< TV reboots have to answer one question: Why now? Just look at 'Justified'

ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:

Strikes in Hollywood have shut down production on new series, but finished shows are still making their debut. Tonight, it's FX's drama "Justified: City Primeval." Here's the lead character, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, arguing with a judge who wants to sentence his daughter to contempt of court.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL")

KEITH DAVID: (As Alvin Guy) Escort the marshal's daughter to one of our finest holding cells.

TIMOTHY OLYPHANT: (As Raylan Givens) Is that really necessary?

DAVID: (As Alvin Guy) Of course it is. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done it.

OLYPHANT: (As Raylan Givens) How about you make her just wait outside?

DAVID: (As Alvin Guy) How about you learn to shut your mouth in my courtroom?

OLYPHANT: (As Raylan Givens) I imagine that'll make it difficult to finish my testimony.

DAVID: (As Alvin Guy) One more crack, testimony will be the least of your concerns.

OLYPHANT: (As Raylan Givens) Can I ask you a question off the record, Your Honor? What's more surprising to you - that someone made an attempt on your life, or that it hasn't happened more often?

FLORIDO: It's a revival of the critically acclaimed series "Justified," starring Timothy Olyphant as Deputy Givens. It's also an example of a type of show all over the TV landscape - reboots, revivals and re-imaginings. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans has a story on npr.org today, and he's here to talk about it. Hi, Eric.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: Hi.

FLORIDO: So let's talk about "Justified." What is this show?

DEGGANS: It was this new-school western, modern-day western that aired from 2010 to 2015 on FX, and I was a stone fan of it. It's based on this character that was created by legendary crime novelist Elmore Leonard. And for "City Primeval," this new version, they took the Givens character and basically placed him in an environment from a different Leonard novel called "City Primeval" that's set in Detroit. And for me, even though the depiction of Raylan is great in this new series, the transplant didn't quite work. But it speaks to a key question that's got to be answered by any revival, which is, why are you actually doing this?

FLORIDO: Well, in your piece, you have some very specific ideas about what a reboot is as opposed to a revival or a re-imagining. Where does "Justified" fit in?

DEGGANS: OK, first, I'm going to allow - only a TV nerd can spend this much time thinking about this (laughter)...

FLORIDO: OK.

DEGGANS: ...But revivals are stories that continue the adventures of established characters past the original series that you love. Re-imaginings take the framework of the original series, but they put new characters in it. So think about ABC's new version of "The Wonder Years," which puts a Black family at the center of the original series' flashback technique, where you had the voice of a grown-up - in this case Don Cheadle - narrating his own coming-of-age story from the late 1960s.

Now, reboots are where new actors are cast to play the same classic characters. And that's like J.J. Abrams' newer Star Trek films, where Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy are played by new actors.

FLORIDO: Hmm. Well, another high-profile TV universe back on the air right now with a second season is the "Sex And The City" sequel, "And Just Like That..." Here is a clip where lead character Carrie Bradshaw, who we saw become a widow in the first season, is talking about her latest relationship with her friends.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AND JUST LIKE THAT...")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) What about that gorgeous booty-call guy Charlotte told me about?

SARAH JESSICA PARKER: (As Carrie Bradshaw) I never said booty call.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) You have a booty call?

PARKER: (As Carrie Bradshaw) It's not a booty call. We work together.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) So it's an actionable booty call?

PARKER: (As Carrie Bradshaw) I am having exit-out-of-grief sex every Thursday with a very nice man.

FLORIDO: Eric, so what kind of show is this one? And why does it exist, exactly?

DEGGANS: (Laughter) Well, it's a sexy show, of course. But I would define it as a revival because it's continuing the adventures of the classic characters in new episodes. But to me, "And Just Like That..." feels like an example of a show that doesn't really know why it exists beyond the nostalgia of seeing these characters in new episodes. The original "Sex And The City" debuted in 1998, when we had really different ideas about inclusion, wealth, privilege and gender, and I'm not sure the new show handles those issues any better.

For an example of a successful revival, I'd point to the last season of "Star Trek: Picard" on Paramount+ that aired this year that took characters from "The Next Generation" syndicated series and updated them with new stories, special effects and just fresh episodes that felt like a new take on the characters.

FLORIDO: I've been speaking with NPR's Eric Deggans. Thanks a lot.

DEGGANS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF L.A.B. SONG, "TAKE IT AWAY")

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