Big movies often spawn TV spinoffs, and on paper, it makes sense: there’sNap already a fanbase, familiar characters, and a world worth exploring. But more often than not, these adaptations fail to capture the magic of the original film.
6
Snatch (2017-2018)
Watch Snatch on Fubo
Guy Ritchie’s Snatch is one of those cult crime capers that feels untouchable. Fast edits, razor-sharp dialogue, and a cast of eccentric characters made the film a classic.
So when a TV version arrived in 2017 starring Rupert Grint, Dougray Scott, and Luke Pasqualino, expectations were high. Sadly, the show lacked everything that made the film tick. Instead of sharp comedy and chaos, it delivered a flat heist series with generic plotlines and little of Ritchie’s signature flair.
The first season, spent building the characters and establishing the story, felt stronger than the flim-flam drama of the second. However, even so, the characters felt like imitations, and while Grint tried his best, the whole thing came across like fan fiction with a bigger budget. It lasted two seasons, but even hardcore fans barely noticed it existed.
5
Minority Report (2015)
Buy Minority Report on Apple TV+
Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report was a sharp sci-fi thriller, full of paranoia, futuristic tech, and Tom Cruise sprinting through a near-dystopia. The 2015 TV sequel attempted to expand the story, set a decade later as the “precogs” struggled to live normal lives.
Unfortunately, what could’ve been a fascinating dive into free will versus surveillance was flattened into a procedural police drama. The tone was inconsistent, the effects looked cheap compared to the film, and audiences tuned out almost immediately.
Ratings fell so quickly that Fox cut the first season down to just 10 episodes before pulling the plug entirely. In hindsight, it proved that just because a movie has a rich world doesn’t mean it translates naturally into weekly television.
4
Taken (2017-2018)
Watch Taken on Amazon Prime Video
The Taken TV series actually started with some decent promise. I liked the idea that, as a prequel, it didn’t need to be bound by all that was seen in the Taken films.
Instead, you’re presented with Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson in the films and Clive Standen in the TV series) origin story, which gave the directors a considerably larger spectrum to work with than if they’d focused post-Taken.
Instead, you’re served up two seasons of tight, relentless action, we got formulaic missions, and bland dialogue. With respect to Standen, he simply doesn’t have the presence of Neeson, and the show suffered for it. In that, attempting to recast such an iconic character would always be incredibly difficult to execute, as fans of the series found out.
Interestingly, the Taken series has some really mixed reviews because of this. It commands a not-awful 6.6 on IMDb, but a considerably more underwhelming 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Take my advice, and stick to watching the original, which is one of the best movies you can watch for free on YouTube.
3
RoboCop: The Series (1994)
Watch RoboCop: The Series on Amazon Prime Video
When I first saw RoboCop as a youngster, those opening scenes with Murphy being blown away stayed with me for a long while. I was maybe a little too young to see such scenes.
It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized RoboCop: The Series had been produced after the end of RoboCop 3, but I almost wish I still didn’t know. To fit into television slots and reach wider audiences, the violence was dialed back to almost nothing, the biting social commentary was neutered, and what was left was a campy, half-hearted action show. Special effects looked cheap, the writing was uninspired, and the whole thing felt like a bargain-bin version of the original film.
I’m not surprised it only lasted one season. Similar to Taken, it’s another film series with multiple entries that tries to pivot to a new format, and it’s just not worthwhile. Keep the classics where they are.
2
Napoleon Dynamite (2012)
Watch Napoleon Dynamite on Hulu
Napoleon Dynamite is one of those films that thrived on awkward silences, strange characters, and a unique sense of small-town weirdness. Fox’s decision to revive it as an animated series with the original cast voicing their roles might have looked clever on paper, but in practice, it lost everything that made the movie work.
The deadpan delivery and oddball pacing didn’t translate to animation, and the show’s attempts to exaggerate the comedy fell flat. Critics dismissed it as unnecessary, and fans didn’t stick around.
After just six episodes, it was quietly canned, proving once again that lightning in a bottle doesn’t strike twice.
1
Ferris Bueller (1990-1991)
Unfortunately, there is currently nowhere to stream or buy Ferris Bueller
Are you seeing a pattern emerge on this list? I sure am. John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off captured a rebellious spirit that can’t be bottled twice. And the moral of the story? Fantastic films don’t translate to short, sharp, sitcom episodes.
NBC thought otherwise, launching a TV sitcom about Ferris’ high school hijinks. It even had a young Jennifer Aniston as Jeannie, Ferris’ sister. But the show was painfully unfunny, with none of Matthew Broderick’s charm or Hughes’ sharp writing.
It leaned into clichés and weak jokes, and critics tore it apart. Viewers tuned out almost instantly, leading to its cancellation after just 13 episodes. In the crowded world of early ’90s sitcoms, Ferris Bueller never stood a chance, and today it’s mostly a trivia fact that Aniston starred in it before Friends.
