New TV versions of old movies...ENOUGH!

[Monterey Jack]

Rush Hour, Lethal Weapon, Fargo, Westworld, Minority Report, Time After Time, Training Day...anyone else SICK to DEATH of this trend?!

[MDJ]

I'm pretty sure every movie ever made will have a corresponding TV show in a few years

[CartoonCollector]

Yeah it is getting to much. I don't even know what to watch anymore, so many good tv series and so on

[Socko]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Rush Hour, Lethal Weapon, Fargo, Westworld, Minority Report, Time After Time, Training Day...anyone else SICK to DEATH of this trend?!

Westworld is excellent and I am starting to like Lethal Weapon, but Lethal Weapon does not even compare to the movies in terms of quality and acting.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Also, enough reboots, and enough stupid superhero crap.

However, Fargo isn't a reboot or TV version of the movie, is it?

[Dynamo of Eternia]

It's the catch-22 of the entertainment industry today, unfortunately.

We have more TV stations than ever before, services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime streaming, websites such as Youtube, and so on.


While I, too, get frustrated (both with movies and TV) when they keep remaking old things rather than making something new, the problem is that there is just SO MUCH content out there in general that it's getting harder and harder for something original to really get the attention needed to be a success. Sure, there are exceptions and some new shows go on to be critically acclaimed, but they are the exception and not the rule (and we've even seen instances where highly acclaimed TV series still get canceled if the ratings are too low).

So, in the case of these recent TV shows, they are making shows out of known movie franchises because they are established, known names, and have a higher potential to catch someone's attention than a random ad for a completely brand new original series.


To put it another way, think of what it would be like to walk into a full sized super market that sold nothing but various brands and types of peanut butter. With THAT many different options of peanut butter, several of them are bound to not sell well enough to warrant continuing production. The most well known brands will likely do alright. Lesser known brands will likely have to resort to gimmicks to hopefully gain enough attention to sell well, much like the "gimmicks" of making a TV series out of a movie.

But unlike peanut butter, where many of the same brands have been around for decades, even most successful TV series on average last somewhere roughly around 6-10 years (with some exceptions, of course). So these studios, networks, and so forth can't even necessarily count on the same tried and true "brand" (aka existing, ongoing, successful, original TV series)
to carry them for decades.

I know this comparison isn't perfect, but the point that I'm making with the peanut butter comparison is that when there are THAT many options for just one type of product, it's hard for a new brand to catch attention and grow, as opposed to how things are in grocery stores now, where there's usually a few shelves in one limited area that have peanut butter, and something new isn't as "drowned out."


While sequels, remakes, and the like have existed in some form for a long time, going back even 20 - 30 years ago, there were a lot more original works being made. But the difference is that there was no streaming services or similar. Cable and Satellite weren't as common for people to have, so they would have the 3/4 major networks and a handful of local channels. And even for those who did have cable back then, that gave them a couple/few dozen extra channels - not hundreds like we have today.

It was easier to make something new and actually have it seen by a lot of people. These days it is much, much harder.

The amount of entertainment we have available today is both a blessing and a curse all in one.

[Rodney-2187]

Not all remakes are equal. If you are just cashing in on name recognition and don't have a decent story to tell, well it's not going to be very good and just a complete waste of time. But some may see a story worth telling in those old shows. Some appreciate the complexity of the characters and want to revisit them. Westworld is one of the best shows I've ever seen and Lethal Weapon is great. Credit due to whoever made those two. I can't say no to future TV remakes without at least taking a look now.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

Not all remakes are equal. If you are just cashing in on name recognition and don't have a decent story to tell, well it's not going to be very good and just a complete waste of time. But some may see a story worth telling in those old shows. Some appreciate the complexity of the characters and want to revisit them. Westworld is one of the best shows I've ever seen and Lethal Weapon is great. Credit due to whoever made those two. I can't say no to future TV remakes without at least taking a look now.

What if the show is good, but still cashing in on an old name?

Take the new One Day At A Time, for example... good show. But it had nothing to do with the original outside of the well known name and theme song, and a handyman named Schneider. Otherwise, it could have been any other show.

Of course, it probably got quite a few more people to check it out because of that.

[Rodney-2187]

Also, I've only seen the first season of Fargo, but I thought it was excellent.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by ElectricPeterTork

What if the show is good, but still cashing in on an old name?

Take the new One Day At A Time, for example... good show. But it had nothing to do with the original outside of the well known name and theme song, and a handyman named Schneider. Otherwise, it could have been any other show.

Of course, it probably got quite a few more people to check it out because of that.

Time will tell I suppose. I've never seen it. I wouldn't dismiss it just because it is a remake though. Doesn't take long to see if there is any substance behind the name.

[Al_The_Strange]

Haven't been keeping up with TV at all. Don't have cable or anything anyway. But even with Netflix, movies suck up most of my time and I can't keep up with all the new shows on top of gaming and watching stuff in my collection and other activities. One day I might invest in some of the sci-fi ones on disc or something, but otherwise very little really catches my eye.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

Time will tell I suppose. I've never seen it. I wouldn't dismiss it just because it is a remake though. Doesn't take long to see if there is any substance behind the name.

It's a classic Norman Lear show for modern times.

Though like I said... about 6 episodes in, I realized the show would be the same whether it was using the name of an older, well liked sitcom and its theme song or not.

[Joeker]

Nope, not tired of it. In fact, I say keep them coming because I enjoy:

Currently:

Teen Wolf
Westworld
Bates Motel
Fargo
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

I also watch Scream but that's terrible I've heard 12 Monkeys is decent so will prolly check that out at some point.

When they were on:

Friday Night Lights
Hannibal
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Weird Science.

[Maccadinho25]

Just dont watch them?

[kemcha]

What I'm waiting for is for Fox to announce a new television series based on the Die Hard movies. I'm kind of shocked that they haven't announced it yet. Every time a new television series is announced based off a movie franchise, I don't even react but I do roll my eyes at the ceiling. It's odd that Fox seems to be making most of these announcements.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Joeker

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

That show is just brilliant. I was laughing so hard that I was in pain and almost couldn't breath during the part with

[Show spoiler]"Miss Patty Pancakes."

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by kemcha

What I'm waiting for is for Fox to announce a new television series based on the Die Hard movies. I'm kind of shocked that they haven't announced it yet. Every time a new television series is announced based off a movie franchise, I don't even react but I do roll my eyes at the ceiling. It's odd that Fox seems to be making most of these announcements.

No, not really...

While part of the same "parent" company, the Fox TV network is separate from 20th Century Fox.

Of all of the shows listed in the OP, only two shows are actually produced by 20th Century Fox: Minority Report, which also aired on the Fox Network, and Fargo, which aired on the FX Network (still a Fox owned, but a separate station).

The Lethal Weapon airs on the Fox network, but is produced by Warner Brothers.

In fact, with the exceptions of Minority Report and Fargo, all of the shows listed in the OP are produced by WB, and aside from Lethal Weapon all air on other non-Fox networks. So the more the common thread here is WB than any other company (including both the network and production divisions of Fox).

And that's the thing. While at times networks may desire certain types of shows and may put out requests for them, in general the production companies make pilots and pitch shows to networks. So WB seems to be pushing this trend far more than Fox.

[MrSmearkase]

Originally Posted by kemcha

What I'm waiting for is for Fox to announce a new television series based on the Die Hard movies. I'm kind of shocked that they haven't announced it yet. Every time a new television series is announced based off a movie franchise, I don't even react but I do roll my eyes at the ceiling. It's odd that Fox seems to be making most of these announcements.

Sooo.... You're saying that you do react.

[Moviefan2k4]

I'm not the biggest fan of it in general, but some have translated better over the years. For the most part, I actually liked The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Its no gem, but it beats all the sequels by a mile. I also enjoyed Agent Carter, and I'm hoping they do a third year at some point.

[Michael24]

Originally Posted by Maccadinho25

Just dont watch them?

This. So this.

I've never understood this mentality of "I don't like something, so people must stop doing it." It's really just juvenile. If you don't like something, then don't watch it. It's pretty simple to figure out.

For the record, Lethal Weapon has been a lot of fun and is the only new show I've been watching this season. Bates Motel has been really good, too.