It seems Problem Child has been adopted from the orphanage once more as NBC are reportedly in talks to bring back the 90s family comedy to the small screen.
News comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, who tell us that the network is currently putting out the proverbial feelers in search of a screenwriter.
Based on the John Ritter film of the same name, Problem Child is a half-hour, single-camera comedy that orbits around a couple’s trials and tribulations with a young adopted prankster named Junior — a devil in disguise that has been adopted from a local orphanage thirty times.
The film spawned two sequels — Problem Child 2 and Problem Child 3: Junior in Love — that were released in 1991 and 1995, respectively. In fact, the franchise also resulted in a spin-off TV show that was sandwiched in between the two aforementioned sequels, which underpins the IP’s lasting appeal — in the 90s, at least.
At this early stage, the network is yet to release news of any potential casting. In the 1990 original, the two parents were played by John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck, with Gilbert Gottfried and Michael Richards also co-starring in the cinematic series.
Today’s news is the latest in a trend for the small screen medium, with a variety of other family comedies receiving attention across the board. Most notable of which is the Chevy Chase-Beverly D’Angelo comedy — the two leads between a variety of beloved films in the National Lampoon series — along with Sony Pictures’ spin-off of Married…With Children.
Circling back to Problem Child, though, what do you make of NBC’s planned reboot? Indeed do you think the network is relying to heavily on the power of nostalgia in bringing back the 90s comedy?
