All your favourite nostalgic TV shows getting a reboot in 2022
We may be barely a fortnight into 2022, but we've already got a whole host of new TV show reboots to look forward to – and many of them have a certain, let's say, deja vu quality…
If it seemed like last year had many-a-revival (with the new Sex and the City aka And Just Like That and Gossip Girl) returning, this year is giving it a run for its money.
Everything from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to How I Met Your Mother is coming back for round two, with fun new names like the shortened Bel-Air and How I Met Your Father (we're sure you can guess where that spin-off is going…).
“It didn't really feel too different from any other scene – apart from the fact that you're partially naked.”
Then there's the ones we'd almost forgotten about, like True Blood and our favourite childhood cartoon The Flintstones, that we're ready to create like forgotten friends as they make a comeback to our small screens later this year.
Buckle up. Here are the best TV reboots for 2022 you need to know about…
PBSBarney
That's right, your favourite childhood purple dinosaur is set to grace our screens once again, though in a slightly different light. The original show, Barney’s Great Adventure, followed the title character along with three children named Cody, Abby and Marcella as they learned educational life lessons through songs, dances and a sweet optimistic spirit. It seems the essence of that will be kept in the reboot, but deconstructed and re-contextualised for a modern audience. The film was greenlit back in 2019 but has yet to be released. Daniel Kaluuya, whose production team is behind the film, said: “Barney taught us, 'I love you, you love me. Won't you say you love me too?' That's one of the first songs I remember, and what happens when that isn't true? I thought that was really heartbreaking.
“I have no idea why but it feels like that makes sense. It feels like there's something unexpected that can be poignant but optimistic. Especially at this time now, I think that's really, really needed.”
Where to watch: Date TBC, expected 2023.
HBOTrue Blood
It was the American vampire series that rocked our worlds from 2008 to 2014 – and was especially important as, together with being great television, it was a show celebrating for its LGBT representation. Which is why we celebrated reports of a reboot last year. Back in February 2021, HBO confirmed it was in the development stage for a True Blood reboot, working together with Riverdale writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Original show producer Alan Ball is also said to be on board. However, it’s believed that original cast members Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer will not be involved.
Where to watch: Date TBC, expected 2022.
UniversalBel-Air
So, rumours have been circulating about a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot since 2019 – so forgive us if we haven’t been exactly holding our breath this year – just silently repeating that theme tune back to ourselves, still word-perfect. That is, until now – as a trailer (and launch month) has finally been revealed. Bel-Air, the reboot of the cult 1990s show, will be out in the UK at a currently undisclosed date in February. Jabari Banks will play main character Will (the role famously played by Will Smith), who leaves his home in west Philadelphia to live with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian. In the original, this was merely because Will had a fight with his mum – but the new version has a grittier premise, with Will rocking up at Phil & Vivian’s because he is fleeing a criminal in Philadelphia (yes really) after a basketball spat. We’ll be tuning in!
Where to watch: Via Peacock on Sky and NOW from 14th February.
Hanna BarberaBedrock
The Flintstones was the fun but slightly bonkers Stone Age animated series that punctuated our childhoods. It originated in 1960 (who knew?) and spanned six seasons, 166 episodes and three decades. It was at one point the longest-running animated TV series until it was beaten by The Simpsons. So we were all sorts of nostalgic when a revival was announced back in 2019 (although you'd be forgiven if the new show title makes you think of the Young Money song – ”Call me Mr Flintstone, I can make your bed rock…” – at this point). Bedrock is set two decades after the original series ended: Pebbles – voiced by actress Elizabeth Banks – is now a twenty-something, which frankly makes us feel old, and Fred’s about to enter retirement – while the family navigate the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.
Where to watch: Date TBC, expected 2022.
ABC FamilyPretty Little Liars: Original Sin
Pretty Little Liars was the gripping high school drama we basically ran home to watch every week from 2010 to 2017, and now it’s coming back. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will star a whole new cast, with the same elements of suspense and horror that the franchise is celebrated for (according to show writers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Calhoon Bring).
Where to watch: Date TBC, expected 2022.
Getty ImagesFrasier
American sitcom Frasier, which ran from 1993 to 2004, was a spin-off series from Cheers which reached a whole new level of popularity of its own, becoming one of the most popular comedy series of all time (oft-compared to, and competing with, Friends). Seventeen years after it finished, a Frasier reboot, written by How I Met Your Mother’s Chris Harris, is said to be in the works. The original release date was spring 2022, but no news yet… so watch this space. As for the cast – the reboot is set to be starring Kelsey Grammer, who played title character Dr Frasier Crane, with others still to be announced.
Where to watch: Date and channel TBC.
HULUHow I Met Your Father
As hardcore fans of How I Met Your Mother will already know, the show is back for a spin-off series from US channel Hulu. As if that wasn’t enough nostalgia for you, can we just take a moment to appreciate the casting? The show stars none other than “no-longer-playing-Samantha-Jones” Kim Cattrall and Hilary Duff aka the Lizzie McGuire star. Much like its forerunner, How I Met Your Father will feature a title character – played by Cattrall – telling her kids the story of getting together with their father, using a “flashback” storytelling device. Duff will play the younger version of Cattrall’s character, and (according to the Hulu trailer) will be navigating the world of app dating, giving the show a fresh modern spin.
Where to watch: Out in the US on Hulu from 18 January 2022. UK release date tbc.
MTVJodie
There was nothing quite like Daria, MTV’s adult animated series starring the ever-dry and sarcastic Daria (voiced by Daria Morgendorffer from Beavis and Butt-Head). And we can 100% see how the show’s trademark satirical humour would translate as a reboot – which is why we were thrilled when Comedy Central announced the series’ return back in 2020. Jodie, a spin-off of Daria, will centre around the life of Daria’s friend Jodie Landan, as she begins her first full-time job out of university, working at a tech company. Jodie will be voiced by none other than Tracee Ellis Ross (rather than Jessica Cydnee Jackson, who did the voiceover role for the original series). Tracee also serves as an executive producer on the show. “The series will satirise workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media and more. With themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege, and a wicked sense of humor, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today,” according to Deadline.
Where to watch: Date TBC, expected 2022.
