New Monkees

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New Monkees was the name of both a US pop rock music group and the short-lived, syndication-only television show featuring the band. The 20th anniversary of The Monkees in 1986 generated enough publicity that this band was created later that year. It was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications; Straybert Productions, a regrouping of both Raybert Productions and BBS Productions, were the producers of the show.

The group's members were Jared Chandler, Dino Kovas, Marty Ross, and Larry Saltis. As with the first Monkees, each had to pass a grueling round of auditions, but this time the emphasis was on musical ability. In 1987, they released one album, New Monkees, distributed by the Warner Bros. label. The look and sound of the band might be described as being very similar to other contemporary light synthopop groups such as Mr. Mister or Glass Tiger.

On the show, which debuted in September 1987, the band lived in a large mansion, complete with the butler, with numerous unexplored rooms (much like The Young Ones), and this was the main source of their adventures. Also appearing was former exercise instructor, Bess Motta, who played Rita, a waitress in the mansion's diner that served as their kitchen.

The show was not renewed by Columbia/Coca-Cola for a second season, but 13 episodes were aired in first-run syndication. Initial press releases had indicated the show would have a 22-episode debut season, but that did not happen. Album sales were not enough to keep the show on TV, and the TV ratings were not enough to keep them on the Warner Bros. label.

Long-time Los Angeles DJ Rodney Bingenheimer (who was a stand-in for Davy Jones in the 1960s) suggested that a better idea would have been to have a project featuring the children of the original Monkees (several of whom showed musical and/or theatrical talent) with occasional guest appearances by Dolenz, Jones, Tork, and Nesmith. Micky Dolenz disparaged the New Monkees in TV Guide as tarnishing the original concept and dividing the fan market.