The green movement has never been hotter, and no one's recycling more than television. Witness the dizzying number of "new" television shows that are retreads of earlier successes.
Are the studios going for Generation X nostalgia? Risk-free investments? Or have they officially run out of ideas?
Ratings are not guaranteed, as we learned when the NBC remake of "The Bionic Woman" short-circuited. But the networks are not discouraged. NBC's take on "Parenthood," inspired by the 1989 Ron Howard movie, is still in the works for later in the season. It'll be the second try at an adaptation - a 1990 version starred Leonardo DiCaprio, David Arquette and Thora Birch.
Why did that one fail? Maybe it had something to do with all the recycling that went on that season: Titles included "Working Girl," "Ferris Bueller," "Uncle Buck" and "Baby Talk," which was inspired by "Look Who's Talking."
How will the new crop of retro shows do? Nothing says "déjà vu" like a good old-fashioned cancellation.
Retro property: "Melrose Place"
Original heyday: 1992-99.
The hook: A character from the original series is murdered in the first episode, and attractive young neighbors will investigate.
Throwbacks: The set is the same, and we'll be seeing many of our old friends: Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, Daphne Zuniga, Josie Bissett...
Comparing characters: Katie Cassidy - daughter of David - could break out as the new Heather Locklear.
Retro property: "The Vampire Diaries"
Original heyday: The young adult book series by L.J. Smith was a hit in 1991.
The hook: Two vampire brothers compete for the affections of a high school girl who resembles a long-dead love.
Throwbacks: Judging by the pilot, the TV show sticks closely to the original plot.
Comparing characters: Square-jawed Paul Wesley has some serious Robert Pattinson potential.
Retro property: "Eastwick"
Original heyday: The 1987 hit film was based on the 1984 novel by John Updike, and made into a London musical in 2000. There were two earlier efforts at a TV series, in 1992 and 2002.
The hook: Three small-town witches discover their powers when they're united by a devilish stranger.
Throwbacks: The new series hews to the blond-brunette-redhead theme. Veronica Cartwright appears in the pilot, and Paul Gross does his best Jack Nicholson.
Comparing characters: Rebecca Romijn is the new Michelle Pfeiffer, Jaime Ray Newman is the new Susan Sarandon, and Lindsey Price is the new Cher.
Retro property: "V"
Original heyday: The'80s, with a two-part miniseries, a three-part miniseries and then a TV series.
The hook: Good-looking, friendly aliens want to hang out on Earth in a mutually beneficial arrangement. OR IS IT?
Throwbacks: The Nazi allegory is intact, although original creator Kenneth Johnson is not involved. And what? No Robert Englund?
Comparing characters: Brazilian beauty Morena Baccarin plays the alien leader Anna, quite a departure from Richard Herd as the original chief.
Retro property: "10 Things I Hate About You"
Original heyday: 1999, when it was considered a cut above the rash of teen movies.
The hook: An update of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," with two sisters navigating high school - the younger, determined to be popular; the older, a rebellious outsider.
Throwbacks: The invaluable Larry Miller is back as their blunt father.
Comparing characters: Ethan Peck, the grandson of Gregory Peck, doesn't have the jump-off-the-screen charisma of original star Heath Ledger -- but as a dangerous, brooding love interest, he'll do.
Retro property: "The Electric Company"
Original heyday: 1971-77, and then in reruns until '85.
The hook: Four kids hang out in a natural-foods diner, and use their superhuman powers to protect the neighborhood.
Throwbacks: Apparently just the title. None of the same segments are repeated, and no alumni have appeared. The original boasted such talents as Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, Zero Mostel, Joan Rivers, Gene Wilder and Irene Cara.
Comparing characters: Maybe Mark-Linn Baker's Sigmund Scrambler will one day be as legendary as Morgan Freeman's Easy Reader?
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