The 20th anniversary of The Monkees TV series in 1986 generated enough interest that New Monkees, a full reboot of the earlier series with none of the original members of The Monkees involved, was conceived later that year, and launched the following year. The show was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications. Straybert Productions, headed by Steve Blauner, served as the project's producers. The group's members were Jared Chandler, Dino Kovas, Marty Ross, and Larry Saltis. As it had been with the original Monkees, each had to pass a grueling set of auditions. Unlike the previous series, however, musical ability was a key factor in the selection process. Ross, a multi-instrumentalist, had earlier been signed to CBS Records, with his former band The Wigs.
Album and TV series
The band released one self-titled album, distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The synthpop sound of the New Monkees was largely the work of producers Carol Carmichael Parks and Dean Parks, and was similar to that of contemporaries Mr. Mister and Glass Tiger. Other New Monkees producers were Steve Barri and Tony Peluso, Matt Wallace, Joe Curiale, and Mike Slamer, who co-wrote a song for the album with Larry Saltis. Other than being centered around a four-person boy band, New Monkees had very little in common plot-wise with The Monkees. Instead of Baby Boomers trying to find acceptance and success in society, the Generation X New Monkees seldom left their house, a large mansion resembling a giant boombox that had numerous unexplored rooms. The New Monkees also lived a far wealthier life than their predecessors: instead of a normal kitchen and dining room, the house featured a diner with a waitress named Rita, played by Bess Motta. A butler named Manford was also present, as was a talking computer called Helen ; Helen was a decommissioned Defense Department supercomputer that spoke in a pronounced black accent and developed a taste for rock music instead of world destruction. Helen was almost always portrayed solely by a pair of talking lips set on a black, static background. Notable guest performers were few; however, they included boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Archie Hahn, Russell Johnson, and Billy Beck, whose appearances made him the only actor to have appeared in episodes of both the original Monkees as well as New Monkees. The Del Rubio Triplets appeared on the episode "New Monkee Mail," which initiated a wave of TV appearances by the trio.
Failure and subsequent revived interest
Originally slated for a 22-episode season, the show earned ratings lower than expected and New Monkees left the air after 13 episodes. The album also did not catch on, and failed to yield a hit record single. The producers hoped that the TV show would serve as promotion for their record, and vice versa, but this did not occur. A lawsuit was filed by the original Monkees for use of the name. However, the case was settled out of court. Interest in the band has continued on internet newsgroups. In 2007, all four New Monkees reunited for a meet-and-greet with fans in Los Angeles, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the band's formation. The gathering featured an acoustic performance—their first since the dissolution of the show, and their first-ever live appearance. This performance was filmed, and portions of the show have been released in late 2009 on YouTube. Among those in attendance that night were comedian Tim Powers, as well as producers Steve Blauner, Victor Fresco and Matt Fassberg. In 2014, the Monkees podcast Zilch aired an interview with Marty Ross of the New Monkees, which discussed the making of the show and its reception. On November 11, 2017, the New Monkees had a 30-year reunion which all four original members attended, organized by Amy Collen. They were interviewed for the podcast Deep Dish Radio with Tim Powers, and performed a short concert. On February 16, 2019, the New Monkees held a sold-out concert at the Pig 'n Whistle in Los Angeles, organized by Jodi Ritzen; the concert featured the original Monkees' Micky Dolenz.
In addition to the songs featured on the album, the New Monkees recorded several songs for the TV series that ultimately did not see an official release:
Despite not being officially released, most of these songs can be found on YouTube. Additionally, "What I Want ", a version of "What I Want" featuring Christmas-themed lyrics, was included on the 1987 Warner Bros. Christmas compilation albumYulesville.
