Teen Drama Links for May 28, 2024

May 28, 2024

The recent announcement of a third iteration of “Melrose Place” left me frustrated.

Why?

Well, apart from how I feel about leaving legacies alone, it’s because article after article wrongly branded this newly in-the-works series as a “reboot.”

But it is NOT a reboot.

Based on the information provided, this new show will feature the same characters, played by the same actors, continuing their lives in the same environment as the original “Melrose Place,” using the same show title. As such, it is a revival.

A reboot would mean a new “Melrose Place” series launching with the same premise and same characters or new characters played by different actors. An example of this is “The Wonder Years” reboot that premiered in 2021 — it had the same premise as the 1988 series but with new characters. Similarly, “Bel-Air” is a reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” It has the same premise as the 1990s series and the same characters, but with different actors in the roles (not to mention, a much different tone). An alternative description would be remake. “The Wonder Years” and “Bel-Air” are remakes of their respective original series.

What about the “Melrose Place” that aired on The CW in 2009-2010? That’s what I call a requel — it is part reboot/remake and part sequel. It is a follow-up to the original “Melrose Place” with some of the same characters and actors — aka, a sequel — that also replicates the original premise with new characters and actors — aka, a reboot/remake. The CW’s “90210” and Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” are also examples of requels. “90210” took the premise of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and replicated it with a new crop of characters and actors in the same environment as the original show, surrounded by a few characters and actors from the original series. The recent “Saved by the Bell” series did the same.

Of course, the original “Melrose Place” is a spinoff of “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Its first character was introduced on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” some of whose main characters then appeared on “Melrose,” setting the shows in the same universe. Likewise, “And Just Like That” is a spinoff of “Sex and the City.” It took characters from “SATC” and put them in a new series with the actors reprising their original roles.

Now, what about “BH90210”? Well, that’s something else entirely. Despite countless articles referring to it as a “reboot” of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” it was not, nor was it a spinoff or requel. Rather, it was a fictionalized look at the real-life actors from “Beverly Hills, 90210” as they fictitiously attempted to revive the show — which, ironically, was also wrongly referred to as a “reboot.” That actually would’ve been a revival, a continuation, much like this new “Melrose Place” is.

Confusing? It shouldn’t be. Reboot (or remake), revival, requel, spinoff — they aren’t synonyms. They all have specific meanings and definitions. They aren’t the same thing, just as “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “90210” and “BH90210” aren’t the same thing.

Let’s start calling things what they actually are. Accuracy matters — even when talking about something as trivial as categories of television shows.

NOTE: I will be in Los Angeles for work next week, so there will be no “Teen Drama Links.” You’ll get another extra-long edition on June 11.