When a movie truly touches its audience, they often want to see the continuation of the heroes’ journey, explore the created world, and discover more stories akin to the one they grew to love. In this case, launching a TV show that either continues the movie’s plot or adds a different twist on it is the perfect way to go.
While some movies spawn TV shows due to their popularity (and the creators’ desire to fully benefit from said popularity), some simply don’t get enough screen time or resources to fulfill their potential, which savvy directors luckily recognize. However, more often than not, many TV spin-offs, while having a solid premise and strong source material, fail to meet the audience’s expectations — the movies below, on the other hand, went on to launch shows that were not only successful but often more popular than the original.
Teen Wolf (1985)
Long before Tyker Posey followed the Twilight craze and assumed the role of a teen werewolf on MTV, Michael J Fox played an average high schooler in a sweet ‘80s comedy that revolved around his desire for popularity and performance on the school basketball team. The stakes were much lower than protecting the lives of the townspeople, and the protagonist embraced his wolf nature rather than traditionally hiding it, but the movie was heartfelt, accurately portrayed teenage angst, and showed the character’s moral development resolving in a happy ending and him getting the right girl.
The Teen Wolf show, which was launched in 2011 and ran for six seasons, is only loosely based on the original movie and follows in the footsteps of many other vampires/werewolves series like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. It’s spooky, filled with monsters and unlikely romance, and generally well-received, scoring 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Westworld (1973)
Twenty years before Michael Crichton introduced Jurassic Park with its dinosaurs running amok, he wrote and directed this futuristic sci-fi movie showing a Western-themed amusement park, where life-like androids turn on their visitors. Westworld was well-received and launched an entire franchise that eventually led to the highly successful HBO series of the same name. Interestingly enough, the previous attempt at adapting the movie for the small screen back in 1980, titled Beyond Westworld, failed spectacularly and lasted for only five episodes.
HBO’s 2016 dystopian Westworld is one of the network’s most popular shows (with its first season becoming the most-watched one among HBO originals) that went on to win nine Emmy Awards. It features excellent performance, impressive visuals, and an exciting story, well worthy of its original, and has a fourth season on its way.
The Dead Zone (1983)
This David Cronenberg’s sci-fi thriller, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, starred Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith, a school teacher who wakes up from a long-term coma with newfound psychic abilities that allow him to see a person’s future by touching them. At some point, Smith shakes the hand of a charismatic candidate for the US Senate (played by Martin Sheen) and has a vision of him becoming President and causing a nuclear holocaust — the future that Smith vows to prevent, no matter the cost. The movie was successful with both critics and viewers and scores an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stephen King's The Dead Zone TV show, released in 2002 and starring Anthony Michael Hall, followed a similar apocalyptic central plot ark but focused on the crime-solving potential of the protagonist’s abilities. It was generally well-received and ran for six seasons on the USA network.
Stargate (1994)
This sci-fi classic revolves around the story of the team of scientists, accompanied by a retired soldier (Kurt Russel), who discover a Stargate, an ancient alien teleportation device. It transports them to a planet resembling Ancient Egypt, where people worship a corrupt alien, Ra. The movie (which grossed $197 million worldwide) went on to launch a highly successful franchise that included multiple series, movies, video games, and comic books.
Stargate SG-1, the sci-fi sequel series created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner in 1997, takes place a year after the movie’s events. The US government discovers that Stargates can be used to access different planets through the network of these devices and sends out an Air Force team to explore the galaxy and defend Earth against alien threats. The show ran for ten seasons (with over 200 episodes), received numerous awards and nominations, and has a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Before Sarah Michelle Gellar picked up her first wooden stake, the Valley girl cheerleader turned vampire slayer was played by Kristy Swanson, with her love interest, Pike, portrayed by Luke Perry. While written by Joss Whedon, the movie was stripped of most of his distinct jokes and original dark scenes, following the 20th Century Fox’s decision to turn it into a light teenage comedy. Whedon disassociated himself from the project, which turned out to be a box office and critical disappointment, and ended up launching his own darker and more mature TV version of the slayer’s adventures.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, as well as Sarah Michelle Gellar’s role, became iconic among fans, received multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations throughout its seven seasons, and launched the Buffyverse with numerous novels, comics, and video games, as well as successful spin-offs like Angel, making it one of the most remarkable and beloved TV adaptations of all time.