Movies that become tv series, is it good or bad?

[00Stinger]

It seems over the last couple of years we are going through a golden generation of tv. Previously where big movie stars would not do tv as it was a career stepdown, they are now lining up to do it.
Now over the last 18-24 months it seems the new idea is to turn once quality movies into tv series.
Recently i can think of 12 Monkeys, Lethal Weapon, Animal Kingdom, Scream, From dusk til dawn, Fargo & About a boy. Im sure there are many more as well.

I have personally only watched Fargo, About a boy & Animal kingdom so far which imo have all been pretty good. However i wonder if in typical Hollywood fashion they will over do it and totally suck all life out of a good idea.

What are everyone elses thoughts?

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[PhatBoy]

Snatch is about to start as well.

They also did a Lock Stock series years ago but can't recall if it was any good.

Personally I think it's a decent enough idea for expanding in a universe that has obviously piqued people's interest but I don't automatically see a series named after a movie and think 'hey I really want to watch that.' I try and judge them independently.

 

[00Stinger]

Snatch is about to start as well.

They also did a Lock Stock series years ago but can't recall if it was any good.

Personally I think it's a decent enough idea for expanding in a universe that has obviously piqued people's interest but I don't automatically see a series named after a movie and think 'hey I really want to watch that.' I try and judge them independently.

Yeah lock stock had about 10 episodes from memorey. It wasnt too bad, but wasnt anything sensational either.

Snatch would be interesting as i loved the movie, however those two movies were so good as they had a few storylines that all came together at the end. Something im not sure a series could do quite as well

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[DapperJong]

The opposite can happen and it's not as good.

Police Squad > The Naked Gun.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Anything can work if it has a canonical or thematic connection and is actually good. Fargo the TV show gets held in high regard.

Stuff like Lethal Weapon though obviously just gets made to cash in on the brand name. Nobody had an artistic vision for that show.

Moreover old stuff is getting recycled more than ever because Hollywood has decided it's safer to use known brands than create new s**t. They've made a TV show about the Archie comics. People would've laughed at that 15 years ago but now whichever company owns the rights has gone "Hey, people have heard of Archie! Let's make something out of it!".

 

[Vader]

Occasionally it works out. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate were very popular TV shows, both of which were based on truly horribly awful movies. It's fair to say that both of those series were far better than the original source material.

 

[chargers 09]

Worked with Fargo and From Dusk Till Dawn


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[Bomberboyokay]

Occasionally it works out. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate were very popular TV shows, both of which were based on truly horribly awful movies. It's fair to say that both of those series were far better than the original source material.

Stargate must be due for a new entrant or reboot.

 

[Buckleys Jocks]

Snatch is about to start as well.

It already has. I caught the first two episodes over the weekend and from what I've seen so far it looks like this sums it up pretty well...

Yeah lock stock had about 10 episodes from memorey. It wasnt too bad, but wasnt anything sensational either.

 

[Marlowe]

I remember thinking Fargo was a terrible idea but that show has found its groove. However, it has a couple things going for it most other movie-to-TV adaptations don't, like a decent showrunner in Noah Hawley, for starters. As well the fact that's it's also an anthology series so the actors are really only signed up for 10 episodes at a time and then recycled - something that's seems to be the casual link between any TV show that has major film stars attached (True Detective, Big Little Lies, the upcoming Twin Peaks revival).

I think television scrapes the bottom far more often than film does, just by its nature. Ten-to-twenty episodes a year, tons of timeslots, 6 days a week (because nothing good ever airs on a Saturday) and a shitload of networks. To me, the odds against making good television are always staked against. I reckon shows based on movies will continue for a while for the reason film studios recycle old properties - ready-made, built-in audience. Hopefully every 20 shows gives us a Fargo.

 

[Feerits Elf]

They've made a TV show about the Archie comics.

I know, it's a ripper.

 

[spinynorman]

To go way back, MASH was pretty terrific.

But it's an interesting extension of the remake and sequel-crazy nature of Hollywood at the moment. There's a lot of great television at the moment but I think we overlook how much trash there is too (the ongoing survival of reality TV a good case in point). Fargo worked, I don't mind Animal Kingdom or Lethal Weapon.

 

[Vader]

I quite like the Riggs character in the Lethal Weapon TV series. The less said about Damon Wayans' Murtagh character, the better.

 

[HairyO]

Stargate must be due for a new entrant or reboot.

Universe killed that franchise dead.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Universe killed that franchise dead.

No way. Universe was comfortably the best of the 3 series. SG-1 and Atlantis were super pissy Star Trek.

 

[JackOutback]

Of course they will over do it, that's the Hollywood way. But, really, it's a case by case basis. If it's based on a good premise but bad movie (Buffy), then the potential to succeed is there. If it has quality people behind it (Fargo), then it will be fine. If it's a blatant cash grab or iconic movie (Lethal Weapon, Scream, 12 Monkeys), it might struggle.

But with film playing it safer and safer, and television having the potential to tell more complex stories, I think we will see more big name actors and directors making their way to TV. The fact the US has cottoned on to the fact that shows don't have to run half the year for ratings reasons means we will probably see more limited series as well.

 

[Vader]

Is it fair to say that Movie to TV translations have a better history than TV to Movie translations?

 

[RolandF1]

Is it fair to say that Movie to TV translations have a better history than TV to Movie translations?

Yeah. Star Trek, Brady Bunch, Addams Family, Serenity, a number of cartoon movies, etc did quite well from TV to movie. Probably because most of those were sequels to the TV show and had its universe already established.

There was that obsession to turn every TV show into a movie during the 90s and most of those weren't good.

 

[Vader]

Yeah. Star Trek, Brady Bunch, Addams Family, Serenity, a number of cartoon movies, etc did quite well from TV to movie. Probably because most of those were sequels to the TV show and had its universe already established.

There was that obsession to turn every TV show into a movie during the 90s and most of those weren't good.

I can think of a lot of others that were awful.. George & Mildred, Mrs Brown's Boys...

Could be worse.. Could be translating a computer game into a movie. Plenty of those in the recent past, not one of which was worth the price of admission - not even if admission was free.

 

[jackn]

Along with Fargo and Buffy which have been mentioned, Friday night lights completes the trio of great shows from movies. Bates motel is one I've heard good things about but not watched yet.

There's a few decent but nothing special ones like scream and Sarah Conner chronicles and a lot of crap ones. I find the now I liked the movie, the less likely I'll enjoy the tv show. It's why I quit 12 monkeys very early. About a boy was beyond terrible too. Great movie, My vocabulary not strong enough to adequately describe the tv show.

 

[00Stinger]

Along with Fargo and Buffy which have been mentioned, Friday night lights completes the trio of great shows from movies. Bates motel is one I've heard good things about but not watched yet.

There's a few decent but nothing special ones like scream and Sarah Conner chronicles and a lot of crap ones. I find the now I liked the movie, the less likely I'll enjoy the tv show. It's why I quit 12 monkeys very early. About a boy was beyond terrible too. Great movie, My vocabulary not strong enough to adequately describe the tv show.

So is 12 monkeys the series no good?

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[jackn]

So is 12 monkeys the series no good?

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I thought so.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

I'm loathe to even give them a try as they represent something that I hate about Hollywood which is the absence of creativity and risk taking.

 

[00Stinger]

I'm loathe to even give them a try as they represent something that I hate about Hollywood which is the absence of creativity and risk taking.

While i agree to an extent, there are some movie universes that really could be explored in length (a series), but tne concern is that hollywood will just try to cash in on anything and ruin them

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[Red Black and Blue]

While i agree to an extent, there are some movie universes that really could be explored in length (a series), but tne concern is that hollywood will just try to cash in on anything and ruin them

I agree that as a concept it could work, but it needs to be planned extensively and not just cashing in on the success of an ip. Marvel have kinda showed that it is possible, though their films and tv shows are only loosely linked.