What childhood TV shows deserve a reboot?

The success of X-Men '97 raises the question: Which of our favorite series growing up should return?

By Saloni Gajjar, Tim Lowery, Drew Gillis, Mary Kate Carr, Cindy White, Meredith Hobbs Coons, Jen Lennon, William Hughes | April 18, 2024 | 12:00pm

TV Features Saloni Gajjar

What childhood TV shows deserve a reboot?

Clockwise from bottom left: Faerie Tale Theatre, The Pirates Of Dark Water, Aaahh!! Real Monsters, and Dungeons & Dragons Screenshot: YouTube

Reboots are normally frowned upon, especially if it’s a project you’ve cherished for a long time. How dare anyone touch it and potentially ruin something fun you grew up with. Yet along comes X-Men ’97, which proves it’s still possible to nail the whole bringing-back-a-beloved-series thing. In that spirit, we asked The A.V. Club staff: What beloved TV show from your childhood deserves a reboot?

Dexter’s Laboratory

FULL EPISODE: Babysitter Blues/Valhallen’s Room/Dream Machine | Dexter’s Lab | Cartoon Network

Though I haven’t seen it or the original, the success of X-Men ’97 shows what a good bet reviving an animated series is compared to something live-action. In that vein, the childhood show I’d be most interested in resurrecting would be Dexter’s Laboratory. The original series held a lot of charm in its 1950s aesthetic and 1970s Saturday Morning Cartoon sensibility. But maybe, with the extra level of distance, a revived Dexter could work with what we now know to be a 1990s Cartoon Network vibe. That said, keep this suburban family is exactly where we left them, saving us from jokes about Dexter’s deepening voice or facial hair. I get older, but Dexter and Dee Dee stay the same age. [Drew Gillis]

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