Mark Twain said “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.”  It is a thoughtful statement, meant to encourage writers not to fear the norm, but to embrace it and make it their own. However, Hollywood directors have taken this concept too far, churning out remake after remake with little to no changes, making the final product stale.

Online there are countless articles listing bad remakes.  Remakes crowd the cinema, take up slots on T.V, and eat production money from streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, all the while original shows struggle for views.

ABC aired a onetime showing of their remake of “Dirty Dancing”, receiving 6.6 million views but only a 1.4 star rating.  The reviews all say the same thing: bad acting, bad dancing, and a script too loaded with subplots, a classic case of a nostalgia-based hype around a mediocre product. The “Footloose” remake met a similar fate in 2011, making 39 million, but receiving only a 5.9 rating.

Netflix shows have been gaining traction since 2013 when “Orange is the New Black” was released.  Since then Netflix has been a sanctuary for original ideas that aren’t ready for T.V.  As of late, they have dropped the ball, announcing an ‘americanized’ version of Death Note, a popular franchise from Japan.  Before the show was even released, it received backlash from beloved fans of the series.  The show received a 1 out of 4 star rating from Roger Ebert and 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Meanwhile, Netflix cancelled “Sense8” and “The Get Down,” two shows with a moderately sized, but extremely loyal fan base. Critics hail the show for their innovative ideas, diverse cast, and all around wonderful writing, yet neither saw more than 24 episodes.

It is not just the fault of the networks.  People condone this behavior by continuously supporting remakes they know will not be good. Networks know they can use them to make a quick buck.  Why do you think Disney has turned all their classics into live action productions? Beauty and the Beast has a net gross of over a billion dollars, despite it being identical to the cartoon but with an uglier dress.

We, as a society, must demand better before Hollywood will do better.  Stop giving remakes the benefit of the doubt, stop trying to find the good in a bad product.  Support original content, do not fear trying new medias. If we want better movies, we must stop supporting the bad ones.