Reboots to watch in 2022: From Bel-Air to Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

You can’t beat the classics… unless there’s an amazing reboot to watch!

And there’s some intriguing new takes on the shows you used to love coming to you in 2022.

Here’s the best rebooted TV shows to get acquainted with in 2022. 

Plus, don't miss our picks of what to watch on NOW this month.

Bel-Air

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was must-see tea-time telly back in the 90s. It made an acting superstar out of a young Will Smith at a time when he was best-known for rapping alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff. The show ran from 1990 to 1996.

Then in 2019, fan of the show Morgan Cooper shot and uploaded a dramatic reimagining of the sitcom to YouTube. And the rest, as they say, is history.

It was picked up by Will Smith’s production company Westbrook Studios and turned into a new dramatic series, titled Bel-Air, featuring old favourites Will, Carlton, Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Hilary, Ashley, Geoffrey and Jazz. 

Discover more about Bel-Air

Bel-Air comes to Peacock on 14 February. You can watch Peacock with a NOW Entertainment Membership.

Saved By The Bell

When Peacock launched in the UK at the end of last year, it brought with it the first two seasons of the rebooted Saved By The Bell.

Back in the 90s, Saved By The Bell was the biggest teen sitcom going, bringing a slice of sunny Californian high-school high jinks to Britain on Saturday mornings.

It made stars of the show’s lead actors: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played cheeky Zack Morris; Mario Lopez who played the muscly A.C. Slater; Tiffani Thiessen, who was the all-America girl-next-door Kelly Kapowski; Elizabeth Berkley, who played smart girl Jessica Spano; Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle; and, of course, Dustin Diamond, who played geeky Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers (who died last year).

The reboot has appearances from all the original key cast, with Zack now the governor of California, A.C. Slater working as a gym teacher at Bayside High, and Jessica Spano as the school’s guidance councillor.

The show also introduces a fresh intake of teens, including Zack’s son Mac (Mitchell Hoog) and Jessica’s son, Jamie Spano (Belmont Cameli).

Saved By the Bell is available to stream now on Peacock, which you can watch with a NOW Entertainment Membership.

The Equalizer

The Equalizer is a reboot of a reboot. The original American series was a big hit in the 80s, with English actor Edward Woodward playing a retired intelligence agent who uses his skills to deliver justice for innocent people, even advertising his services in newspapers: “Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer”.

In 2014, Denzel Washington gave it a big-screen makeover, alongside Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Bill Pullman (The Sinner). The sequel was released in 2018.

In 2021, Queen Latifah gave the show a fresh look and feel, as she played former CIA operative Robyn McCall in the first two series of the show.

On the surface there’s nothing remarkable about Robyn – she’s just a single mum raising her daughter. But to those in the know, she’s The Equalizer – guardian angel and defender of the downtrodden.

Find out what Queen Latifah loved about playing Robyn McCall in The Equalizer in our exclusive interview

Watch The Equalizer Series 1 and 2 on Sky Witness with a NOW Entertainment Membership. 

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

One of the biggest TV events of the year arrives on 2 September, when Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power comes to Prime Video.

The series is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It covers the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the story of the island kingdom of Numenor and the last alliance between Elves and Men.

The Lord of the Rings films told the story of the One Ring, but there were many before it and this series will tell the story of the other 19 rings. The announcement video gives us information about who received the rings.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will star Peter Mullan (Ozark), Robert Aramayo (Game of Thrones) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud).

Everything you need to know about The Rings of Power >

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power comes to Prime Video on 2 September.

Heartbreak High

Australian drama Heartbreak High ran between 1994 and 1999 across seven series. It follows the lives of students and staff at Hartley High school in Sydney. It was seen as quite a gritty teen show for the time, tackling stories about sex, drugs, racism, religion and homelessness.

The original cast included Alex Dimitriades (The Tourist) and Callan Mulvey (Power). The series was itself a spin off from the 1993 film, The Heartbreak Kid.

The Heartbreak High reboot will feature a whole new cast of youngsters at Hartley High navigating everything that life throws at them.

Heartbreak High comes to Netflix later this year. The Heartbreak Kid and all seven series of the original show are available to stream on Netflix now. 

Queer as Folk

Groundbreaking British show Queer as Folk made its debut on Channel 4 in 1999, with eight episodes followed by a two-part mini-series a year later.

The show followed the lives of three guys in Manchester, Stuart (Aidan Gillen), Vince (Craig Kelly), and 15-year-old Nathan (Charlie Hunman) who is new on the gay scene. In 2010, The Guardian voted it the 13^th best TV drama of all time.

In 2000, the show was given a US reboot set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, starring Gale Harold (Deadwood), Randy Harrison (Mr. Robot), and Hal Sparks (Grey’s Anatomy). The show ran until 2005.

Now, 17 years later, a new reboot is coming to Peacock, this time set in New Orleans. The eight-episode series is likely to land later this year and will tell the story of a diverse group of friends whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.

The cast has been announced and will feature: Jesse James Keitel, Johnny Sibilly, Fin Argus, Ryan O’Connell, Devin Way, Candace Grace, Kim Cattrall, Armand Fields, Benito Skinner, Chris Renfro, Ed Begley, Jr., Eric Graise, Juliette Lewis, Sachin Bhatt and Nyle DiMarco, who will play a trans, semi-reformed party girl who is struggling to grow up.

Queer as Folk will air on Peacock, but no date has been confirmed yet.

Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles delighted cinema audiences with its all-star cast way back in 1994. Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, Thandie Newton and Roger Lloyd Pack all featured.

Now, 28 years later, a TV adaptation made up of eight episodes is on its way to AMC. Based on the book by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire tells the story of Louis – who turns into a vampire after the loss of his brother.

Confirmed cast include Jacob Anderson (Broadchurch, Game of Thrones) as Louis, the part played by Brad Pitt in the big-screen adaptation.

Sam Reid (Serena) plays Lestat, Louis’s mentor, and the part played by Tom Cruise in the ’94 film.

Young orphan Claudia is played by Bailey Bass. That role was played by a 10-year-old Kirsten Dunst in 1994.

Also starring are Christian Robinson (BMF) in the role of Levi and Kalyne Coleman as Louis’s sister Grace.

We’re expecting Interview with the Vampire to arrive on AMC, exclusive to BT TV, later this year. 

Battlestar Galactica

While no date has been confirmed yet, NBCUniversal has announced that a Battlestar Galactica reboot is coming to its streaming platform, Peacock. Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail will be taking the reins on this highly anticipated space saga.

It’s not the first time that the series has had a reboot. The original Battlestar Galactica made its way to our screens in 1978, with a sequel in 1980.

Then in 2003, a reimagined two-part mini-series arrived and led to a weekly TV series that aired until 2009. Caprica, a spin-off prequel set 58 years before the TV series, was released in 2010. And finally, in 2012, a spin-off web series titled Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome was released.

Battlestar Galactica will air on Peacock, but no date has been confirmed yet.