There’s no doubt that the nostalgia culture has been permeating cinemas worldwide for years, with reboots, remakes, and constant sequels of movies that were already a big hit in the 80s, 90s, or even 2000s. Almost no franchise has been spared from this studio trend… and, of course, this has also reached television.
In the United States, they have been capitalizing on the fact that audiences simply want to revisit what they already love for half a decade, creating new adaptations, continuations, or reunions of their classic series. And this trend has even reached an international level, with Spain being a pioneer in adapting its own brands into new series or carrying out highly anticipated comebacks.
Below, we present to you no less than 20 international and national series that have made a return in one way or another… or are soon to make a comeback. So, no one can say we don’t have options to choose from.
1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air needs no introduction. Will Smith’s most beloved international success was a 90s classic that forever changed television and propelled its star to the pinnacle of Hollywood. Since then, there has been much talk of a comeback with the original cast. However, ultimately, Smith himself served as an executive producer for a reboot developed by Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson, which premiered in 2021.
2. The Twilight Zone
Between the 50s and 60s, a series took us ‘to the limits of reality’ with anthology episodes that blended horror, mystery, and science fiction in a way that has been imitated dozens of times since. The Twilight Zone made a comeback in 2019, once again thanks to Jordan Peele, the director of Get Out, Us, and Nope.
3. Paco’s Men
“For those who grew up in the 2000s, an unparalleled TV reference was ‘Paco’s Men,’ a quintessential Spanish police series starring Hugo Silva, Paco Tous, and Pepón Nieto. In a move that has been repeated several times already, Atresmedia brought back its main cast to reunite for a series of 16 brand-new episodes.”
4. Raven
Raven left a mark on the childhood of many Disney Channel fans. Starring Raven-Symoné, this series portrayed the life of a young African-American girl with the power to see the future in quite inconvenient situations. In 2023, Raven has returned, now a mother facing a dilemma: her son has inherited her powers.
5. Fuller House
Fuller House is a 90s classic led by Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Lori Loughlin, and Andrea Barber. In 2016, nearly twenty years after its original run, Netflix revived the series with a sequel that follows the story of DJ Fuller, a mother of three and recent widow.
6. X-files
There’s no doubt that alongside Twin Peaks, The X-Files is one of the series that shaped the future of television fiction and set a benchmark in the early 2000s. After its initial run, the series returned in 2016 with two new seasons that brought the iconic Mulder and Scully up to date.
7. Física o Química
If you still hear ‘La mitad de lo que hemos vividoooo’ echoing in your head when you think about your 2000s adolescence, it’s time to know that ‘Física o Química,’ the legendary Spanish series starring actors like Úrsula and Javier Calvo, made a return in 2020 with a short reunion in the form of a miniseries.
8. Charmed
Between Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, teenage fans of the supernatural were in luck in the early 2000s. The success of the first series led it to run for eight seasons, but things couldn’t stop there. In 2018, The CW did a complete reboot of the series with Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, and Madeleine Mantock as the leads.
9. iCarly
Yes, the famous Twitter meme didn’t come out of nowhere: it originates directly from the Nickelodeon series iCarly. This international phenomenon aired from 2007 to 2012, only to return nine years later with Miranda Cosgrove’s character as a young woman facing new challenges but still with her old friends. The series continues to this day.
10. DuckTales
This fiction ranks among the best that Disney has produced in terms of animated series, and there’s no doubt that its version aired between the 80s and 90s captivated a wide audience. So much so that in 2017, they came back with a fresh style and a much more modern sense of humor, once again proving to be a major success for all kinds of audiences.
11. Un Paso Adelante
“UPA” was one of the most iconic series in the Spanish landscape during the 2000s. Based on a dance academy, it managed to run for 84 episodes and boost the careers of actors and artists like Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Beatriz Luengo, Mónica Cruz, or Pablo Puyol. In 2023, its sequel “UPA Next” has premiered on Atresmedia. 15 years after the original series, everything has changed at the legendary professional dance school.”
12. Doctor Who
We have to go a bit further back to understand this reboot, specifically from 1989 to 2005 (with a movie in between). Doctor Who had been a British television classic since the 1960s. So, when the series returned in the 2000s, everyone seemed to love its comeback: it was clear that it had to be back. And so far, that’s how things have continued.
13. The Proud Family
Another series that joined the Black Power slice of life trend from the 90s to the 2000s was ‘The Proud Family,’ an animated show on Disney Channel. In 2020, Disney Plus premiered a reboot of this series, also starring Penny Proud in the same environment as the original series.
14. V
In the 1980s, the synonymous reference to reptilians and extraterrestrials infiltrating the population was ‘V.’ The series was a major phenomenon during its original run from 1984 to 1985, so it made a return in 2009 with a new version that spanned two seasons on ABC. The revamped show starred Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Laura Vandervoort, Morena Baccarin, and Laura Vandervoort.
15. Los protegidos
Atresmedia seems to have a knack for hosting reunions, and it wouldn’t miss the chance with one of its most successful series of its time: ‘Los Protegidos.’ The superhero-themed show that aired from 2010 to 2012 returned between 2021 and 2023 with two seasons and a total of ten episodes. Once again, the Spanish Fantastic Four showcased their strength and power of unity.
16. Gossip Girl
Between 2007 and 2012, teenagers around the world went crazy for ‘Gossip Girl,’ a series that spanned 6 seasons and 121 episodes without ever losing its allure. In 2021, the show made a comeback with two seasons featuring the original cast: Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, and Evan Mock.
17. Star Trek
Star Trek is a brand that never fades, and over the years, it has received more and more iterations. However, beyond the movies, what captures our attention is how it has adapted to the modern times through the series that Netflix has been developing in recent years.
18. Saved by the Bell
Over the course of 87 episodes, those who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s enjoyed their own coming of age story with ‘Saved by the Bell.’ But, as it was bound to happen, the NBC series made a return with two new seasons three years ago.
19. Arrested Development
This highly successful sitcom catapulted the fame of actors like Michael Cera and Jason Bateman between 2003 and 2006. It was a phenomenon in its time, so in one way or another, it had to make a comeback. It did so in 2013 and 2018 through two additional seasons that were released exclusively on Netflix.
20. El Internado
We conclude the list with one of the most remarkable reboots: that of ‘El Internado.’ The series that propelled Ana de Armas before her Hollywood breakthrough was a major success from 2007 to 2010, and it returned in 2021 with a complete reboot titled ‘The Boarding School: Las Cumbres,’ an original series on Amazon Prime Video.
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