Fans of British sit-com Birds Of A Feather will be saddened by the recent news that the show has been axed by ITV - nearly thirty years after it was first broadcast on BBC1. I loved watching Birds as a kid back in the Nineties. I didn't know many people who didn't enjoy keeping up with the antics of the two sisters and prisoners' wives Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs, as well as their man-mad neighbour, Dorien Green. But fifteen years after the BBC had cancelled Birds Of A Feather, it was announced that the show was back and would have a new home at ITV. On the one hand, it was great news - like being reunited with a long-lost friend. But on the other, I wasn't so sure I was completely sold on the idea... Could the new-look Birds be anywhere as good as it was all those years ago?
The new Birds Of A Feather was pleasant... funny... definitely watchable... but not a patch on the original. Sorry! Perhaps if I'd never watched the BBC version, I would have loved the ITV one. And that's my problem right there - I have never been a fan of reboots. Every child of the Nineties is familiar with the phrase "this is the remix." In the last ten years or so it's been more a case of "this is the reboot" with so many films and TV series being remade. I can definitely see the advantage of doing this as it means bringing the film/show to a whole new generation of viewers who have never watched it before, and for those of us 'oldies' who remember it the first time round, we get that delicious taste of nostalgia.
But the problem is that us oldies, who not only remember the show the first time round but remember it well (in some cases too well!) we often feel that the show has changed so much that it may as well be a different program. We understand that times and things will have changed since the show was last on so that has to be reflected. We try to accept the new look series for what it is. We try to find positive things about it in order to keep watching because we really do want to keep watching. With the new series of Birds, at least all three of the main characters had returned. It really wouldn't have been the same if one of the actresses didn't want to reprise their memorable role that the British viewing public still remember and love them for. And you can forget about recasting them for a start!
But more often than not, the show has a new team behind it who, it seems, don't have an understanding of the characters, their situation and circumstances. Or maybe the new team of writers, producers, directors etc. just want to put their own spin on it. What sadly happens is that one-time fans of the show inevitably end up switching off.
It's a bit like biting into a chocolate bar that you last scoffed when you were a kid. The packaging is similar; the bar looks the same, and it still tastes sweet and yummy. But no matter how many years have gone by, you know it's not the same formula and the taste is different to how you remember it. Once that wave of nostalgia has finished washing over you, you can't help feeling just a little bit disappointed that it's not quite the same.
I remember when my mum and her sisters heard that there was going to be a TV movie based on Peyton Place, an American soap opera they used to watch during their teen years. So they excitedly settled down to watch it - and let's just say they weren't so excited by the time the movie finished!
So me personally, I don't go crazy over reboots. I'd much rather watch old episodes of the show so it's exactly as I remember it.
What's your view of reboots? Are there any you've liked? Are there any you feel are way better than the original?
Photos from YouTube
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
I grew up with Birds on the TV but I didn't watch much of the new series. And from what I understand I haven't missed much.
Loved Bird's when it was on BBC1. The reboot wasn't bad and was watchable but not quite the same standard as it was all those years ago.