The Best 80s Movie Reboot Gets Cancelled
For better or for worse, we are living in the Golden Age of ‘80s reboots: vintage franchises like Ghostbusters have found new life on the silver screen, and even franchises like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe have found a new home on streaming. Fans looking for more adult fare when it comes to reboots were likely looking forward to another season of the Paramount Plus television reboot of the ‘80s erotic thriller Fatal Attraction. Unfortunately, The Hollywood Reporter reports that this series will not be returning for a second season.
The Reboot Series Reimagind The Hit ’80s Movie Starring Michael Douglas And Glenn Close
If you don’t remember the original Fatal Attraction movie, you should know that it was the film that breathed new life into the tired erotic thriller genre. Half a decade before Michael Douglas got steamy with Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, he starred in the more cerebral (but still pretty darn sexy) thriller Fatal Attraction alongside Glenn Close.
In rebooting the film into a television show, Paramount wanted to have it both ways: they wanted a production with all the breathless, dangerous romance of the original ‘80s film but in the form of a TV show that would appeal to younger audiences who prefer streaming entertainment.
Joshua Jackson And Lizzy Caplan Lead The Remake
On paper, the experiment sounded like a very good idea. The Fatal Attraction reboot had Joshua Jackson (of Dawson’s Creek fame) playing the role originally played by Michael Douglas and Lizzy Caplan (known for the funny Mean Girls and the steamy Masters of Sex) playing the role originally played by Glenn Close. In other words, the show paired two very sexy actors together, and one could argue that is half of the ingredients necessary for a good erotic thriller.
The Fatal Attraction Remake Suffered Low Ratings
Unfortunately for the actors and producers of Fatal Attraction, the other half of the ingredients required for a solid erotic thriller involves great writing…something the original film had and the television series sorely lacked. While audiences liked the show a bit more than critics, that first season currently has a staggeringly low 37 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics praised plots that melded the old psychosexual formula with the new era of sexual politics, they couldn’t get past how the “clumsy execution ultimately dulls this story’s edge.”
There’s Still Hope For A Second Season
A Paramount spokesperson speaking to The Hollywood Reporter praised the actors and creators behind the Fatal Attraction reboot “for their dedication,” and they clarified that the first season would still “be available on Paramount+ for audiences to discover.”
On paper, that means there could one day be enough demand to bring the show back for a second season, which is what showrunner Alexandra Cunningham hoped to do. In all likelihood, though, the best chance for us to get more Fatal Attraction would be for another streamer to pick it up, which is what happened when Netflix picked up the canceled Paramount Plus series Star Trek: Prodigy.
Paramount Plus Cancels Other New Series
Given how many other shows Paramount Plus has canceled (including Rabbit Hole and the iCarly sequel series), it might be fair to say that the streamer is channeling the spirit of Fatal Attraction. However, it is specifically channeling the part of the original film where the character played by Glenn Close gets brutally gunned down. Only time will tell how many more shows will get shot down before Paramount puts down the metaphorical firearm.
