Parker Posey Makes an Excellent Villain in Netflix's Pointless 'Lost in Space' Reboot

The case of rebooting a show that's been off the air for years has officially been made with "Roseanne." That sitcom's return created waves in a huge way, bringing in large ratings and even the praise of President Trump. The new "Roseanne" didn't capture the zeitgeist because it cashed in on fans' nostalgia - the comedy had something to stay with regards to modern politics and Middle America.

As Peak TV moves into its reboot era, television producers are looking back more than ever to revive a myriad of programs. On paper, "Lost in Space," which is based on Irwin Allen's 1965 sci-fi series, feels like the perfect show for Netflix to reboot. The streaming giant seems to be honed in on giving subscribers sci-fi content: over the last few months, Netflix rolled out several genre shows and films, including "Altered Carbon," "Mute," "Bright," "Dark," "The Cloverfield Paradox," "Black Mirror" and many, many more. Something in the company's data, which is infamously under lock-and-key, is telling decision-makers that its viewers want glossy, big-budget science fiction content.

"Lost in Space," which starts streaming on Netflix Friday, is the latest expensive sci-fi drama off the Netflix's production belt. And, like the programs similar to it, it's also a dreadful slog that looks amazing. Unlike these shows, "Lost in Space" is a bland family-friendly series that's light on thrills, sex, and excitement.

Updated from the '60s series, Netflix's "Lost in Space" follows the Robinson family and their misadventures. Set about 30 years into the future, the Robinsons join a team of colonizers heading to a far away planet, leaving a dying Earth behind. In the pilot things don't go as planned, forcing the family to land on a different planet. They later learn, they aren't alone and other travelers have crash-landed on the same mysterious Earth-like planet, full of alien wildlife, new terrain, and uncertain weather conditions.

"House of Cards" actress Molly Parker does she can with the limp script, playing Robinson matriarch Maureen and a dull Toby Stephens ("Die Another Day") plays patriarch John. The Robinsons have three genius kids, Judy (Taylor Russell), Penny (Mina Sundwall) and Will (Maxwell Jenkins). Unlike the original series, today's "Lost in Space" heightens the family drama by putting Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's marriage on the rocks. Episodes cut back-and-forth between the family's struggle to survive on their new planet and the years and months before they depart for their mission. In the flashbacks, we see the Robinson family bump against each other as Maureen and John attempt to salvage their turbulent relationship - at one point, the couple seems to agree on divorcing. Some of the tension spills over as the family sets up their new life but a family drama on an alien planet is just as conventional and uninteresting as a family drama set on Earth or during a zombie apocalypse (see the dreadful "Walking Dead" spinoff "Fear the Walking Dead).

"Lost in Space" is at its best when it leaves the Robinsons behind and focuses on other characters in the series - a problem since... the Robinson family is at the core of the show. Ignacio Serricchio ("Bones") pops on screen as Don West - a wisecracking Han Solo type character who is a luxury goods smuggler. He adds an electric personality to the otherwise static show, making the scenes he's in exciting and engaging.

It's Parker Posey ("Best in Show," "Party Girl"), however, who is the best thing in "Lost in Space." Here she plays the mysterious Dr. Smith (and has a handful of scenes with West, the two work well together), who is not who she says she is. She's a reprehensible villain and complete maniac who will do whatever it takes to survive - though sometimes she makes questionable moves that put her survival in jeopardy. Nevertheless, Posey does the best she can and plays Dr. Smith with unnerving charm. It's a pleasure to watch Posey have a significant part on a big-budget show - even if "Lost in Space" ends up being a pointless reboot.

Of course, there's also that iconic Robot that yells, "Danger, Will Robinson." Like the rest of the show, the Robot gets a major upgrade and no longer looks like the goofy gumball-like machine from the 60s. In Netflix's "Lost in Space," the Robot is a high-tech spider machine, resembling the aliens from the 1953 sci-fi classic "The War of the Worlds." Also different from the original series is that the Robinson family isn't alone. With other colonizers crash-landing on the planet, the Robinson family find themselves teaming up and at odds with some of their new neighbors.

Created by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (the screenwriters who penned "Dracula Untold" and "Gods of Egypt"), the new "Lost in Space" struggles to prove its purpose. It's a little too prestige-y and slow for kids (besides a few moments showing the planet's strange wildlife, the color pallet on "Lost in Space" is closer to a bleak adult drama like "Ozark" that an eye-grabbing tween series) but it's too kiddie for adults who binged their way through the ultraviolent and super-sexual "Altered Carbon." "Lost in Space" is a confused show, unsure of its audience, completely living up to its name.