While these television shows began as feature films, they ultimately worked better on the small screen than they did as movies. With so many great stories out there, many modern television series are based on existing IP, whether in the form of books, comics, video games, or, in some cases, movies.
Feature films can undoubtedly be a great way to tell stories, buttelevision series allow for a deeper exploration of a story’s characters and ideas.Some stories have so much potential that they need more than a movie (or two) to fully explore the material, and occasionally, these television series end up surpassing the movie(s) that inspired them.
Author’s note: While series likeBates Motel, Fargo, Snowpiercer,andWhat We Do in the Shadowscould potentially have made this list, the films that inspired them were all near-masterpieces and thus incredibly difficult to top.
Starring Michael J. Fox as high school student turned werewolf Scott, theTeen Wolffilm delivers a fairly straightforward coming-of-age storythat received mixed reviews. Still, it garnered enough interest to inspire an animated series, a sequel film, and MTV’s live-action series, which ran for six seasons beginning in 2011.
MTV’sTeen Wolfwas still centered on a high school-aged werewolf named Scott (Tyler Posey), but the show focused a lot more on the supernatural and less on high school sports and drama. With various supernatural creatures, werewolf hunters, and other horror elements,Teen Wolfhas a lot more going on than the film that inspired it,and ultimately delivers a funteen supernatural drama.
Directed and written by sci-fi author Michael Crichton,Westworldcenters on a Wild West-themed amusement park populated by realistic androids who eventually begin to malfunction. The HBO series of the same name takes this premise and runs with it,focusing on the android hosts and what happens if they achieve sentience.
The movie version ofWestworldreceived mostly positive reviews, butthe show gained even more critical acclaim,becoming a major hit for HBO during its first season. Although thequality dropped off asWestworldprogressed, the show offered a fascinating exploration of artificial intelligence, the nature of consciousness, and free will.
Co-written and directed by Peter Berg,Friday Night Lightswas based on the non-fiction bookof the same name by H. G. Bissinger. Set in 1988,the film follows the coach and players of a high school football team in Odessa, Texas,and was met with mostly positive reviews.
Friday Night Lightsregularly lands on lists of the best television series of all time, and it earned Emmy awards for star Kyle Chandler and executive producer Jason Katims. A reboot is currently in development at Peacock.
The show, which was also developed by Peter Berg, moves the setting to the mid-2000s and centers on a fictional West Texas high school. With five seasons, the television series explored the characters with much more depth than the film andgarnered praise for its realistic portrayal of Middle America.
Starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, and directed by Terry Gilliam,the 1995 film12 Monkeyswas based on Chris Marker’s 1962 short film,La Jetée.The film takes place in 2035,after humanity has been mostly wiped out by a deadly virus, and follows James Cole (Willis) as he is sent back in time to find a cure.
While the12 Monkeysfilm received mostly positive reviews, the television show expands on the story in some fascinating ways, shaping it into something completely new. Starring Aaron Stanford as James Cole,Syfy’s12 Monkeysdelivers a brilliant take on time travel,full of emotional twists and turns that build to a satisfying conclusion.
Developed by Bryan Fuller, NBC’sHannibaltakes inspiration from Thomas Harris’s books featuring Hannibal Lecter, as well as the various films that have been made about the character.Mads Mikkelsen expertly portrays the titular cannibal in the television series,bringing something different to the character, making him charismatic and frightening at the same time.
NBC canceledHannibalbefore the show got the chance to depict the events of the best film in the franchise,The Silence of the Lambs(1991).
Hannibalalso takes a different approach to its gore, turning it into something just as beautiful as it is deeply unsettling. With its dark sense of humor, stunning visuals, and incredible performances,Hannibalimproves upon several of the storylinesdepicted in theHannibalfranchise’s various films, sometimes altering them in surprising ways.
TheStargatefranchisebegan with the 1994 film simply titledStargate,starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, but it eventually spawned numerous popular television shows and films.Stargate SG-1picks up about a year after the events of the film,but features an entirely new cast portraying many of the characters from the movie.
Other entries in theStargatefranchise include: the excellentSG-1spinoff,Stargate Atlantis; a more serialized sequel,Stargate Universe; two made-for-television films; an animated series; and a web series.
ThroughoutSG-1’simpressive 10-season run, Colonel O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his team travel through the Stargate to various planets and defend Earth from would-be invaders. With its compelling cast and expansive mythology,SG-1delivered some truly great sci-fi television,greatly expanding on the universe introduced in the filmand helpingStargatebecome one of the best sci-fi franchises of all time.
Based on Richard Hooker’s 1968 novelMASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors,the 1970 film was a box-office hit upon its initial release,receiving mostly positive reviews and several award nominations. The movie’s success led to the creation of the hit television series, which ran for 11 seasons throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.
TheMAS*Hseries finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” still holds the record for being the most-watched television broadcast of all time (excluding Super Bowls).
Centering onAlan Alda’s “Hawkeye” Pierceand the other surgeons of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital,MAS*Hmasterfully combined humor with wartime dramato create a unique show that captured audiences. While the original feature film was undoubtedly a success, the television show achieved another level of fame, becoming one of the most celebrated shows of all time.
Although the originalBuffy the Vampire Slayerfilm was written by Joss Whedon, the story ended up going in a different direction than Whedon had envisioned.The film still centers on Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) as she navigates high schooland being the Slayer, but it has a lighter, more comedic tone than the show.
Whedon then created the television show to bemore in line with his original vision.Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar)is the only main character who sticks around, and the show has a darker tone and a richer mythology than the film. With its likable characters, humor, and mix of genres,Buffywent on to become one of the most beloved and influential shows of its time.
