09-06-2023, 09:19 AM
I think it's a question of semantics and what constitutes a 'revival' differs depending on circumstances.
There's also terms like 'reboot' and 'rest' which complicate the mix. I think it ultimately comes down to the 'feel' of the show, coupled with some of the decisions made around the time the 'original' version ended. Certainly if when a show airs what is, at that point, it's last series and terms like 'axed', 'the final series', 'cancelled' etc. then a subsequent series could be considered a 'revival'; if a show, however, if off air for a while without any such terminology used then it could be said to be 'rested'.
I think the question of 'if the show hadn't been off air would it quite possibly be as it is now?' is relevant. Taking the SNT example it's highly possible that the changes made between 2018 and 2020 would have happened irrespective of the year off so I don't think it could be classed as a revival. The same could be said for BGT. If anything those shows were 'rested'.
As for Bake Off - personnell and channel changes aside it's the exact same show - it could have easily swapped out Mel, Sue and Mary and continued on BBC1 with the line-up it had on Channel 4. I'm not sure it even had a significant enough time gap to say it was rested - it merely continued elsewhere. Big Brother as well - if, hypothetically, Channel 4 had kept Big Brother but Davina still left in 2010 might we have had the exact same series in 2011 as the one that we got? Quite possibly.
Something like Gladiators is an interesting example - the Sky version was very different to the ITV version; probably enough to be considered a reboot. The concept was the same but, referee aside, everything else looked and felt significantly different to the ITV version. Whereas the upcoming series on BBC1, by all reports, is very much inkeeping with the 'spirit' of the ITV series to the extent that it could be a considered a 'revival' of the ITV version whilst simultaneously 'rebooting' the Sky version.
There's also terms like 'reboot' and 'rest' which complicate the mix. I think it ultimately comes down to the 'feel' of the show, coupled with some of the decisions made around the time the 'original' version ended. Certainly if when a show airs what is, at that point, it's last series and terms like 'axed', 'the final series', 'cancelled' etc. then a subsequent series could be considered a 'revival'; if a show, however, if off air for a while without any such terminology used then it could be said to be 'rested'.
I think the question of 'if the show hadn't been off air would it quite possibly be as it is now?' is relevant. Taking the SNT example it's highly possible that the changes made between 2018 and 2020 would have happened irrespective of the year off so I don't think it could be classed as a revival. The same could be said for BGT. If anything those shows were 'rested'.
As for Bake Off - personnell and channel changes aside it's the exact same show - it could have easily swapped out Mel, Sue and Mary and continued on BBC1 with the line-up it had on Channel 4. I'm not sure it even had a significant enough time gap to say it was rested - it merely continued elsewhere. Big Brother as well - if, hypothetically, Channel 4 had kept Big Brother but Davina still left in 2010 might we have had the exact same series in 2011 as the one that we got? Quite possibly.
Something like Gladiators is an interesting example - the Sky version was very different to the ITV version; probably enough to be considered a reboot. The concept was the same but, referee aside, everything else looked and felt significantly different to the ITV version. Whereas the upcoming series on BBC1, by all reports, is very much inkeeping with the 'spirit' of the ITV series to the extent that it could be a considered a 'revival' of the ITV version whilst simultaneously 'rebooting' the Sky version.