Two of my favorite shows right now are

1: "Cobra Kai" -- sequel to the Karate Kid trilogy

and

2. "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai" -- prequel to the Gremlins duology

Gremlins and Karate Kid were both released in 1984. I say. Without double-checking.

PRETTY COINCIDENTAL

Anyone liking these shows?

No spoilers on "Mogwai" cause I'm currently only partway through the season.

I'm impressed with how both of the shows are able to build so creatively on the stories told in the films, while not really ever contradicting or retconning anything. "Cobra Kai" in particular spins gold out of its source material -- which is impressive, since two thirds of that trilogy are pret-tay effin' lame.

Both shows also do a great job of managing the "nods," i.e. the little nostalgia-nudges that the fans expect from these projects. They're well integrated, always feeling like they're working in synch with the story, rather than just dropped willy-nilly in order get some unearned figurative applause from the audience.

The makers of Star Wars 7, 8 and 9 and the guys currently making new Star Trek shit ... those guys should watch Cobra Kai and Mogwai to see how it's done. And then they should toss themselves off some buildings IN SHAME.

(Figuratively of course.)

Both these shows are just so wonderfully, cleverly done. At this point, they're both in the "gold-standard" tier for me in terms of nostalgia-based relaunches.

I never really liked the Karate Kid films so I have had no interest in Cobra Kai, but I love Gremlins and didn't even know this series existed. I see it streams on Max in the U.S, which we don't get here, so I am going to have to see if I can access it here in Canada. Thanks for drawing attention to it! If I get it I will join the discussion. If not, I will sadly follow along from outside.

Yeah, like Jason I've never heard of the Mogwai show either as I don't have MAX. I might finally break down and subscribe once the new Penguin show comes out because it looks amazing, but no awareness of the Gremlins spinoff. They must not have promoted it well at all if a noted culture vulture such as myself never heard of it.

And Doot, I will politely mention that you neglected to include a 3rd spinoff of a beloved 1984 film in your list, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which of course is a prequel to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. I'm sure you feel very embarrassed at the oversight so I won't try to make you feel worse, but, I mean...come on.

1984 was a pretty good year for moobie shows.

Temple of Doom came out, and there was a good TV show called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. That one is not a "clean kill" because the 1984 movie was not the debut of the franchise.

Of course, Terminator was a franchise debut in 1984 and there as been a TV show (Sarah Connor)

Dune came out in 1984, and there was a SciFi channel show doing Dune.

But I don't suppose there are any other "nostalgia service" shows like Cobra Kai and Gremlins. The Ghostbusters films are nostaglia service, but not tv shows.

I hope you can find it!

It's only ten episodes, alas, although it sounds like a new batch of ten (see what I did there?) is in the works!

Yeah, I don't know why there wasn't a bigger promotional push for it. I guess "Gremlins" isn't a hugely popular franchise ... but it was popular enough for someone to decide to make the show in the first place, so ... once it's made, why not let people know?


There is definitely no flaw in your logic. But I should point out that my opening post was mainly about the *good* series based on 1984 films. When I get to the post about the series that completely missed the point of the original films, then of course I will do "Strange New Worlds." Or ... as I prefer to call it ... "No Dr. McCoy, NO DEAL."

So close! But yeah, it's a little messy.


Ooo, that's a good one! And the show was pretty solid, wasn't it? I only ever saw the pilot, and I know the series never got a proper ending, but it seemed cool at the time.


But is it a clean kill, given that the tv show was (I assume) not based on the movie, but just a new adaptation of the same book?


No, and they provide a good contrast, because they do so many things wrong that I think "Cobra Kai" and "Mogwai" do right.

You fail as a Star Trek fan and as a list maker, because 1. SNW is a good series and 2. McCoy canonically was not present on the Enterprise under Captain Pike. Now go hang your head in shame and stick to that Superman-but-not-Superman show you love so much.

That was my fault for making a completely non-sarcastic post in reaction to Plum's equally non-sarcastic post about how the Star Trek franchise began in 1984, with the third movie in its filmography.

Ghostbusters (1984) leads to a cartoon TV series Real Ghostbusters in 1986.

Sheena (1984) didn't exactly spawn a TV series, but there was a Sheena TV series in the 1950s and from 2000 to 2002.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) might have led to a 2013 TV Show, but the series was not picked up. Likewise, there were sequels to
Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and a TV pilot was produced. (Pilot appeared only as an extra in a DVD movie release).

Police Academy (1984) and Footloose (1984) don't seem to have gotten any sort of TV series consideration.

Romancing the Stone (1984) at least got a Family Guy parody episode.

Splash (1984) got a TV movie sequel but not a series.

The film Angel (1984) got sequels and a potential (failed) TV series was released repackaged straight to video as Angel 4.

Starman (1984) did get a TV series starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes, which continues the story.

Terminator (1984) got The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Yeah, I was bored, so I started looking online.

I used to watch it as a lad. J Michael Strasynski wrote some clever episodes. Overall, not a bad show, from what I can recall.


The Sheena of 2000-2002 was a pretty lady. I don't recall her acting being great.


There was a Police Academy cartoon! I'm sure I remember that, unless I am Mandela-affected.


Ignominious to say the least.


That's somethin'.


That's nothin'.


Never saw the movie all the way through, but I did watch the TV show with my mom. Until my mom got sick of it, which might have been after only a few episodes. (Or perhaps it was cancelled after only a few episodes?)


Ended on a cliffhanger. (Or so I am told.) LAME.

None of these beat Kai or Mogwai for me personally.

But it is interesting to see them all lined up like this. The "Starman" one is a surprising deep cut, 'cause while I do remember watching the show, I had no concept of what year the original movie came out. (I think my mom only liked the movie because she likes the Bowie song a bunch, so in my head I probably had a notion that the film was from the '70s, closer in time to the song.)

Yes, I recalled that there was a cartoon, it ran for two seasons starting in 1988.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Academy_(TV_series)

There was a one season live action TV series in 1997, as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Ac ... The_Series

I am hopeful the Mogwai series is better than these, though!

I can't bring myself to even sarcastically suggest that those Police Academy shows look even a little bit good.

No. Some things are just too tragic.

Well don't let it happen again or I will be forced to be non-sarcastic as well.

This has been a healthy and completely non-sarcastic interaction between two parties.

Which itself was a TERRIBLE prequel to "Deal or No Deal".

... Sarcasm?

An exaggeration.

Heh

That was Gena Lee Nolin.