In the age of branding and franchises, every existing story has added value. But not every film is fit for TV.
The challenge of adapting movies to a new medium is a tricky one with no clear-cut way to do it. Many new series credit “Fargo” as their benchmark, citing its tone and setting as inspiration for creating a new world around the best parts of what came before. That’s all well and good, but there are as many failed attempts to replicate Noah Hawley’s strategy as successes.
Similarly, some carbon copies — using the same characters and plot points as the preceding movie — are just as good, if not better than their cinematic predecessors. Because any way can work, many various attempts have been made. There’s no right way to do it, but there are a lot of wrong ways; as evidenced by the growing pile of canceled shows based on movies.
Below, IndieWire has assembled the best of the best; the series that have taken on one of writing’s greatest challenges and come out with an adaptation, inspiration, or spin-off to be proud of. The TV shows below aren’t all straight adaptations. Some include aspects from books. Some only borrow the title or a character from the film that preceded them. But they’re all great television shows that wouldn’t exist without a film that came first.
Whether they were made to cash in off a successful film property or out of the pure artistic vision of their creators, these small screen gems live up to — or surpass — their big screen brethren. Enjoy.
SEE ALSO: The 25 best TV shows that only lasted one season
20. "Lethal Weapon"
Listen, the odds were stacked against this one. The four-film franchise hadn’t seen a new entry in nearly two decades when Fox brought Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh out of retirement. Moreover, it was the lead actors who literally kept the characters from being too old for this shit, and replacing them seemed like too daunting a task, even if elongating the story somehow proved sustainable.
But Matthew Miller’s semi-procedural made us forget all about Mel Gibson before the first season hit the halfway point, as Clayne Crawford proved himself a charismatic leading man. We knew he could do great character work thanks to four seasons of outstanding supporting service in “Rectify,” but Crawford’s attention to detail, addictive action-star swagger, and jovial camaraderie with Damon Wayans makes the “Lethal Weapon” series a more-than-worthy addition to the franchise.
19. "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later"
“Wet Hot’s” first foray into scripted television — the Netflix prequel series, “First Day of Camp” — highlighted the best moments from the series, tossed in a number of additional characters, and played up the joke that these adolescent campers were being portrayed by middle-aged adults. It also felt a little overstuffed and never fully came together; at least, not compared to the movie itself.
The sequel season changes that. “10 Years Later” has a more creative and cavalier attitude toward its story, focusing instead on the core characters and actors who made up the original ensemble, while still utilizing a few favorite famous faces in key moments (instead of broad arcs). It recaptures the camp nostalgia of the film and has a good time doing it. We’ll have a formal review in time for its release, but for now, trust us: “10 Years Later” is the “Wet Hot” follow-up you’ve wanted.
18. “Stargate SG-1”
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Who knew that the quirky Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich film “Stargate” would be the start of an entire franchise? MGM’s foresight created one of the longest-running sci-fi series, shepherded by “MacGyver” star Richard Dean Anderson as the steady leader Jack O’Neill. The concept of instantaneous space travel, however, opened up the series into a world of possibilities that extended to colorful alien worlds and a far deeper mythology that also encompassed ancient Egypt.
Best of all, the often campy series was self-aware, and this was its saving grace, compared to other excellent, but heavy sci-fi series like “Battlestar Galactica.” Running for a healthy 10 years, “Stargate SG-1” showed how a solid idea could create a veritable universe, given the right resources and imagination. Now, 20 years after the series’ premiere, the “Stargate” franchise will be resurrected in the new web series, “Stargate Origins.”
See the rest of the story at Business Insider