By now, I’m sure most people have seen the much anticipated Fuller House, which premiered on February 26th, just a week and a half ago. Only a few days after its release, Netflix renewed it for a second season. Despite the negative reviews it received from critics, It had so many positive reviews from fans, and Netflix couldn’t care less what critics had to say about it. Millennials are happy and that’s all that matters, right?
Apparently, that’s exactly right. Netflix’s target audience is young adults ages 18 to 35, the exact group of people who watched the original Full House in the 90’s. And the reboot caters only to them, reusing the same jokes and catchphrases. Any viewers who have never seen the original would be terribly confused. In fact, Fuller House isn’t just a sequel, it’s exactly the same as the original — incredibly cheesy and repetitive.
As I watched a bunch of adults use their catchphrases from twenty years ago, I began to wonder why Netflix brought the show back in the first place. It seemed a little sad for the cast to be back on the same set, reenacting the same situations, using the same lines. Then it was renewed for another season, for another bunch of episodes that will inevitably be the same as the first, and here’s why: millennials love nostalgia. They all want to relive their childhood for some inexplicable reason.
The thing is, these shows and movies are better left alone. Why risk ruining fond memories just so that whoever owns the rights to them can make an easy buck? It’s too enticing for millennials to stay away, but just because they watch it, doesn’t mean it’s good. They can’t resist a good throwback. Anyone who’s seen the original is obviously going to watch Fuller House, even if they don’t like it. Anyone who’s seen Gilmore Girls is obviously going to watch the new episodes when they’re released. Anyone who’s seen Finding Nemo is obviously going to watch Finding Dory later this year.
The list goes on and farther back because millennials aren’t the only ones craving for “the good old days.” Things from the 90’s aren’t the only ones taking a hit (okay, Finding Nemo isn’t from the 90’s but it’s close enough). In 2011, Footloose was updated with a whole new cast and ABC recently announced they’d be remaking Dirty Dancing. While the new versions aren’t entirely bad, it’s hard to live up to the originals, so why bother?
Nostalgia isn’t the worst thing ever but we don’t need to revamp every beloved film and TV show. We should be creating new things instead of trying to improve the old because let’s face it, some things are better left in the past.
