It’s really not a good time for iconic female characters from the ’90s to make a comeback, is it? First, Hulu canceled its much-anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival, much to the anger of loyal fans. Now, it seems that Alicia Silverstone sadly won’t be returning as Cher Horowitz in a streaming series revival of Clueless. Peacock has stopped development on its revival of Clueless, deciding against moving forward with the project. Former Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, along with Dollface creator Jordan Weiss, were producing this new version. Clueless IP owner Paramount and CBS Studios will apparently shop the series elsewhere.
The original Clueless was one of the most era-defining movies of the ’90s, with everything from the lingo to the clothes penetrating pop culture. It put Paul Rudd on the map as an actor, not to mention Donald Faison and the late Brittany Murphy. So anticipation was high to see where the brilliant but ditzy Cher would end up as an adult. But, it seems Peacock simply lost interest. Over the last year, several high-profile projects with iconic ’90s female leads have been announced, then scrapped. Last month it was Buffy, now it’s Clueless. There was also a Melrose Place revival announced, focusing on the original show’s women. But that one is probably quietly canceled, too.
The message here, intentional or not, is that Hollywood doesn’t really want to see ladies who were sex symbols in their youth as older adult women and possibly mothers. After all, Dexter, Scrubs, and several other shows from the past have come back to big ratings, but they all focused on male leads. We’re not nuts to sense a pattern here. Hopefully, another streamer takes an interest in Clueless. Hopefully, someone at one of these streamers will realize that life doesn’t end at forty for the likes of Buffy Summers or Cher Horowitz. As if.