There have been many successful television series that were actually based on movies. What’s especially notable about some of these TV adventures, however, is the extent to which they have come to overshadow the movies that they were based on.
Even though the original movies have their charms and their fans, it’s hard to deny that there are some television adaptations of movies that are, when all is said and done, a significant improvement on their big-screen counterparts, and there’s a reason that many of them went on to become enormously successful in their own right.
M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
M*A*S*H is widely considered one of the best television series ever made. Though it was set in the Korean War, it was and remains widely seen as a potent criticism of the Vietnam War.
While there are many things to enjoy about the original movie, it has to be said that the television adaptation improves upon the original in many ways. Most importantly, perhaps, it manages to be both tremendously funny and yet also deeply poignant, reminding the viewer of the terrible costs of armed conflict.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
There have been many great vampire movies, many of which were produced during the 1990s. While the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is enjoyable enough, there’s no question that the television version is far superior. For one thing, it features a significantly darker tone than the movie version and is thus more in keeping with what Joss Whedon intended with the script.
For another, it also gives more depth and richness to Buffy’s characterization, allowing the viewer to see how she comes to embrace her destiny as a Slayer.
Alice (1976-1985)
Martin Scorsese has directed many great movies during his career, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is usually seen as one of his better efforts, though smaller in scope than some of its successors. As fine as it is as a movie, however, it’s exceeded at least somewhat by the sitcom that it inspired, which was simply named Alice.
Though it followed the basic premise–a woman tries to move to LA but takes a job in Phoenix once her car breaks down–it has a lighter touch than its predecessor, and it’s the series' genuine humor that allows it to succeed.
The Odd Couple (1970-1975)
The premise of The Odd Couple–which focuses on two men who live together who are almost total opposites–has made several appearances in movies, theater, and television. Though the movie version was highly regarded, for many people it's the television series that comes to mind.
There’s no question that the chemistry between the two leads, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, is a major part of the series’ enduring appeal, and it helps to explain why it is widely seen as one of the best sitcoms of the 1970s.
Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
When it was released, Stargate was one of those science fiction movies that proved polarizing among critics, some of whom loved it and some of whom hated it. Thus, it’s not hard to see why the television version should come to be regarded as superior to its cinematic predecessor.
Though it features a different cast than the original, Stargate would go on to become a very lucrative franchise for the SyFy network in particular, with several different iterations of the series airing at different times.
Watchmen (2019)
Zach Snyder has been no stranger to the world of comic book adaptations, and Watchmen is one of his most ambitious projects, both visually and narratively. Unfortunately, it tends to get a bit confusing, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the material.
The same can’t be said of the HBO series of the same name, which stars Regina King as the character Sister Night, who investigates vigilantism in Oklahoma. It’s a powerful and searing story that explores the nature of racial strife in the United States.
12 Monkeys (2015-2018)
There have been many great science fiction movies, but few are quite as skillful in their evocation of a pandemic apocalypse as 12 Monkeys. As strong as the movie is, however, it’s surpassed by the television version. Though the latter tells essentially the same story–about the efforts of a group of survivors to prevent a malevolent army from unleashing a lethal pathogen–it goes into much more detail.
As a result, the viewer gets a more nuanced understanding of the various characters and their motivations.
Westworld (2016-present)
Michael Crichton is one of those authors whose works have been adapted into several successful movies, and one of the earlier efforts was Westworld. Though it's a story about a group of androids in a future theme park who slowly rebel against their programming.
The HBO series, which has gone on to become of the network’s best series of the 2010s, takes the existing characters and scenarios and expands upon them, giving them several seasons to grow and develop, exploring ever thornier questions about what constitutes humanity.
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
Friday Night Lights is often seen as one of the best sports movies ever made. However, as good as it is, it doesn’t quite measure up to the television series of the same name.
Like the movie version, the television version demonstrates just how important football is to the life of a small town in the United States, using the sport to explore a myriad of other issues. And, because it’s a television series, it also gives its characters more room to grow and develop as time goes on.
What We Do In The Shadows (2019-present)
The original movie version of What We Do in the Shadows is an uproariously funny take on the traditional vampire mythology. That being said, there’s no question that the series from FX improves on the movie in several key respects.
Most notable, perhaps, is the fact that there’s undeniable chemistry among the cast, who manage to bring out strong performances from one another. It’s a series that never fails to get a laugh from the audience, showing that there is still some life left in the vampire story.