Joakim Hermansson received his doctorate in February from the University of Gothenburg on the subject of adaptations.

He believes that reboots are a way for us viewers to reconsider our selves, by reflecting on our favorite characters.

It suits our isolated situation right now.

- We are really living in a reboot time, where we are thinking about how we can restart society.

What will my life be like?

Who will I be?

And the reboot reflects just this: how can I do a reboot ?, says Joakim Hermansson.

Easy to market

But of course the reboot also has a sharper purpose: to make money.   

- Investments have increased when it comes to TV series.

And when it comes to producing these quantities, it is important to invest in secure cards.

Then the reboot is good, because it connects to something that people already have a connection to - it is easy to market a reboot, says Joakim Hermansson. 

There is a will in the industry to dig up old gold.

This year, a new version of Ingmar Bergman's classic Scenes comes from a marriage.

At the same time, a new edition of the 90s series Ally McBeal is planned.

And recently SVT presented its plans for a new version of Vi på Saltkråkan, which was met with a lot of outraged reactions.     

- There is an author named Dennis Cutchins who has described his own relationship to adaptations and in this case reboots.

He writes that with the help of all versions he has built up his worldview, standardized it, seen what range he can be in and what the world looks and can look like.

When there is a new version, he means that then his whole self-image is threatened.

- When it comes to the Salt Crow.

My God, Melker is my grandfather!

And now I'm going to have a new grandfather.

My whole identity is threatened as well, says Joakim Hermansson.

A chance to restart

On the other hand, says Joakim Hermansson, there is something comforting in the opportunity to start over.  

- You can almost talk about something religious.

The reboot gives us an opportunity to say: okay, now the world was created and so it went like this.

Can we get a reboot?

Then we retell the story.

Because we know that history had something to offer, but we did not take advantage of it. 

- We get the opportunity for reconsideration.

And that makes us like reboots and we dread them at the same time, says Joakim Hermansson.