CBS Plots Reboot of Hit ’90s Series

A unique comedy-drama fantasy series is on its way to a revival at CBS. The network has ordered a pilot for a reboot of Early Edition, according to a recent report by Variety. The new version would center around a female protagonist with the same ability to read the future as Garry Hobson (Kyle Chandler) in the original.

Early Edition was about a man who mysteriously received a copy of the next day’s newspaper from a cat every morning, giving him the chance to try to prevent accidents and crimes. The revival will reportedly take on the same concept, but this time the protagonist will be a news reporter herself, meaning that she needs to navigate the ethics of changing the news and of using her mysterious power for professional gain. The revival will be written by Melissa Glenn and will feature returning executive producer Bob Brush.

There’s no word yet on who might play the prescient lead character in the new series, but she will reportedly be a journalist by trade. That means when she receives the newspaper from the future she needs to choose between changing the news or reporting it. Her situation is complicated, as she can’t cover the news too closely if she is constantly seen to be involved in it.

The reboot pilot will also be executive produced by DeVon Franklin of Franklin Entertainment with co-EP Jenna Nicholson. Sony Pictures Television and AFFIRM Television are also producing in association with CBS Studios. So far, there’s no word on whether more people from the original series will be involved, including Chandler, his co-stars, or the three credited series creators Ian Abrams, Patrick Q. Page and Vik Rubenfeld.

The original Early Edition had four full-length seasons following the adventures of Gary Hobson, Marissa Clark (Shanésia Davis-Williams) and Chuck Fishman (Fisher Stevens). In the show, Gary is visited every day by a ginger tabby cat carrying the next day’s copy of The Chicago Sun-Times. The show leaned heavily on its Chicago setting, frequently highlighting iconic sites around the city.

Early Edition had a die-hard following in its time on the air, and there was even a grassroots campaign to save the show from cancellation in 2000. Fans even staged dedicated fan conventions in 2001, 2002 and 2004 to try and show network executives how badly they wanted it back. After all these years, they may finally get their wish.

The Early Edition reboot has been given a pilot order but nothing more, so there’s no guarantee yet that we’ll ever see it. As for the original series, it is not available to stream anywhere online at the time of this writing. It is available on DVD, with a box set of the entire series currently selling for $49.99.