Can television shows reuse old material?
If history is any indication, the answer is yes. During the writer’s strike of ’88, television networks were doing whatever they could to come up with programs. It was during this time period that Fox created both Cops and America’s Most Wanted which, when you think about it, really do seem like shows that were created during the most strigent drouts of creativity in the last thirty years. The most intriguing path taken during the strike of ’88 was one by CBS. Desperately needing new programming, CBS took several scripts from its popular ’60s show Mission: Impossible and remade them, creating a ‘new’ show in the process. When the strike ended, Mission: Impossible stayed on the air and truly new shows were commissioned.
