What’s old is new again, and that feels like an eternal truth when it comes to the 1990s, thanks to projects like the horror-comedy Y2K The day-glo era is returning in one of its most gloriously wonderful forms yet, with Alicia Silverstone officially tapped to reprise the role of Cher Horowitz for a long-awaited TV follow-up to 1995’s pop-comedy classic Clueless, simply one of the best of the decade.
Amazingly enough, this isn’t just a case of a star putting their name on a knockoff for an easy payday, and Silverstone is reportedly set to both star and executive produce the new project, which is being developed through CBS Studios and Universal TV. Should it get ordered to series, would eventually stream for fans with Peacock subscriptions, but the platform is holding off on that for now.
According to Deadline, the film’s writer/director Amy Heckerling and its producer Robert Lawrence are also back on board as executive producers. Spearheading the creative side will be Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who know a thing or two about both teen-centric stories and cross-media revivals and reboots. They’ve worked on Gossip Girl, Dynasty, and Nancy Drew, among others, and are also behind the scenes on the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel TV show Elle, whose star was handpicked by Reese Witherspoon. Rounding out the team will be Dollface creator Jordan Weiss.
This news has be buggin’ in all the most positive ways, and it immediately brings to mind some things I’d love to see in a modern-day Clueless show. I’ll stick with just a couple, even as I continue pondering while waiting to hear about other returning co-stars. Speaking of…
Cher And Dionne Being BFFs With Amber Now
Tragically, one of Clueless‘ most irreplaceable elements is Brittany Murphy’s newbie-turned-hottie Tai, with the actress having passed away back in 2009 at just 32 years old. And while I can easily imagine the creative team inventing a new adult friend for Cher (and presumably Stacey Dash’s Dionne) to hang out with, but the already fabulous Elisa Donovan would be a fabulous choice to step into that third-friend spot as quasi-rival Amber Mariens.
Sure, they weren’t exactly close in high school. but as it usually goes with social enemies, they shared way more in common than differences, and I can imagine that those more childish viewpoints might fade away over time. Since this is one of the most fashion-celebratory movies ever, I really just want to see Cher and Amber’s clothing choices sharing the screen as often as possible.
I Would Love Flashbacks To The ’90s With The Actors Still Playing Their Younger Selves
I think it would be glorious if Clueless is set in the modern day, but goes into flashback-mode to fill in a lot of the gaps from Cher’s life that audiences haven’t been privy to. But since we already know what all these characters looked like when they were younger, I wouldn’t want to see completely different actors in those roles. Instead, in the style of PEN 15 and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, I think Alicia Silverstone and other returning cast members should 100% just play the younger parts, too.
Would this all be a veiled attempt at making jokes about how young Paul Rudd still looks despite 30 years having passed since the movie came out? It’s not not that. But that’s not the whole purpose here, since Rudd was already in First Day of Camp and has played into that observation quite a bit already in more recent years. Still, it’d be great, especially if 84-year-old Dan Hedaya would be back as Cher’s father.
I get another part of it would be seeing way more instantly iconic 1990s outfits on TV on a regular basis. So here’s hoping the in-development series nails its costume crew.
Just to throw a last-minute request in, I’d also really want some kind of follow-up about this line from Breckin Meyers’ Travis, one of Clueless‘ best quotes, about generational music preferences:
The way I feel about the Rolling Stones is the way my kids are gonna feel about Nine Inch Nails, so I really shouldn’t torment my mom anymore.
There are plenty of lesser-remembered ’90s shows that I’d love to see a return from one day, so if Clueless does indeed get ordered up and crushes out with fans, maybe it’ll usher in another wave of throwback projects.