It is the day and age of reboots, revivals, and reunions, as many classic TV shows are returning. Some of them feature the same cast as before, picking up where the story left off, years ago. Others are full of all-new faces, telling the story completely over, in a whole new way.
Which stars appeared in their rebooted television series, and which did not? Which familiar faces reprised their roles, and which did not? Which five celebs came back for more, and which did not? Let’s find out, right here and right now...
Did: David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson In The X-Files
Originally, The X-Files was on air from 1993 to 2002, starring David Duchovny as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully—FBI special agents with differing views and opinions. At the beginning of 2016, a six-episode Season 10 came out, and after that, the team decided to do another one, as well, which ran from January to March 2018.
Anderson said that Season 11 was her last season, and though there have been comments about continuing without her, there don’t appear to be any more episodes of The X-Files coming.
Didn’t: Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano & Rose McGowan In Charmed
From 1998 to 2006, Charmed came on, starring Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and, eventually, Rose McGowan as sisters who just happened to be the most powerful witches in the world. On October 14, 2018, a new version of this show began, all about sisters named Macy, Mel and Maggie.
Season 2 of this reboot is set to premiere next month, despite the fact that some of the original cast members were not shy to show their disappointment, as they were not asked for input and not involved in the development.
Did: Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin & Andrea Barber In Fuller House
Some family members who did return to their series, though, are the stars of Fuller House; this Netflix series is a sequel to Full House, which came on from 1987 to 1995. It stars Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber, who played D.J., Stephanie, and Kimmy, respectively.
Many other familiar faces have appeared, too, such as John Stamos as Jesse Katsopolis, Bob Saget as Danny Tanner and Dave Coulier as Joey Gladstone… but not Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who portrayed Michelle Tanner.
Didn’t: The Robinson Family In Lost In Space
From 1965 to 1968, the original version of Lost in Space was on the air, and starting in 2018, Netflix began reimagining it; it is basically the same story, made for a new generation to enjoy.
This new sci-fi show stars Molly Parker as Maureen Robinson, Toby Stephens as John Robinson, Maxwell Jenkins as Will Robinson, Taylor Russell as Judy Robinson and Mina Sundwall as Penny Robinson, while the older one featured June Lockhart, Guy Williams, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright and Billy Mumy.
Did: The Conner Family In Roseanne
Roseanne came on from 1988 to 1997, as well as from March to May 2018. After some controversies, an additional show was created, too, which is called The Conners, which started in October 2018, and which does not include Roseanne Barr.
But the reboot of this popular sitcom did have the original Conner family in it: Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner, John Goodman as Dan Conner, Laurie Metcalf as Jackie Harris, Michael Fishman as D.J. Conner, Sara Gilbert as Darlene Conner, Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner and Sarah Chalke, who also was Becky at times, as Andrea, who uses Becky as a surrogate.
Didn’t: Tina Majorino In Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars originally ran from 2004 to 2007, but fans recently got a Season 4 of this series; its eight episodes dropped on Hulu in July 2019, a week earlier than expected.
Of course, Kristen Bell returned as the main and title character of this exciting show, several other familiar faces appeared, as well, and some new stars were seen, such as Patton Oswalt and J. K. Simmons. Someone who did not appear, though, was Tina Majorino, who played Mac. Mac was a computer expert who became friends with Veronica.
Did: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally & Sean Hayes In Will & Grace
On Will & Grace, which ran from 1998 to 2006, Eric McCormack played Will Truman, Debra Messing played Grace Adler, Megan Mullally played Karen Walker, and Sean Hayes played Jack McFarland. In 2016, the cast came back together in a PSA for the election, and after the excitement that caused, the show came back for real in 2017, featuring those four fan favorites.
Season 10 wrapped up earlier this year, and Season 11 has already been confirmed, though that will be the final season of the series.
Didn’t: Edward Herrmann In Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life
Gilmore Girls starred Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as, well, the Gilmore girls, and it was on TV from 2000 to 2007. In 2016, Netflix released Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which is technically a sequel to the original show. It brought back tons of great characters for four long episodes that were set in the four different seasons.
There were a couple of minor characters who did not pop back up for this continuing story… and there was one major one: Richard Gilmore, who had been played by Edward Herrmann, who passed away in 2014.
Did: Ben Savage & Danielle Fishel In Girl Meets World
Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel may always be known as Cory and Topanga, the characters they played on Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000, as well as on Girl Meets World from 2014 to 2017.
This is actually a spinoff show, which gave fans what they wanted: a glimpse into Cory and Topanga’s adult life, where they are married and have children. A couple of the original cast members showed up on this new series, and it would not have been the same without Savage and Fishel.
Didn’t: The Fab Five In Queer Eye
The original Fab Five on Queer Eye (from 2003 to 2007) included Ted Allen, the Food and Wine Connoisseur; Kyan Douglas, the Grooming Guru; Thom Filicia, the Design Doctor; Carson Kressley, the Fashion Savant; and Jai Rodriguez, the Culture Vulture.
Netflix’s revival of this show includes Antoni Porowski, the food and wine expert; Tan France, the fashion expert; Karamo Brown, the culture expert; Bobby Berk, the design expert; and Jonathan Van Ness, the grooming expert. It started in 2018, and it has already been renewed for a Season 5.