Charmed Reboot in Development at CBS; Murder, She Wrote at NBC
Everything old is new again!
by Roth Cornet OCTOBER 25, 2013
It's an interesting week for television, as the past becomes the future with reboots of both Charmed and Murder, She Wrote in development.
THR reports that CBS TV Studios, which owns the rights to Aaron Spelling's library, is planning a re-imagining of the once-popular WB witch series Charmed, hoping to capitalize on the genre-driven TV craze. Party of Five co-creator Chris Keyser and partner Sydney Sidner will write the script, with CBS Television Studios and The Tannenbaum Co. Keyser and Sidner co-executive producing. The series is described as a remake of the original, in which three -- until they introduced the fourth -- sisters discover that they are, in fact, witches destined to fight the forces of evil that seek to dominate the universe. All manner of hijinks ensue, as romances with Gods and demons occur, worlds are saved, and lips are glossed.
Witches are the latest in the supernatural trend on television. We've had vampires, one big zombie series with a few more in the works, fairy tales - Grimm and otherwise - and yes, witches. American Horror Story's third season, Coven, looks to be their biggest yet, while Lifetime has tapped into the audience appetite with their freshman drama The Witches of East End. Remakes are the order of the day as well, as CBS is also plans a TV version of the Cameron Diaz film Bad Teacher, and has enjoyed some success with their Hawaii 5.0 reboot.
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Meanwhile, NBC is developing a remake of Murder, She Wrote as well as an adaptation of the 1990s coming of age movie Reality Bites. Desperate Housewives alum Alexandra Cunningham and David Janollari will produce the remake of the Angela Lansbury sleuthing drama with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help) set to star. The original series was wildly popular, drawing in 23 million viewers on Sunday nights at its height, and ran for 12 years on CBS.
This new NBC version of Murder, She Wrote is said take a contemporary comedic tone in the vein of Bones. Fargo, the Coen brothers' dark comedy which FX is developing as a limited series, was also used as a reference in terms of tone. The series will follow Spencer, who plays a hospital administrator and would-be detective who self publishes her first mystery novel. The character will be drawn into active involvement in criminal cases which the media sensationalizes.
What do you think of this slew of remakes? Are you looking forward to a new Murder, She Wrote? How about Charmed? Let us know in comments.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/25/charmed-reboot-in-at-cbs-murder-she-wrote-at-nbc
I fukks with "Charmed" that aired on "The WB", but I have NO INTEREST in a reboot.
