5 TV Shows That Should Make A Comeback

It’s inevitable that TV shows like everything else move with the times to keep things fresh and draw in new viewers. Over time there are thousands of shows that have been cancelled, discarded in the virtual trash and resigned to life of reruns. I’m sure most of you have favourite shows that have suffered the same fate having been replaced by others emulating the same concept within a different format, I know I have.

Being a bit of a TV addict when the opportunity arises, I often reference shows that are no longer shown, expressing my disappointment so I thought I would share with you five of my most missed shows that I would love to see revived.

Wife Swap

Born back in 2003 Wife Swap was reality TV at its absolute best! Each week saw two families hailing from different backgrounds swap wife’s/Mother’s/ head of the household for two weeks. During the first week the new Wife had to live by the rules of their new house before being able to implement rules in line with their own household on the second week.

Of course, to glean the maximum entertainment value the families were polar opposites and the poor Wife’s were thrown completely out of their comfort zones. The show was filled with plenty of arguments and tantrums, not just from the kids, and on a couple of occasions descended into violence. For me the show was an eye-opener to the way other’s chose to live their lives and became the ultimate compulsive watch enabling me to ‘peek behind the curtain’ and see how different families are.

There was also a celebrity spin off show with my all-time favourite episode being the swap between John McCririck and Edwina Currie. I truly couldn’t believe how lazy and rude John was to his long-suffering wife Jenny and it was great to see him getting a taste of his own medicine from Edwina!

Knightmare

Knightmare is one of my favourite shows from my childhood, running from the late 80’s into the early 90’s, I remember always making sure I was back in the house in time for it to start! Set in the fantasy world of a medical dungeon, the show saw a team of four kids enter the world of virtual reality gameplay. One-member of the team entered the ‘dungeon’ blindfolded to the virtual world around them as the remaining three helped guide them through obstacles, completing puzzles and conversing with wacky characters along the way. All of this was overseen by the dungeon master played by Hugo Myatt giving them hints and clues to help them along the way.

Back in the 80’s as a child this virtual reality world seemed really high tech and exciting to me even though now as an adult it does seem a little naff! This would be a fabulous programme to reinvent as the advances in technology would really give it an added dimension for a new audience.

Spendaholics

This show I stumbled upon when the girls were small, and I was on Maternity leave and it became compulsive viewing for me. Aired on BBC3 from 2005, the show is fronted by financial expert Benjamin Fry and stylist Jay Hunt who each week take on a different Spendaholic in the hope of changing their ways. The premise of the show sounds a little boring but basically consists of an over spender who has realised they are spiralling into debt ask for the help of the team to turn their life around.

The shows participants varied from singletons to families who were offered practical advice on how cut their frivolous ways. For me personally I found it mind boggling the money these people were spending on non-essentials as their credit cards bills kept rising, I sat opened mouthed week in week out. As someone who has managed to dig herself out of debt stupidly taken on at 18yrs old I know how tough it is and it was great to see the positive changes that people made because of the advice and shock tactics they had been given.

You Bet

Another childhood programme I loved to watch with my family is You Bet! I have great memories of settling down for a night of TV on Saturday to watch it. Originally hosted by legend Bruce Forsyth and latterly by Darren Day, my memories are of the time Matthew Kelly was the host. The format consisted of a panel of celebrities who along with the audience placed bets on the likelihood of members of the public completely seemingly impossible challenges or stunts.

With four challenges a week the celebrities were awarded points based on the accuracy of their predictions which at the end of the show were converts to cash for charity. This was an amazing show which due to the nature of the challenges offered something completely different each week. I remember quite often sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath to see if the challenger could complete their task in time – there was often quite a lot of shouting at the TV too! It was Saturday night gold, they just don’t make TV shows of the same calibre anymore!

Secret Millionaire

Another reality show completes my list – I see a theme here! No one does reality TV quite like Channel 4 and The Secret Millionaire is no exception. I loved this show so much, it saw a different millionaire each week leave the luxury and privilege of their life behind to live on a low budget in a poorer part of the country. With their task to forge a life for themselves using their limited means they often found temporary employment or work volunteering in the local community which helped them find individuals or projects that would benefit from financial help.

The finale of the show saw the millionaire reveal their true identity to the people they had been living alongside and offering money to help improve their situations. The show gave a great insight into the wealth divide in our country with a heart-warming twist at the end that meant I often found my eyes glistening with tears.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post there are shows that are very similar in concept that are currently being aired which of course I am avidly tuned into, but I would still love to see some of these shows revived and revamped.

Are there any shows you would like to see make a return to our screens? Dis you used to watch any of the shows on my list? Drop me a message below I would love to hear your views!