Say it with us: “Bus driver, move that bus!” Go ahead and get used to that familiar refrain all over again, because HGTV is rebooting Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It’s probably not a bad idea to stock up on tissues while you’re at it, either — the new version of this beloved reality series is likely to be just as big a tearjerker as the original.
You know the deal, right? During the show’s run on ABC from 2003 until 2012, carpenter Ty Pennington and his lovable crew of home-improvement pros performed dramatic, whole-house renovations for deserving families. Often, the recipients of the home makeovers had backstories that tugged at the heartstrings.
HGTV is going extreme! All-new episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are coming to HGTV in 2020. #HGTVEXTREMEpic.twitter.com/AtF9aB3W5A
— HGTV (@hgtv) January 15, 2019
The reboot, per Discovery Inc.’s chief lifestyle brands officer Kathleen Finch, will embrace a similar format.
“This is a big win for HGTV and we can’t wait to put our stamp on it,” Finch told People. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was a must-see viewing for years because it combined moving stories of families and communities with life-changing home renovations. It’s the type of program that taps into every emotion and it’s the reason it was so popular with everyone in America.”
Explained Finch, the nostalgic series “always has been on our list of things to do. We just said, ‘Why not?’ We approached ABC. We approached Endemol. We had a lot of really great conversations and we were able to strike a deal. When viewers hear it’s on, they are going to say, ‘Well, of course.’ It makes perfect sense.”
So, that’s the good news — along with the fact that HGTV has secured rights to air 100 episodes of the original series leading up to the reboot’s premiere. The bad news is you’ll have to wait until 2020 (late 2019 at the earliest) for the network’s new 10-episode season to drop.
Man I really hope the God blesses everyone who was ever involved in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This was the most amazing and heartwarming thing a person could do for a stranger, as a kid growing up I always hoped that I would be involved in something like this pic.twitter.com/i48ezrmtyk
— Nkosana Mthembu (@nkaymthembu) January 13, 2019
It remains to be seen whether Pennington or any of the rest of the original big-hearted home pros will reprise their roles. However, Variety notes that Finch has said network execs haven’t decided upon a new host, meaning Pennington may be out.
But hey, it’s still early and much could happen in the meantime. It would be nice to at least score cameos from some of the OG gang, such as Paul DiMeo, Michael Maloney, Tracy Hutson and Paige Hemmis.
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