In the “there really are no new ideas anymore” category, Deadline announces that WarnerMedia is eyeing old TGIF properties like Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, and Step By Step for possible reboots. We’re guessing that the reasoning for this unoriginal trajectory travelled thusly: The ’90s kids who grew up watching these ABC shows on Friday nights are now adults with kids of their own, and tapping into that nostalgia certainly worked for the Fuller House reboot on Netflix.
As WarnerMedia tries to build its own streaming service to rival Netflix, its old properties seem like a safe bet to draw from—which includes those three shows mentioned above along with Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper. Deadline states, “Sources stressed that talks are in exploratory stages, and it’s unclear whether any of the potential revivals would come to fruition, but there is interest.”
WarnerMedia has already announced that Friends will be a foundation of the new service, after pulling it from Netflix, with possible similar deals for Seinfeld and Big Bang Theory suggested for the future. But Deadline reminds everyone that Hulu has the rights to some of those programs, like a subscription deal with Seinfeld until 2021, as well as the streaming rights to those original TGIF series.
Also, we totally forgot that Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spinoff, as mom Harriette Winslow was an elevator operator on Larry and Balki’s show. At any rate, we imagine that Jaleel White, Bronson Pinchot, and Mark Curry are bugging their agents right about now.