However, you might not have realized just how often studios look to TV for properties to turn into big-budget movies. How many of these major films did you know were based on old TV shows?
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.Eis a 2015Guy Ritchiefilm starringHenry CavillandArmie Hammer. It’s a Cold War spy thriller, replete with secret Nazi plots involving nuclear weapons, and an unlikely truce between the CIA and the KGB to stop those dang old murderous Nazis.
It’s based on a 1964-1968 television series by the same name, also about intelligence agency shenanigans. There were plenty of notable guest stars, includingWilliam ShatnerandLeonard Nimoy, two years beforeStar Trekhad even aired.
Maverickis a 1994 comedy about a card shark con man, portrayed by the once-likeableMel Gibson.(And honestly, the movie is so dang charming that not even Gibson can ruin it.) It’s based on the 1957-1962 television series, also namedMaverick,which aired on ABC.
In addition to a big-budget movie, the show spawned a litany of spin-offs: a TV movie called,The New Maverick(1978), a new series calledYoung Maverick(1979),Bret Maverick(1981), and the incongruently named,The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw(1991).
The Fugitive
Harrison Fordstars as Dr. Richard Kimble, a man wrongly accused of murder inThe Fugitive(1993). It’s the movie with the famous dam scene, where Kimble chooses to do a sick jackknife dive into the water rather than face down an armed and angryTommy Lee Jones.
The movie is based on a 1963-1967 American drama TV series by the same name, and followed roughly the same plot. Dr. Kimble is on the run from a doggedly persistent U.S. Marshal while trying to find the one-armed man who framed him for murder. There was even a 2000 TV remake of the series.
The A-Team
The A-Teamwas an action television series that ran in the 80’s, featuringMr. Tand a bunch of other people who really don’t matter. The group are ex-special forces, court martialed for a crime they weren’t guilty of, who go on a series of mercenary shenanigans. But did you know there was a 2010 movie calledThe A-Team,with frickin’Liam Neesonin it?
In addition to Neeson, the movie featured a fresh-off-The-HangoverBradley Cooper.However, it’s arguably best to rememberThe A-Teamby their television stint: the movie remake got so-so reviews by audiences, and critics were far less forgiving. Though, to be fair, Mr. T is a hard act to follow.
The Avengers (1998)
We’re not talking about Big Green Man vs. Big Purple Man Avengers, but rather, the 1998 movie,The Avengers,starringUma Thurman,Ralph Fiennes, andSean Connery. If you haven’t heard of it, there may be a good reason for that: it’s a spy thriller where the villain (played by Connery) is a mad scientist whose evil plot is to control the weather.
Needless to say, it was panned to smithereens by critics, and is considered one of the worst films ever to violate audiences’ eyeballs. How did this abomination come to fruition? A 1961 British television series is to blame:The Avengerswas a fairly campy TV spy show that gained cult status. Sadly, the movie wasn’t able to capture lightning in a bottle.
1987’s buddy cop comedy,Dragnet,is actually a parody of an old TV series. 1951’sDragnetis a black-and-white cop drama, which was fashioned as a fictional “documentary.” It opened with the famous line, “What you’re about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
The over-the-top hardboiled melodrama was ripe for being satirized, and thus theDan AykroydandTom Hanksremake was born. It’s not dissimilar from other jokey remakes of old properties that have become popular in recent years, such asThe Dukes of Hazzardand21 Jump Street.
The Mod Squad
Sometimes, however, a movie adaptation of a campy show takes itself far too seriously. This was the problem withThe Mod Squad,a 1999 thriller about three former delinquents-turned-police-informants who must solve the murder of their boss. The film starred a then-white-hotClaire Danes, Omar Epps,andGiovanni Ribisias the titular teen crime fighters.
It was based on an award-winning TV series (also calledThe Mod Squad), with roughly the same plot, but with superior execution. It was a trailblazing show in terms of portraying race relations, counter culture, police brutality, protest movements, and other important social issues. The movie, however, almost won a Razzie, only barely being beaten out by another title on this list (hint - it starsWill Smith).
Wild Wild West
There’s nothing wrong with the concept of “sci-fi-meets-the-Wild-West” (Westworldmanaged to pull it off). However,Wild Wild West(1999) starringKevin KlineandWill Smith,won Worst Picture in the Razzie awards. The plot is mostly inscrutable, but roughly speaking, it’s a western but with steampunk elements and cool futuristic weapons. Oh, and sunglasses!
It was based on the 1965 science fiction western TV show, calledThe Wild Wild West. This incarnation of the concept actually had high ratings. However, it was cancelled due to “violence.” Too bad it came before the glorious times of HBO.
Wayne’s World
The golden age of SNL was the source of a whole host of comedy films.Wayne’s World(1992) starringMike MyersandDana Carveyas a couple of rock fans suddenly given a network TV show, was spun off from a recurring SNL sketch in which the two future megastars played a pair of losers filming a public access show in their basement.
The sketches explored the many adventures of Wayne and Garth, a couple of metalheads, with catch phrases like, “Party on,” that became permanently woven into the cosmic spacetime fabric of the 90’s. Surprisingly, this sketch translated well to film: it remains a beloved classic, and has an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
A Night at the Roxbury
LikeWayne’s World,A Night at the Roxburystarted off as a recurring skit called, “The Roxbury Guys” (a superior title in our opinion).Chris KattanandWill Ferrellportrayed a couple of overly greased up clubbing dudes, who spent most of their time violently undulating to the song “What Is Love.”
Despite the talent and likeability of the comedians involved, one might be tempted to ponder how such a sketch could be drawn out over the course of 82 minutes. Well, asRoger Ebertput it, “…the sad thing aboutA Night at the Roxburyis that the characters are in a one-joke movie, and they’re the joke… It’s the first comedy I’ve attended where you feel that to laugh would be cruel to the characters.”
