ABC Resurrecting ‘BattleBots’: Original Creators On Board For New Version


ABC has ordered a six-episode reboot of the popular fighting robot reality show, BattleBots.

According to TV Insider, the new version of BattleBots will air on ABC this summer, but a specific date has yet to be given. Ed Roski and Greg Munson, the creators of the original BattleBots franchise, are scheduled to be on board for this new version, too.

The original BattleBots focused on homemade robots battling each other in a single elimination tournament format until one champion is determined. For the ABC update, there will be no weight classes. All robots of different shapes and sizes will face off against each other until there is one champion. Those who win in the championship rounds will receive cash prizes.

The new ABC version will also have backstories for the people who created the fighting robots, and there will also be examinations into how each robot was built. Viewers will also be given a look at combat analytics in this new BattleBots.

BattleBots initially ran for five seasons on Comedy Central between 2000 and 2002. Since its end, there were many other shows that tried to capitalize off the BattleBots franchise. As the Inquisitr previously reported, one of those shows was Discovery Channel’s Robogeddon, which was produced by Oscar-winning director James Cameron and Survivor’s Mark Burnett in 2012.

Robot battling was supposed to be a new trend when it began, and BattleBots was a success during its initial run. But as Popular Science writer Kelsey D. Atherton points out, there was one thing that quickly led to the demise of battling robots.

“It had all the right elements: mad science, gladiatorial combat, plucky garage inventors, and televised action. So what killed it? A brutally effective, utterly simple machine called the wedge bot.”

Atherton adds that the wedge bot was unstoppable, and the battles it had were noticeably uneven.

“The wedge-style bot killed robot wars because it was invincible, which in the end made it boring.”

UPI is reporting that Whalerock Industries is teaming up with MGM in hopes to have ABC’s new version distributed internationally. In addition to Roski and Munson returning for the ABC update of BattleBots, Whalerock Industries owner Lloyd Braun will also serve as executive producer, as will Chris Cowan – who worked on Secret Millionaire and Trading Spouses.

Two people who competed on BattleBots were Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters fame, according to Gizmodo. While Hyneman has not said if he will return for the new ABC version, Savage made it seem like he will not be back for another round of battling robots.

How do you feel about ABC revamping BattleBots?

[Image via Twilight Foundry]

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