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CSI: San Francisco coming soon… how about fresh ideas?

By fred | July 31, 2008

CBS ordered a script for a remake of the classic The Streets Of San Francisco, the 1970s cop series that starred Michael Douglas and Karl Malden.

Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard) and Numb3rs producer Robert Port are penning the script, with Simon West on board to direct the pilot if/when ordered. The show s said to keep key elements for the original : the title, the names of the two main characters, Steve Keller and Mike Stone, and of course the backdrop of the City by the Bay. Other than that, it should try to bring the spirit of the original series into the new millennium, explained Turner.

According to him, “the times are very similar — it was the Vietnam War in the 1970s and the Iraq War now. There is the same sort of tension between generations, and we wanted to carry that to the new series.” I’m not really sure that’s right, but whatever.

Now I won’t say this will look like another spin-off à la CSI: San Francisco, but I’m really not excited about this either, plus, you know, CSI: San Francisco anyone?

Not that I didn’t like the original series, but I think this shows a clear lack of ideas and creativity from the main networks in general, and CBS in particular. Unless CBS really needed yet another cop series, because I hear that’s what people are really asking for these days, more cop shows, and after the fantastic success of Bionic Woman last season, or the upcoming hits that will be, I’m sure, Knight Rider and 90210, I can’t wait to see what other new old series they have in store for us…

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but as far as I’m concerned I would love to see some new shows that would actually be new, you know, shows based on fresh ideas and new concepts, shows that bring something new to the table, rather than yet another remake of some old series, some spin-off without ideas or an import from some British, Australian or wherever series…

If only for that reason, this is why shows like Fringe and Dollhouse are getting me excited. Sure, names like J.J. Abrams or Joss Whedon are more than enough, but - even if we keep hearing about how Fringe might be the new The X Files - those two series are not based on any previous show or concept, they’re fresh ideas, and that’s about a billion times more exciting than a “reinvented 90210″ or the “Knight Rider of this millennium”… at least to me!

Posted in News
Shows: The Streets Of San Francisco