MGM is adapting Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School as an unscripted series

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield famously joked that he didn’t get any respect, and given MGM’s idea for a new unscripted docu-series based on his movie BACK TO SCHOOL, we certainly see what he meant. Variety got the scoop about the series is inspired by the 1986 comedy from Dangerfield in which he stars as Thorton Melon, a millionaire who enrolls himself in the same college as his son to ensure he doesn’t drop out. In the MGM series, real parents will enroll in the same school as their kids to ensure that they – and this is simply a guess – remain scarred for life.

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The original movie capitalized on Dangerfield’s quick wit, having his character bring his old school views to the (then) modern classroom while getting into all sorts of hilarious hijinks. The new docu-series will follow the students and their parents as they navigate the very real world of college, with the hope that awkward scenarios will make for prime viewing. There are opportunities for parents to walk in on their kids having all kinds of sex, or for them to go the same party as their kids only to find them neck deep in a toilet puking their lives away. We can imagine those scenarios won’t be “hilariously awkward” so much as just painfully, woefully awkward and perhaps enough to ruin college for everyone.

Barry Poznick, MGM’s president of unscripted television put out a statement trying to answer your begging question as to why this is all coming about:

“I am so excited to take the premise of one of my favorite films into the unscripted world. Rodney was a comedic genius and his spirit is very much in the DNA of our show’s approach to a dual fish-out-of-water comedic format for audiences to experience along with our parents and kids. I love that grown-ups are going back to school and we are able to capture this with our new series.”

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Poznick and MGM television chief Mark Burnett will executive produce alongside Dangerfield’s widow, Joan Dangerfield, and MGM will distribute the show internationally. The report didn’t detail the plans for domestic distribution, like if it is meant for a network or perhaps a streaming service.

Now, I don't know if you could tell by my tone before, but this sounds like an ill-advised way to recall the spirit of Dangerfield's movie, which is a favorite among the comedian's fans. It's one thing to attempt a remake it with a new star and tackle the modern education system, but to attempt something as cheap as a reality show as a way of capitalizing on the nostalgia can't help but feel sad. Dangerfield was a gifted comedian, and while BACK TO SCHOOL is far from perfect he brings that wit and charm to it that made it a classic of the time. Not only will the show not have him, but it will replace any charm with forced reality TV hijinks that will make it less a fun time and more an experiment in how long it takes to ruin higher education for everyone.