It’s a good time to be a TV fan these days. In many ways, TV is telling far more daring and interesting stories than films. Gone are the days when actors would scoff at the idea of being on the small screen. Many actors actually prefer to work in the TV industry and actively search for opportunities to do so. Given that original content on TV is better than it’s ever been, it’s a wonder why that are still so many tired TV reboots of popular films.
The temptation to cash in on a popular movie’s fan base is sometimes too much for any television studio to resist and, as a result, we get several misfires but also the occasional gem. The movie industry can also be guilty of trying to cash in on a large viewership. It’s no secret that movie studios want to find the next Transformers or Mission Impossible. Reboots and spinoffs abound on the big and small screen alike.
For this list we’re going to focus squarely on television’s worst attempts to adapt some of the better films out there. So without further ado let’s dive into the 15 TV Spinoffs That Ruined Amazing Movies.
Clueless
This show was based on the popular 1995 teen film Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone. From the outside, Clueless seemed to be nothing more than just a typical teen movie but it was more of a satire of teen films. It had it’s tongue firmly in cheek thanks to a clever script. Silverstone was a particular standout from the impressive cast of actors.
The show was such an obvious attempt to cash in on the film’s unexpected success.
It went straight into production almost immediately after the movie and aired in September of 1996.
It was simply an inferior and cookie-cutter version of the movie. It lacked the wit and self awareness and it lacked Alicia Silverstone. Maybe she had the good sense to recognize when to let a good thing go.
Clueless the series surprisingly lasted 3 seasons.
14. Minority Report
Steven Spielberg’s visionary Minority Report ended up being a surprise hit in back in 2002. Tom Cruise gave the film star power, and its complex and thought-provoking story made it a cult classic for years to come. Fox decided to bring the franchise to the small screen in 2015, much to the chagrin of hardcore fans.
Watching Minority Report the series proved to be a frustrating endeavor. It just wasn’t on the level of the film in any way.
How do you replace a director of Steven Spielberg’s quality?
The show just didn’t have any visual flair and was obviously on a TV budget. The stories were uninspired. It never dared to ask tough questions of the audience like the film did. Factor in no charismatic leads and you’ve got the idea.
Unsurprisingly, Minority Report only lasted for one season.
Marvel’s Inhumans
While this isn’t technically an adaptation of a movie, it is a spinoff in the sense that it was part of the MCU and originally intended to be a movie. Inhumans was supposed to be Marvel’s answer to Fox’s popular X-Men series before they acquired the rights to said Mutants.
Inhumans was such a glaring misstep for the mighty Marvel Studios that it had to be on this list.
It currently holds a meager 10% tomato meter score on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. The special effects are glaringly bad for a show that relies so heavily on them. Medusa’s prehensile hair looks absurd. The acting is melodramatic and wooden, along with the dialogue. The final nail in the coffin is just how painfully boring Inhumans was. It’s hard to believe the first episode was actually given an IMAX release.
Taken
Taken was a low-budget action film that thrilled audiences and launched Liam Neeson into an action superstar. The movie had some awesome fight scenes and a heart-pounding story. Unfortunately, studios pumped out two sequels that were terrible.
Not being satisfied with that, NBC decided to continue the adventures of Bryan Mills on TV. How? Why, in the form of a prequel, of course. This means it would not feature Liam Neeson.
It’s noteworthy that actor Clive Standen does a very good impression of Liam Neeson, especially when he’s fighting. But try as he might, he’s just not Liam Neeson. The story doesn’t break any new ground and it doesn’t succeed in making Bryan Mills any more interesting. The first movie was visceral and entertaining, but this
11. Blade: The Series
1998’s Blade is a cult classic and the first Marvel movie to feature a superhero of color. Wesley Snipes made every fanboy’s dream come true with his performance as the titular hero. The show tried to breathe fire into the franchise after the terrible third movie in the series seemingly killed it.
It was an earnest attempt but it lacked the quality action sequences that fans would come to expect from Blade and Blade II. It did try to tell a better stories as evidenced from the hiring of comics writer Geoff Johns, but it wasn’t enough to keep fans interested. The show’s budget didn’t help either. The grand scale of Blade’s world was just too expensive for Spike TV to handle. Blade:The Series just failed to stand out among a lot of other more quality shows.
Training Day
2001’s Training Day was a massive success when it came out. It fared well with both fans and critics and Denzel Washington captured an Academy Award for his portrayal of Alonso Harris. It was a gritty and provocative film, to say the least.
Unfortunately, network TV doesn’t do this series any favors. It tries to be gritty and provocative but it just feels forced and cliche. The show came out in 2017, 16 years after the movie. The corrupt cop genre had already been there and done that.
We’ve seen everything on the show before - and done much better.
The show focuses on different characters with the same kind of premise but it’s sorely lacking Denzel Washington’s mammoth presence. Bill Paxton does an admirable job as co-star, but the script fails him.
Dumb & Dumber: The Animated Series
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels’ Dumb and Dumber wasn’t that popular with the critics, but fans loved it! It has a ton of rewatch value and it’s endlessly quotable. It had a lot of dark humor and it was raunchy - not exactly great criteria for a children’s show. Yes, in 1995, Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series was born.
For some reason their target audience was children. This could’ve been because Jim Carrey had a few other animated spinoffs like The Mask and Ace Ventura, but still. Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series was painfully unfunny and just plain dumb, kind of like the actual movie sequel. Its kid-friendly tone just did not fit with these characters or their world.
The voice acting wasn’t great, either. Lloyd sounded a bit like Jim Carrey but Harry sounded nothing like Jeff Daniels. The show remains lost in the pantheon of terrible animated shows.
Conan the Adventurer
Conan the Adventurer is another cult classic on our list. It was bloody, violent, and epic and it launched Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Showrunner Max Allan Keller decided he would try his hand at Conan after achieving moderate TV success with the character Tarzan in the ’90s.
Conan the Adventurer was cornball cheese with a very limited budget.
Conan was far too nice on the show. Gone were his violent, savage ways, which could work if the stories were any good but alas, they were not.
It’s also funny to think that the showrunners replaced Schwarzenegger as Conan with another bulky guy with a thick accent - but none of the charm. Ralf Moller was very boring to watch along with the rest of his merry men.
This show lasted for only one season.
L.A Confidential
This is an interesting one. 1997’s L.A Confidential got a ton of acclaim when it came out and showcased a young Russell Crowe with arguably his greatest performance as detective Bud White. Kim Basinger ended up taking home an Oscar for her great performance as a Veronica Lake lookalike.
2003 saw L.A. Confidential try its hand at TV. Originally it was intended to be a 13-part TV miniseries but apparently the pilot episode was so bad it didn’t even make it to a full season, despite starring Kiefer Sutherland. Interestingly enough, it was filmed before 24, making it Kiefer Sutherland’s first foray in television.
The show just couldn’t match up to the incredible quality of the film.
L.A. Confidential’s hands were tied to network TV format and everyone involved was just not up to snuff. It felt generic and offered nothing new to the genre. Sutherland deserved better and he got it in 24. L.A. Confidential will get another shot on TV soon with a reboot on CBS.
Rush Hour
Who could forget the lovable duo of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the buddy cop film Rush Hour. It was a smash hit that spawned two sequels of varying quality. It had great action and comedy but its success was largely due to the chemistry between Chan and Tucker. The question is, why bother without them? It seems like a no brainer, but that didn’t stop CBS from trying.
Rush Hour came out in 2016 and disappeared in the same year. Few barley remember it ever existed, and for good reason.
It was boring, predictable, and annoying. It was just another buddy cop show on TV that bore the brand of Rush Hour. The biggest problem was that the leads had no chemistry. Again, why bother without Chan and Tucker?
Rambo:The Force of Freedom (animated)
The ’80s gave birth to Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo trilogy about a Vietnam vet with PTSD and a penchant for violent bloody battles. That’s a great idea for a children’s show, right? This might be even weirder than having an animated kids show based on Dumb and Dumber.
The animated series ran for a shocking 65 episodes during the ’80s. Rambo and his assortment of chums would travel the world, waging war on nefarious terrorist organizations. Nothing like teaching kids early about the dangers of terrorism!
Of course, being a kids’ show, you had a lot of zany characters show up like Snakebite and Captain Scar. Having to tone down the violence for kids begs the question of what was the point in the first place? Rambo works best when unleashed in all his violent glory, not traveling shotgun on an animated plane with his buddies.
My Big Fat Greek Life
The smash hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding is considered to be the most successful independent movie ever made. It had a meager budget which it made back in spades. People loved the smart and relatable humor that newcomer Nia Vardalos earnestly portrayed in her movie. The same success would not find her when she delved into television.
My Big Fat Greek Life was more like a big fat Greek mess.
It decided to adapt the typical network TV style of sitcoms instead of focusing on what made her movie so original. Gone was the charm and the quirkiness. Instead, viewers were treated to annoying characters who became parodies of themselves rather than lovable goofs. It looked cheesy and it felt cheesy. It only lasted seven episodes.
Nia Vardalos ended up righting her wrongs with the satisfying sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Ferris Bueller
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is perhaps the most beloved movie on this list. It spoke to the youth of the ’80s and still stands the test of time. The film is chock full of clever dialogue and a great cast led by Mathew Broderick as Ferris Bueller. Deadpool’s after-credits scene was a nice homage to the movie, which was great.
NBC went on to adapt the movie to the small screen without several key people, namely Mathew Broderick and director John Hughes. The show tried to pretend like the movie was based on their own version of Ferris Bueller, but it just felt forced.
One of its problems was that the show’s lead was pretty unlikable.
Fans just couldn’t accept Charlie Schlatter as Ferris. The biggest problem had to be the exclusion of John Hughes. He had nothing to do with the show. Ferris Bueller crashed and burned after one season.
The Crow: Stairway To Heaven
1994’s The Crow, is a memorable movie that unfortunately ended up being Brandon Lee’s last movie. He passed tragically after a freak accident on the set of the film. Many consider The Crow to be Lee’s finest performance. It’s notable for being one of the rare comic book adaptations of the ’90s that got it right.
1998’s The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (nice Zeppelin rip-off) is a Canadian show that tried and failed to live up to the legacy of the first film. It starred Mark Dacascos, who also starred in the ’90s movie version of Double Dragon, as Eric Draven. Dacascos is a gifted martial artist but a mediocre actor. It just felt like he was trying too hard to be creepy and unbalanced.
The Crow was dark, gloomy, and dirty-looking but the show was cleaner, brighter and “nicer”. It only lasted one season.
Robocop: The Series
That image above says a lot. It looks quite wholesome, which is not what you’d expect from a Robocop series. The 1987 film Robocop was an ultra violent and satirical sci-fi/action movie that took no prisoners. It’s endlessly rewatchable and you’ll still flinch when Alex Murphy gets his hand blown off.
Robocop: The Series came out in 1994 to little fanfare but moderate excitement from fans.
Any enthusiasm was squashed after watching the first few episodes.
The show was hammy, corny, and boring. Seriously, it was a snooze fest. The villains were either generic or over the top and the supporting cast was uninteresting and just flat-out annoying. The acting was quite weak and would border on unwatchable at times. This is the nicest version of Robocop you’ll ever see.
It seem network TV just isn’t the place for Robocop.
Did you catch any of these TV spinoffs? Did we miss any? Sound off in the comments!
