Settle an argument

I was having a friendly wrangle with someone on Facebook the other day. It seems she has connections at PBS, and she had advised them to make a new miniseries of Brideshead Revisited, because "no one under 35 has probably seen the first PBS miniseries, and they aren't likely to rent it either."* I argued that, number one, I saw it and enjoyed it when I was under 35, not that long ago; and number two, given how well costume dramas -- and especially Downton -- have done, they could probably re-air the original and pull in lots of younger viewers, as long as they gave it a great big promotional effort. Can't you just hear the ads . . . "Before there was Downton, there was Brideshead." (I added that it doesn't hurt that lots of us youngsters know Anthony Andrews from The Scarlet Pimpernel!) But she doesn't think that would work at all.

What do you all think? Could a re-airing of the original BR do well now on PBS, especially with that prized younger demographic, or would it flop?

*Her idea is Douglas Booth and Max Irons for the leads: "You tell me those CW girls wouldn't tune in!" On that one, she probably has a point!