While the quality of these reboots has varied and reception of the yet-unreleased iterations remains uncertain, all of them tap into to the nostalgia of proud fan bases. For this reason, Netflix reboots of popular shows and films constitute a very low financial risk for those involved.
However, the lack of risk reduces the incentive for quality programming. If the shows do not please the multitudes of original fans, backlash may be fierce for a while, but there are ultimately no lasting repercussions against Netflix because its position as a streaming service powerhouse protects it from serious trouble.
Because Netflix draws on already-popular series with established, beloved characters, originality suffers. This can reduce the incentive to take risks for young writers with innovative and creative ideas for TV shows.
Netflix gives modern media consumers the gift (at a price) of experiencing shows for the first time through binge-watching. This phenomenon widens the scope of fans of hit shows in both age and number. Netflix is in the business of expanding fan bases, so when it takes advantage of these expanded fan bases by propagating spin-offs, some die-hard fans feel that they cheapen the experience and artistry of the original works. While season finales sometimes have the propensity to disappoint and finale cliffhangers often frustrate fans, the finality of the characters’ stories brings a sense of peace and closure.
As a fan of “Gilmore Girls,” I am excited for the new episodes. A part of me needs to know where Rory and Lorelai are according to Amy Sherman-Palladino, who wrote seasons one through six, but was not on board for the seventh and final season.
But there is another part of me that finds comfort in the knowledge that, in the alternate universe where Stars Hollow exists in all its kitschy glory, I can say with perfect confidence that the Gilmore girls are thriving: Rory is living out her journalistic dream of emulating Christiane Amanpour, and Lorelai is growing as a successful inn owner, friend and mother.
Now, however, my interpretation will have to take the back seat to whatever Amy Sherman-Palladino has in mind for her “Gilmore Girls.”
