So many 1980s movies have been remade for both TV and the silver screen, and yet the well is somehow still far from drying up. The latest arguable classic to come back into our lives is Michael Keaton's goofy 1983 comedy Mr. Mom. Not as a reboot, though. MGM and Walmart's streaming service Vudu are teaming for a Mr. Mom TV series that will actually serve as a continuation to the events from the film.
This updated take on Mr. Mom will center on the grown-up version of Megan, one of the children from the original film. Just as her mother Caroline had done 35 years previous, Megan decides to rejoin the work force. Which means Megan's (assumedly wacky) husband will be the one who is tasked with taking care of the kids and the house. Not a big leap in logic there.
In the movie, Caroline was played by the great Teri Garr, while Michael Keaton played the titular house-husband Jack Butler. While Jack is initially balancing the complications of being a stay-at-home dad, he soon starts to feel confined in the house, as well as threatened by Caroline's career. Everything naturally worked out in the end -- spoiler? -- but the world is a completely different place than it was in 1983. Expect some changes.
Casting has yet to get cemented for Mr. Mom's TV show, which was announced at NewFronts West (via Deadline). It'll be interesting, though, to see who gets cast to play Megan. More exciting, perhaps, will be seeing if the producers will be able to bring Teri Garr and Michael Keaton bat, er, back for cameos (or more). It's been ages since Keaton had a regular TV gig, so his inclusion isn't so likely. But then MGM might be willing to do or pay whatever it takes to raise attention for the Mr. Mom series.
Years ago, MGM had tapped Mr. Mom to be one of its big-screen reboots, but nothing ever came from those plans. TV has been making old things new again with Magnum P.I., Murphy Brown, and even Wolf Creek, among other revamped series. So it makes all the sense in the world for MGM and Vudu to have confidence in this family-friendly continuation bringing in viewers.
This project will serve as the first big original project for Vudu, which recently entered into a deal with MGM. That deal is bringing a ton of content to the streaming service, with MGM's film and TV library joining the thousands of movies and shows already available. If Mr. Mom is successful, or even if it isn't, we can probably expect to see several more projects of this nature being announced in the months to come as Walmart gets more invested in bringing original content to Vudu.
While waiting to hear more about the new Mr. Mom, take some time to look around Vudu's free-viewing library, or the thousands of options available for rental or purchase through the Movies On Us option. And hit up our fall TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows will be here soon.
