Remake Television

Remakes are pervasive in todays popular culture, whether they take the form of reboots, re-imaginings, or overly familiar sequels. Television remakes have proven popular with producers and networks interested in building on the nostalgic capital of past successes (or giving a second chance to underused properties). Some TV remakes have been critical and commercial hits, and others havent made it past the pilot stage; all have provided valuable material ripe for academic analysis. In Remake Television: Reboot, Re-use, Recycle, edited by Carlen Lavigne, contributors from a variety of backgrounds offer multicultural, multidisciplinary perspectives on remake themes in popular television series, from classic cult favorites such as The Avengers (196169) and The X-Files (19932002) to current hits like Doctor Who (2005present) and The Walking Dead (2010present). Chapters examine what constitutes a remake, and what series changes might tell us about changing historical and cultural contextsor about the medium of television itself.