Everything old is new again

The ongoing revivals of late 70s and early 80s pop culture bookmarks continue to be the hope of TV executives everywhere. What began with the mining of classic TV fodder into slighty better movies a few years back (think "Starsky & Hutch" and "The Dukes of Hazard") continues with a slew of new-and-improved editions for the post-modern audience.

Last week saw the premiere of a new "Bionic Woman", and word is that a contemporary version of "Knight Rider" is on its way. Meanwhile, the crew of the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica" floats once again, and a slightly more accessible "Dr. Who" can be seen navigating time and space via the TARDIS on CBC.

Perhaps these revivals are meant to be a comforting salve for disabused Gen-Xers, confronted as they are with a bleak future they keep seeing in polemical documentaries. For the life of me I can't imagine anyone under 35 being particularly interested in very many of these shows. If we are being honest we have to admit that they were all pretty terrible the first time around. I suspect the majority of interest is fuelled by pure nostalgia. Of course, just because I think it would be a kick to have a live-action version of "Battle of the Planets" doesn't mean a single dollar should be spent to make it so. Some things are simply better left buried.