Why this was remade?

I am watching Season 5 of the sitcom Reba, and the character Van kept saying the Thanksgiving parade on tv was so lame, they need to bring back "Underdog." Then another guest character came in and ended up saying the same thing. And at the end, Van's little daughter was dressed in an Underdog costume for Thanksgiving dinner. I wonder if there is any connection to the people behind the show with the people to do with the movie?