Even amid the deluge of reboots and revivals, few titles have been tinkered with as often as “Fantasy Island.” The Aaron Spelling-produced classic, which originally aired from 1977 to 1984 and starred Ricardo Montalban, was first brought back (tepidly) in 1998 with Malcolm McDowell. The premise later got the Blumhouse stand-alone horror movie treatment in 2020. A year later it’s been reimagined once again, this time as a television series
I don’t know if “Fantasy Island” was ever good, but it was fun. As a child, spending the night at my grandma’s meant no bedtime, and if it was a Saturday night look out — the ABC lineup was irresistible from my perch on the foldout couch, with “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” airing back to back.
“The Love Boat” was full of frothy cocktails by the pool and invitations back to someone’s cabin for a nightcap (it took me an amusingly long time to understand this was a euphemism for sex). But “Fantasy Island” often had an undercurrent of danger — that something sinister or foreboding was afoot — which was such a hilarious contrast to the sweeping, romantic orchestral score of the theme song (the melody is retained here but truncated and transformed into something that sounds like Enya with a techno beat). Sometimes the guests’ lives were at risk and Montalban’s courtly but quietly judgmental resort host Mr. Roarke, clad in his ever-present white suit, could only shake his head sadly and inform the concerned parties that he was unable to call off the fantasy once it had already begun.
The reboot’s executive producers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain (who have worked as a team on everything from “Angel” to “The Shield”) have something gentler in mind. I don’t think that’s a bad decision; there’s enough darkness around these days, fictional or otherwise. And the basic premise is intact: Guests must confront their true selves — their fears, their flaws, their hopes and dreams — which can make for some terrific storytelling set against a delectable sun-and-sand backdrop. “Scandal’s” Bellamy Young plays a guest in the first episode, but the anticipatory thrill of famous actors dropping in isn’t what’s fueling this version. (“Power” alum Debbi Morgan and Steppenwolf ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain show up in a later episode.)
The island remains reachable only by seaplane, with Elena Roarke (Roselyn Sanchez) stepping into the white suit of her predecessor. Rather than stiff, enigmatic formality, she presents as a glamorous and personable host. She has a first name! And a life off the clock. Based on the four episodes provided for critics, her interests outside of the job amount to a flirtation with the seaplane pilot (played by John G. Rodriguez). But the show’s creators haven’t quite figured out who they want this new Roarke to be — an opaque and all-knowing master of ceremonies or someone more accessible with her own stories to unfurl — which means the character is not quite defined enough to function as a much-needed anchor from one episode to the next.
I’ve long had a theory that the recurring familiarity of certain TV formats can be reassuring and comforting in ways that have been devalued as viewing tastes (and delivery mediums) have changed. At the moment, very few series offer this kind of episodic consistency outside of cop shows, because most have gone the season-long serialization route.
That makes the new “Fantasy Island” a welcome outlier. Even so, the producers seem skittish about embracing this wholeheartedly. The original followed a predictable template in ways that served the show to its advantage. Guests either won their trip to Fantasy Island or forked over $50,000 for a three-day stay. They would arrive by seaplane, always, and be greeted with leis placed around their necks and a trayful of cocktails as Roarke informed his colleagues (but really us, the viewers) what fantasies were on deck. And then the show would get right to it — no dallying — before wrapping up the episode the same way it began, with the guests waving goodbye as they boarded the seaplane to parts unknown. The current version never mentions anything as gauche as money. And it plays around with the arrivals — two guests sky-dive in, another comes by helicopter — which feels like an effort to prevent things from getting stale, even in the first few episodes. But adhering to a structure is what gives these types of shows so much of their appeal.
I’m convinced there’s still a place for this genre on TV, even if it’s only on broadcast networks, and I’m glad Fox took a gamble. But I also wonder if Hollywood is out of practice when it comes to the demands of self-contained storytelling: The framework remains unchanged but the writing has to be efficient and draw you in immediately to these brand new characters and brand new storylines. (“Murder, She Wrote” is fascinating to re-watch for this very reason.) Do enough TV writers today have a grasp on how to write these kinds of episodes anymore? I’m not sure.
In the original, Roarke always had a colleague by his side to better facilitate the expositional portions of the show (a role fulfilled by Herve Villechaize’s Tattoo in the early years; he was ultimately fired for demanding salary parity with Montalban). It would be a spoiler to reveal too much about Elena’s associate in this incarnation; she’s a newcomer to the island (played by “The Bold and the Beautiful’s” Kiara Barnes) who is an old soul in a young woman’s body. She has a wonderfully serene energy and is quietly befuddled but accepting of the supernatural events that are the island’s stock in trade. It’s a terrific performance, even if it’s unclear what her job on the island actually is.
Let’s talk about the island. Instead of vaguely Polynesian, this version has no location identifiers (it was filmed in Puerto Rico) which perhaps is a deft way of avoiding uncomfortable questions about colonization or who the Indigenous inhabitants of the island even are. It’s simply a resort that exists outside of any of those sticky issues; it’s a show that implores you to shut off your brain and drink something fruity with an umbrella in it instead.
If “Fantasy Island” plays into idea of escaping to an idyllic retreat, it’s not alone. So does “The White Lotus” (on HBO) and “Nine Perfect Strangers” (which premieres on Hulu next week) and there’s an almost obsessive focus on the guests rather than the home lives of service workers who make these luxury accommodations possible. I find that fascinating, if unsurprising.
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'FANTASY ISLAND'
2 stars (out of 4)
Rating: TV-14
Where to watch: 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on Fox
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