It’s an interesting week for television, as the past becomes the future with reboots of both “Charmed” and “Murder, She Wrote” in development.
CBS TV Studios, which owns the rights to Aaron Spelling’s library, is planning a re-imagining of the once-popular WB witch series “Charmed,” hoping to capitalise on the genre-driven TV craze. Party of Five co-creator Chris Keyser and partner Sydney Sidner will write the script, with CBS Television Studios and The Tannenbaum Company, Keyser, and Sidner co-executive producing. The series is described as a remake of the original, in which three – until they introduced the fourth – sisters discover that they are, in fact, witches destined to fight the forces of evil that seek to dominate the universe. All manner of hijinks ensue, as romances with Gods and demons occur, worlds are saved, and lips are glossed.
Meanwhile, NBC is developing a remake of “Murder, She Wrote” as well as an adaptation of the 1990s coming of age movie “Reality Bites.” “Desperate Housewives” alumni Alexandra Cunningham and David Janollari will produce the remake of the Angela Lansbury sleuthing drama with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) set to star. The original series was wildly popular, drawing in 23 million viewers on Sunday nights at its height, and ran for 12 years on CBS.