The biggest entertainment comebacks of 2020

In 2020, we lost Regis Philbin, the original host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” but we got the iconic game show back. After years of being a syndicated daytime show, and that version ending in 2019 as is, the primetime “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” returned in 2020. The new host is Jimmy Kimmel, and the difference is that the contestants are all celebrities now, though they play for charity. We got the first winner of a $1,000,000 prize in almost 20 years, and the first celebrity winner when chef Dave Chang won the big prize in November.

“Parks and Recreation” went out on a high note back in 2015, giving us a vision of the future for all the crew from Pawnee. For some reason, that view of the future didn’t involve anything that happened in the 2020 “Parks and Recreation” special. This was one of those COVID-19 specials that were done for charity and features all the characters interacting through screens, as we have been doing in real life. It felt a little clunky and took the wind out of the sails of the series finale, but for many, they were just happy to see Leslie, Ron, and the gang again.

“Parks and Recreation” wasn’t the only NBC sitcom to return for a one-off special in 2020. “30 Rock” returned after an even longer hiatus, as the original run of Tina Fey’s sitcom ended in 2013. “30 Rock” made more sense as a special, but it was a little weird given that the whole thing was a plug for Peacock, the new NBC app. Fortunately, Fey and company knew how to handle that well.

Oh, Quibi. You just didn’t make sense. However, at least you gave us the return of the “Reno 911” crew. Bite-sized stories were actually pretty perfect for that show, which began life as an improvised Comedy Central program. They could do it in improve scenes that lasted only a few minutes. Unfortunately, Quibi just wasn’t what people wanted.

Do you remember that “Unsolved Mysteries” originally ended life on Spike TV? It’s true, and the show ended in 2010. However, the show enjoyed a revitalization in streaming and syndication. This led to Netflix deciding to bring “Unsolved Mysteries” back. However, the show now is just a pure documentary. There are no hosts, perhaps because nobody can live up to Robert Stack.

ABC has basically been rebooting every old game show the last few years, so it was inevitable they would get to “Supermarket Sweep.” Reruns on Buzzr, and episodes on Netflix, surely helped. Plus, we mostly just love watching people run through grocery stores trying to get giant blocks of cheese. The reboot has a bigger store and a bigger host (personality-wise) in Leslie Jones. We just wish she wore David Ruprecht-style sweaters.

In a way, the new “Saved by the Bell” on Peacock is a reboot, not a comeback. It’s largely built around new characters. That being said, you’d better believe Zack, Kelly, A.C., Jessie, and the gang is back. Even Max shows up at least once! The only person who doesn’t make an appearance? Dustin Diamond as Screech. Personally, we don’t miss him.

Will Smith hasn’t exactly gone anywhere, though he isn’t the massive movie star he was once upon a time. To be fair, nobody is at the level of ‘90s-era Will Smith. However, “Bad Boys for Life,” brings back Smith and Martin Lawrence for the first time since 2003’s “Bad Boys II.” “Bad Boys for Life” was released in January, meaning it actually got to be released in theaters. That helped make it the highest-grossing American release of 2020.

There are two comebacks within the film “Sonic the Hedgehog.” One was the character returning to the zeitgeist after his ‘90s Sega heyday. The second is that the movie had something of a comeback as well. Remember when we first saw the trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog?” Remember how much people freaked out about how Sonic looked, especially his teeth? The filmmakers actually had to go back and change Sonic’s look, which seemed to work. The film made a ton of money, perhaps due to the lack of nightmare teeth.

Stewart has largely been out of the spotlight since he left “The Daily Show.” Occasionally he pops up on his friend Stephen Colbert’s late night show. In 2020, Stewart showed up again to return to directing, stepping behind the camera for the political satire “Irresistible.” The movie didn’t really land with audiences, but it did reunite Stewart with another “Daily Show” alum in Steve Carell.

The last we saw Bill and Ted, they were going on a bogus journey. That was way back in 1991. For years, there were murmurs of a third film in the series. Finally, it arrived in 2020 with “Bill & Ted Face the Music.” Unfortunately, it arrived in a world where it couldn’t be released in theaters. Still, it was actually fun to see Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves back in the roles, especially since the fact they are middle-aged now actually mattered to the plot.

“Phineas and Ferb” ended as a TV show in 2015. If they were going to return, they had to do it with gusto, right? Indeed, when we returned to the Tri-State Area, it came thanks to the second movie made out of Disney+. “Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe” was a Disney+ original that put the spotlight on Phineas and Ferb’s older sister Candace. It was a smart way to make the world of the show feel fresh, and the movie was a worthwhile comeback.

Rick Moranis is a treasure. He retired from acting in order to raise his kids many years ago, but now that his kids are grown we are hoping to see him maybe return to acting. Well, we got a comeback from Rick Moranis in 2020. It was for an ad for Mint Mobile with Ryan Reynolds. No, really. Hey, at least we got to see Moranis.

To be fair, we are used to Disney comebacks now. After all, they’ve gotten into the remake game. The latest Disney release to be remade is “Mulan,” based on the 1998 animated movie. However, this comeback was a little different, because the new “Mulan” is live-action, whereas the other Disney remakes were still animated.

It seemed impossible to have another Borat movie, right? Who would fall for Sacha Baron Cohen’s tricks after having seen the first movie? Then, out of nowhere, came a Borat sequel. Apparently, there were still people who Borat could get one over on, but “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” wouldn’t have worked without Tutar, Borat’s daughter played by Maria Bakalova. Just ask Rudy Guliani.

Rage Against the Machine released their last album “Renegades” in 2000, a full two decades ago. They reunited for the first time in 2007, but then called it quits again in 2011. After more years apart, it was said that Rage was going to reunite once again in 2020 to play some big festivals and to go on tour. Then, of course, COVID happened. Rage’s shows were canceled left and right. It was a comeback cut out at the knees, but it was still monumental.

When you are in the world of pop music, it can be hard to stay in people’s minds if you aren’t releasing new music. As such, the five years that went by after Gomez released “Revival” were notable. Would she release something new, and would she recapture her old glory? Well in 2020 Gomez dropped her third album “Rare.” It debuted as the number-one album in the United States and largely got good critical reviews as well.

You may remember them as the Dixie Chicks, but in 2020 the band dropped the “Dixie” to just go by The Chicks. “Gaslighter” was the first we heard from the country trio in many years. Prior to the new album, the Chicks last released an album all the way back in 2006. “Gaslighter” didn’t reach number one like the Chicks’ previously three albums, but after 14 years they ended up third on the Billboard charts.

Yes, Moore has been acting, and if you watch “This Is Us” You’ve been seeing her plenty. However, from a musical standpoint, this was a year for a comeback for the former pop star. Moore’s “Silver Landings” was her first album since 2009, making it in some ways arguably her first “adult” album.

Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst’s seminal folk rock band, garnered a devoted fan base in the ‘90s and early 2000s. However, it wouldn’t have been surprising if 2011’s “The People’s Key” had been the band’s final album. Oberst went on to other projects, including 2019’s Better Oblivion Community Center, but Bright Eyes returned in 2020 for a new album. The same trio that had been the core of the band the last couple of releases were all back for “Down the Weeds, Where the World Once Was,” the band’s first release not on Saddle Creek Records.

In a way, it feels like every Apple album is a comeback. Maybe that’s because she takes her time with releases and doesn’t do a ton of promotion. When an album arrives it serves as a reminder to many of the prodigious talent of Apple. “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” was an early candidate for album of the year when it dropped in 2020, making the eight-year wait worth it for many.