mash. friday night lights. hannibal. Some of the best and most beloved TV shows of all time had movies first, but unfortunately, this list isn’t about those shows.
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No, this list is about TV shows that took inspiration from hugely popular movies and still managed to flop. Of course, bringing a hit movie to the small screen doesn’t guarantee success, and these shows really prove that with disappointing recasts, limited budgets, and an overall lack of cinematic magic. Did. That might be why none of the shows listed here even made it to Season 2.
You’ve probably heard of or seen all the movies featured here. dirty dancing TV program? how is it? ferris bueller A TV show with Jennifer Aniston? or working girl A TV show starring Sandra Bullock before she was famous? Yes, they all happened… and they all came and went with barely a whimper.
So grab a bucket of popcorn and read our list of TV shows based on hit movies. Uncle Buck! Thinking about movie-based failures that we forgot about? Click the comments below to refresh your memory.
ferris bueller
Matthew Broderick was effortlessly charming. ferris bueller’s day off, but this 1990 NBC offshoot was less appealing as Charlie Schlatter took over the title role. John Hughes was not involved in the production, none of the original cast returned, and the show paled in comparison to Fox’s teen comedies. Parker Lewis can’t be beat.. It was canceled after only 13 episodes, but offered Jennifer Aniston an early role as Ferris’ sister Jeannie.
dirty dancing
The 1987 movie had Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray setting dance floors on fire, so it’s no wonder CBS wanted to turn it into a weekly series the following year.Melora Hardin, aka Jean office, stepped in to play the role of Grey, but all enthusiasm disappeared once the film’s story stretched into several weeks. CBS canceled the show after 11 episodes, but the series was revived in 2017 with an ABC TV movie starring Abigail Breslin.
working girl
NBC originally announced that this remake of the 1990 Melanie Griffith film, facts of life star Nancy McKeon, but when that didn’t work out, they turned to a virtual unknown named Sandra Bullock. The series took off after this movie, with Tess McGill graduating from her junior secretary to junior executive, but even Bullock’s innate charm couldn’t save the series from a pink slip after just eight episodes. Ta.
Uncle Buck (twice!)
Yes, John Candy’s comedy about a sloppy bachelor who ends up taking care of his brother’s child somehow inspired two TV series. In 1990, stand-up comedian Kevin Meany took over the role of Candy on CBS, but the show faced hostility and ratings plummeted. Full house. Then, in 2016, ABC tried again with Mike Epps in the title role. However, that too was a failure, and the film was canceled after a summer run to poor reviews.
napoleon dynamite
Hmm! The offbeat comedy starring Jon Heder as a teenage outcast was a surprise hit in 2004, and, unusually for this list, the entire cast reunited for Fox’s animated version in 2012. However, the indie buzz disappeared within eight years. Since then, Fox ninja-kicked it to the curb after just six broadcasts.
minority report
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg scored a hit with their 2002 sci-fi thriller about cops who solve crimes before they happen with the help of a “precog” who can see into the future. Meagan Good starred in the 2015 Fox adaptation alongside Nick Zano and Wilmer Valderrama, but low ratings led to the episode being drastically cut back and ultimately canceled. Hmm, if only Fox had somehow foreseen this…
rush hour
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan formed an unlikely duo in the 1998 action comedy, which spawned two sequels and a 2016 CBS version, starring Justin Hyers and John Hu in incongruous roles. He played the role of a police officer. However, the comedic chemistry between Tucker and Chan proved difficult to replicate, and middling ratings and low ratings led to CBS being accused of dropping the show into one-season-ending status.
true lie
Arnold Schwarzenegger scored one of his biggest hits in 1994, playing an unassuming husband living a double life as an international spy. It took nearly 30 years for CBS to air the film on television, with Steve Howie replacing Arnold and Ginger Gonzaga replacing Jamie. Lee Curtis. However, the film was a success thanks to its crazy special effects and director James Cameron’s direction, and the CBS version could not match the television budget. It ended after one season…but hey, at least Tom Arnold showed up to reprise his movie role.
my fat greek life
OK, we actually defend this. Because the CBS sitcom is based on his 2002 surprise comedy blockbuster. my big fat greek wedding It seemed like a sure hit. The story of a woman who introduces her husband to an eccentric Greek family is being made into a TV comedy, with her star Nia Vardalos returning along with most of her supporting cast. However, despite garnering huge ratings on the series premiere in 2003, greek life It went viral after only 7 episodes.
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven
1994 cult hit Crowwas marred by the tragic on-set death of star Brandon Lee, leading to a number of poor quality sequels and this Canadian-produced television show, which began airing on Syfy in the United States in 1999.Mark Dacascos, aka Chairman iron chef americaIn a horrifying coincidence, a stuntman was killed in an explosion during the filming of the first and only season.
a league of its own
A year after the 1992 Geena Davis-directed film about female baseball players was released in theaters, CBS turned it into a TV show, and in the future. Law and order Davis was replaced by star Carey Lowell, and Tom Hanks was replaced by Sam McMurray as the women’s team’s bumbling manager. (However, several original cast members returned, including Megan Kavanagh, who played the intense Marla Hooch.) Unfortunately, the CBS version was canceled after just six episodes. Amazon’s unique and well-received a league of its own The series started in 2022, but it also hit the hook after one season.
Net
Hey, remember when we called it “The Net”? Sandra Bullock’s 1995 cyber thriller was certainly spot on, and even inspired a 1998 USA Network remake. It won at the box office. Melrose Place Graduate Brooke Langton takes over as computer whiz Angela Bennett. It also featured the great Tim Curry as the voice of a mysterious online ally known as “The Sorcerer,” but that wasn’t enough to stop the network from ending it after one season.
fast time
CBS’ attempt to deliver original teen comedy Fast times at Ridgemont High School Film director Amy Heckerling was attached as a producer, and the cast included future stars such as Patrick Dempsey and Courtney Thorne-Smith. They brought back Ray Walston as teacher Mr. Hand! But smoothing out the raunchy comedy’s racist undertones for network TV wasn’t easy. fast time It dropped in episode 7.
Blade: The Series
Screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote all three films. blade The movie brought Marvel Vampire Hunter to Spike TV in 2006 with the help of comic book staple Geoff Johns, and critics actually praised the show’s impressive fight scenes. But rapper Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones never really took on the mantle of leading man Wesley Snipes, and the series took a fatal risk after one season.
Police Academy: Series
time police academy The series finally ran out of steam on the big screen after six (!) sequels, and switched to television for this syndicated spin-off that premiered in 1998. Sound effects master Michael Winslow reprises his role as Sergeant Lavell Jones, and many film alumni return. Also a guest spot.This series didn’t go that well Mission to MoscowHowever, it was taken off the air after one season.
Dangerous Mind
Michelle Pfeiffer scored a surprising box office hit in 1995, playing a teacher who approaches inner-city students in an unconventional way. (It was a relief that Coolio’s smash hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” was on the soundtrack.) ABC thought the formula might work on TV, with Annie Potts filling in for Pfeiffer. However, the adaptation hit a snag in the fall of 1996 and was never realized. It attracted enough viewers to get a second season.
RoboCop: Series
Director Paul Verhoeven’s futuristic story about a police officer killed in the line of duty and brought back to life as a law enforcement cyborg was a box office hit in 1987 and spawned two sequels. The work also inspired his 1994 television version, starring Richard Eden as a cyborg cop. However, the series was not as dark or violent as the original film, and due to its high budget, it had to be canceled after one season.
Delta House
raucous college comedy animal house was such a hit in 1978 that ABC jumped at the chance to turn it into a weekly series. In the TV version, Delta Housewhich premiered just six months later animal house ‘ was released in theaters, with original cast members including Flounder, D-Day, and Dean Wormer returning. But they can’t bring back John Belushi, and sensible network standards have over-cleansed the antics of the wild Fluffy Boy. Delta House He did not return to campus for his sophomore year.
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