‘The Real World’ Reboot Launching on Facebook Watch

MTV’s The Real World is about to get a second chance at life, with a trio of new seasons set to premiere on Facebook Watch in 2019.

According to TVLine, a reimagined version of the groundbreaking reality series has been picked up following a partnership between MTV Studios and the VOD service, which will bring three seasons of the newly titled MTV’s The Real World to the U.S., Mexico and Thailand.

“MTV’s The Real World helped to define a generation and created a new genre of television with a simple yet powerful idea of connecting people from wildly divergent backgrounds to find common ground on the issues that often divided them,” Chris McCarthy, President of MTV, said during the Monday announcement during Facebook Watch’s presentation at MIPCOM 2018. “By partnering with Facebook Watch and [Bunim/Murray Productions], we have the opportunity to impact culture and create a new genre of television all over again, while engaging the next generation of content consumers around the world.”

Each season of the rebooted series will feature a different cast, with each series set to explore “friendship and the cultural and social environment in each unique location,” according to MTV. The series will also “introduce interactive social and community features that empower fans to shape the action and connect across mobile, desktop and Facebook’s TV app.”

Talk of a reboot was first sparked in June after sources claimed that the producers and network had pressed the “pause button” on the franchise in order to revive it.

“We’re talking,” Bunim-Murray co-founder and Real World co-creator Jonathan Murray said at the time.

The Real World, inspired by the 1973 PBS series An American Family, first premiered in 1992 and ran for 32 seasons, coming to an end on Jan. 4, 2017. Throughout its run, it became known for breaking boundaries and tacking “never-before-seen, culturally resonant stories,” including AIDS, religion, substance abuse, sex, mental health, homophobia, and more.

News of the reboot comes during a nostalgic time for the network, who recently announced the reboot of The Hills, which is set to air nearly a decade after the reality series ended. The rebooted program, titled The Hills: New Beginnings, will boast a slew of new cast members, including Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s son, Brandon Thomas Lee and The O.C.’s Mischa Barton.

The network also revived Jersey Shore, a program that was reportedly looked at when considering a Real World reboot.

MTV’s The Real World will be co-produced by creator Bunim/Murray Productions and MTV Studios. Pre-production is currently underway in all three locations.