It seems like every time I read the entertainment news, another reboot of a beloved series or movie is announced. If it isn’t a reboot, it’s a sequel, spinoff, play, or video game making a comeback in an updated but very familiar way. Graphic tees are covered in throwbacks and “comic cons” are turning into “decade cons” with less focus on comics and more focus on grown-up child actors.
Recycled pop culture is controversial — most people either love the concept or hate it. I’m on the fence myself. I admit to feeling excited when I spot a Care Bear in Target or read about my favorite casts having reunions. But there are also times when I feel certain things should be left alone. Like it or not, I nevertheless find it fascinating to think about why classic IP is constantly being brought back. Is it simply studios and manufacturers running out of new ideas and the guarantee of profit from old standbys? Or is it driven by something deeper?
Justine Bateman grew up in show business as “Mallory Keaton” on the hit classic sitcom Family Ties. While networks have recently attempted remakes of other hits from her generation like The Wonder Years and Roseanne, Bateman told the Hollywood Reporter she wouldn’t be in favor of a reboot of her show. “Don’t touch it,” she said. “What’s important about art is the context in which it lived” — the 1980’s, in her show’s case. A valid point for sure. But that context — a beloved, lost period — is arguably the very thing that may be pulling creators and fans back to the classics.
While many like Bateman don’t support recycled culture, it’s hard to argue that it provides us with a sort of time machine we’ve been searching for. People are seeking something they believe we’ve lost in recent years — and those in the business of making money know that. Life was simpler before we all held hypnotic mini computers in our hands and cared too much about strangers’ opinions on social media, and many of us are yearning for that feeling again. Perhaps it’s true that creativity is being stifled by not welcoming new ideas, but the emotional connection our brains associate with classic entertainment gives us the natural high we’re all looking for. We’re chasing nostalgia, in a way.
Dopamine is the chemical in our brains associated with pleasure and reward, while serotonin is the chemical connected to joy. Research has shown that feelings of nostalgia increase both of these chemicals, as nostalgic experiences bring us back to a familiar time we remember fondly. In simple terms, nostalgia makes our brains and our bodies feel all warm and fuzzy. And who can blame anyone for wanting an extra dose of that once in a while?!
It’s fair to say that the entertainment industry is quietly banking on a new motto — “nostalgia sells.” In 2023, the two highest grossing movies worldwide were Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, both based on classic franchises. The same adults who are posting sappy reels on Instagram reminiscing about our 1990’s childhoods are running to movie theatres to show their own kids the characters they love and miss. Multigenerational fandom forms, and boom — nostalgia has succeeded in creating more loyal customers.
My Mom always used to say, “Everything old is new again,” referring to fashion trends that keep returning. I think of her every time I see an outfit on a department store mannequin that reminds me of some hideous number I wore in high school. Maybe it does all come back, and maybe these cycles are part of every generation. But society’s need for nostalgia seems more pronounced than ever. As the world gets more complicated and life becomes more pressured, it’s no wonder why people are searching for that comforting feeling of days gone by, and corporations are paying attention. As long as new ideas are still created too, maybe it’s not such a bad thing. The warm and fuzzies are hard to come by, but chasing nostalgia might help us find them.
What Lara Wrote 