Can we stop calling it the "golden age of TV"? The simple truth is that TV has many of the same problems we see on the big screen. Remakes, rehashes, and revamps are the name of the game in a huge way right now, and all one has to do is look at the upcoming season's new shows for evidence. And today we've got three trailers from Fox, all are either reboots of established shows or remakes of popular film classics. Golden Age wha? Honestly, I don't watch much TV that doesn't involve WWE superstars so you may have to tell me how these are.
That said, not all of these trailers are bad. In fact, two of them are pretty good. The first is 24: Legacy which stars Straight Outta Compton breakout Corey Hawkins. That's right, no Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, a fact which could be tough for some to overcome. Hawkins plays war hero Eric Carter, who has retired in the Witness Protection Program until he's called back into action by the latest terrorist threat. Miranda Otto plays the head of CTU, the show's counter-terrorism unit, who teams with Carter to save the day. The real-time ticking clock is back and the action is everything we've come to expect from 24. Maybe we won't miss Bauer that much, after all? Look for it to debut on February 5th 2017 following the Super Bowl before moving to its regular slot on Monday nights at 8pm.
Next up is Lethal Weapon, which stars Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford in the role made famous by Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in Richard Donner's 1987 film. Produced by McG, and looking like he directed it but he didn't, the series follows the framework of the movie by centering on wild man cop Martin Riggs, still grieving over the death of his wife, who is assigned to grizzled veteran Roger Murtaugh. The timing on this one is a little fortuitous, as the film's original screenwriter Shane Black is debuting his latest action-comedy, The Nice Guys, this week. Wayans is an old hand at the buddy cop dynamic (he starred in Black's The Last Boy Scout, remember) and it may be up to him to carry this one. Not sold on Crawford at all. Also look for Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster in a supporting role. Lethal Weapon should arrive some time in 2016. Will it last longer than Rush Hour did? We'll see.
And finally, there's The Exorcist, a series remake of William Friedkin's horror classic. It doesn't make any kind of sense to try and redo it in any way, but to be fair that hasn't stopped them from trying on the big screen, either. Produced and directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) with Geena Davis, Alfonso Herrera, and Ben Daniels in renamed versions of the original characters, the plot is the same as the movie. A woman's daughter returns from a trip possessed by a demonic spirit, and two Fathers are sent to confront the true the face of evil. This one looks good but even this trailer can't escape feeling redundant. The Exorcist may have laid the groundwork for all of the exorcism movies that followed, but the problem is that nothing new has been done with the genre since. Judging by this you won't get it on the small screen, either. Look for this one to arrive in November.
