5 Film Adaptations of TV Shows
With this weekend’s release of the Veronica Mars movie, coupled with Muppets Most Wanted in two weeks and 22 Jump Street later this year, TV audiences are going to have a lot of overlap. It got me thinking about all the film adaptations (whether it be sequel, prequel, or neither) that followed a TV series.
The five bests I could come up (with apologies for the ones I can’t comment on because I haven’t seen them) are below. As for rules, the film adaptations must follow the TV series for it to count (a la Veronica Mars). I also didn’t consider superhero movies too much because their source material was the comic books more than the TV series. Besides that, it doesn’t matter if it is just a movie based on the series or an actual continuation of the story.
Here we go:
FOX’s Family Guy has been around for a long, long time, and I’m actually surprised we haven’t had more Family Guy movies. Maybe that is because Seth McFarlane has been busy making live-action movies. Either way, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a funny extension of the TV series that we (or at least, some) love. It’s the only one on the list that went direct-to-DVD, but Stewie’s story is worth more than that.
Before I saw 21 Jump Street, I had no desire to watch the series it was based on. Now, I wish the exact opposite. I was skeptical – scratch that, I was against the film when it came out – because I thought it looked really stupid. And while I probably didn’t catch a whole lot of the nods towards the TV series, I did think it was more original and smarter than anything I could’ve imagined.
Most younger audiences probably don’t realize the Mission: Impossible movies are based on 1960’s-1970’s TV series (with a total of 171 episodes). The film versions – which are going on number five – have been highly successful with both critics and pocketbooks. As far as spy franchises go, Mission: Impossible ranks near the top of almost any list, and for good reason!
I wish I could say I was an expert in the Star Trek franchise. However, the sad truth is I’m only a newbie in the series (having only seen the last two movies). I should give J.J. Abrams credit for Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness because they make me feel guiltier and guiltier every time I see them because I haven’t gone back to the iconic series. Someday Trekkies, someday!
The difference between #1 and #2 was solely because of the nostalgia behind The Muppets Show. The Muppets (and hopefully Muppets Most Wanted) is so fun because it is just as purely entertaining and perfect to the style that made the Muppets a household commodity. If you want to feel simultaneously happy and nostalgic, look no further than this pick!
Any that I missed? Let me know in the comments below!
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