Exclusive: Netflix reviving 'Inspector Gadget'

Daniel Hurwitz | Special for USA TODAY

Netflix is adding a shiny new Gadget to its kids' programming.

Attempting to reach more kids — and their parents — Netflix has ordered five new kids' shows, including remakes of the beloved animated television series Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse .

Netflix has picked up the rights to an updated Inspector Gadget, the 1980s cartoon about the bumbling bionic private eye. Produced by Canadian television company DHX Media, the new series has already aired on broadcast television in Europe, but will premiere exclusively in the USA on Netflix in March. Netflix will debut the series at a later date in such foreign territories as the U.K., Latin America and France.

The original Gadget first aired as an animated television series in 1983 and was turned into a movie starring Matthew Broderick in 1999. The 26-episode remake includes updated gadgets and a new computer-generated look for the inspector.

"It's one of those shows where we're able to hit a few different audiences," said Erik Barmack, VP of global independent content at Netflix. "We think that kids are going to love the show ... but it's also going to get some co-viewing because there is a generation of parents who grew up on the original."

Netflix is also ordering a revamped version of Danger Mouse, another beloved franchise from the early '80s. The British show about a secret agent mouse first ran in the United Kingdom in 1981 and aired on Nickelodeon in the USA from 1982-1992. Netflix will debut 26 half-hour episodes of Danger Mouse, produced by Fremantle and the BBC, in the USA in the Spring of 2016.

Netflix is no stranger to rebooting popular cartoons from the past. The streaming site has announced upcoming remakes of Magic School Bus, Popples and Care Bears. In addition, it has a multiyear deal with DreamWorks Animation for 300 hours of original programming inspired by characters from existing DreamWorks franchises, spawning shows includingTurbo Fast, All Hail King Julien and, most recently, Richie Rich.

In addition to Gadget and Mouse, Netflix has acquired three additional children's shows including the Canadian Some Assembly Required, a live-action series about a 14-year-old who becomes CEO of the toy company Knicknack Toys, Bottersnikes & Gumbles, an animated series based on the book series of the same name, and SUPER 4, a Playmobil inspired cartoon series.

Netflix is not the only streaming site to make a continued investment in children's programming. On Tuesday, Amazon announced it has renewed four original kids' series (Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street, Tumble Leaf) for a second season on its Prime Instant Video service.