With Prison Break's revival right around the corner and a whole slew of other series brought back after years of being off the air, we've decided to take a look back at five of the best television shows we've seen to see which would work in a modern-day setting. Remember any of these gems from the past? What do you think of bringing them back to the small screen? Let us know in the comments section!
Smallville makes the list
1) Oz
Sticking with the prison theme, HBO series Oz was perhaps the original series to really enjoy success within the 'behind bars genre'. A whole slew of unique characters came together for 56 episodes of grim violence, wicked storytelling and brilliant production. Coming to an end over a decade ago in February, 2003, the crime drama featured an all-star cast including Kirk Avevedo, Terry Kinney, Christopher Meloni and J. K. Simmons. If creator Tom Fontana thinks he could replicate the edge-of-your-seat environment that made the series so successful, we'd be all over a new season of Oz.
2) Smallville
With shows like Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow all doing incredible well on American network The CW, the revival of Smallville on the same channel could be exactly what superhero fans need to pop the cherry on top of an already delicious selection. Running for 218 episodes packed into 10 addictive seasons, the show span off a DC Comics bimonthly comic book, as well as a load of merchandise and recordings. Continuing in comic book form before ending in November 2014, it's about time we saw the characters of Smallville back together on the small screen, even if it's for a mini one-off season.
3) Hannibal
OK, so this one may not have been off the air for that long and its axing may have been because of low viewing figures, but there was a core group of fans who really enjoyed the Hannibal series, and it really did seem to do well when it came to the TV critics. Slick and smart writing meant that every moment in the show was unpredictable, but that didn't encourage online streaming platforms to pick up the series when it was looking for a new home. Creator Bryan Fuller has been very honest about wanting to continue the show in the future, but perhaps a break is exactly what it needs to garner enough interest to force a revival. We'll be waiting in anticipation!
4) Firefly
FOX unfortunately decided that they wouldn't be bringing Firefly back before the first season had even finished airing, with the network almost looking to have some vendetta against the series. Showing episodes out of order and being stuffed into a terrible time slot, there wasn't a push for anybody to really watch the show. If there's even been an act of self-sabotage, this really felt like it. The show however continues to pick up fans through DVD sales and the like - having been cancelled in 2002, there's always the possibility it's now time to bring it back for another pop at success.
5) Fort Boyard
Bring back Leslie Grantham and Melinda Messenger and make Fort Boyard one of the must-see gameshows of the 21st century once again! Though the show is enjoying success with child contestants, the original British version is exactly what we want to see. With The Crystal Maze enjoying a one-off celebrity comeback earlier this year, could we see something similar for this French creation? We certainly hope so!
Tagged in Hannibal