Mayim Bialik Is Trying To Bring Back Blossom

Mayim Bialik is trying to bring back Blossom, after years of failed previous attempts. According to the Big Bang Theory and Call Me Kat star, she has the germ of an idea for a Blossom revival that she has developed with series creator Don Reo, which they are both happy about. The issue seems to be finding a studio that will greenlight the project. Well, Bialik is now embracing the modern method of getting these sorts of things done: announcing it in a public forum, and getting a swell of fan support going on social media. So if you want that Blossom revival to happen...

Speaking to EW, Mayim Bialik gave Blossom fans this update about where the reboot effort stands, after she and Don Reo have been pushing for years to make it happen:

"It's been really fascinating. At a certain point, I may just start a grassroots fan campaign to see if we can do it because we absolutely would love people to see where these characters are," she adds. "[Reo] and I talked about it and we kind of decided after literally years of trying to work on this that I would probably just say it out loud. We do have a well-formed idea and we would love someone to let us do it."

Blossom occupies an interesting space in TV sitcom history. As EW's feature points out, the series struck a chord of wholesome teenage coming-of-age struggles, while still addressing timely controversial issues like teen pregnancy and sexual assault, while never over-sexualizing the characters, as was the trend in the 1990s, with shows like Beverly Hills 90210, or Married with Children. If you're unfamiliar, here's the synopsis for what Blossom was all about:

This teenage sitcom is named after its main character, likable schoolgirl Blossom Russo. It centers around her life at school and at home, where she lives with her single father, charming musician Nick Russo, who tries hard to be an exemplary parent, and her two elder brothers, the cool Anthony, the eldest, and sweet but rather weak and naive Joey. Her best friend, Six LeMeure, who is educationally neglected at her home and thus is almost always around at the Russos as well as at school, is the voice of mischief and thus often her partner in crime.

That happy little synopsis belies the darker subtext that Blossom dealt with. The Russo family was broken by the mom abandoning them to pursue her own life and career; the dad, Nick, was in and out of the home chasing music gigs; the older brother Anthony was a recovering addict traumatized by his parents' separation; her best friend Six was a neglected kid from an oversized family, who falls into addiction, an affair, and struggles to make it academically; while even lovable Joey is a dumb jock whose attitudes would get him canceled in five minutes, by 2021 standards.

With how far TV has come, a Blossom revival could actually take these harder realities of the show and make them great fodder for an experienced older generation trying to guide the younger one through similarly complicated issues, in more complex times.