tech
No generation is safe from the nostalgia industry
The revival of the hit 2000s sitcom has none of the political subversiveness of the original. But should we be surprised?
TL;DR
- Millennials, like the author, are increasingly targeted by the nostalgia industry, with reboots of shows from their youth.
- The "Malcolm in the Middle" reboot is seen as less spiky and unruly than the original, lacking its social realism and focus on financial struggles.
- The revival prioritizes comfort viewing for an aging audience, with corporate power consolidation and mergers enabling these productions.
- The author suggests that this backward-looking cultural output is ruthless and unsparing, driven by the desire to keep audiences engaged with past content rather than facing the future.