Welcome back Kotter reboot

[badlands]

Is this possible? Maybe have John Travolta as the title character or his original character as a teacher in the school ?

[august]

It's possible....but Travolta past retirement age as a young new teacher might not work, and if it's not a young teacher returning to his roots, it's a different show. Now Travolta as a weary Principal Barbarino is not a bad idea at all...but that might work better as a drama with him as an original character. Getting him to commit to a series might be impossible though.

[Michael]

Welcome Back, Kotter was a sensation in the 1970s because it was so different from the Norman Lear and MTM sitcoms that had dominated the TV schedules for years. Back then, American viewers had 3 major networks, PBS, and some random independent stations to watch. Things were pretty boring.

Also, Gabe Kaplan took his stage act and turned it into a TV show format. So you'd need someone like him to headline a reboot, where he'd have established, audience-tested personas to pass on to a new team of young actors.

Today's marketplace and audience interests are very different. I think you could have a show that shakes things up like WBK did, but probably not a reboot.

[august]

Yep. Dedicated young teacher in challenging school has worked ever since Our Gang met Miss Crabtree. And the lead determines the direction: naive young girl? Wise-cracking comic? Street-wise player? Tough ex-cop? Hot beauty? Working class shmoe? Coach who can take them to finals? Metal-head who reaches them via rock music? All have worked, with good writing and production.

[Michael]

In fact, though I don't watch teen TV shows, I suspect there are probably a few in that genre on American television today. Between cable and streaming networks, there are an awful lot of shows to choose from.

This is a formula that probably won't die for a long, long time. The jokes and plots can always appeal to the contemporary teen audience's generation.