The holiday season has arrived, bearing next-generation consoles, high profile game releases, and of course, seasonally-themed television specials. Specifically, the G4 network appears to be kicking off its long-awaited return with a holiday reunion special featuring talent from the network's glory days.
G4TV was a staple of gaming culture throughout the mid to late 2000s, until the network was ultimately discontinued late in 2014. 2o2o has been rife with rumors of a comeback in 2021, with little hard information on the nature of the channel's return. But today, comedian Ron Fuches took to Twitter to announce a reunion special is on the way soon—presumably later this year.
Younger gamers, and those who did not interact with the G4TV during its heyday, may be perplexed by the significance of G4's return. And it must be noted, the resurrected network faces a steep challenge in the face of online forums for gaming discussion and news. When G4 originally launched, high-speed internet was not a ubiquitous utility, allowing the network to serve as a primary source of gaming news for most of its audience. Even buoyed by fans' nostalgia, the network will need to develop fresh hooks to captivate modern viewers.
One of the network's greatest strengths was the talent involved with the channel. Several hosts, including Morgan Webb, Adam Sessler, and Kevin Pereira became gaming icons based on the strengths of their personality and comedic chops. The movie and television star Olivia Munn also got her start on the gaming network, and Munn is rumored to be involved with the network's reboot in some capacity. In his announcement, Fuches calls upon each of these former hosts by name, in a self-deprecating "cry for help," which raises interesting questions.
While it is almost inevitable that some of these personalities will be returning for the special, it is unclear how many of them are currently involved, if the gag is to be taken at face value. In July, G4 veteran Blair Herter hosted an AMA on Reddit to discuss plans for the rebooted network, but he remained coy when asked about the talent who would be involved.
It is also as-of-yet unclear where and how audiences can view the holiday special. During his AMA, Herter expressed the opinion that one of the reasons the original G4 failed was due to limited availability in certain markets, and strongly implied that would not be an issue for the rebooted network. Little other concrete information came to light, however. Even though the precise details about G4's return are still under wraps, eager fans have speculated and expressed their hopes about content G4 could produce.
An exact date for the G4 Reunion Holiday Special has yet to be announced.