Beware, Osbournes. The Partridge Family, TV's first, if fictitious, family of rock, is coming back.
The Partridge Family, the 1970s family sitcom that spawned the same-named chart-topping pop act, will be revived in a pair of planned series for VH1, the cable network confirmed Friday.
The first show is to chronicle the casting of the new show, à la reality-TV's Making of the Band, which has offered inside-the-factory glimpses at fledgling pop and hip-hop outfits. The second new Partridge show will be like the old Partridge show, except updated.
"Wow," said Brian Forster, who played Chris Partridge on the original 1970-74 series, upon learning of VH1's plans. "Maybe I'll be working again."
Forster wasn't entirely joking. "I'm very interested if there's any role for me," he said. The former kid actor's first choice? "Reuben Kincaid. Sure, why not? I'm a 43-year-old bachelor."
When Chris Partridge is ready to play middle age, it's clearly been a long time since the original series. Officially, it's been 33 years since ABC introduced the Partridge clan, comprised of single-mom Shirley (Shirley Jones) and her five children: teen-idol Keith (David Cassidy, Jones' real-life stepson); keyboardist Laurie (future L.A. Law litigator Susan Dey); wisecracking bass player Danny (Danny Bonaduce (news)); tambourine specialist Tracy (Suzanne Crough); and drummer boy Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks for the first season, with Forster taking the sticks in seasons two through four). Comic Dave Madden played the Partridges' somewhat-swingin' single manager, Mr. Kincaid. A used 1957 Chevrolet appeared as the Partridges' psychedelic tour bus.
Like the Monkees before them, the Partridges were a made-for-TV band with real-world impact on the music scene. Their hits, featuring Cassidy on lead vocals and backings by Jones, included "I Think I Love You" and "I Woke Up in Love This Morning."
Specifics on the all-new Partridge series, including whether or not the bus gets resigned (or repainted), are still to be determined, the Hollywood Reporter said. About the only thing for sure is that the Partridge comeback, engineered by Sony's TV division, is being primed for a 2004 premiere.
Jennifer Futch, of the Partridge Family Website, C'mon Get Happy! (www.cmongethappy.com), said she's both pleased and wary by the prospect of a Keith & Co. revival.
"As in most cases, the Partridge Family was a success and is remembered fondly because of the unique combination of creative talents of the writers, cast, musicians, etc., at that time," Futch said in an email interview. "Most efforts to recapture that kind of chemistry are futile. Perhaps it can happen this time, but history indicates that it is unlikely."
Still, Futch said she hopes the Partridges can succeed where, say, the Brady Brides failed. But the old show remains her priority. In her perfect world, those episodes would be issued on DVD.
Forster, who raced cars after his prime-time run and today appears in local theater in Northern California, and signs autographs at "Hollywood has-been shows," as he calls them, doesn't envy the new wannabe Partridges having to go through a made-for-TV audition process. "That would be tough," he said. "The pressure's on anyway."
According to Forster, the new scripted show will work if it's properly retrofitted for the modern world. One suggestion he has for the future Chris Partridge (and the kid's writers): "Just try to make it more of a character."
And while the bus is literally a large part of Partridge lore, Forster said he could see that being updated, too. Maybe a Hummer?
Said a fuel-conscious Forster: "Oh, no."
