Reviews - Reuters/Variety

'Rerun Show' Raucously Revisits Old Sitcoms
Thu Aug 1, 7:14 AM ET
By Phil Gallo

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Camped up with sexual innuendo played to the hilt, NBC's "Rerun Show" slaps around vintage cornball sitcoms and elevates the kitsch factor in already kitschy fare.



Premise is simple: Take a script from an old sitcom and have actors interpret exactly what's written on the page. It's doubtful Willis ever scored with a young lady on "Diff'rent Strokes" or that Blair was seen eating throughout "Facts of Life," but it's the interpretive aspect of "The Rerun Show" that supplies its kick.

Paul Vogt is a cross-dressing hoot as Mrs. Garrett in "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes," his acting gracefully off the mark and his dialogue often inane. Where other actors simply exaggerate what viewers tend to remember about the characters -- the macho posturing of Jo ("Facts"), Mr. Drummond's choked baritone ("Strokes") -- Vogt takes the house mother to another level.

Garrett, for whatever bizarre reason, was a character in both shows, and Vogt plays her in the two episodes supplied for review -- Thursday night's preview remake of "Diff'rent Strokes" and Tuesday's trashing of "Facts of Life."

In "Strokes," "The Rivals" episode is revisited in which a female classmate (Daniele Gaither) comes to study with Arnold (Candy Ford) and ends up seducing Willis (Don Reed).

In "The Facts of Life," show duplicates its subject's cheap production design and the actresses cardboard characters. In "Shoplifting," the quartet of boarding school girls purloin a blouse for Mrs. Garrett for her birthday. Eventually, it becomes a case of mistaken identity that Vogt then twists into a slightly discreet discussion of sexual peccadilloes.

Gary Coleman appears in the "Facts of Life" segment, part of the stunt casting that runs throughout the six-show series. Danny Bonaduce returns to his TV clan in "The Partridge family" Thursday night; Marla Gibbs shows up on "The Jeffersons" as a sex therapist; David Faustino returns to the Bundys in "Married ... With Children"; and Rerun himself, Fred Berry, appears on the "What's Happening!" remake.

Ensemble: Brian Beacock, Ashley Drane, Candy Ford, Daniele Gaither, Danielle Hover, Don Reed, Mitch Silpa, Paul Vogt.

The Rerun Show (Thurs. (1), 9:30-10:00 p.m., NBC)

Taped in Culver City, Calif., by NBC Studios and Columbia TriStar Domestic Television. Executive producers, David Salzman, John Davies; producer, Roxie Wenk Evans; associate producer, Matthew B. Morgan; director, Bruce Leddy; camera, Dan Johnson; production design, Brandy Alexander; editor, Jesse Hoke; casting, Julie Ashton.
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Ok, I wanna see it still, but it looks like it's a mean spirited show. Let's prepare ourselves.

I don't know about that, It's just different, but I'm sure it can't be that bad, you know those reviews are always making their way through their opinions, I'm really excited to see it. They probably think its just another false alarm, but they have to make it look speacial. I can't believe they even realesed that review, willing viewers were hoping for good speacials, we want to make this look good, were the fans.:D

Originally posted by U2baby

In "The Facts of Life," show duplicates its subject's cheap production design and the actresses cardboard characters. In "Shoplifting," the quartet of boarding school girls purloin a blouse for Mrs. Garrett for her birthday. Eventually, it becomes a case of mistaken identity that Vogt then twists into a slightly discreet discussion of sexual peccadilloes.



Umm....were they dissing FOL in that first line there?





I'm going to watch it, but they best not trash it too much...





ks

Well the DS one just aired and they clearly dissed Diff'rent Strokes. The Partridge Family too.

Well I think it's cool! The whole point of it is to dis the shows!

i dint watch it cause i knew it was going to make fun of it. the ONLY reason that they are making fun of it is because it was a wholesome, moral, happy show! as maybe some of you have realized, NBC no longer has anything wholesome or close to moral on their network. Im so pissed at them. The only good show on there is Frasier and sometimes Friends. NBC really sucks now. I mean COME ON! They are making fun of the best show ever!! GRRRRRRRRRR...:mad:

i dint watch it cause i knew it was going to make fun of it. the ONLY reason that they are making fun of it is because it was a wholesome, moral, happy show! as maybe some of you have realized, NBC no longer has anything wholesome or close to moral on their network. Im so pissed at them. The only good show on there is Frasier and sometimes Friends. NBC really sucks now. I mean COME ON! They are making fun of the best show ever!! GRRRRRRRRRR...

Well you could still watch it because it hasnt aired yet. Anyways I hope there is like a Blair/Jo sex scene... that would SOOOOOOOOO funny LOLLLL. :happyface :happyface

Yea, the whole point is to make fun of the show and make us realize that FOL was great. I think is' suppose to show us that we're lucky FOl didn't turn out the way the rerun show portrayed it. so lighten up and have some fun! :D :D :D

I thought it was a pretty good show. But it was kind of sick what they did with the Partridge family having the two older brother and sister make out like that but still funny. I think it is a pretty good show and hope that NBC makes it a whole series and not just a summer show. By the way I love most of NBC's current shows. I watch NBC 4 out of the 7 days a week. I especially love Thursdays schedule. Friends, Scrubs,Will and Grace ( the best NBC show ever), and the new funny show Good Morning Miami.

I don't wanna lighten up. I wanna make a big deal outta everything. lol:lol:

Originally posted by meandcjluvjoandnancy4eva
I don't wanna lighten up. I wanna make a big deal outta everything. lol:lol: Come on! Let's have some fun outta this. :)

I think you have to have a really good sense of humor to watch this show when it makes fun of your favorite shows.

Originally posted by Will and Grace Fanatic
I think you have to have a really good sense of humor to watch this show when it makes fun of your favorite shows. Very true, I was gonna point that out, but I guess you beat me to it, lol. :lol:

Originally posted by Jo's the bomb
Come on! Let's have some fun outta this. :)

k...ill try. lol :lol:

Originally posted by meandcjluvjoandnancy4eva


k...ill try. lol :lol: Good for you! :happyface

Originally posted by Jo's the bomb
Good for you! :happyface

Jenny get on AIM! :(

Originally posted by Jo's the bomb
Come on! Let's have some fun outta this. :)


FUN?! How can you ask us to please have fuuuuun with this, when they're making the MOST fun out of the most moral character or the 80's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?????????????????


I'm so sick, it's not even funny....I haven't even seen the show yet, and I know it sucks....must they turn EVERYTHING these days into something related to sex?!I mean what the HELL do they think they're doing?! Haven't they even learned from the shows that they make fun of, from the characters that are ten billion times smarter than they are?! "This attitude that whatever sells is okay, is WRONG....WRONG!" (okay, it's a teeny bit scary that there's a PERFECT fol quote for this situation, but, oh well, that just further proves my point)What the...why in...who do they...how do they expect to...ya know what....I'm just gonna go vent somewhere else...y'all enjoy the show...the ONLY reason, and i repeat ONLY reason I'm going to watch it when the FOL one comes on(or has it been on, I dunno I've been gone) is so I can confirm this and find even more things wrong with it...lol...that's kind of a negative attitude, but, I don't want to stand back and not at least give them my opinion about them making total asses of themselves by relating everything to something sexual...sorry, but...that's one of the reasons why kids learn about that kind of thing before they're really ready for it, which is one of the reasons why some teens have sex before they're married and end up in the whole, unmarried and pregnant situation...wow that was not interesting...anyway..JMO...so...feel free to trash it!:crazy:

Sex is in these days!

Originally posted by SoFl123
Sex is in these days!

Yes it is. And sex is funny, cause most shows I do watch involve some type of sex jokes. But this show used sex way to much in it. Espeically when they have some type of inbreeding in the episode.

That's exactly my point!!!!!!!(the fact that sex is "in" these days) Why does something like that have to be "in?" That is a very private thing between two people and television has to make some humongous joke out of it. It totally takes away from the sacredness.

Besides I hate the word "in" lol....what I mean is I hate the phrase, "but that's 'in' now!" or something like that....WHOOOOOOOOO CAAAAAARRRRRRRES!!?!?!????? CAn't you people make desicions for yourself and not base things on what other people do? Oh, well, he jumped off a cliff so, I will too!!! Yippppppeeee!!!*splatness*

oh, but, no one listens to Lizzie, so, feel free to ignore this post...:rolleyes:

I haven't seen it yet but, I want a part on the show (any part, any show)! It just seems so funny to me. Life is so full of pain sometimes that everyone needs a good laugh now and then. If they are listening out there........ Put me on this show!!! :lol: :lol: :happyface :happyface :lol:

I thought it was kinda funny but it could get rid of some of the sex humor..I thought Mrs. Garrett was funny.

Nothing wrong with sex humor.

Originally posted by SoFl123
Nothing wrong with sex humor.

Exactly!! Sex is funny.

I didn't see the first episode, but of course, I'll be catching The Facts spoof on Tuesday.
The article is indeed right, in what they're saying about how the new actors are simply exaggerating what casual watchers may have remembered about the characters.

And I understand that. How could you NOT make fun of The Facts of Life? All the girls were not typical Hollywood plastic Barbies. They sometimes had horrendous haircuts and outfits, and the premise was really unbelievable(staying the the SAME housemother and friends for NINE YEARS?). It's probably the most odd "normal" show ever. But that's why I love it.

And half the reason why they are making fun of it, is because they know people still watch and enjoy these shows, especially the Facts.

That's why they're not making fun of Miami Vice or Small Wonder, because nobody watches or cares about them anymore.

Anyway, you take the good, you take the bad... :)

nothing wrong with toilet humor either.

I don't know about this show (Rerun), since I'm becoming more and more of a fan of FOL from the Hallmark repeats. I'll proably stick with the original. :)

---------------------------------------
Daily Quotes:

“I tell you, Tootie, this is one awesome song. Better than that…whatchacallit…Facts of Life theme song.” –Arnold Drummond
“Whatchoo talking ‘bout, Arnold?” –Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey
("Prom of the Galaxy 2 - The Prom Conspiracy", Episode 53 of Gopher's Gateway)

“I tell you, I still like TV Land. It’s awesome. Man, that guy on Green Acres! What a genius!” –Hamm
“He’s not a guy, he’s a pig!” --Rex
“And…? He’s a TV fan too!” –Hamm
("The Great Toy Alliance, Part II", Episode 51 of Gopher's Gateway)

Originally posted by Charlotte Rae Fan



FUN?! How can you ask us to please have fuuuuun with this, when they're making the MOST fun out of the most moral character or the 80's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?????????????????


I'm so sick, it's not even funny....I haven't even seen the show yet, and I know it sucks....must they turn EVERYTHING these days into something related to sex?!I mean what the HELL do they think they're doing?! Haven't they even learned from the shows that they make fun of, from the characters that are ten billion times smarter than they are?! "This attitude that whatever sells is okay, is WRONG....WRONG!" (okay, it's a teeny bit scary that there's a PERFECT fol quote for this situation, but, oh well, that just further proves my point)What the...why in...who do they...how do they expect to...ya know what....I'm just gonna go vent somewhere else...y'all enjoy the show...the ONLY reason, and i repeat ONLY reason I'm going to watch it when the FOL one comes on(or has it been on, I dunno I've been gone) is so I can confirm this and find even more things wrong with it...lol...that's kind of a negative attitude, but, I don't want to stand back and not at least give them my opinion about them making total asses of themselves by relating everything to something sexual...sorry, but...that's one of the reasons why kids learn about that kind of thing before they're really ready for it, which is one of the reasons why some teens have sex before they're married and end up in the whole, unmarried and pregnant situation...wow that was not interesting...anyway..JMO...so...feel free to trash it!:crazy:

AMEN!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by meandcjluvjoandnancy4eva


AMEN!!!!!!!!

At least someone agrees...I don't feel like a complete moron for stating my opinion...

Originally posted by Charlotte Rae Fan


At least someone agrees...I don't feel like a complete moron for stating my opinion...

You are definitely not a moron. You know what? Total immorality is funny to some people, but it just, most of the time, doesn't make me laugh. Three's Company was considered very immoral in the time that it aired, but now its like children's programming! MY GOD :mad:

BTW.. Three's Company is about the only show I can think of that made sex funny.

Woah, old post. [Edits] :D

Did the rerun show get cancelled? I guess so, because I never saw more of it.