Image Credit: Everett CollectionIf Hawaii Five-0 has proven anything, it’s that reboots can work if they involve the right writers and stars (thank goodness for Scott Caan as Danno). Too bad NBC didn’t strike while the iron was hot: Though its reboots of The Rockford Files and Prime Suspect generated a lot of interest before the May upfronts, both projects remain in development hell and aren’t likely to resurface until next season (at least).
An NBC insider confirmed that both dramas are being re-developed but neither are up for mid-season consideration at this time (the network has yet to see new scripts, either). NBC shot a Files pilot last spring that featured Dermot Mulroney as Jim Rockford, but it didn’t make the cut. As one source bemoaned to NYMag.com’s Joe Adalian, “It looked like it was shot in the ’70s. You didn’t even know it was the current day until Jim pulled out his cell phone.” Peter Berg’s Film 44 has since taken over the project with plans to start fresh, such as finding a new Rockford. EW’s Michael Ausiello reported in August that Lost’s Josh Holloway was a “viable choice” to take over the marquee role but writer David Shore said “it’s too premature to name names.” Still, fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, Berg will also shepherd NBC’s reboot of Prime Suspect, the British police procedural drama from the ’90s that starred Helen Mirren. That project never made it to pilot for a number of reasons, including NBC’s inability to find someone to play the very demanding role of Det. Jane Tennison. (Memo to Berg: Just hire your Friday Nights Lights leading lady Connie Britton and be done with it!).
Meanwhile, CBS continues to have the last laugh with its reboot of 5-0, which still ranks as the most watched new show of the 2010-11 season with 14.2 million viewers. The producers are definitely embracing the notion that they were inspired by a classic: Showrunner Peter Lenkov told EW that it remains a goal to persuade James MacArthur — aka “Danno” on the series that first aired from 1968 to 1980 — to make a cameo on the CBS drama. He also wants to lure Al Harrington, who played Det. Ben Kokua on the original series from 1969 to 1975. Both he and MacArthur are now in their 70s.
There’s already been an American remake of “Prime Suspect” and it’s called “The Closer,” which took the idea of a woman police detective disrespected by the men she works with and ran with it…
Sadly?? EW doesn’t realize that those shows were horrible so its a good thing they are not getting remade. Last thing we need is a bunch of remakes for TV shows, then all we’ll have on TV is remakes and reality shows. Disgusting!
Prime Suspect without Helen Mirren…No Thank You.
Ditto!
After looking at the picture here, I nominate Annette Benning to play Jane Tennison
Great good gods!!!
If they were awful before, Peter Berg is going to make them worse!!! Especially if he’s involved in a show with a female lead!
Leave Prime Suspect alone! The original will never be matched.
As for ‘Rockford’, why can’t they loosely use the premise and call it by another name. Why are all of these network execs insisting on using the same title, same character names…things that ruin a show when it doesn’t cut it with the ‘branding’ audience.
Bionic Woman reboot is the best case in point. It didn’t need to be called ‘Bionic Woman’, especially since NO bionics were involved. The show might have lasted longer if they hadn’t stressed the ‘remake’ aspect.
Good point. ABC had a show called Toma that wasn’t working out, so they retooled and recast it and came up with a little show called Baretta.
PLEASE please don’t even attempt to remake Prime Suspect. The originals were perfect and the character would be destroyed by trying to fit it into a weekly series. If you want to do a series with a strong female lead, just ,heaven forbid, WRITE AN ORIGINAL ONE. Leave Prime Suspect alone.
ITA! Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren was perfect as is. Don’t try to replicate it. It’s not possible w/o her.
please pick josh holloway.
I want them to do a police show with him and the guy who played Miles on Lost. That woul dbe the most fantatic cop show ever.
Well they could still do Rockford and turn Miles into Angel.
Prime Suspect cannot be remade. It is not humanly possible. There were very specific reasons why that show worked so well and a network will never be able to recreate that. Please, please, just try to do a show *like* Prime Suspect but that is still original. I might actually watch a show inspired by Prime Suspect. I will not watch a redo of Prime Suspect.
“thank goodness for Scott Caan as Danno”…you got that right!
What kind of Morons would want to try & better some of Helen Mirren’s best work?
I’m actually a little annoyed that the Hawaii Five-0 remake is a decent show and a hit. Now I feel like we’re going to get a huge slew of remakes in the next 1-2 years. Even Bryan Fuller, one of the most creative and imaginative minds in TV land, is working on a Munsters remake.
I beg the networks, please do not overdo it with remakes.
Response to Dave….it’s too late. I bet that the 2011-2012 season will be filled with remakes. What’s next? Probably a remake of Magnum P.I.
Network TV is completely brain dead. Cable TV is where the quality is at.
The best Rockford would be Nathan Fillion from ABC’s Castle. Wait for him to become available instead of Josh Holloway. Josh would be great on Hawaii 5-0 or Chase, although I’m waiting to see how his movie career goes.
Ewww….no and no.
Holloway would be a much better choice to play Rockford. I like Fillion, but he’s busy, and I don’t see him in the part. Holloway could easily turn on the Jim Rockford charm. He did it often on Lost.
TP I’m in complete agreement with you. No one should play Rockford except Nathan Fillion.
I’m not upset by this news at all. In fact I’m rather happy. The idea of trying to remake Prime Suspect is just beyond absurd.
With the sucess of H50 NBC won’t give up on a Rockford remake. I think they rushed it last time with the wrong creative team and the wrong star. And it blew up in thier faces. If they’re dead set on a Rockford remake I’d rather they take thier time and get it right.
“It looked like it was shot in the ’70s. You didn’t even know it was the current day until Jim pulled out his cell phone.”
I actually might have watched that.