Corporate Hacks Create AI-Upscaled Versions of ‘Roseanne’ and ‘A Different World’

Can we talk about the weird, melted faces we’re seeing on our favorite ‘80s and ‘90s shows lately? They’ve been upgraded to 4K, but at what cost? If you ever wanted to see Bill Cosby’s face melting during a chess game in the crispest quality, Netflix’s got you covered with an AI-enhanced version of ‘A Different World’.

But hold up, it might be tempting to blame Netflix for these nightmare-inducing visuals. However, it seems that Carsey-Werner Company, the folks in charge of licensing out classics like ‘That ’70s Show’, ‘3rd Rock From the Sun’, and ‘Roseanne’ to streaming platforms, might be the real culprit. ‘Roseanne’ on Peacock also got the AI-enhanced treatment, leaving shimmering faces and gibberish text in its wake.

The updated ‘Roseanne’ was supposed to honor the original content, says Carsey-Werner, but fans beg to differ. Even their promo video showcases strange AI artifacts, with slippery eyes and goofy text aplenty. The company didn’t get back to Gizmodo about their remastering process, but the job was outsourced to Performance Post, a firm specializing in digital mastering and roto-scoping.

Sure, watching old shows on new screens can be challenging due to the resolution gaps, but remastering can be done right. ‘Cheers’, ‘The X-Files’, and ‘Star Trek’ are shining examples of successful remastering. However, the cost and effort involved in loving restorations don’t come cheap; it took $70,000 per episode to revamp ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’. Fast-forward to today, and AI upscaling seems like a cheaper and quicker alternative, though it leads to some pretty disastrous results.

Long story short: if you’re passionate about preserving the shows you love, it might be wise to take matters into your own hands. Streaming services aren’t always the pinnacle of quality control, and the future of iconic series isn’t always guaranteed. So hold on to those digital copies or invest in physical media, because we must take steps to ensure these classics aren’t lost to time.”