male character "Jonathan Higgens" - John Hillerman) will serve as the caretaker of Masters estate or if Magnum will drive the signature red Ferrari GTO. Either way, this news might come as a disappointment for any purists as Selleck's P.I. series had a successful 8 season run and single-handedly set a trend for aspiring private investigators, rayon Hawaiian button-downs, and 'dads' sporting thick mustaches and 8 inch gym shorts. Millennials - just ask your ma or pa.
Peter Lenkov, who executive produces CBS’ other island-based crime drama and REBOOT Hawaii Five-0, will helm the pilot along with with fellow Five-0 scribe Eric Guggenheim. I smell cross-over event?
How original of you CBS.
