Image via Complex Original
Amazon just renewed Alpha House and greenlighted a slew of other programming for their Amazon Prime streaming service. It's no secret that Netflix is currently killing the competition, and is even taking on HBO in the original programming arena, thanks to House of Cards. While Amazon is trying to beat Netflix's game plan, they haven't done one thing that Netflix did from the get-go: revive a beloved show. Netflix instantly reeled in customers by bringing back Arrested Development, and there's a whole sea of shows Amazon could bring back to actually contend with rival streaming sites. Here are 10 Shows Amazon Should Revive to Compete With Netflix.
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The X-Files
The X-Files, for as long as it's been off the air, still has a strong fan base that will do anything they can to catch Scully at Comic Con. The series spawned not just one, but two movies since it ended its nine-season run in 2002, and there have been talks for a third. Another season, possibly setting up the third movie and refreshing fans on what's happened since Mulder and Scully were last on screen, would be a win for everyone.
My Name Is Earl
My Name is Earl started out as a big hit, but throughout its four seasons, ratings started to drop. The premise of the show focused on Earl crossing off a list of people he'd wronged after doing something good for them. Due to the show's cancellation, he never finished the list. An extra season would help give the story a proper ending, and give the show's creator a chance to give us a real finale, not the one he teased during a Reddit AMA:
You’ve got a show about a guy with a list so not seeing him finish it is a bummer. But the truth is, he wasn’t ever going to finish the list. The basic idea of the ending was that while he was stuck on a really hard list item he was going to start to get frustrated that he was never going to finish it. Then he runs into someone who had a list of their own and Earl was on it. They needed to make up for something bad they had done to Earl. He asks them where they got the idea of making a list and they tell him that someone came to them with a list and that person got the idea from someone else. Earl eventually realizes that his list started a chain reaction of people with list and that he’s finally put more good into the world than bad. So at that point he was going to tear up his list and go live his life. Walk into the sunset a free man. With good karma.
Firefly
Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, launched Firefly back in 2002. It lasted one season, but gained enough of a following to get the greenlight for a movie: Serenity.
Scrubs
A Scrubs reunion season would be gold. While Scrubs by no means ended "too soon" (it had a great nine season run — give or take the last two seasons), bringing the original cast back for a 10th season would draw enough interest to give Amazon some headlines.
Deadwood
Deadwood ran for three seasons, all of which were met with critical acclaim. It managed to win eight Emmy awards and one Golden Globe in its short run. Amazon would have a bit of a hard time getting this one, since it aired on HBO, but money talks — and dramas are all of the rage right now, especially with Breaking Bad off the air and Mad Men going into its final season.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
As of now, Buffy is still going on in comic book form. Creator Joss Whedon has expressed doing a film adaptation of the series, but since he has his hands full taking over the box office with Marvel's characters, that's probably not going to happen any time soon. A new Buffy season would certainly lure in some new fans, and get the old ones stirring once again.
Happy Endings
Happy Endings ran for three seasons, and stared Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Casey Wilson and Damon Waynes, Jr. (who left the still running New Girl for a role with this show.) While the series had a loyal following, ABC screwed up the show's third season by shuffling it around to different time slots, which brought low ratings, and a swift cancellation. Vulture called the cancellation one of the worst TV decisions of the 2012–13 television season. The show is still fresh in people's minds, and bringing it back might not bring a ton of customers, but will give Amazon Prime a strong comedy in its arsenal.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
One of the funniest shows of all time.
While Will Smith is far too old to still be the Prince, the series could still do something like Disney is doing with Boy Meets World: revive the show around the teenage children of Will and Carlton, which will bring in a whole new range of viewers, while also satisfying the original fans. Hey, Smith hasn't had anything substantial come out in a while — why not take some time out to give us one more reunion season?
Star Trek
Thanks to J.J. Abrams, Star Trek had a bit of a resurrection thanks to the two hit movies that came out before he left to revamp Star Wars. Trek has always been cool to science fiction fans and nerds alike, and the brand has been given a modern spin that mainstream audiences can get behind. It may be more popular than ever if a TV version creeps back up again, this time on Prime. It would give Prime some cred, and since the company is really looking to bring in some customers, that Amazon money could make for some good episodes.
Fans are hungry for it, and some of them have already taken to making a new chapter: Star Trek: Renegades.
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks would be a huge win for Amazon, especially if they brought back the main characters.
James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel all stared in this brief series. Imagine if they brought those three, with Linda Cardellini and John Francis Daley? It's awesomeness waiting to happen. The show ended in 2000 after one season — so a reunion season exclusively on Amazon Prime would be classic, and bring in people thanks to the star power.
