The tv show was wonderful. Occasionally dumb/campy but it always took itself seriously. A new series would be great. Is it even possible or is the franchise still radioactive from the wretched movie?
shareYes it's possible.
How many TV networks and streaming networks can you count that are desperate for good/great content these days. Yes, a LOT.
Don't count it out.
It was a product of its time. The 1960's had a number of secret agent series on TV and TWWW was one with a Western twist. The movie did not help but as with many other 1960's show there is no going home again. A major problem I see is a lack of guest stars that could sell you on the concept on a per episode basis. I don't think people today would take Michael Dunn (Dr. Loveless) seriously. The goals of the villains would seem silly today if not for wealth. Who wants to get even with a US Cabinet member today?
shareIt belongs back in the 60's.
There has been one successful reboot of a 60's spy show AS a movie series -- Mission Impossible. Because: one of our biggest stars, Tom Cruise -- fitting the franchise and taking the plot seriously(not so, Will Smith in 1999)
There has been one successful "one movie only" of a 50s/60s cusp TV show: The Untouchables. Because: the story was simplified and converted into a "Gangster Western" with a big(Oscar winning) role for Sean Connery, a flashy cameo role for Robert DeNiro(Al Capone) and a star making role for Kevin Costner. Plus a great script(which the Wild Wild West movie didn not have) by David Mamet and great direction by Brian DePalma (who directed the first Mission Impossible for Cruise.)
At the time a Wild, Wild West movie was discussed in the trades, a then-hot Mel Gibson looked like the right man to play James West. He went for Maverick instead, and Will Smith(certainly a big star) took over the project and helped a bad script play worse. (The big problem was making it so that James West and Artemis Gordon -- very strong friends in the TV series -- hated each other in the movie, and West kept putting Gordon(an OK Kevin Kline) down.)
But that's "at the movies." Star Trek rebooted fine for TV, but I just don't see The Wild Wild West making the grade. Its chintzy effects were fine for the time; more would be needed today. It was plenty violent -- West killed a lot of foes. The ladies were pretty eye-candy. It was another era.
Forgot to mention that a lot of content centered around the Civil War and its outcome. That would have to be replaced for a current series and I don't see a logical candidate. I don't think that most TV viewers would follow a series set around 1870 unless it was seriously anachronistic which I would hate.
share1883
shareWest and Gordon served President Grant who served from 1869 until 1877. Unless I missed something from the later seasons. I'll confess that there are episodes I never saw because TWWW was always pulled after a few weeks by the local station in syndication during the 1970's because the content was deemed too violent for kids. The same with Batman but I think parents were more concerned with the sometimes kinky cliffhangers.
shareWell I'm just saying people are watching 1883...
shareOf course you can have a new series. It's done with everything else. Why not this? The movie is a separate entity and would have nothing to do with a new show.
A new show made for the premium channels/services would be better than something made for the major networks. If they get good writers and good scripts, the sky's the limit.
Recreating the magic that was TWWW would be difficult.
In large part because of
* the chemistry between Conrad and Martin was real and can't be faked
* the uniqueness each brought to the roles.
IMO, those were the crux of the show.
The show was an absurd comedy first, spy show second. Modern producers aren't ballsy enough to attempt that level of creativity. Today's version would be a dour drama with endless action scenes or unfunny sit-com like the film.