The Best TV Reboots Actually Worth Watching

An iconic '80s series that made wearing mismatched shoes the coolest, Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) centred around a foster child who was abandoned by her mom in a grocery store parking lot and found a new home with Henry (George Gaynes), a widowed photographer and building manager. The story continues this year with a grown-up Punky, now a photographer and newly divorced mother of three, who welcomes a foster child into her family. Frye returns as Punky along with OG star Cherie Johnson as her BFF, Cherie; plus, Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Punky’s ex-husband, Travis. Watch it beginning Thursday, March 4 on W Network or STACKTV.

The Netflix reboot of the popular reality series from the aughts is about so much more than makeovers. The new Fab Five — Antoni (Food and Wine), Bobby (Design), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming), Karamo Brown (Culture and Lifestyle), and Tan France (Fashion) — are transforming homes, wardrobes, and lives. The care, empathy, and hope are what really sets Queer Eye apart from the original, so much so that we dare you not to cry by the end of each episode. Five seasons plus a mini-season in Japan are available to watch now, and a sixth season is on the way.

Much like the original series that ran from 1998 to 2006, the Charmed reboot is about three sisters — Macy (Madeleine Mantock), Mel (Melonie Diaz), and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) — who learn they are witches following the death of their mother. Known as “The Charmed Ones,” this trio of good witches uses their combined powers to protect the innocent from demons and other dark forces. The differences lie in the three womxn of colour who lead the cast, and in its strong feminist and LGBTQ+ themes. Get caught up in the magic by watching Charmed on W Network or STACKTV.

While not technically a TV series reboot, this continuation of the story that began in 1984 film The Karate Kid catches up with now middle-aged rivals Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and introduces a new generation of teens battling it out in the Valley’s dojos. Among the teens are Daniel’s daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser), Johnny’s Son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan), and the new kid in town, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña). Cobra Kai is a highly binge-able, action-packed, and full of nostalgic nods to the '80s. Three seasons are available to watch now on Netflix, and Season 4 is in production.

From 1989 to 1992, Saturday mornings meant it was time to visit our friends Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren), and Slater (Mario Lopez) at Bayside High. The quartet is back in the 2020 reboot of Saved by the Bell, plus there’s a new generation at Bayside, including a group of students transferred from a low-income area as part of a program by California Governor, Zack Morris. Zack is still married to his high school sweetheart, Kelly and their son, Mac (Mitchell Hoog) is a student at Bayside. Dr. Jessica Spano, a best-selling author, has returned to Bayside as the guidance counsellor so she can be closer to her son, Jamie (Belmont Cameli). And Slater is the school’s athletic coach. Watch all eight episodes of Saved by the Bell’s first season on STACKTV.

When a reimagining of 1978’s Battlestar Galactica was first announced, there was some pushback, including the decisions to cast women in two of the most prominent roles: Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck and Grace Park as Boomer. Instead of faltering out of the gate, it was acclaimed by critics, adored by fans, and regarded as one of the best dramatic series since The Sopranos. The reboot took the series from campy sci-fi to serious commentary about politics, religious fundamentalism, human rights, and armed conflicts. In fact, it had such an impact that the United Nations hosted a panel that tied the series to real-life events. Stream it now on Amazon Prime Video.

In this reimagining of the TV series that ran from 1985 to 1989, Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, who appears on the surface to be a single mom raising a teen daughter. Robyn is also a former CIA operative with a mysterious background and uses her impressive skills to defend those with nowhere else to turn. Come for Queen Latifah kicking butt and taking names, and stay for Robyn’s journey of personal redemption. Watch The Equalizer on Global TV or the Global TV App.

It wasn’t long before hit UK comedy The Office was adapted for US television. Starring an impressive comedic cast including Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and Rainn Wilson, the mockumentary-style series focused on a group of office workers at Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Dunder Mifflin paper company. The outrageous and highly quotable series ran for nine seasons between 2005 and 2013, and new audiences are still discovering it today thanks to streaming (including Netflix in Canada).

If you’re expecting more of the '90s TGIF fun that was Sabrina the Teenage Witch in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, think again! In the 2018 incarnation of the beloved Archie Comics character, half-human half-witch Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is facing a life-altering decision on her 16th birthday. Will she embrace her powerful family’s legacy, or choose her friends and the human world? While there isn’t a sarcastic talking cat in this series, this dark horror-fantasy series has love triangles, scary monsters, and patriarchy-smashing sisterhood. Watch it from beginning to end on Netflix.

In 1975’s One Day at a Time, created by TV legend Norman Lear, Bonnie Franklin starred as Ann Romano, a divorced mom living in Indianapolis and raising her two daughters: Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli). In the Netflix reboot from co-creators/executive producers Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce, the story follows three generations of a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles: nurse/army vet/single mom Penelope (Justina Machado), her two kids Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz), and Penelope’s widowed mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno). It’s funny and heart-warming while also dealing with important issues like consent, mental health, and workplace inequality. Netflix cancelled it, but you can still watch the first three seasons on the streamer, and Season 4 is available for purchase on Apple TV.