A remake, a do-over. Having another crack. Trying to go one better or take that next step to improve.

It would be fair to say that this school of thought is something business, parenting and relationships all embrace at different times and in different measures.

Most see the benefit of learning from past mistakes or achievements and then being able to tweak them slightly for a different and, maybe, better result.

Sporting coaches, CEOs, teachers and chefs all embrace the possibility of change and improvement.

Why then, when we hear of a creative remake, is our first reaction negative?

The news earlier this week that the very funny Denise Scott and stand-up comedian Matt Okine were remaking the classic Australian sitcom Mother and Son was greeted by some in exactly that way.

And I have to admit my gut pulled me to be one of them, even though my head thought, well… maybe.

I wonder if it’s because of the memories and emotions created when we see and experience something fixed and finite for the very first time: something that can’t change like a footy score or bottom line.

See my father doesn’t always laugh easily, but I can vividly remember him guffawing on the couch with Maggie as her son Arthur dealt with the challenges of living with her slight senility and everything that entailed.

Ruth Cracknell became a paragon in our house and whilst dad never bought into the Logies (it’s just people patting themselves on the back when they should be just getting on with it), I think he might have cracked a sneaky smile when she and Gary McDonald won a few of them over the years.

The appeal was that ever-changing relationship between a parent and child, as well as the naughtiness of a mother getting one over her son as she leant into her apparent vagueness to take advantage of his care.

The show ran for six seasons and whilst that can be an eternity in entertainment, it didn’t seem long enough as it became a part of our weekly ritual, much like my father’s complaints about the interest rates and our dinners of ham steaks with pineapple rings on top.

Australia has changed a lot in the 40-odd years since Mother and Son screened (except for the whole yelling at the interest rates thing), and that difference can be seen clearly in our comedy. We have altered what we should, can and do see as funny.

I’d like to think that the relatability of the original will still shine through, even though the new version will be more of a reboot than a straight remake, focusing on not just the complexities of aging, but also the migrant experience.

Whilst I’m interested to see how that change plays out, I wonder if my father will give it as much of a chance as he holds on to the reasons he first fell in love with the show.

Our family has recently worked through a couple of reboots of my childhood, watching The Karate Kid turned into the TV series Cobra Kai.

The verdict?

Our kids loved it and I loved watching their faces as they first discovered (and then acted out) Mr Miyagi’s wax on, wax off tutorial.

Even though it wasn’t enough to get them out washing our car, the joy of seeing them interpret something I had adored when I was a kid was enough for me to get over the bad acting and changes to the storyline.

On the other hand, I sat them down to watch my childhood hero/future husband MacGyver’s reboot. Seeing them fail to understand how clever it was to escape a villain’s lair with nothing more than a Mars Bar wrapper and a battery destroyed me and my perfect childhood memories.

So will the new Mother and Son work?

Who knows? I hope so.

When announcing it all Denise Scott tweeted: ‘I’m excited. Terrified. Honoured. Humbled.’

I hope people give it a chance because let’s face it, in a year when a couple of the major Australian networks failed to reveal any dramatic series, instead opting for the easier and cheaper-to-produce reality stuff, perhaps it’s an entire genre my Dad will end up missing, rather than just this one classic show and the incredible Cracknell and McDonald.

Ali Clarke presents the breakfast show on Mix 102.3. She is a regular columnist for InDaily.