Fall TV 2009 Remakes

Remakes Rule TV This Season

It seems that for every successful TV remake (the U.S. version of 'The Office,' the revamped 'Battlestar Galactica'), there are two failed redos ('Fantasy Island,' 'Bionic Woman,' 'Cupid').

But that hasn't stopped the powers that be in TV land from tapping, or re-tapping, old sources for new material -- the fall 2009 TV schedule features three shows whose characters will be familiar to viewers: 'Melrose Place,' 'V' and 'Eastwick.' Here we break down what each was originally about, and how the remakes are different (or the same!) as their source material.
- By Kimberly Potts

Old School 'Melrose Place' – A group of twentysomethings lives in a Los Angeles apartment building that provides the backdrop for their many love and life entanglements, including hook-ups, breakups, marriages, love triangles, cheating, divorces, a wig-wearing psycho and one tragic swimming-pool death.

'Melrose Place' 2009 (Sept. 8, the CW) – A group of twentysomethings lives in a Los Angeles apartment building that provides ... yep, the game is the same, but the faces have changed. The re-do's power diva (i.e. Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward) is plotting publicist Ella (Katie Cassidy); Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen) is an aspiring doctor who resorts to tricks, as in turning them, to pay for med school; Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is Violet, a Los Angeleno newbie and aspiring actress who has a surprising tie to an original 'Melrose' character; Jonah (Michael Rady) is the building's obligatory aspiring filmmaker (kinda like Andrew Shue's Billy with his aspirations of being a writer); and Shaun Sipos is David, the young stud (think Jake Hansen) who's having a dangerous fling with the building's new landlord -- none other than Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton).

Yes, like the new '90210,' the new 'Melrose' hasn't forgotten its roots; Leighton returns as scheming Sydney Andrews, Thomas Calabro is back as manipulative Michael Mancini (father of new 'Melrose' resident David) and Heather Locklear is in talks to return as Amanda, one of the greatest bad girls in all of primetime soap history. Daphne Zuniga is also making a cameo, as drama-queen photog Jo, and the series premiere features a swimming-pool death, a death that may (or may not) involve one of the original residents ...

Old School 'V' – The basic storyline, as created by writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson: A group of aliens known as "The Vistors" plans to take over the Earth, while a group of humans tries to resist them. The franchise kicked off with the 1983 NBC miniseries 'V,' starring Marc Singer, which led to the 1984 follow-up miniseries 'V: The Final Battle,' and the 1984 weekly drama series 'V,' which lasted for one season.

'V' 2009 (Nov. 3, ABC) – Same basic plot: A group of aliens, which initially appears to be friendly, plans to take over the planet, while a group of humans plots a resistance. It's one of the best pilots of the 2009 fall season and features a stellar cast, led by 'Lost''s Elizabeth Mitchell and 'Party of Five' alum Scott Wolf, as well as 'The 4400''s Joel Gretsch, 'Firefly''s Alan Tudyk and 'Boyz N the Hood''s Morris Chestnut.

Old School 'Eastwick' – The 1987 'Witches of Eastwick' movie, which starred Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon as three beauties seduced by the Devil (Jack Nicholson), had already spawned two TV-series adaptations: one, a failed 1992 drama for NBC, and the other, a failed 2002 Fox pilot that starred 'Desperate Housewives' star Marcia Cross and 'Gossip Girl''s Kelly Rutherford (both 'Melrose Place' alums) and '90210''s Lori Loughlin.

'Eastwick' 2009 (Sept. 23, ABC) – Fans have speculated that this newest TV series version of the movie sounds an awful lot like 'Charmed,' and pilot director David Nutter insists that isn't true. Still, it is the story of three sisters -- played by Rebecca Romijn, 'Lipstick Jungle''s Lindsay Price and 'Eureka''s Jaime Ray Newman -- who discover just how powerful their magical abilities are when they work together. Yes, sounds 'Charmed'-ing to us, too. Oh, and playing the Devil-ish Darryl Van Horne: 'Due South' star Paul Gross.

And those aren't the only do-overs on the way:

• AMC is remaking the 1960s Patrick McGoohan thriller 'The Prisoner' as a six-episode miniseries set to premiere in November. The drama, about a secret agent who finds himself being held captive on an island after resigning from his spy guy gig, will star Jim Caviezel and Sir Ian McKellen.

• The 1989 Steve Martin comedy movie 'Parenthood' spawned a short-lived 1990 series that starred Leonardo DiCaprio, David Arquette and Thora Birch and featured Joss Whedon on its writing staff. Another TV series remake, starring Peter Krause, Maura Tierney Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard and Bonnie Bedelia, was set to premiere this fall on NBC, until Tierney's recent health woes pushed 'Parenthood' back to a midseason premiere. (Update: Tierney has withdrawn from the show and will be replaced.)

• ABC is developing a dramedy series version of the Brat Pack classic 'St. Elmo's Fire.' The series, like the movie, will be set in Georgetown, but will feature six new recent college-grad characters, three guys and three gals, who hang out at a bar called St. Elmo's. Sound a little 'Friends'-ish? Not surprising since the team behind it includes 'Friends' producer Jamie Tarses, along with 'That '70s Show' star Topher Grace, 'St. Elmo''s movie director Joel Schumacher and actor/director Dan Bucatinsky.

• Fox is developing a dark comedy TV-series version of the 1989 high school gem 'Heathers,' which starred Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The new take, co-written by 'Sex and the City' scribe Jenny Bicks, will be set in modern times, but feature the same characters.

• The book led to a movie, which will now lead to a TV series: ABC and 'Friends' creator Marta Kauffman are developing a weekly series of 'The Time Traveler's Wife.' The series was reportedly in the planning stages before the Rachel McAdams/Eric Bana film was released last month.

• And MTV is developing a more dramatic series version of the 1985 Michael J. Fox big-screen comedy 'Teen Wolf,' in which Fox's high schooler discovered he was a werewolf. The show (which follows a 1986 cartoon adaptation of the movie) will focus on two high school friends -- both outsiders to the popular clique -- one of whom discovers he's a wolf boy.