A few nights ago on Kari Michaelsen's live stream, she broadcasted the episode with Joey in blackface and had a conversation about it.

Something that came up during the live stream is the idea of a reboot and Kari confirmed that there are talks for a reboot!!! I've had a ton of ideas about what a reboot would look like and naturally the talks of a reboot have inspired me to rewatch the series from the beginning (thank God for the complete series DVD set!).

What would everyone like to see if a reboot ends up happening? Who would you want to come back?

there may have to be a whole new cast for a reboot because half the stars have passed. I for one would like to see Queen Latifah as Nell at least to take care of the singing aspect of the character

I think the bloom is off the reboot rose after “Murphy Brown” failed last year. I’ll be surprised if it happens.

I think the bloom is off the reboot rose after “Murphy Brown” failed last year. I’ll be surprised if it happens.

I am now sure if I can agree with you in this department. Just because the reboot of "Murphy Brown" failed does not mean that none of the reboots can work out. For instance, the reboot of "Will and Grace" lasted for three seasons. I watched it all the way through and thought that it was pretty decent. On top of that, for the full seven years that "Mad About You" was on the air, it was my favorite show! One of the very few babes who does an even better job of making me drool than Julie from "Gimme a Break!" is Helen Hunt! I was very excited to learn that there was a reboot of "Mad About You"! That is, until I learned that it was only available to people who had Spectrum TV. My cable is provided through Verizon. If anyone reading this has watched any of the reboot of "Mad About You", I would be very interested in learning what it is like. I would really appreciate a private message from you. That being say, I would not be surprised if some networks experiments with an updated version of "Gimme a Break!".

Just remember that Will & Grace fell steadily in the ratings over its three seasons, as did the Dallas reboot. Murphy Brown didn’t make it to a second season. Mad About You is unlikely to get a second season as well. A few years ago, after the Roseanne reboot was successful, the networks were mining their libraries for potential reboots. Now, that’s not really a focus for them. And Gimme a Break was never a huge ratings hit - more of a modest success. So I’d be very surprised if there was any serious interest in rebooting it.

I'd like to see Joey Lawrence play the keeper...he'd play Joey Donovan and he'd he the housekeeper for an African-American Chief of Police who lost her husband and she has three sons.

The recurring cast would be Kari Michaelsen and Laurie Hendler playing Katie and Julie Kaniski-Maxwell respectfully. Also, there'd be Nell Maxwell, and on occasion...Samantha Kaniski and Addie Wilson would visit. Also, Matthew Lawrence as Matthew Donovan and Joey Donovan's father settles-down in San Francisco and has a son named...of course...Andy Donovan played by Andy Lawrence.

This is only because Joey Lawrence DID file for bankruptcy...and Joey Donovan is trying to get his big break into acting, met someone who knew Nell Harper and while in New York, they talk and he said that his wife is Chief of Police in Glenlawn...and she heard all about Carl Kaniski. Joey tells his new friend about Carl and his daughters as well as Nell Harper...one night, Joey's friend sees him taping a commercial and as Joey is about to return to Pennsylvania, his friend suggests that he stays at his place in Glenlawn.

Hawaii 5-0 was most successful reboot so far. Rosanne happened well after that started. That fallen apart with Rosanne Barr's self destructive behavior. Other reboots such as Knight Rider and the Odd Couple failed as well.

Just remember that Will & Grace fell steadily in the ratings over its three seasons, as did the Dallas reboot. Murphy Brown didn’t make it to a second season. Mad About You is unlikely to get a second season as well. A few years ago, after the Roseanne reboot was successful, the networks were mining their libraries for potential reboots. Now, that’s not really a focus for them. And Gimme a Break was never a huge ratings hit - more of a modest success. So I’d be very surprised if there was any serious interest in rebooting it.

I had no idea about the ratings of "Will and Grace". All I know is that I watched all three seasons of the reboot and got some enjoyment from the episodes. However, what I am more interested in is what you wrote about the reboot of "Mad About You". Because I do not have Spectrum TV, I have not seen any of the episodes. This being the case, I know very little about what it is like. However, you wrote that the odds are against a second season being produced. Is this something that you have read about? I would really be interested in learning what your sources are.

Kari mentioned it a few times. Last night she did and she did a few weeks ago. Lara Jill Miller says it would be too sad to do without Nell there.


Given the success of reboots, I can see it lasting just a single season if it did happen. I say that because the show does not have a huge fan base as compared to other shows of the 1980s. The only shows from the 1980s I think would last more than a season in reboots with the same cast (or if they did a whole new take) would be Cheers, most definitely, because it was always a big hit, and The Facts Of Life I could see at least being rebooted over anything else that was on the network at the time that was a sitcom.


As much as I'd love to see all the girls, Joey and Addy together again, it would be just too sad. They'd have to address all the passsings of the characters who were major on there.

The only thing I would do, and I said this to Kari, is the following:

Somehow, some way, all the family returned to Glenlawn over the years (or the Glenlawn area). Joey became the Chief Of Police in town. He is dealing with either a divorce, the death of his wife, or maybe even lives with his wife and his kids and the house is just too small for them. In the pilot, he talks about this in the teaser scene, and during it, in comes some loud mouth, pushy, sassy lady that's been arrested for protesting. Joey feels this woman reminds him of someone. The woman goes into the cell and sings "Nobody Knows?" Then it comes to him and he goes "Aunt Nell!" The woman thinks he's out of his mind when he explains how the Chief arrested the whole family for protesting back in 1983 (Flashback scene as Kari said there would be flashbacks of Nell). Then he finds out she's troubled because she's out of work in this tough economy and is a struggling actress and singer (again, another Nell connection). Joey then goes online to search for a house and BAM...the house shows up. It's now for sale as whoever bought it in 1986 puts it for sale. Joey takes a liking to this woman he arrested and tells her if she needs a place to stay and a job.

The set would be the same but updated as it's not 1986 anymore. Same setup just new furniture and colors, et. They'd have a fish tank and couch in the same spot, the staircase in the same spot, the front door and dining area in the same spot, and the kitchen in the same spot, yet the kitchen would probably be 100% new and stainless steel, as all of them are nowadays.

I could see Amber Riley or whoever they get singing the 2nd version of the theme song and the character taking the photo of the family by the stairs, or by the couch or the sofa...the theme should be the 2nd version and true to the original. Maybe made into a fuller song. But they should use the whole theme and not make it short and cheap with just a jingle and title card like a lot of things NBC has done over the years in intros.


That could be how the setup of the reboot could work. I could see Amber Riley as the title character. The girls would all live in Glenlawn as well with their families as would Addy and Matthew as well, Maggie from NYC could make a special guest starring appearance here and there. I couldn't see Paul Sand doing that as he's retired now... but who knows?

I don't think it would be on NBC but Kari said Peacock could be a good home for it. The way they are giving sitcoms 10 episode commitments, I can see that happening here. They'd have the minimum, at least 10 episodes to bring the characters back and give us an update on where they've gone since 1986 and where they are today.

Kari said it would have been great doing a reunion in the late 1990s or early 2000s but Nell wasn't in the best health in those years and her health went downhill in the early 1990s after Gimme A Break! ended. She said that Peacock would be the best home for it and that it's been mentioned and talked about. She's talked about it to Lara Jill Miller, Lauri Hendler, Joey Lawrence and Telma Hopkins.

I can't see everyone being on the starring cast. Maybe Joey and his kids and the new housekeeper. The girls would most likely not live at the house with their kids or families.

However, if Peacock even did a reunion movie at least with where they are today, that would even be just fine. I can't see it lasting more than a season. It just wouldn't be the same without Nell.

^Since NBC has the rights to GAB...I think it would be appropriate that Joey Lawrence revamps his role as Joey Donovan since Lawrence DID fall on hard times...and he'd think of Nell Harper who took care of him when Joey Donovan tried to get-back to his father. And Joey Lawrence SHOULD sing the GAB theme song since he did have a singing career....

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And in the intro...Joey Lawrence can make a selfie with his friends on the show...like how Nell Carter made a pic with the Kaniski Family on Season 3.

This show will not work without Nell. No one can replace her. I can see a reboot only as a two-hour special. Nell was raising her grandsons, and she's recently passed away. Joey steps in and raises Nell's grandkids with help from his sisters.

Yes, I too agree it won’t work without Nell. This show means a lot to me and it’s one of my favorites, and even though we should have gotten a movie in the early 2000’s or even late 90’s, Kari told us that Nell was not in the best health then. Perhaps there was talk? Maybe they ran it by her then? I’m sure she would have loved to. I feel that’s when the best time was for that. Like Growing Pains. With Alan’s death, I think the cast doesn’t want to do a reboot. However, too many reboots nowadays because Hollywood has no original ideas and they last a lot less than their former series.

I worked at Fuller House which was very well put together. A few things I would have loved to see. Even if we got Michelle once, and if not, an explanation of where her friends were today like Aaron, Teddy, Denise, Derek and Lisa, where was Gia’s Mom Claire, and a little more closure to Danny and Vicky indicating their reunion and marriage soon. But overall it came back and didn’t disappoint.

Melrose Place was a big failure. Another show I loved and the crew messed that up severely. Producers knew nothing and didn’t consult old producers or cast who were clueless.


But now all the reboots for sitcoms seem to follow the same pattern as Fuller House. Childhood home....single mom or parent moved back....not good.


DJ was single in her childhood home with kids and widowed on Fuller House

Punky is single in her childhood home With kids on Punky Brewster

Darlene is single in her childhood home With kids on Roseanne and now The Conners

Now who’s the Boss? Is pulling this same crap with Sam being single w kids in her home!!!


Gimme a break, if it returned...like I said, they’d have to find a way to buy back the childhood house. It would be trash w a new set and be like the nyc episodes. But too much time has passed. Still, some women in their late mid 30s to 40s can have kids these days so teenagers would be the youngest we’d see on it. I doubt any of the girls would have kids younger than 15/16 now. Most would be post college or just finishing high school as too much time passed, and baby Nell would be over 30 now. Joey could have kids though...

But it just wouldn’t work. I couldn’t see it lasting more than one season.


I say that for so many reasons.

No more Nell. When she died the reunion and now reboots were a no no anymore. She was the show.

Too much time has passed that many of the viewers have aged or are passed on. I would expect many to have been parents or older viewers who loved Nell and now have passed on. Mostly people who’d be in their 80s or older now. Kids, I doubt it drew in more audience than Facts Of Life of Diff’rent Strokes.

Then the Joey factor. A lot of fans hate him. They hated the show when he came aboard. I thought it got better. However, there will be a lot of original fans who won’t like that Joey will be there. Let’s face it, if it does reboot, all 3 girls, Joey, Telma and Jonathan would have to be there in some way.

I would hate to think what the new writers would do. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I think I’d be best at being on the writing team or crew for this show as I know it and I’ve worked in Hollywood (though I left last year)...I’d write it in a way that would please fans and not mess anything up (or if they got writers or crew who knew it, that would be best!) If a writer wrote this show they’d have to be tip top shape on the history, and I doubt writers would be. Most writers these days of reboots don’t watch the originals. I am not only a screenwriter, I’m
A big fan, and even just being a writers assistant I’d be able to be there and work with them on how it could be done the right way, consulting with the cast and the crew which is what I would have been great on doing if I got to work at Melrose Place on CW, yet they made up fake stories because they didn’t get writers or assistants who watched the original.

They’d have to address a lot of stuff. So much, much, much time has passed. For example, Fuller House ended in
In 1995, so 20 years passed. They did address stuff at times that happened post 1995-2015. GAB ended in 1987, that’s 33 years ago. Writers would have to address and acknowledge the original, make note of the Chief, Nell’s history, the passing of the Chief, then events that happened after Nell moved to NYC and what happened to the girls, Joey, Addy, herself, grandpa and Simpson, post 1987. This chunk would most likely be ignored by writers who didn’t watch the show 100 percent. If they got bad writers or staff, they’d just focus on the new characters (like the kids the kids would have) and the returning ones wouldn’t speak much of the past or bring up what happened over the year’s...They’d skip stuff and not acknowledge anything. That’s what happened with Melrose Place. When characters returned they said one line here and there and we didn’t get any info when that show ended in 1999 as to where some characters were and stuff that happened that was dropped.

I just couldn’t see this running long without Nell. One season tops. Any way they did it, but I would love to see everyone together again in someway. Like Kari said, flashbacks would be great, but I just don’t see the show lasting too long. It would be nice to see what happened with everyone, at least. If they did they right, that would be the best thing. But they’d need writers and staff who knew the original in and out. A lot of new writers who are 30s and younger most likely have not seen this show. So I would hate to think what would happen. I’m 38 and watched it many times as I watched it on USA when I was 15 and have the entire series on dvd and know every episode, character history, et. They’d need writers like that, yet most original ones have probably retired or passed on.

Yes, I too agree it won’t work without Nell. This show means a lot to me and it’s one of my favorites, and even though we should have gotten a movie in the early 2000’s or even late 90’s, Kari told us that Nell was not in the best health then. Perhaps there was talk? Maybe they ran it by her then? I’m sure she would have loved to. I feel that’s when the best time was for that. Like Growing Pains. With Alan’s death, I think the cast doesn’t want to do a reboot. However, too many reboots nowadays because Hollywood has no original ideas and they last a lot less than their former series.

I worked at Fuller House which was very well put together. A few things I would have loved to see. Even if we got Michelle once, and if not, an explanation of where her friends were today like Aaron, Teddy, Denise, Derek and Lisa, where was Gia’s Mom Claire, and a little more closure to Danny and Vicky indicating their reunion and marriage soon. But overall it came back and didn’t disappoint.

Melrose Place was a big failure. Another show I loved and the crew messed that up severely. Producers knew nothing and didn’t consult old producers or cast who were clueless.


But now all the reboots for sitcoms seem to follow the same pattern as Fuller House. Childhood home....single mom or parent moved back....not good.


DJ was single in her childhood home with kids and widowed on Fuller House

Punky is single in her childhood home With kids on Punky Brewster

Darlene is single in her childhood home With kids on Roseanne and now The Conners

Now who’s the Boss? Is pulling this same crap with Sam being single w kids in her home!!!


Gimme a break, if it returned...like I said, they’d have to find a way to buy back the childhood house. It would be trash w a new set and be like the nyc episodes. But too much time has passed. Still, some women in their late mid 30s to 40s can have kids these days so teenagers would be the youngest we’d see on it. I doubt any of the girls would have kids younger than 15/16 now. Most would be post college or just finishing high school as too much time passed, and baby Nell would be over 30 now. Joey could have kids though...

But it just wouldn’t work. I couldn’t see it lasting more than one season.


I say that for so many reasons.

No more Nell. When she died the reunion and now reboots were a no no anymore. She was the show.

Too much time has passed that many of the viewers have aged or are passed on. I would expect many to have been parents or older viewers who loved Nell and now have passed on. Mostly people who’d be in their 80s or older now. Kids, I doubt it drew in more audience than Facts Of Life of Diff’rent Strokes.

Then the Joey factor. A lot of fans hate him. They hated the show when he came aboard. I thought it got better. However, there will be a lot of original fans who won’t like that Joey will be there. Let’s face it, if it does reboot, all 3 girls, Joey, Telma and Jonathan would have to be there in some way.

I would hate to think what the new writers would do. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I think I’d be best at being on the writing team or crew for this show as I know it and I’ve worked in Hollywood (though I left last year)...I’d write it in a way that would please fans and not mess anything up (or if they got writers or crew who knew it, that would be best!) If a writer wrote this show they’d have to be tip top shape on the history, and I doubt writers would be. Most writers these days of reboots don’t watch the originals. I am not only a screenwriter, I’m
A big fan, and even just being a writers assistant I’d be able to be there and work with them on how it could be done the right way, consulting with the cast and the crew which is what I would have been great on doing if I got to work at Melrose Place on CW, yet they made up fake stories because they didn’t get writers or assistants who watched the original.

They’d have to address a lot of stuff. So much, much, much time has passed. For example, Fuller House ended in
In 1995, so 20 years passed. They did address stuff at times that happened post 1995-2015. GAB ended in 1987, that’s 33 years ago. Writers would have to address and acknowledge the original, make note of the Chief, Nell’s history, the passing of the Chief, then events that happened after Nell moved to NYC and what happened to the girls, Joey, Addy, herself, grandpa and Simpson, post 1987. This chunk would most likely be ignored by writers who didn’t watch the show 100 percent. If they got bad writers or staff, they’d just focus on the new characters (like the kids the kids would have) and the returning ones wouldn’t speak much of the past or bring up what happened over the year’s...They’d skip stuff and not acknowledge anything. That’s what happened with Melrose Place. When characters returned they said one line here and there and we didn’t get any info when that show ended in 1999 as to where some characters were and stuff that happened that was dropped.

I just couldn’t see this running long without Nell. One season tops. Any way they did it, but I would love to see everyone together again in someway. Like Kari said, flashbacks would be great, but I just don’t see the show lasting too long. It would be nice to see what happened with everyone, at least. If they did they right, that would be the best thing. But they’d need writers and staff who knew the original in and out. A lot of new writers who are 30s and younger most likely have not seen this show. So I would hate to think what would happen. I’m 38 and watched it many times as I watched it on USA when I was 15 and have the entire series on dvd and know every episode, character history, et. They’d need writers like that, yet most original ones have probably retired or passed on.


Before I read this, I had no idea that they were working on a reboot of "Who's the Boss". I have since looked it up and found some of what I read to be quite interesting. Let us see if it takes off!