Prompt

Write a letter to the appropriate entity convincing them to make a new season of a show which was canceled, or remake an old television show or movie that you love. The show must not be currently on air, and must not have any continuation planned. For all intents and purposes, the show you pick should be canceled or over. Think about what the best appeal might be. Do you want to change the nature of the show, or make a faithful reproduction? How can (or should) you change it to make it appeal more to modern audiences? How are you going to convince them beyond “I want you to.” Remember to be focused on your audience. You must do a little research to find out who the appropriate entity is for your show. This option has a heavy focus on being able to rhetorically analyze your reader, whoever that might be. This might go without saying, but this would actually take the form of a long letter.

AJ Fitzgerald

Prof. Joy

TV Reboot Letter

21 September, 2020

 TV Reboot Letter

Dear Fox Broadcasting Company,

My name is AJ Fitzgerald and I am writing you this letter to politely request that you give some thought into putting Malcolm in the Middle back on the air. I would like to clarify that I do not mean that I want you to play the old episodes again. I am requesting that you can bring the old cast back together to make new episodes or get new actors and make new episodes. I get that it would not make much sense at the age the kids in the show are now, to make new episodes with them still living in the house with their parents. So it would not be exactly like the original. The new show could be their lives at the age they are now. The early episodes in the series could be about what happened in their life’s leading up to that moment. Where they went to college, who did they marry, how many kids do they have. These questions and much more that the fans are wondering could be answered and I truly believe that if you can make this happen, you would be extremely profitable. 

Growing up, I remember me and my siblings would wake up on a lazy Saturday and watch Malcolm in the Middle for hours. Even though my siblings and I are now in college I know for a fact we would still watch the show. Especially if they came out with new episodes. You could obviously modernize the show by instead of playing with toys like they did in the show, they could play with drones or other types of technology. I suggest that you keep the personality of the characters, even as adults. They would still nonstop bicker and fight over the smallest things but they would also still come together as one family at the end of whatever they went through that day. Hal and Lois would be grandparents in this new version of Malcolm in the Middle and it will be hilarious to see if their grandkids take on the personalities of their parents. I think it would be really funny if Reece’ kids were the complete opposite of him and he got so angry at them every episode. Also it would be nice to see which grandkid is the favorite for the adults. Malcolm’s kids will most likely be the best behaved out of the bunch, but that and much more is up to you to decide. 

I would like to elaborate even further on the amount of lives you would impact if you were to put Malcolm in the middle back on television. Many people and families across the nation have these personal relations with this show. Many people are similar to me and my family in the fact that they can relate to the family in the show and what they go through on a day to day basis. Malcolm in the middle was revolutionary and I truly believe that there will never be a television show that I can relate to more than this one in my whole life. I remember when I would go to school when I was a kid and talk to my friends about Malcolm in the middle and the funny scenes that happened. We would talk about the show which felt like everyday and we all absolutely loved it. 

The best part about the show is, people of all ages and backgrounds can watch the show. It is not made for just one group of people. I used to watch it with my parents all the time and they loved the show just as much as me and my siblings did. We all had our favorite characters that were in the show and even acted out scenes from the show playing those characters. My personal favorite was Reece so I would always act out scenes with my brother and he would beMalcolm. These memories that I have from my childhood and these unforgettable bonding moments with my family are because of this show. I cannot say that about any other show that I have ever watched before and I know not many people can. I even remember when something would happen to us and we would just say “this seems like a scene from Malcolm in the middle!”. I am aware you cannot have a physical bond with a television show, especially if you were not in it or know anyone personally that was, but for some odd reason I have always felt some sort of connection with the show. 

Malcolm in the middle aired in the early to mid 2000’s. It was very popular during this time and I believe it would be as popular if not more popular than when it aired before. Everything in this new, evolving word revolves around the use of technology. The next generation of youth are using more technology and are exposed to it at a much younger age than ever before. This means more kids would watch the show and they would be able to watch it from many more devices than before. Every kid now has a smartphone or tablet that they can travel with and still watch television. Not even just the children either, Malcolm in the middle would be watched by millions of different viewers ranging from all ages whenever, wherever. The teenagers and younger adults would most likely be the largest group of people that would be drawn to the reboot of the show. Or at least the people that grew up watching this show or remember how great the show was. Especially while we are still in a global pandemic, the only thing people do when they are bored is watch television since they are unable to go out. Personally, I just watch old episodes of Malcolm in the middle, but I have seen the whole series probably five times in my lifetime, so it would be amazing to watch some fresh new episodes. 

Personally, I don’t ask for much in life and I am usually grateful for what I have. This is one of the only requests that I have to make my life and many more lives just a little bit better. Just a little something to look forward to when I wake up in the morning or to get me through a long day of school or work. The ridiculous amount of nostalgia I would feel if there was a fresh version of Malcolm in the middle would be absolutely incredible. The amount of memories would come flooding back and I would feel like I was a kid again sitting in my living room on a Sunday morning watching this show with my family. Everyone wants to go back to when they were a kid, and if this show were to reboot, I would be one step closer to achieving that one thing we all want. Especially with the awful year that we are all experiencing and going through with not a lot of positives, it would be really nice to have one good thing happen at the end of all of this. That one good thing could be a Malcolm in the middle reboot. I’m not saying it would change the world but it would make many lives a whole lot better and happier. All I ask is you consider my request and get back to me with your response. Thank you so much for your time and have a wonderful day. 

Best,

AJ Fitzgerald