In recent years there has been a steady increase in production of T.V. series or movies that operate on preexisting famous IP’s. It is a simple concept of “if it worked/sold back then, surely people will watch more of it”. Truth be told, I am a little conflicted on this just because it follows a trend of capitalistic realism and, in my opinion, it is quite obviously a flawed strategy given how the quality is usually way worse for the reboots. A blatant example would be History of the World Part II; the original Mel Brooks movie was ingenious, witty, brilliant even – as many of his works are – the ‘sequel’, was mediocre at best.
Two particular series spurred me to write this brief rant, one being Scrubs and the other Malcolm in the Middle, both of which in 2026 got a revival, the former as a 9 episode season (that presumably will be continued) and the later a 4 episode conclusive miniseries. Don’t get me wrong, I liked and appreciated the original ones, but something just doesn’t feel right seeing them basically exhumed.
As far as the new Scrubs goes, I found myself smiling more for nostalgia and old characters returning with their loving quirks than the scenes themselves. At least there seems to be a modicum of critique towards how society is handling a new generation of audience, but from time to time, it just plummets into stereotypes again – which awkwardly goes against what was being criticized in the first place. Having several charters be no more than mere caricatures seems ironic, and I don’t think it’s necessarily intended. Some scenes still manage to be well made, but that is because of just how good some of the portrayals and actors were in the original (Dr. Cox is a great example of this). Ultimately, I’m just not sold – the series being cut at nine episodes, on a type of cliffhanger, doesn’t help either.
Malcolm, on the other hand, was advertised more as a get-together, a brief heart-worming moment to see once again the actors in their old mantles – my question at this point would be just “Y?”. Was it just because of nostalgia? Did someone think that the mini-series would make a lot of money because an older generation would surely watch it? Once again there are some stereotypes as well as an intent of criticizing them (or just showing the audience that the producers/writers are on point with the changing social changes), but it just feels mediocre at best with some scenes that are just good enough.
Here is my big problem with Malcolm and the character he portrays. When he was a teen – given how he was a genius – his neurotic and anxious personality was perfectly in sync with the story and character. Seeing him twenty years later, with the same types of quirks and problems borders more on the pathetic side. There is a big difference between being hopeless and pitiful while you are a teenager and going through puberty than when you are an adult (depicted as accomplished on the side). It just hits differently.
My biggest gripe however is with how the new series dispenses with the ending of the original one, where Lois had told Malcolm that he would have to become president. Unrealistic as that might have seemed, it was a strong moment in the series that showed just how much she believed in her son, as well as giving it an elevated ending. It was about hope for a better tomorrow and let me explain what I mean by that. Malcolm, coming from a poor family and having seen a more bitter side of the world, but also having the means to accomplish what he set his mind to, made Lois see in him the potential for something better – not just for her family – but for the world as well. It creates a moment that hits unexpectedly with a note optimism. The ending of the mini-series, at the very least, addressed that moment, but has no qualms on dispersing it just by saying “oh, that was unrealistic just to make you strive for greatness”. What sucks even more is that once more the series ends with a good moment between Lois and Malcolm (at least the writing); the problem is that this moment happens in a bathroom, so toilet humor is the way to go, flushed away with any expectation one might have had.
It may be argue that the approach with these series that feed on older IP’s (especially in the case of Malcolm) is more grounded in reality and they somewhat understand the changing times and social shifts, but something just feels off. By comparison, although they share characters, settings and story, the difference between originals and reboots seems enormous. Maybe I am just focusing excessively on the flaws of recent products to be able to actually enjoy them, but as I said in the beginning, something just doesn’t feel right.