MEME: Which TV Series Would You Remake?

Rob has another meme running at The Medium Is Not Enough, asking people to give examples of TV shows they'd remake, if they had the power. I generally think a good remake is only possible if you update and revolutionize an old concept, so we're talking early-'80s and beyond...

I would actually choose to remake The Prisoner, but that's actually happening, so my next choice would be... The Avengers. I know, I know, the 1997 movie starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman was atrocious, but I truly believe that movie is The Avengers' own '96 Doctor Who TVM. If someone took The Avengers and did the same thing Russell T. Davies achieved with Doctor Who (borrow the best ideas from the US-version, but imbue it with the wit and imagination common to the classic show) it would be a real treat.

I even have some casting suggestions: undoubtedly, Emma Peel should be Keeley Hawes. She would be perfect. John Steed? Trickier. Perhaps Richard Armitage, or maybe Rupert Penry-Jones? Jim Broadbent could even reprise the role of Mother from the '97 movie.

But where would it be set? A period piece in the '60s? Why bother? Just watch the old series. A modern update? Hmm, would that work? I would actually do something similar to the '97 movie: base it in an alternative universe where the Swinging Sixties never ended -- meaning hybrid fashions and high-tech gadgets with retro appearances (like video phones with dials, etc.) You know how "steampunk" makes futuristic vehicles and objects using Victorian-era materials and design? Well, this would be the same thing, but with '60s designs. Imagine if the '60s had the internet, mobile phones, etc.

You'd shoot the show with an updated-'60s feel, but it wouldn't matter if any modern buildings or vehicles get in the way, because this would be an amalgam of old and new. I'd also insist the British Empire still existed, making everything an obvious patriotic fantasy piece. And you'd keep the trademark surrealism, obviously. Lots of crazy ideas, madcap plots, and cartoon-y laughs families can enjoy, but with a sharper edge. The '90s Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) remake actually did a good job in many areas.

So there you go. Just a few thoughts. Given the fact The Avengers has already been revamped before (most notably as The New Avengers in the '70s) doing it again wouldn't even be without precedent.