10 Classic TV Shows That Deserve Revivals

In an era where classic TV show revivals are dominating in the ratings, there are plenty of other shows that deserve the same treatment.

Will & Grace, Roseanne, Murphy Brown and Magnum, P.I. are just a few classic shows that are either already airing revivals and reboots or soon will be.

The definition of a “classic” TV show changes with time, however.

People who grew up in the ’80s might consider series like ALF and Knight Rider classic, but others might go even further back and contend that series like Happy Days and Green Acres are classics.

Kids of the ’90s will certainly have an affinity for shows like Boy Meets World but would probably be just as likely to call Saved by the Bell (which started in the ’80s) a “classic.”

Whatever your definition, there is sometimes no arguing with the potential for a popular series to be able to come back around.

Below, we’ve curated a list of classic shows that could very easily come back around.

Note: This is a list of shows that could be “revived” rather than “rebooted.” The difference is distinguishable due to “revival” suggesting that most or all of the original cast would/could return. “Reboot” more-or-less infers that the franchise is just being re-done, potentially with a whole new cast.

Scroll down for our list of classic TV shows that we believe deserve revivals!

‘The Wonder Years’

The Wonder Years debuted in January 1988 and ran for 6 seasons, ending in the spring of 1993.

It was notable for the way it handled adolescent life more viscerally than any show before it. That’s not to suggest it dealt with a ton of heavy subject matter, rather it acknowledged things that most family tv shows ignored.

Now would be a prime time to revisit the life of Kevin Arnold, if only to add another layer of commentary on the social and cultural development of the average suburban family.

The series took place exactly 20 years prior to when it aired (1968 to 1973 / 1988 to 1993) so now that 25 years have passed since it aired its finale, Kevin would be about 41 (the same age as star Fred Savage) and he would be living in the late ’90s.

Seeing Kevin navigate the waters of family life and fathering teenagers would make for a fascinating mini-series revival.

‘Night Court’

Night Court had audiences rolling in laughter from its debut in 1984 until its final season in 1992.

It starred Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll, Selma Diamond, Florence Halop, Charles Robinson, Markie Post, Marsha Warfield and Ellen Foley.

The majority of the cast is still around today, with Larroquette currently starring on TNT’s The Librarians and Post turning up on Chicago P.D. occasionally.

There may have been many comedy law/court shows sense, but none that have had the same brilliant balance of wacky comedy and flawless delivery, the latter being thanks to the talents of aforementioned cast.

Seeing the gang get back together could make for real comedy gold. Might we even suggest changing up the style and shooting it similar to The Office or Parks and Recreation. Night Court is certainly the type of show that would lend itself well to the faux-documentary style of filming.

‘Family Matters’

Frequently referred to as “The Steve Urkel show” by viewers, Family Matters debuted in late 1989 and ran all the way until 1997.

For nine side-splitting seasons, it brought Urkel’s hijinks into our homes at the sake of the of Winslow family’s collective sanity.

The show took its final bow with Steve and the never-ending object of his desire, Laura Winslow, getting engaged, so picking up where they are some 20 years later with their own established family would be a perfect reboot.

‘Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper’

The next show on our list is one that deserves way more recognition for how great it was.

Led by actor/comedian Mark Curry, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper only ran for five seasons, between 1993 and 1997, which is noticeably shorter than peers like Full House or Family Matters, but it still made a big splash with audiences.

The series ended with Mark and his love interest Vanessa, played by Holly Robinson Peete, engaged, but not yet married.

Word is NBC had originally planned to bring the show back and to feature Mark and Vanessa’s wedding in the seventh season premiere, but alas, things didn’t work out and the show was sadly canceled.

Since Mark’s character was a former NBA player who had to take up substitute teaching/gym coaching, it would be easy to pick up where he is now and show fans that Mr. Cooper is still sarcastically plugging away.

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’

Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a critically-acclaimed TV series created by Avengers director Joss Whedon and based on the film by the same name, which he also wrote.

It launched the careers of Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, who went to star in five seasons of his own spin-off series, Angel.

In addition to Gellar and Boreanaz, Buffy starred Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Stewart Head, Seth Green, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg and Amber Benson.

Every Buffy fan wants this show to come back and, in an age where both True Blood and The Vampire Diaries are gone, now is the time to bring back the original Vampire Slayer and see what she’s taught the next generation of slayers. Vampires are due a comeback.

‘Perfect Strangers’

Perfect Strangers aired its first episode in 1986 and ran for eight seasons, until its finale in 1993.

It stared Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker and chronicled the relationship of Larry Appleton and his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous.

The series ended with both Balki and Larry becoming fathers, so, it stands to reason that a revival of the show could pick up some 25 years later (give or take) and focus on how the cousins handle life with college-age children and possibly even a grandkid or two.

‘Step-by-Step’

Along with Full House and Family Matters, Step-by-Step was a staple of the TGIF line-up for all 160 episodes that aired between 1991 and 1998.

Essentially a modern day Brady Bunch retelling, the cast of Step-by-Step was lead by ’70s sitcom icon Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy.

The couple each had three kids, and abruptly fell in love and got married, which forced their two separate, and incredibly different, families to become one.

By the time the show ended, the cast was quite extensive, so it would be nice to pick up and see where everyone is today — especially, Cody, the idiot nephew with a heart of gold. He was Step-by-Step‘s Urkel, but with better people skills and a lower IQ.

‘Unhappily Ever After’

This next show on our list is one that was nowhere near as widely acclaimed as many of the others, but somehow found an audience and ran for quite a while.

Unhappily Ever After launched on January 11, 1995 on The WB and ran all the way until 1999, lasting five seasons.

If it had to be compared to another sitcom, the closest thing would likely be Married With Children. Both shows were comedic exaggerations, and sometimes dead-on realities, of suburban family life.

Where many shows only focused on the happy-go-lucky and everything wrapped up nicely in the end, Unhappily Ever After scoffed at that and made terribly inappropriate jokes, often through the voice of a talking, ill-tempered stuffed rabbit named Mr. Floppy whom the father of the family spent a lot of time talking to.

Since stuffed animals don’t die, it would be funny to see the youngest kid of the family Ross, played by Malcolm in the Middle’s Justin Berfield, all grown up and hanging out with Mr. Floppy, just like his dad did.

‘My So-Called Life’

While there have not been a ton of dramatic shows on our list, My So-Called Life is one that would easily make for a compelling revival.

Starring the likes of Claire Danes and Jared Leto, My So-Called Life gained somewhat of a “cult” status, considering it only aired one season and ended on a cliffhanger.

It was widely praised for the way it portrayed teenage and adolescent life, much in the way The Wonder Years was, but unlike that series, My So-Called Life did go deeper and added very dramatic elements.

The show was so beloved, that won Claire Danes a Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Drama award at the Golden Globe Awards, and was awarded with a Outstanding Drama Series trophy at the GLAAD Media Awards.

With as big of an impact as My So-Called Life had on teenagers in the ’90s, it could certainly find an audience if it came back and let fans into the lives of the characters now.

‘Dinosaurs’

The last show on our list is the incomparably brilliant — Dinosaurs. While this might not be the first thing you think of when you hear “sitcom,” it was considered one and it was pretty much the best.

Debuting in 1991, Dinosaurs ran for 65 episodes, right up until 1994.

Following the Family Matters methodology, with one star stealing the show, Dinosaurs had the best “Urkel” since the real Urkel. They had Baby Dinosaur.

With his big purple eyes, he was very cuddly and lovable.

Since the show took place back in the prehistoric days, it would very easy to go back and work up new adventures of the Sinclair family. Come on, ABC. Give the people what they want.