In 2024, television embraces reboots and adaptations

On By Karl

2024 was a weaker year for TV. As the industry rebounded after the writers’ strike, publishing networks disrupted and merged. Less risk, fewer shows overall (still quite a few if you’re determined to keep track of them all). I see uncertainty on every channel, a whole environment is retreating. Bold, original artistic expressions that take media to new heights are being replaced by remakes, re-adaptations and rebrands.

This was the year you could dive into prequels for worlds such as:Dune“”Lord of the Rings,” or even the Ben Kingsley-fronted British gangster movie “Sexy Monster.” Movies like “Time Bandits,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Presumed Innocent” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” was re-imagined for series length. HBO’s star-studded mystery anthology “True Detective” is back, as are Tom Ripley and profane teddy bear Ted. Between “Batman: Caped Crusader” and “The Penguin,” you could see two separate versions of the bird-themed Batman villain on two separate streaming services.

The TV industry is increasingly powered by the faint sparks of recognition it can evoke in the viewer. Call it the great legacy of the streaming revolution: As services scramble to serve ads in the hope of making back some of their lost money, they long for safer bets. And a recognizable name is the safest, most visible thing a series can have amid so much competition from both new shows and old shows. The thought seems to be lost that if something worked once, then maybe it will work again, whether on a streaming service or a traditional cable network.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga in “Shogun”.Kurt Iswarienko/FX

It’s an ocean of television set for the “more like this” tab. You liked the film version of Patricia Highsmith’s classic con artist “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” but how about an eight-episode miniseries? “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is still successful as a cartoon, so the live-action series may be more successful than the 2010 live-action movie. Even this year’s big awards triumph, FX’s feudal Japan epic “Shōgun,” isn’t original; Without even the vaguest name value of the 1980 miniseries first adapted from James Clavell’s monumental novel, it’s hard to imagine the new one existing, especially as a predominantly Japanese-language project.

Maybe I’m part of the problem. The bulk of my top 10 list this year includes shows I persistently turn a blind eye to. for being unoriginal or based on a successful predecessor. New “shogun” is a magnificent piece of television, at the top of my list of the year’s best shows. I had a lot of fun with “Fallout,” which avoided the dull fidelity to video game source material that sank “The Last of Us” for me. Even on shows that don’t quite work, there’s always a line, a performance, an episode. I emerged from Batman spin-off “The Penguin” ready to battle saucer-eyed threats. Cristin Milioti as the conniving daughter of a gangster.

Andrew Scott stars as Tom Ripley in “Ripley.”Courtesy of Netflix

It would be much easier to just dismiss these series and complain that they’ve been thrust into the center of the culture, to the point where they’re even well-represented in the major categories. Emmys. But each time, no small amount of talent and artistry was put into what was supposed to be a blank retread or a cynical cash grab. Art can thrive within constraints, and sometimes a name can ease the risk: “ripleyWas it allowed to exist in glorious black-and-white without the potential to attract people familiar with the film versions, if not the novel series? Others are barely faithful to the source material: “Mr and Mrs SmithIt doesn’t bear much resemblance to the spy-versus-spy action comedy of the 2005 film.

Still, no amount of TV poptimism can quite quell the disbelief, if not fear, I felt as I typed the names of all these shows. As I look at it all, I wonder how much longer it will be until I completely exclude the original programming I crave, the kind that isn’t tied to a pre-existing fan base. Julio Torres’ proudly distinctive “Phantasms” is in the new Warner Bros. Does it fall under the regime? Using deliberately artificial-looking sets and costumes, its surreal depictions of influencer culture and Big Tech tyranny feel modern in a way that backwards branding practices never could. Maybe the best I can hope for is a demonstration like this:dealershipTechnically an original feature, this film satirizes superhero filmmaking, contributing greatly to the subject’s grip on our culture.

I’m looking forward to 2025, taking solace in the groundbreaking success of 2024’s darkly comedic twisted story.”baby reindeer.” While writer and star Richard Gadd has no known story or even recognizable actors, he proves that name recognition isn’t the only way to reach a wide audience, even on Netflix. And then I remember that, even though the show I’m most excited for next year is about the moral challenges and psychological toll of starting a violent revolution, it’s also a “Star Wars” spinoff: “Andor.”

TOP 10 LIST:

  1. shogun
  2. ripley
  3. fantasies
  4. English Teacher
  5. evil
  6. Smiling Friends
  7. Fall out
  8. Delicious in the Dungeon
  9. Mr and Mrs Smith
  10. We Are Lady Pieces