10 TV Shows That Were Unexpectedly Resurrected

Doctor Who might be a British TV staple, and it might currently be dominating pop culture, but there was a fairly lengthy time (over fifteen years, to be exact) during which the show seemed totally dead in the water.

Despite being extremely popular during the sixties and seventies, time was (somewhat aptly) the show's enemy, as its cartoonish nature led to decreased interest from the general public and even animosity from within the BBC. At a certain point it looked like there was no real place on television for camp, bombastic science-fiction, leading many to believe that the show was, while beloved, a product of its time.

For a long time it seemed like those people were right. Despite fan petitioning to get the show back on air, an entire decade went by with no success, which is enough time to make even the most dedicated viewers lose hope. The BBC appeared adamant that the show's future would be off air, in the form of novels, comics and radio shows.

Things looked especially grim following an attempt in 1996 to relaunch the show using Doctor Who: The Movie, a co-production between the BBC, Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox. Ratings were low, and once again Who was shelved.

So when rumblings of a reboot began in 2003, then, many doubted it would actually happen - how could a show like Doctor Who exist in a more "modern" age? Yet it happened, and ten years later it continues to thrive.