Revival (television)

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In fiction a revival is an attempt to revive or revitalize a defunct media franchise by producing new, original story lines. For example a television program which was once cancelled may be revived at a later date with new episodes created for broadcast.

Television network executives may decide to attempt to revive a television program when they feel that a market once again exists for it. Historically, few television revivals have been popular.^{[citation needed]} Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, and Burke's Law are examples of successful revivals in the United States. According to the television researchers Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, a revival television program in the United States has a lesser chance of succeeding than an entirely new program.^{[citation needed]} An example of a successful revival outside of United States is the 2005- series of British science fiction television programme Doctor Who.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Revivals are one of several programming strategies television networks employ to capitalize further on successful programs; among the other methods are spin-offs, cast reunions, and television movies based on the original program.

Unlike spin-offs — in which a television network creates a new program around one or more familiar, popular characters from a different program — a revival involves the reintroduction of most, or at least many of original program's storyline, characters, and locales. Revivals should also be differentiated from remakes and continuity reboots where the characters and/or central concepts are retained, but the story starts over from the beginning again. Revivals differ in that pick up either from the where the older show left off, or a sometime after this point.