There was a chat with someone at DCP several years ago; mid-90s, when DC was having one of his usual "I'm going to do DS again" flings. This was before I was ever contracted for Dreams of the Dark. (Someone here may remember the event better than I do.) I specifically brought up the point that, if DS were to come back, wouldn't it be a better idea to NOT rehash the original Barnabas story again? I was pretty much dismissed, with DC's proxy stating, "Oh, no, Barnabas and Josette are the foundation of Dark Shadows, and real DS fans would certainly prefer to see that story."
I was not enthused, to say the least. I'm sorely afraid that if a new series should ever come to pass--which I frankly doubt--it would be another retread. There's also the fact that DC is getting up there a bit in years, and if he really plans to do DS again, I suspect he would have to do it relatively soon if he intends to be personally involved in it. Look at it this way; if he were to get approval for a DS TV project tomorrow, it wouldn't surprise me if it took two full years before it ever saw broadcast--which is just reason, as far as DC is concerned, to fall back on the original story; it's already written, thus less new territory to forge into.