Sometimes a great movie is just the beginning of the story.
Many big-screen hits have been turned into TV shows by networks looking to ride the coattails of their box office success. Sadly, some of those shows crash and burn. (And we have plenty of examples of that.) But once in a while, a TV show based on a movie can live up to, or even surpass, its cinematic inspiration, expanding its world and taking familiar characters to new heights. In fact, some of the greatest TV shows in history have been based on movies, so we’re thankful they didn’t just stick with the film version.
We here at TVLine are celebrating the very best TV shows inspired by movies — and ranking them, too, while we’re at it, based on longevity, creativity and overall excellence. (Note: We’ve excluded shows like WandaVision with characters that do derive from movies but were already well-known from other media like comic books.) Join us as we count down the greatest movie-to-TV conversions of all time and see who landed in the top spot… and did we leave off one of your favorites? That’s what the comments are for: Head down there to make your voice heard.
A TV offshoot of The Karate Kid could’ve suffered the same fate as The Next Karate Kid — no offense, Hilary Swank — but instead, it examined our favorite ‘80s karate movies from a fresh perspective, finding a surprising emotional depth inside William Zabka’s macho bully Johnny Lawrence and adding in fun winks to the original trilogy. It became a hit when it moved to Netflix for Season 3 and even earned an Emmy nomination for best comedy series.
Adapting an iconic and influential film like the Rod Steiger-Sidney Poitier classic is a daunting task, but NBC managed to pull it off with this long-running cop drama, which debuted in 1988. A post-All in the Family Carroll O’Connor played Mississippi police chief Bill Gillespie (and won another Emmy), with Howard Rollins stepping in for Poitier as detective Virgil “They Call Me Mr.” Tibbs. The show delved into hot-button issues like racism, corruption and police brutality, and it was a Nielsen Top 20 hit, ultimately running for seven seasons along with four TV movies.
The premise of a teenage boy discovering he’s a werewolf was played for light laughs in the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie, but it was taken deadly seriously by MTV’s version, going the Twilight route with Tyler Posey as teen werewolf Scott McCall. The Teen Wolf series built out an elaborate mythology of shapeshifters, demons and other supernatural creatures, and Posey and his castmates became instant teen idols. A rabid fan base propelled it to a six-season run, along with a follow-up movie that aired in 2023.
TV’s first try at adapting the Geena Davis-led women’s baseball movie swung and missed: CBS’ 1993 version lasted just five episodes before getting the axe. But Amazon got another at-bat and made the most of it, with Abbi Jacobson and D’Arcy Carden starring in a new take on the 1940s all-ladies baseball league. The series highlighted Black and LGBTQ characters in a way that the movie didn’t, and fans and critics stood up and cheered. Alas, it suffered the same one-season-and-done fate as the CBS version, but it’ll be fondly remembered for years to come.
The delightful 2010 action comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World became even more delightful in animated form, with the entire movie cast — including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin and Chris Evans — returning for Netflix’s reinvention. And what a reinvention it was, throwing a huge twist at us right from the start and embracing the film’s chaotic prankster energy. We’d award it a million gold coins if we could.
The ‘70s sci-fi movie about a Western theme park full of murderous robots got a much-needed firmware update when it landed on HBO in 2016. Yes, it eventually went off the rails, but the early episodes were a fascinating meditation on what it means to be human, with standout performances from Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton and Jeffrey Wright. We won’t hold the show’s steep decline against it; we’re still happy we spent time inside this park.
One of the horror genre’s all-time greatest villains came to TV in 2021, with Child’s Play’s killer doll Chucky getting his own Syfy series. With Chucky mastermind Don Mancini on board as series creator and plenty of Easter eggs for die-hard fans, Chucky was clearly made by people who love Chucky and his wicked sense of humor. Film favorites like Jennifer Tilly returned to reprise their roles, and fans are still bloody loving it, with the second half of Season 3 set to air later this year.
Syfy’s adaptation of the 1995 Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller benefitted from a much bigger canvas, unspooling its tale of time travelers going back to prevent a humanity-ending virus across four seasons and 47 episodes. Critics eventually warmed up to the series and its bold twists, with Aaron Stamford stepping into the Bruce Willis role and Amanda Schull replacing Madeleine Stowe, and Stowe even gave the show her blessing via a Season 2 guest role. Plus, its final episode was good enough to land on our list of TV’s best series finales ever.
This Fox drama actually became one of the Terminator franchise’s most well-received iterations ever, wisely ignoring Terminator 3 and picking up right after Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey played Sarah Connor, with Thomas Dekker as her son and future resistance leader John. A writers’ strike and high budgets condemned it to a quick death — but the more mediocre Terminator sequels pile up, the better it looks.
Martin Scorsese’s low-key character study about a widowed single mom and diner waitress was an unlikely inspiration for a broad TV sitcom, but CBS’ punchline-heavy version became a top-ten hit and ran for a whopping 202 episodes. Linda Lavin played the title role of Alice, working alongside diner owner Mel, sassy waitress Flo (of “Kiss my grits!” fame) and the bird-brained Vera. It also had a healthy syndication run throughout the ‘80s, ensuring that “Kiss my grits!” would live on in the hearts of Gen X kids everywhere.
John Cusack’s big-screen comedy about a lovelorn music nerd might make our Top 5 Underrated Rom-Coms list, but the Hulu series was even better. Zoe Kravitz made a charming substitute for Cusack as record store owner Rob, who overanalyzes her past relationship failures, and the whole thing had a cool hipster hangout vibe to it, with an impeccable soundtrack and nice turns from future stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Unfortunately, Hulu unplugged the amp after just one season, but we’ll always cherish that debut album.
The French action thriller about a female assassin also inspired The CW’s Nikita, starring Maggie Q, but we actually prefer the USA Network version that ran from 1997 to 2001. Peta Wilson starred as the highly trained killer, forced into a life of death-defying missions by the government and getting romantically entangled with her handler Michael, played by Roy Dupuis. Stylish and action-packed, La Femme Nikita was one of USA’s top-rated shows for years, and when the network tried to cancel it, fans went on a mission of their own, launching a passionate “save our show” campaign that resulted in the show getting a fifth and final season.
The original Neil Simon play about a mismatched pair of divorced roommates had such a sturdy premise, it inspired not only a hit 1968 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau but also an ABC series that ran for five seasons. Tony Randall played neat freak Felix and Jack Klugman played slob Oscar, and their clash of personalities led to classic sitcom fireworks. It earned three Emmy nods for best comedy series and ran for years in syndication — but alas, that luck didn’t extend to a short-lived CBS remake starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is considered an untouchable film classic — see: Gus Van Sant’s critically maligned 1998 remake — but A&E’s prequel series defied expectations by digging even deeper into Norman Bates’ twisted psyche. Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga both shined as young Norman and his mother Norma, respectively, establishing a creepy mother-son bond that served as the backbone of the series. The final season even put a new spin on Psycho (with Rihanna as Marion Crane!), paying the ultimate respect to its source material.
The Mandalorian proved how well the Star Wars universe could fit into a TV series, and Andor took that even a step further, offering a richly conceived and psychologically complex prequel to the Rogue One film. Instead of relying on lightsabers and Jedi force tricks, Andor got real, showing us how everyday people lived during the Empire’s reign while still delivering heart-poundingly tense set pieces. It was a slow burn but a rewarding one, with a superior freshman season cementing it as the best Star Wars series yet.
Behold! A goofy big-screen comedy about vampires transformed into a goofy TV show about vampires, and the tongue-in-cheek tone remained, too, with mockumentary cameras following a humdrum clan of bloodsuckers sharing a house in Staten Island and doing their best to blend in. The cast was to die for, highlighted by Matt Berry as lascivious vamp Laszlo and Mark Proksch as lethally dull “energy vampire” Colin Robinson. The upcoming sixth season will officially be its last… but we’re not ready to close the coffin on this one just yet.
Ron Howard’s chaotic 1989 family comedy starring Steve Martin actually got a short-lived TV version the following year, but we’re glad they gave it another try: NBC’s 2010-15 take was a gorgeously emotional look at the ups and downs of the Braverman clan, with a deep ensemble cast led by Peter Krause and Lauren Graham. Showrunner Jason Katims knew how to get our tear ducts flowing from Friday Night Lights — more on that later — and Parenthood tugged on our heartstrings with its sensitive approach to difficult subjects and its ultimately optimistic look at how family can help get us through just about anything.
Now this was a delicious surprise: We never imagined network TV could do justice to The Silence of the Lambs and its iconic killer Hannibal Lecter, but NBC’s bloody gorgeous drama did just that, breathing new life into the classic movie villain. Mads Mikkelsen gave us a fascinating (and sexy) Hannibal that even rivaled Anthony Hopkins’ version, and his intense cat-and-mouse game with Hugh Dancy’s FBI profiler Will Graham was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. It’s a shame that the show got cancelled before it could cover the events of The Silence of the Lambs, but we’re still savoring every last bite we got.
The Coen brothers’ quirky Midwest crime thriller is such a revered film that it seemed like cinematic sacrilege to bring it to TV. But Noah Hawley put an inspired twist on it, creating an anthology of new crime stories with original characters that still felt very Fargo. The FX drama’s five seasons have given us some of the best TV of the past decade, allowing luminaries like Billy Bob Thornton, Kirsten Dunst and Jon Hamm to deliver some of their finest work. The original Fargo film still can’t be improved upon in our eyes, but the Fargo TV show has cleverly expanded the universe in new and magnificent ways.
Just hearing the words “Texas forever” gets us all misty, stirring up fond memories of this masterfully moving NBC drama about a high school football team and the town that loved it with all of its heart. The 2004 movie starring Billy Bob Thornton was good, but the TV version was flat-out great, portraying humble small-town drama with stunning emotional clarity and offering one of TV’s best marriages ever in Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton’s Eric and Tami Taylor, along with future stars like Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons. We rooted for the Dillon Panthers to win, of course, but it’s a credit to FNL‘s excellence that we ended up caring a lot more about what happened off the field.
Robert Altman’s 1970 wartime comedy was a critically acclaimed smash, but CBS’ version managed to top it, turning the tale of hard-partying Korean War surgeons into one of the greatest and most beloved TV shows of all time. It excelled at juvenile comedy, with Alan Alda’s Hawkeye pulling goofy pranks, but it did even better at drama, exorcising the still-fresh demons of the Vietnam War and pulling off some of the most heartbreaking twists we’ve ever seen on the small screen. (R.I.P., Henry Blake.) It earned more than one hundred Emmy nominations, and fans loved it, too, making the series finale the most-watched episode of a scripted show ever — still to this day.
Who would’ve thought that a mildly received 1992 teen comedy co-starring Luke Perry and Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens would be turned into one of TV’s most obsessively adored shows ever? Joss Whedon transformed his mediocre movie script into TV gold for The WB, with Sarah Michelle Gellar in a star-making role as the titular vampire slayer. Endlessly influential and undeniably groundbreaking, Buffy brought a level of sarcastic self-awareness and smart-aleck sass to the supernatural genre that’s still being shamelessly imitated to this day, and it also served up shocking plot twists that we’re still reeling from decades later. The Emmys may have largely ignored this show, but we won’t make the same mistake. She saved the world (a lot), and she tops this list, too.
You forgot soul food the series based on the 1997 film
No Stargate?
Ditto – Stargate should be in the top 25.
.
I’d also put Limitless in the top 25 – it was a great but short-lived series that expanded on the movie.
Fame
Where is Stargate SG-1 which is probably the most sucessful of any of these shows (3 series and over 17 seasons) from that show
Bates Motel (which should have received way more awards recognition esp. for Vera & Freddie!!), Parenthood (also deserving of more awards), Friday Night Lights (just awesome), and Buffy will always be at the top of the list for me! Parenthood was just so underrated. Always so annoyed that This Is Us got so much love, and Parenthood didn’t!
22 and I only followed one past the second elosode and that was Mash all the others were rubbish couple of daughters followed Buffy but thats it I became addicted to British tv they seem to write for adults .I still prefer British or read books apart from The Offer which flew ubder the radar and of course missed the awards .
You have a lot of excellent shows on this list, but Buffy at number 1 above MASH? No way. MASH was probably the best show ever. Also, like someone else said, Stargate should be in there somewhere.
I’ve watched M.A.S.H. and Buffy. M.A.S.H was good, but Buffy has led to college courses discussing the series & certain episodes in particular.
.
I know that there could be one on Hawkeye’s PTSD (well maybe not a full course) that was shown in the finale of the series, but only if it had been a bit earlier the series & was the majority of the episode.
I love Buffy, it’s one of my favourite TV shows but I’d argue mash is better. It’s smart and was pushing the envelope in storytelling, confronting people with the horrors of war while managing to make people laugh. It’s easily the greatest tv show ever made
Considering when it was made it may have been pushing the envelope in storytelling & kind of confronting people with the horrors of war. If it was made even in Buffy’s time it’d been a bit more graphic. But was it a huge improvement over the movie? Doubtful.
–
Buffy on the other hand also pushed the envelope & was far superior to the movie it was based on. And that’s why it’s number 1 and not M.A.S.H.
I think Buffy got #1 (and as a huge Buffy fan I agree) because of all the other shows came from successful movies. The Buffy movie was a flop. I admit I found it funny when it first came out (& I only watched it because Luke Perry was in it) but when he who shall not be named (Joss Whedon) got to make a tv series based the way the movie was supposed to be he had a hit on his hands. Especially with a much stellar cast.
It probably wasn’t intended this way, since it was an episodic TV sitcom from the 70s/80s, but rewatching MASH several times, it feels like Hawkeye’s deteriorating mental health *was* building up since much earlier in the series. I feel like there was signs even as early as the Trapper/Henry seasons, but the transition from season 3 to 4 was a major turning point for him, and it just kept building from there. In “The Late Captain Pierce,” it culminates in this great bit of dialogue:
Hawkeye: *sighs* Wounded.
BJ: Klinger says a lot.
Hawkeye: I don’t care. I really don’t. They’ll keep coming whether I’m here or not. Trapper went home; they’re still coming. Henry got killed and they’re still coming. Wherever they come from they’ll never run out.
After that, he becomes much more aware of his own mortality, and everything starts to weigh more heavily on him, leading to more and more breakdown episodes and Sidney visits. “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” was just the culmination of all that IMO.
And that’s just one character. Honestly, I think you can get just as much good discussion material out of Margaret and Charles’ characters. And others have a good deal of depth to explore as well, like Father Mulcahy and his faith in the face of hell-on-earth.
I’d also feel like, if there were ever a course on TV dramadies, MASH would be an absolute *must* to include. It pushed both sides of the spectrum with its storytelling, blending both in various ways (sometimes drawing both serious moments out of a single story, other times having a serious A story and comedic B story), and of course there’s the number of experimental episodes to talk about.
(I do apologize for going on a bit of a rant. It’s just that I’ve spent a good deal of time thinking about the potential of MASH studies at universities, so couldn’t help myself when seeing it brought up, lol.)
1000% agreed. No way anything on this list should be higher than M*A*S*H.
No. M*A*S*H as a movie is very highly rated. The TV series if very highly rated. Which means it barely surpassed the movie. Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a movie is very low rated. Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a TV series is very highly rated. Buffy as a TV series slayed the movie version.
Buffy deserved #1 based off of a box office flop. I admit I found the movie funny until Joss (granted maybe he should now be called he who shall not be named) got the chance to do the tv show in the way the movie was supposed to have been made and had a superior cast to the movie. The only one good in the movie was Luke Perry.
I wish Terminator TSCC would’ve gone a couple more seasons. And I hope someday they do a Hannibal reunion movie with the series’ cast.
Marvel’s Agents of Shield – especially some of the later seasons
came from the movies
#colsonlives
AoS was great, but I’d argue that Agent Carter was even better. IIRC, AoS had to tread water a few times waiting for a movie to be released so they could expound on the plot. I am still annoyed that AC ended on that cliffhanger.
Agent Carter S1 was excellent – her against the world (ish)
Agent Carter S2 was meh – giving her a team, not a fan of that.
If you want to go way way back, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Also Tarzan with Ron Ely
Buck Rogers
How about several series versions of Sherlock Holmes?
And yes, M*A*S*H should be number one.
There was a movie called Spencer’s Mountain, based on the books by Earl Hamner JR. stories fictionalizing his childhooid years. The TV movie the Homecoming and the series the Waltons are based on those.
MASH should be #1 and Buffy #2.
MASH took TV in a new direction with its mix of comedy and drama. It stands alone.
(And I love Buffy.)
Zorro. Although it appeared in book form first, the original Douglas Fairbanks film in the 20s really set the tone and format for the popular 50’s Disney TV series starring Guy Williams, which was recently remade in a new Spanish language version.
There was at least one other short-lived TV version of The Odd Couple, starring Demond Wilson and Ron Glass. I think there was a women’s version too, but I’m not sure if it made it to air, and I don’t recall who were cast as Felicia and Olive.
There is also another short lived version with Matthew Perry and Tom Lennon
I wished that one had lasted. I so adore Matthew Perry (RIP). And I’d love more things to watch him in aside from Friends (wish I loved then & now) & it wasn’t a big hit I loved him in Fools Rush In. I also liked 17 again but I’ve never seen The Whole Ten Yards but I plan to watch it and if I can find A Night in the Life with Jimmy Reardon streaming some where I want to watch it (I’m surprised I haven’t seen it as it was my teenage years) and I still remember his short arc on Growing Pains as Sandy, Carol’s boyfriend but that was sad. Looks like there are more movies that he did that I’ll have to see if they’re streaming.
Thank you so much for including La Femme Nikita!!! That show was so brilliant and still has its hooks in me all these years later!
I think this list is pretty spot on for me, but I would have included Stargate somewhere on it too.
luckily saw What we do in shadows series before movie. If had watched movie would have never checked series. Missed funniest show on right now. I did not watch Buffy originally for same reason. horrible movie. Kristy Swanson one least talented actresses ever. watched tv series years later after positives things i Heard. Series was excellent but mash ,shadows ,fargo, hannibal and bates motel all better.
Yes, the Buffy movie sucked. Kristy Swanson (who I don’t like anyway) was a ditz throughout the whole movie and most of the rest of the cast weren’t great (I only liked Luke Perry) But Sarah Michelle Cellar brought Buffy to a whole new level (she was the only reason I checked it out as she was just coming off a daytime Emmy for playing Susan Lucci’s daughter Kendall Hart on All My Children & I wanted to see her play a character that was totally opposite from Kendall) and the rest of the cast was stellar that I was hooked from the Pilot. I love it to this day (& the spin-off Angel) I’m ready to do a binge watch of both!
Get arrgh. I hate seeing a misspelling after I published. Sarah Michelle Gellar.
I forgot about the What We Do in the Shadows movie until I read this (even though repeats of the show are on every week).
I watched the movie because it was written by Jermaine Clement who was in a TV comedy called The Flight of the Concords, which he co-created.
I also saw WWDITS movie after seeing the show, and I have to agree with you. The movie was pretty bad and it really needed a female character for balance. The TV show is hilarious, although the humour is not for everyone.
The Nikita show starring Maggie Q was far better than the painfully outdated 90’s version.
And Hannibal was *atrocious*
Stargate SG-1 is definitely a major omission from this list! A film that led to a 10-season show that got eight Emmy nominations; had 2 TV movies; spawned 2 spinoffs, 1 prequel web series, 1 animated series; and led to numerous video and tabletop games.
This definitely should have made the list.
I’m sorry in what world does Teen Wolf beat out Cobra Kai?!
I still miss TTSCC.
I miss it too but did hate the 3 dots story arc <- those damn 3 dots.
What about Highlander??
My So-Called Life is always on my top 20 list.
When was that a movie?
I’m not saying it belongs over MASH or Buffy, but Stargate SG-1 easily deserves to be in the top third or so of this list.
I wonder if Stargate SG1 has been omitted a the point of this article seems to be shows which were alternative versions, NOT continuations of the movie.
Cobra Kai certainly is a continuation though and Buffy makes references to the movie even if it doesn’t hold every part of the movie as canon
The canon version of the movie’s story is told in the comic Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Origin. From the Buffy wiki: “Joss Whedon has stated: ‘The origin comic, though I have issues with it, CAN pretty much be accepted as canonical. They did a cool job of combining the movie script (the SCRIPT) with the series, that was nice, and using the series Merrick and not a certain OTHER thespian [referring to Donald Sutherland] who shall remain hated.'”
I couldn’t stand Donald Sutherland. And Kristy Swanson sucked. I’m glad they changed the way she met her watched in Sunnydale. But the reference to the movie was the fact she burned down the school. And in a flashback to when Angel saw her for the first time. Where is was almost love at first sight. Pointing out that the first time he saw her, he immediately felt the need to protect her. But the never mention Pike instead of in a graphic novel. I can’t really remember any other references to the movie.
Stargate SG-1 is a bad omission in my view