9 TV Shows That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Failed)

5. Fuller House

Netflix have made a killing cashing in on nostalgia, jumping on shows from the distant past and rebooting or reviving them for a whole new generation. They've made it clear nothing is off-limits, and Fuller House is the biggest example of that.

The first season of the sitcom revival was also an example, however, of what happens when executives want to cash in on nostalgia but have no real way to justify it. For fans of the original, seeing most of the old cast back together to refer to the old days and indulge in similar plots might have been a dream come true, but for everyone else there was no compelling reason to jump into a show that clearly wasn't for them.

Thankfully, after an indulgent throwback-heavy first season, the writers realised they couldn't get along on that initial nostalgic interest forever (the biting reviews probably helped), and subsequent seasons have improved by moving away from being a quick endorphin rush of childhood remembrance to forging a new identity as a continuation that also stands on its own merits.