'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman' Reboot Was Rejected, Jane Seymour Says

Fans of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman were very close to getting a reboot. The Jane Seymour-led Western drama ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1998 and also had two TV movies. The series, set in 1867, centered on the proper and wealthy female physician from Boston named Michaela Quinn. It also starred Joe Lando, Chad Allen, Erika Flores, Jessica Bowman, and Shawn Toovey. 25 years after the series came to an end, Seymour admitted to The Messenger that she once pitched a Dr. Quinn reboot.

"We've actually got one written, and we've got the whole series planned out," Seymour shared. "We just took it to one of the networks, and they said that they weren't interested. I think it's really crazy. There seems to be a lot of very successful Westerns, so I didn't get that at all."

That wasn't the only time that a Dr. Quinn reboot was brought up, as Seymour said that one was just pitched to her the night before, "believe it or not, to do Dr. Quinn as a contemporary piece. I'm going, 'Why?' The whole point of Dr. Quinn is that life hasn't really changed that much from the 870s to now in some ways. In other ways, in a very big way. But a lot of the same issues are still issues today, and I think that was what was so magical about it."

It's unknown what networks Seymour shared her pitch with, but Dr. Quinn did air on CBS. It's possible it was one of the choices, which makes it even more troubling that they didn't go through with it. CBS has seen much success from airing reruns on Yellowstone as part of its strike-proof fall 2023 schedule. Considering it's been so long since the series last aired, it would have been great to have it back, whether as a reboot or a revival. Of course, it would have to be what Jane Seymour has in mind because it's clear that she only has one vision for Dr. Quinn, and it's not contemporary.

There are many reboots, revivals, and spinoffs happening lately, whether a show ended a few years ago or a few decades ago. While Jane Seymour didn't have much long when she initially pitched a Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman reboot, that doesn't mean it won't happen. There's always the possibility the show could find new life, but for now, the series is streaming on Amazon Freevee.