David Cassidy on the Web
The Partridge Family, Version 2.0
September 26, 2008
By Heidi Vanderlee
http://blog.limewire.com
In my esteemed opinion, the only thing worse than another reality show is another recycled show. Sony Pictures TV has dug up its 30-year-old rights to The Partridge Family television series, and will be working with Reveille and Geffen records to launch an updated version next year.
If you're not familiar with the multicolored bus and Shirley Jones' uncanny resemblance to Carol Brady, the premise is simple: single mom raises five kids, kids inexplicably form lip-synching pop band with Mom, and 1970s kitsch abounds. A few of the manufactured songs charted pretty well between 1970 and 1974, such as "I Think I Love You." And really, that's about it. Of course, it contained all of the essential elements of a decent sitcom: predictable scrapes, first dates and lost dogs, but what made The Partridge Family memorable was its unabashed devotion to the decade, subjecting its characters to every single polyester & paisley-printed fad. Seriously, it's a trip to watch. Just look at those outfits. Oh, and David Cassidy becoming a teen heartthrob didn't hurt either.
The problem isn't that The Partridge Family is merely a comfortably mediocre bit of nostalgia, lacking the substance for a remake. The problem is that writer Jeff Rake (Cashmere Mafia) is looking to put a modern spin on the show and bring it up to date for today's viewers. Apparently, the idea grew out of a desire to create a family show dealing with the music business. Hey, sounds like a great idea! 2008 is certainly quite different from 1972, and people haven't seen anything like that in a while. Except ... uh, why does it have to involve The Partridge Family? The original show barely even shows up in reruns, and its original fans aren't going to watch it either. Still, Variety reports that a network deal is imminent, so we'll all be living the dream sooner rather than later. I'm starting to think this is just Danny Bonaduce's secret plot to get back into television as the modern-day Reuben Kincaid. No thanks.
