Those that listen to the Major Spoilers Podcast, and hang on our every word, know I’m a huge Rockford Files fan. It’s probably one of the best television series to come out of the 70s and early 80s. Variety is reporting that it has asked House creator and executive producer David Shore to revive the series from the bins and update it for a new age of audiences.
Garner’s Emmy-winning portrayal of the ex-con private eye who lived in a trailer in Malibu (and usually worked as hard to get his clients to pay up as he did on solving cases) turned Jim Rockford into one of the most indelible characters of the smallscreen. Shore said as a fan of the show himself, he’s well aware of how high the bar is set for the remake.
The Rockford Files has been on cable for years, but it wasn’t until the last five or six years that the series finally made it to DVD due to rights issues between actor James Garner. Now that those are cleared up, it looks like we might get to see more Rockford again. Due to Garner’s age, don’t expect to see him in the new series (unless a cameo).
So who will be the new Jim Rockford, Private Eye? As long as Shore doesn’t play the series up for laughs ala Andy Barker P.I. it could be an awesome series. And it’s too bad George Clooney is a movie actor now, as he’d be perfect to step in and fill Jim’s shoes. Or maybe they’ll be able to talk david boreanaz away from Bones
6 Comments
I have a lot of great memories watching The Rockford Files with my dad. And rewatching them now that I’m older, that show really holds up. What a genuinely good show.
As for a potential remake, I doubt I’d be interested in that. For one, it’d be Garner-less and when consider that he WAS Rockford, what’s the point in doing a remake at all? Plus, I doubt it would follow the simple formula of the original show, meaning they will probably do away with the “done-in-one” episodes in favor of some larger, conspiracy/mystery, or whatever. Not interested.
On one of the Major Spoilers Podcasts (forget which one) I pitched a detective show idea similar to Rockford Files, that had the protagonist getting into the PI business because of the old detective television shows. Every so often while working on a tough case he would have a dream where he is sitting around a poker table playing with the actors from shows like Simon and Simon, Rockford, Magnum, McCloud, and so on, bouncing ideas off of them and getting cryptic clues and advice on how to handle the case.
Perhaps H’wood is beginning to listen to my ideas? I only hope no one steals my Kung-Fu Zombie Western idea!
Stephen, it sounds like you put a bunch of old P.I. shows (which, by the way, are friggin awesome) inna blender with the Holodeck, and chugged down the resultant brew. I want some of that. Mix me up a show like yours? There was a short sci-fi story I read in one of those “The Year’s Best Sci-Fi” things which involved a P.I. who didn’t believe in, but specialized in cases dealing with, ‘supernatural’ things, and it featured a couple of dream sequences that provided cryptic clues and hints. Only his dreams were full of Darwin and Charlie’s Angels… (Charlie Darwin, in this case, sorta..) Anyway, I ramble thusly because I _like_ your idea, it reminds me of one I thought worked quite well in print. It’d work better on-screen, I reckon. :D
I wonder if BOOM! Studios would be interested in my idea…
I too loved Rockford, it was there that Tom Selleck (Playing Lance White) cut his teeth as a PI but I don’t want a remake why not just take the elements that worked and make something new? It’s working for Burn Notice…
Josh said thigs right. A Garnerless remake of Rockford Files. Why? Jim Garner is Jim Rockford. No onme else is.