By Zachary Gaiters
As 2019 and the 2010s decade quickly draw to a close, the age of looking back towards the past 10 years shows no signs of slowing down. From past fashion trends to all the rage in entertainment, the past is quite eventful. However, it does lead one to wonder if looking back to the past too much is a good thing.
The heavy emphasis the entertainment industry has placed on rebooting, reimagining, and continuing older properties has been an open secret for years. With the recently launched Disney+ boasting a list of upcoming or ongoing projects such as High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and a Lizzie McGuire reboot as well as Netflix’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham into a series, the future of digital entertainment looks bright.
“The entertainment industry is at an all-time high because streaming is taking over,” says William Peace University junior Alec Seaton.
Video streaming websites such as Netflix and Hulu have transformed the way people consume media, as many find it easier to watch their favorite movies and TV shows without the hassle of watching through advertisements on cable TV.
“It’s really easy to find most of the shows I like,” says senior Abby Patrick. “With streaming, I don’t have to worry about sitting through commercials because it can be really frustrating.”
Even with their large libraries of shows and movies both old and new, streaming sites and television networks find that producing modern updates to shows from bygone eras is profitable. Over the years, the trend has seen rather mixed reaction.
“I think it’s fun to take old shows and make them for modern audiences to prove that [they’re] still relevant,” says Patrick.
A fan of the popular 2007 CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Patrick welcomes the chance to reimagine the show should such an opportunity arise in the future.
“I noticed a lot of sexism and racism in the earlier episodes and I think that turned some people off of the show,” says Patrick. “But as the show went on, it got better and added a lot of good stuff that some people don’t see.”
More critical of the trend, Peace senior Gwen Delgado wishes for more variety in the realm of cinema.
“I feel like we’re just seeing the same movies over and over again,” says Delgado. “I enjoy the actors that they have, but I think they should come up with more new ideas.”
According to the book Cycles, Sequels, Spin-offs, Remakes, and Reboots: Multiplicities in Film and Television by Amanda Ann Klien and R. Barton Palmer, it is difficult for cinemas to predict whether moviegoers will purchase a ticket for a movie that is not based on a pre-existing property. This is largely a matter of whether or not audiences will be able to relate to the product.
“I guess it can be too much for some people, but some people want spin-offs of certain shows,” says Seaton. “My favorite show came out in 2000, when certain things were really funny around that time.”
Just as the landscape of what is considered acceptable changes over time, the desire of whether or not certain franchises should be revived varies from person to person.