Classics return, rule TV

Let’s step away from the writers’ strike for a bit. Yes, it is a big deal. The writers should… Let’s step away from the writers’ strike for a bit. Yes, it is a big deal. The writers should get what they want, and even though the Golden Globes festivities for this year were canceled, we shouldn’t obsess over the matter.

Rather, let’s see what television has in store for us for the later years, when the strike is resolved and everything’s hunky-dory. The future of television is looking to do what Victor Hugo did to neoclassicism – break our understanding of entertainment and progress to a new era. That new era is reliving television’s never forgotten past.

“American Gladiators.” What a wonderful spectacle of the 1990s – overbuilt goliaths pummeling themselves and each other for the sake of entertainment. Football meets Wrestlemania! Many people took it as seriously as professional sports, making bets about whether Zap would reach the wall’s pinnacle before Nitro, or who would be reduced to a bloody pulp first.

“American Gladiators” took the Roman tradition of gladiators duking it out and eliminated the unnecessary gore associated with haphazardly swinging a sharp sword. Therefore, in a sense, it was accessible to not just adults but children as well, who saw them as role models.

The show also unleashed the barbarian within us all and took sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Nerf guns fired in the living room suddenly became “Assault,” the roof became “The Wall,” and two kids running at each other full tilt with foam bats became “Joust.” Now, those were the days.

However, in 1996 the show was canceled and everyone was forced to watch organized sports again. Parents everywhere rejoiced among the ruined furniture and Nerf darts stuck to their foreheads.

Twelve years later, those kids have grown up and may soon feel the torment they put their own parents through. “American Gladiators” has made its return to primetime with hell and Hulk Hogan in tow.

Unfortunately, I missed the premiere, but what bits I saw on YouTube pretty much told me that this revitalization hasn’t forgotten its past – overbuilt goliaths pummeling themselves and each other for the sake of entertainment. Buy stock in Nerf guns now.

“American Gladiators” isn’t the only oldie but goodie being re-imaged for the future. “Knight Rider” is looking to burst into the scene with a fresh look but still loveable KITT. There’s talk that the Hoff himself could be returning – this could be as big a deal as when Peter Cullen was announced as the voice for Optimus Prime for 2007’s “Transformers.”

Speaking of Transformers, hot on the tail of the summer blockbuster was “Transformers: Animated,” which took the ’80s characters whom many love and gave them a fresh new look. Of course, the redesign was met with some scorn, but hopefully Transformers veterans gave it a try and learned to embrace it as this diehard has.

Television studios aren’t just taking a page from Hollywood and trying to cash in on nostalgia. Rather, it’s almost like they’re trying to remind us of how much fun television was when growing up. Many kids who watched the ’80s iterations of said shows are now old enough that they could be writing for them, so they understand the need to remain faithful to source material.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing – to be able to relive the past in any way, shape or form is always a fun thrill, even when it involves just watching kids fire Nerf guns at each other.

So to have the classics come back in all their never-forgotten glory is kind of like being a kid again. The sense of wonder and amazement at how big people can get or with talking/shape-shifting cars come flooding back, and television becomes a joy to watch rather than a cesspool of recycled teenage dramas and the umpteenth “Real World” season.

Hopefully studios won’t get carried away with the nostalgia angle. Some shows were meant to be timeless. Others weren’t meant to have airtime at all.