No matter how brilliantly or badly they turn out, I’ve always been a sucker for TV series revivals, be it as a “next generation” sort of series like this one or as a reunion movie, so I thought I’d throw together a list of some of my favorites for your reading enjoyment. The only caveats: I’m not counting occasions when a series jumped to the big screen, i.e. the not-very-good theatrical “Get Smart” movie, “The Nude Bomb,” nor am I including animated series in the mix…although if I did, you can bet the animated “Star Trek” series would be at the top of my list.

Okay, let’s roll…

When The CW first kicked off its return to West Beverly High School, the burning questions from virtually every TV critic who covered the series involved which of the original cast members would be returning. In the end, Jennie Garth (Kelly), Shannen Doherty (Brenda), Tori Spelling (Donna), Ann Gillespie (Jackie Taylor, Kelly’s mom), and Joe E. Tata (Nat, the proprietor of the Peach Pit) all ended up making it back to the familiar zip code for an episode or two, generally proving to be the most entertaining parts of those particular episodes. Since the show’s gone all new-school, though, I can’t be bothered to keep up with it.

This feels like a bit of a cheat, since it wasn’t so much a revival of an old series as it was an attempt to wrap up plot threads that had been left dangling when “Homicide: Life on the Street” departed the airwaves the year before. With that said, however, it still technically falls within the realm of a reunion film, and it’s one of the best ones you’re likely to find, so that’s why it’s here.

I always thought that the concept of this film, which posited that the Monkees continued to live together even after their series was cancelled, was an extremely clever one. I just wish the band’s reunion album, Justus, had been even half as enjoyable.

What can I tell you? I grew up about 15 minutes from the North Carolina border, and “The Dukes of Hazzard” was absolutely must-see TV for me when I was growing up. Even though I was 27 when Bo and Luke got back in the General Lee again, I was still hootin’ and a’hollerin’ with excitement. It’s just a shame that Boss Hogg didn’t live to see it. (RIP, Sorrell Booke.)

First things first: “The Nude Bomb” was terrible, and I hope whoever thought it was a good idea to put Maxwell Smart on the big screen without all of the elements that made “Get Smart” so funny got the punishment they deserved. I’m not saying that “Get Smart, Again!” is fantastic, either, but if you asked a fan of the original series to pick which of the two efforts they preferred, I absolutely cannot conceive of anyone picking anything other than this one. (I only wish the revival of the series with Andy Dick as Don Adams’ son had been as enjoyable.)

What started out as a way to get around a writer’s strike by re-filming episodes of the old series ultimately evolved into the adventures of a new generation of Impossible Missions Force agents, still led by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves). An additional tie to the classic “M:I” came via the character of Grant Collier, son of original team member Barney Collier, a situation which offered an addition wink at the audience by having Grant played by Phil Morris, the real son of Greg Morris, who played Barney. (Linda Day George also reprised her role as Linda Casey on an episode.)

Schmaltzy, yes, but consider how much better it was than “The Brady Brides.” Okay, so maybe that’s not saying much. Still, the holiday theme served as a nice framing device, and it’s not like the original series didn’t live in a world of happily-ever-after on a regular basis.

The sequels were a case of declining returns, even if one of them did co-star a young Sandra Bullock, but I can still remember the depth of my geeking out when I found out about this. Having revisited it on the recent “Six Million Dollar Man” box set, I won’t claim that it’s aged well, but I still have my memories.

This may sound strange, but I’m pretty sure that it was this TV movie that actually convinced me to watch “The Andy Griffith Show.” That’s backwards, I realize, but as a kid, I always preferred shows that features kids as main characters, and although Opie was a regular, the plots really didn’t revolve around him all that much. Since then, of course, I’ve come to realize what a wonderful series it is, and this was a lovely look back at Mayberry that worked quite well, I thought.

I can’t even be bothered to go to Wikipedia and see how many subsequent “Perry Mason” movies there were. I just remember how excited my mother was when this one first came on. (She’d been positively addicted to the original series.) The idea of Judge Mason stepping down from the bench in order to defend his former secretary Della Street against a murder charge was a great premise for the film, and I’m not surprised that it was successful enough to warrant further “Perry Mason” adventures. All things being equal, though, I think they would’ve been better served if they’d made it an hour-long series rather than a bunch of two-hour movies that invariably dragged at various points. Oh, well.

At the time this premiered, I’d never actually seen an episode of the original series – I only knew it from its reputation in a book about cult TV – but I still enjoyed it immensely. (I also wasn’t as bothered by some when Patrick Macnee stepped in to replace Leo G. Carroll out of necessity.) Having said that, the cameo by George Lazenby as a secret agent referred to as “J.B.” was a step too far into silliness.

A lot of people had problems with the idea of taking America’s perfect family – the Cleavers – and revealing that they ended up being just as dysfunctional as everyone else, with Beaver getting a divorce and so forth, but I just thought it made it seem more real. But, hell, I was only 13 at the time, so what did I know about reality?

It was never going to be the same without the presence of Michael Dunn as Dr. Miguelito Loveless, but the conceit of having the not-nearly-as-diminutive Paul Williams playing Dr. Miguelito Loveless, Jr. just about made up for it. Robert Conrad and Ross Martin were clearly having the time of their lives playing a couple of old guys getting back in the saddle again, and the fun translated to the viewers quite well.

For my money, this is the definitive TV-reunion film, even if Tina Louise couldn’t be arsed to play Ginger. It captures the spirit of the original series perfectly, it gives people something they’d wanted to see for more than a decade (the Castaways finally getting off the island and back to civilization) and delivers it with surprising emotion, and – best of all – it ends by going full circle. Alas, that means that it also set up two pretty lifeless sequels, including the infamous “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” but as a standalone film, it’s about as good as these things get. Yeah, that’s right: I just put “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island” in the same category as “Homicide: The Movie.” How often do you think that happens?

Don’t remember this one? Hell, I’m not even sure why I remember it, aside from the fact that I’ve been an “Addams Family” aficionado for as long as I can remember. But I think it’s the only time we got to see the original TV cast members playing their parts in glorious color, and as ’70s artifacts go, it’s pretty entertaining.

1. The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991-1993): Setting aside the handful of episodes in which Howard Hesseman and Loni Anderson returned to reprise their roles as Dr. Johnny Fever and Jennifer Marlowe, respectively, this attempt to recapture the magic of one of the funniest sitcoms of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s failed far more often than it succeeded.

2. I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later (1985): I’ll give them credit for trying to put together the best possible reunion movie they could with the cast they had available to them, but while it was good to see Barbara Eden, Bill Daily, and Hayden Rorke playing Jeannie, Roger, and Dr. Bellows again, it never should’ve been made without Larry Hagman. And to have Wayne Rogers playing Tony Nelson? Give me a break.

3. The Bradys (1990): Bobby becomes a paraplegic! Jan can’t conceive! Marcia battles alcoholism! Every one of these is an actual storyline from the short-lived attempt to transform the lives of a man named Brady, his lovely lady, and their six kids into an hour-long drama. It worked for a holiday movie because there was a happy ending to look forward to, but this was just depressing as all hell.

4. Mary and Rhoda (2000): I’m sure it sounded like a great idea on paper to revisit Mary Richards-Cronin and Rhoda Morgenstern-Rousseau as they enter their 60s, but the decision to offer precious little in the way of references to their friends from the old show and put two of the most memorable sitcom characters of the ‘70s into a two-hour dramedy just didn’t work.

5. The Facts of Life Reunion (2001): No Nancy McKeon. FAIL.

Bullz-Eye: Kurt, most guys have a tendency to view weddings as more of a means to an end rather than something to really get excited about, so I can’t imagine what it took to get you involved in a show that focuses on every single aspect of the wedding process.

Kurt Iswarienko: I agree with you that most guys probably share that sentiment. [Laughs.] The cool thing is that I didn’t have to deal with planning the wedding at all, because my job was to plan the honeymoon. And Shannen did the planning of the wedding. So it wasn’t any kind of hassle or nightmare at all to go into.

BE: Shannen, I’ve read the press release for the show, and this is obviously something that you’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, the definitive dream wedding.

Shannen Doherty: Yeah. Uh… [Long pause.] Yeah. [Laughs.] I’m not quite sure how to… [Another long pause.] Yes, since we’ve been engaged, we’ve sort of talked about, “Okay, we’re doing to do a wedding, we’re going to do it right,” and definitely this is. But I’m also not that girl who, from the time I was six, dreamed about having this fantasy dream wedding, or that I just had had had to get married.

BE: So how early did David Tutera come into the mix? Was he always going to be a part of it?

SD: You know, I think… [Hesitates.] He probably came into the mix pre-production, when, y’know, you’re sort of talking about the show and the wedding, and I had said to my executive at the time, “I think I’m going to hire a wedding coordinator, just because I need one, but also because while I’m working I need someone to take my vision and make it happen.” And then the network said, “Well, how about David?” And I said, “Uh, duh!” [Laughs.] “Great!” So he came on pretty much in pre-production, I guess. Pretty early on.

KI: That, and we spent a whole Sunday watching…

SD: …a “My Fair Wedding” marathon. [Laughs.]

KI: …a “My Fair Wedding” marathon. We both got sucked into it somehow, and we were, like, “Of course he’s the guy!”

BE: How has he been to work with? Does he throw things at you, or does he try to get you to brainstorm?

SD: I think what probably even David would say, because it was something we actually talked about, is that, on his show, the brides come to him and he goes, “No, no, no, your idea is awful, let me change it and make it mine.” And this was very different, because it wasn’t about a show. It was about an actual, real wedding, and I had a definitive vision, and there was no negotiating with me. None. And he didn’t even try, because that wasn’t his job. His job was to actually be a wedding coordinator. And a wedding planner and a wedding consultant. And that means you take the bride’s vision and you make it happen. It doesn’t mean that you look at her and say, “Your idea sucks.”

BE: It makes good TV, but not necessarily a good wedding, at least in the real world.

SD: Right. So he… I mean, maybe he… [Hesitates.] Maybe he hated all the ideas. But I think he liked them. And, you know, like I said, there was never any room for negotiations with what the wedding was going to be, the cover scheme, or anything else. This was always what I was going to do. But the wedding turned out great, and David was super helpful, and…I’m glad we did it.

KI: What, the marriage?

SD: [Laughs.] Yeah

KI: Okay, good.

BE: So it has to be asked: what do you think guys will get out of this show? Because surely they’ll be dragged kicking and screaming into watching it by their wives or significant others, but what do you think they’ll get out of it once they’re there?

SD: You know, I think it’s… [Hesitates.] Here’s what I’ve got to say about our show versus a lot of other shows that I think men will like: I realize we’re on a women’s network, but it’s definitely not a heavily female-slanted show. It is very evenly matched between the two of us, and it definitely shows a guy’s standpoint versus a woman’s standpoint, and…it’s honest. I think most women kind of don’t love these shows because they sit there rolling their eyes going, “Yeah, right, like that’s honest. Like that’s true. Like the guy really does that all the time.” I know I do that. So I’m assuming most people do that. [Laughs.] And with this show, you don’t roll your eyes. You never have that moment, because we made a deal with each other going in that, no matter what anybody else said or anybody else wanted, we were going to stay honest and truthful and authentic to who we are as individuals and in a relationship. So there’s not one fake moment in the show. [To Kurt.] But what do you think?

KI: Um, I think… You know, the extent of most guys’ opinion about women when it comes to these things is that water-cooler thing of, “They’re all the same, dude.” And then women say the same thing about men, and then nothing gets resolved. Why would a guy want to watch this show? Because they’ll see the two of us going through every problem that everyone else has, but there’s actual collaboration and resolution instead of problems, so there’s somewhere to go at the end of the day, as opposed to just throwing your hands up and saying, “Women are all crazy,” or, “Guys are all stupid,” or whatever.

SD: I mean, it’s not like we don’t have those moments. I mean, we both have those moments where we’re, like…well, you know.

KI: Yeah. And they’re going to see someone that’s significantly interesting, such as her, going through all the same shit that everyone goes through, and then me, who no one knows anything about, and I’m kind of like every guy in this occasion. And we’re working it out. We’re fighting sometimes, and we’re not fighting other times…it’s just relatable problems. It’s kind of a bit of a road map of what you could do to maybe not just walk away angry at the end of the day.

BE: Kurt, I know you said that Shannen handled all of the wedding plans, but given your line of work, surely you at least got to pick the photographer.

KI: For the wedding? Uh, no, I did not.

BE: Really? I would’ve figured that you’d have some pretty specific ideas about what kind of shots you’d want to have taken.

KI: I did not get to choose. In fact, there was someone else that I wanted, but…

SD: [Talking over Kurt.] You have to remember…

KI: It’s true! [Laughs.]

SD: …that the only reason why Kurt and I actually know each other is because I’ve been doing this for a really, really long time, and I have always handpicked my photographers who work with me. So I like to say that I have a very good eye… [Looks at Kurt and smiles.] …and the magazine that we met on, I had photographer approval. And I picked him. So, naturally, when it comes to a wedding…first off, the wedding is the woman’s event. It’s not the man’s. And it was, like, “Well, if I picked you for that shoot and made the right decision, not only in how beautiful the pictures turned out, not only in how talented you are as a photographer, but you became my husband…” I think I can pick the photographer for the wedding.

BE: That seems fair.

SD: Yeah! [Laughs.]

KI: Although I ended up in a relationship with you, so…we wouldn’t want that to happen with the wedding photographer, now, would we?

SD: [Incredulous.] It wouldn’t… [Starts laughing.] Where did you even…

KI: Well, you’re drawing comparisons between photographers and how great you are at picking them, so… [Looks at her face.] I’m joking.

SD: [Stares at him.] You’re weird.

KI: So are you.

SD: You are so strange… [Laughs.]

BE: Okay, well, as long as I’ve turned the conversation to photography, I’m curious, Kurt, who some of your influences are. Because, I mean, I looked at some of your stuff online and…well, don’t let this go to your head, but it seemed like maybe there was some Anton Corbijn there.

KI: Oh, for sure. I’ll openly admit that. I grew up first listening to U2 records, so I discovered Anton Corbijn through that, and, y’know, when you start looking at a lot of other photography, you realize that guys like Anton Corbijn are completely unique and talented beyond any comprehension. So I for sure am heavily inspired by him. And others like him.

Kurt snaps a shot of the elusive Benicio del Toro

BE: How do you go about deciding on the setting or theme of the photo you’re taking?

KI: I…I dunno. Photos, I think, they just kind of end up creeping in on you when you’re with the person you’re photographing. You know, you just try to set up an environment that’s honest and conducive and free of any kind of pretense, and then if you’re lucky enough to get a good moment, then you can lock yourself in a dark room for a week and photo-shop and give it whatever else you want to give it. But if you don’t have the moment to begin with, you don’t have anything.

BE: Has there been any photo that you’ve taken where you thought, “This is one I want to be remembered for”?

KI: Well, I don’t know about that, but the ones that are great, the ones that end up having “legs,” if you like, it’s very obvious when you see it. You just kind of… Shannen’s actually an amazing editor of my photos, and I’m sure of anyone else’s photos, but some of my best stuff, she’s actually put the story together. I shoot a lot, and I’m not good at editing my own stuff, but she’s very good. She’s got a very sharp eye. She’s a good photographer, too.

SD: [Sweetly.] Thanks.

KI: Well, what do you do badly? [Laughs.]

BE: Shannen, I’ve got a standard question that I ask every actor: what’s your favorite project you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

KI: Oh, that’s a good question…

SD: That’s a very good question. Hmmmmm. That didn’t get the kind of love it deserved… I don’t really know, ‘cause I think many of my favorite projects, like “Heathers” and “Charmed” and “Mallrats” probably got a lot of love. I think… [Long pause.] You know, I did a miniseries called “Gone in the Night” for CBS, and although it did excellent excellent excellent in the ratings, I don’t necessarily know that it got the recognition that it deserved. It was Dixie Carter and Ed Asner, and, you know, when you’re working with those two, you kind of can’t go wrong. You know, they’re sort of at the top of their game. They’re truly talented…or “were,” in Dixie’s case…people. I mean, Ed Asner? It’s, like, gimme a break.

KI: He’s a legend.

SD: Seriously. I mean, he’s Ed Asner. Every second you’re in his presence, you’re, like, “What can I learn from you? What can I soak up from you?” And he’s just so nice, and so giving as an actor. And Dixie…she was an amazing Southern woman, and I’m from the South, and she was also fantastic. And really thorough, I think, as an actor. She really thought out what she was doing. And for me, who’s a little bit more spontaneous, it was interesting to watch that. I learned a lot from it and took some of what she did, and I’ve ingrained it in my process now a little bit. So that for me was an amazing project to work on, and I’m not sure it got quite the love that it should’ve.

BE: I don’t know if it’s underrated or overrated, but I have very fond memories of watching “Our House.”

SD: Oh, yeah!

BE: Our whole family used to watch it together, in fact.

SD: That’s so funny. I got a phone call from Wilford (Brimley). Actually, it was when we were filming the show. And he was seeing if I would want to do, like, a…I don’t even know what, really. I don’t if they’re talking about having the family come back in sort of a new, updated special where it’s, like, “What did Chris Witherspoon do?” [Laughs.] Or if it’s just for a sit-down talk for the cast. It’s something, but I’m not quite sure what. But I was, like, “If you’re involved, I’m there.”

BE: Did you see him on Craig Ferguson’s show?

SD: No!

BE: Oh, he was fantastic.

SD: When was he on?

KI: We’re gonna have to go YouTube it.

BE: He was clearly there solely because Craig Ferguson just wanted to talk to him. He had nothing to promote whatsoever, and he seemed utterly confused as to why Craig Ferguson would want to talk to him, but they chatted for maybe ten minutes, and I don’t know that anything he said was more than a sentence or two in length, and they were never very lengthy.

SD: Yeah, that’s Wilford. [Laughs.]

BE: But he was still awesome. And I don’t know if you watch the show, but at the end of a guest’s segment, Craig gives them the choice of winning a big cash prize, doing an awkward pause, or playing the mouth organ. Well, Wilford goes for the mouth organ, then proceeds to go on a mad harmonica solo, at which point Craig awards him the Gold Harmonica.  

SD: Oh, I so have to watch this. [Laughs.] Wilford is… It’s not surprising to me that Wilford gave very short sentences. He doesn’t elaborate a lot. He’s a man of few words. But when he does speak, it’s definitive and it’s about something. You know, he’s old school. Seriously old school. And he is awesome.

BE: I think the perfect encapsulation of the interview came when Craig was asking Wilford about his ranch, and Craig says, “Oh, what kind of horse do you have?” “Brown.” And that was it. End of discussion.

SD: [Laughs.] Yep. You know, he gave me a brown horse.

KI: He did?

SD: Yeah. Brownie. One of my first horses. I’ve had two men give me horses. Wilford was one, and the other was R.D. Hubbard, who used to own Hollywood Park (Racetrack). He gave me a black stallion. Because “The Black Stallion” was one of my favorite movies, and I was, like, “I want a black stallion so bad!” So he gave me a black stallion.

BE: Lastly, as far as “90210” goes, did you enjoy the episodes that you did, and will we ever see you on the show again?

SD: I…thoroughly enjoyed coming back and doing it. It was…it’s definitely a different show now, I think, that when I was on it and when Jennie (Garth) was on it. It was different producers at the time. You know, for me it was great because it was… I think the best part was sort of the fans, and doing something to say “thank you” for fans being so incredibly loyal. And my fans are the best. They’re very loyal. Also, it was very interesting to come back as adults and work again with Jennie, especially since…well, you know, it’s no secret that we weren’t exactly friends on the original “90210.” But we’re friends now, and to sort of look at each other and for me to go, “Oh, man, I’m so stupid,” and for her to go, “I can’t believe I said something so mean about you,” we were looking at each other and going, “You know, I actually like you. You’re actually cool.” [Laughs.] I think it’s just such a commentary on, when you’re 18 and thrown into that kind of situation versus when you’re older and more mature, what happens. You always give people a second chance.