More tongue-in-cheek perhaps?
Apologies if the meaning was unclear for you, but the usage is within dictionary definitions:
Cambridge Dictionary
retread verb [T] (REPEAT)
to do something that has been done before, without adding any new ideas:
- Clearly they have run out of ideas and are retreading old ground.
- The film retreads familiar horror and melodrama territory.
- There's money to be made in retreading cinematic steps and some studios exploit this.
Merriam Webster
retreaded; retreading
transitive verb
1 : to bond or vulcanize a new tread to the prepared surface of (a worn tire)
2 : to make over as if new e.g. retread an old plot