William Zabka and Ralph Macchio repeat their roles as Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso of “Karate Kid” in “Cobra Kai”.
Netflix
Restarts, remakes, reformulates, whatever you want, Hollywood has spent decades recycling popular franchises and cult films, trying to get the attention of a new generation.
This trend is not new in the entertainment industry. What has changed is its frequency.
“Bates Motel”, “Scream”, “Westworld”, “Fargo”, “Watchmen”, “Teen Wolf”, “What We Do in the Shadows”, “Limitless”, “Lethal Weapon” and “Cobra Kai” are just some examples from the past few years. And more are under construction.
Programs based on “Alien”, “The Mighty Ducks”, “Snowpiercer”, “A League of Their Own” and “The Equalizer” are currently in preparation. Then there are series like “Clarice” and the new show “The Lord of the Rings” that are based on books, but were also blockbuster films, and a series of Marvel and Disney Star Wars programs that are linked to their franchises. movies.
“I don’t think it’s because we’re out of good ideas,” said Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University and a specialist in pop culture. “I think the reason we are seeing so many of them is because there are so many properties to be filled.”
The combination of having more streaming services available to the public than ever and a major shift in content consumption habits means that Hollywood will become even more dependent on tried and tested franchises than ever before.
No more browsing channels
Gone are the days when browsing a finite number of channels in search of something to watch.
In the past decade, streaming services have disrupted the content pipeline. Cable television and the network have restricted hours. Daytime talk shows and replay are played during the morning and early afternoon, and new episodes of programs arrive after the evening news. This means that companies can only have a certain number of programs.
With no commitment to 24-hour programming, streaming consumers watch what they want, when they want it. This means that a subscriber can watch an entire season of a program in just a few days or an entire series in a week. So, they are hungry for something else to watch.
With few exceptions, the studios that chose to enter the streaming world provided consumers with all episodes of a TV season in advance, rather than weekly. This strategy means that streaming services need to provide more content to their subscribers than their cable equivalents.
Transforming nostalgic films into long-form TV shows is an easy way to capture audiences and reduce financial risk.
“Development costs are lower,” said Candice Alger, a professor at the Creative Media Industries Institute at Georgia State University. “It is safer to go with a story that is already proven and the characters are already developed.”
If the program is successful, like “Fargo” or “Cobra Kai”, the studios can continue to produce several seasons. If the show fails, the losses are less.
“It’s a great way to develop content without having to deal with the unpredictability or risk of trying to establish a new franchise,” said David Schreiber, chairman of the creative and entertainment industries at Belmont University.
Nostalgia as currency
Hollywood has long clung to nostalgia to sell movie tickets or make viewers feel like they are on a new show. There is a lot of emotional equity built in when it comes to franchises big and small.
Disney used this strategy when it launched its streaming service Disney +. The platform has plans to launch series based on “The Mighty Ducks”, “Turner and Hooch”, “Monsters Inc.”, “Night at the Museum” and “The Sandlot”, among others.
“Monsters Inc.” is receiving a new show at Disney + called “Monsters at Work”, which explores the transition from shouting to the power of laughter in Monstrópolis.
Disney
These programs will give the public a chance to relive their childhood and share childhood favorites with their own children.
Although there are several TV shows based on films made during the 2000s or later, many are from the 80s and 90s.
“The 80s and 90s are still at the sweet spot,” said Thompson. “It is not far to be forgotten, but not far [recent]. There are good memories of these films. “
Not to mention that this sentimentality brings a great marketing bonus.
Thompson used “Cobra Kai” as an example. The show, which started as a YouTube series before moving to Netflix, attracts the older audience that saw “The Karate Kid” when they were younger. It also captures the next generation who watched the movie when it aired on cable.
The program also draws the attention of new consumers who are being introduced to the content by a parent or by word of mouth.
“The real asset to rebooting and redoing is that you’ve already bought and paid for years of marketing budget,” said Thompson.
These programs are further reinforced when the actors who appeared in the original film return. Following the example of “Cobra Kai”, both William Zabka, who played Johnny Lawrence, and Ralph Macchio, who played Daniel LaRusso, returned to be part of the series.
This is not to say that restarted programs that do not bring the original cast back will automatically fail, but people generally have a strong emotional connection with the actors who originated iconic characters. This attachment can help motivate them to watch the new series.
“We are living in an era when people are looking for genuineness and it happens a little easier when you bring them back [original] actors, “said Schreiber.