Some fans of the Psycho franchise might not be aware, but A&E's acclaimed Bates Motel wasn't the first attempt at making a Psycho TV show. A TV version of Psycho is a thing that probably shouldn't work. That goes double for what Bates Motel became, a sort of prequel, but set in modern times, and with many never before seen characters added into the mix. Bates Motel had a bit of a rocky start when it comes to consistency, but the last few seasons were so good that many fans didn't want to say goodbye with season 5.
Bates Motel was an unqualified success story, but the first attempt at making a Psycho show was quite the opposite. Also, called Bates Motel, it only ever got a pilot episode, which ended up airing as a TV movie after the network decided to can it. A show has to be pretty terrible to get canceled before it even films a second episode, especially when it's built on a known brand.
For decades after its original airing, Bates Motel was limited to rare VHS copies, but finally, the pilot was released on DVD in 2013. Now, the whole world gets to check it out, and well, probably see why it was canceled so fast.
Bates Motel Wasn't the First Psycho TV Show: How The Original Was Different
What's likely to be strike one in the minds of most Psycho fans when it comes to Bates Motel 1987 is that it doesn't center on Norman Bates, a truly iconic horror character. The protagonist is Alex West (Bud Cort), who was locked away in an asylum as a child for killing his abusive stepfather. It just so happens that it's the same asylum Norman Bates has resided in since the events of Psycho. In this continuity, the Psycho movie sequels are being ignored. Anyway, Norman takes a liking to Alex, one assumes due to knowing how bad an abusive parent can be, and when he dies, Norman leaves the Bates Motel to Alex.
There's strike two for Psycho fans, as this pilot has the unbridled gall to kill off Norman Bates, and not even in an entertaining way. He just dies, and that's it. Alex is released and heads to his new property, and then things get insanely stupid. There's one plot about a banker trying to swindle Alex out of the property by making the place seem haunted that's right out of Scooby-Doo, and another in which actual ghosts appear, because suddenly Psycho involves the supernatural. As if that's not all bad enough, there's a flagrant continuity error, as it's said Norma Bates' body was never found, when her remains were indeed found in the basement at the end of Psycho. Wow.