A&E's "Bates Motel" Discussion (2013-2017)

[Walts Ghost]

A&E Developing ‘Psycho’ Prequel Series ‘Bates Motel’

Is the big 2012 trend going to be TV series that act as prequels to film classics? We’ve already heard that AMC is the likely home for a Goodfellas TV series, which has been said to be a prequel to Martin Scorsese’s film. There is also Hannibal, a show that explores the early relationship between detective Will Graham and killer Hannibal Lecter.

Now A&E is developing Bates Motel, a series that would serve as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1960 film Psycho. Because we need to know all about how Norman Bates got to be crazy, right? Psycho IV: The Beginning didn’t cover that angle well enough.

THR says that Bates Motel will “offer an understanding into how Norman Bates’ psyche developed and would tell the back story of the film’s killer, learning of how his mother, Norma, and her lover damaged him, transforming him into serial-killing motel owner.”

The pilot script is written by Anthony Cipriano, but we don’t have any info about a director or attached cast.

Now let’s get into some Psycho series history. Psycho II introduced Emma Spool, the sister of Norman Bates’ mother, who had her own important role in the family history. But the made for TV movie Psycho IV, written by Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano, acts essentially as a direct sequel to Psycho, ignoring the second and third films and the Emma Spool character.

Presumably the ‘lover’ mentioned in the plot outline above is the character Chet Rudolph, played by Thomas Schuster in Psycho IV. That movie used flashbacks to outline how Norman Bates was dominated and warped by his mother, and how his jealousy over her relationship with Rudolph (who helped pay for the Bates Motel) led to Bates committing his first murders.

Will this series just be a far more detailed account of that same series of events, and one that trades on the recognizance of the Bates name? Or will it actively reconcile the differences between the Bates family history as presented in conflicting fashion in the various sequels?

I can see Bates Motel making a case for its own existence if it really creates solid characters — there is a compelling family dynamic in the roots of the Norman Bates story. And while Psycho IV has strong points, it wasn’t the best-written episode of the Psycho storyline by a long shot. There is some room for improvement.

Oh, and super-knowledgeable Psycho fans may remember another attempt to make a TV series called Bates Motel — that was a sequel to Psycho III rather than a prequel. This new show is a totally different thing.

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[Walts Ghost]

Well, this definitely could be interesting. It has potential, so I guess we'll see where it goes. I just feel like it's hard to turn Psycho into a TV series. Guess we'll find out.

[Walts Ghost]

Lost Showrunner Carlton Cuse Joins 'Bates Motel'

While many fans directed their love/hate mail to J.J. Abrams during Lost’s six-season run, the truth is that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were the actual brains behind the day-to-day running of the series. The two were the showrunners for the duration of the show’s life while Abrams simply served as an executive producer (though he was crucial to developing the pilot and the overall idea for the groundbreaking series). Lindelof took a fairly prolific route following the series finale with writing gigs on Cowboys & Aliens, Star Trek 2, and Prometheus, but many fans have been waiting to see what Cuse would tackle post-Lost. It appears we have our answer, as Cuse has just joined the A&E series The Bates Motel as an executive producer.

Though Cuse has been busy developing film and TV projects for the past few years (he’s working on a super-secretive feature for Hugh Jackman to star and Shawn Levy to direct), The Bates Motel may be the first project we actually see from the writer-producer since Lost. Mark Wolper and Roy Lee are producing the series, which serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic Psycho. The Bates Motel “aims to tell the story of a young Bates and how his deranged mother and her lover unhinged his mind, eventually turning him into a serial killer.” The show is being described as a cross between Twin Peaks and Smallville (that’s one hell of a mash-up), and Heat Vision reports that Cuse will executive produce and oversee the writing and production of the show should the pilot be picked up to series.

A&E is initially planning a six-episode “event” run that would lead to additional seasons if it catches on. In addition to Cuse, Friday Night Lights and Parenthood alum Kerry Ehrin is also joining the production crew as an executive producer and writer who will work with Cuse. The premise for the show is intriguing enough, but I’m incredibly encouraged by the addition of Cuse. Though it certainly had its ups and downs, Lost was a wholly unique entity in the television landscape and it’s unlikely we’ll see such serialized storytelling on network television anytime soon. Obviously one of the most crucial aspects of The Bates Motel will be the casting, so hopefully we hear some news on that front in the next few weeks.

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[Walts Ghost]

Now I'm really looking forward to this.

[X12Celtics3]

I don't like the idea of a TV prequel to Psycho, but Cuse's involvement will probably get me to watch this anyway. I don't have particularly high hopes.

[Navster]

Excited to see how this turns out

[Trekkie313]

The need to rename the show, Bates Motel will remind everyone of that shitty 80's series.

[Blu Ian]

Bates: MOM! We have to go back!

[MykeHavoc]

I'm actually excited for both this and the Hannibal TV show. Both seem like they have a lot of potential.

[LordCrumb]

Well because someone from Lost is behind it, I hope to god they get different music.. bad enough Alcatraz has the exact same score as Lost, we don't need a horror series with it too.

[Samus Aran]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

The need to rename the show, Bates Motel will remind everyone of that shitty 80's series.

Maybe Fox can make it a movie and call it Psycho Origins: Norman Bates.

[HDMe]

Originally Posted by Samus Aran

Maybe Fox can make it a movie and call it Psycho Origins: Norman Bates.

There already was a movie prequel... or maybe it was a made for TV prequel?

Psycho IV: The Beginning... it was Norman Bates recounting his childhood to a psychiatrist or something I think.

[beckmen]

Yeah, it was a TV movie. IIRC (it's been probably 15 years, and I was a teenager) it did a pretty good job setting up why Norman was so nuts.

Both this and the Hannibal show seem like terrible ideas. They are finite concepts that should only take a few hours to tell the story. Although you never know, I balked at the idea of a Terminator show but they managed to create their own world of intrigue instead of "Terminator of the week" type stuff...

[Lemmy Lugosi]

Originally Posted by beckmen

Yeah, it was a TV movie. IIRC (it's been probably 15 years, and I was a teenager) it did a pretty good job setting up why Norman was so nuts.

Nope, it was an R-rated feature film.

[Samus Aran]

Psycho IV was a made-for-TV Showtime movie.

[X12Celtics3]

Originally Posted by LordCrumb

Well because someone from Lost is behind it, I hope to god they get different music.. bad enough Alcatraz has the exact same score as Lost, we don't need a horror series with it too.

Lost's score was better than almost anything else on standard TV channels. Aside from things on HBO, Showtime, and AMC most shows have crappy, generic soundtracks. I'd rather have an awesome Michael Giacchino score than a typical generic one.

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by X12Celtics3

Lost's score was better than almost anything else on standard TV channels. Aside from things on HBO, Showtime, and AMC most shows have crappy, generic soundtracks. I'd rather have an awesome Michael Giacchino score than a typical generic one.

Agreed.

[ChadFL]

I really hope I'm wrong but I have a feeling this will turn out to be terrible like the Psycho remake.

[Lemmy Lugosi]

Originally Posted by HDMe

There already was a movie prequel... or maybe it was a made for TV prequel?

Psycho IV: The Beginning... it was Norman Bates recounting his childhood to a psychiatrist or something I think.

Originally Posted by Lemmy Lugosi

Nope, it was an R-rated feature film.

Originally Posted by Samus Aran

Psycho IV was a made-for-TV Showtime movie.

Damn! You're right.....dunno why I thought that. I looked at it's rating (R) and assumed it was a feature film....it wasn't.

Reminds me of that line about why you should never assume. D'oh!

[Samus Aran]

At least this isn't going to be on The CW and deal with the years where Norman Bates, Marion Crane, Sam Loomis, Al Chambers, Fred Richmond and Milton Arbogast all went to high school together, with a no killing, no psychosis policy for the show... but lots and lots of teen angst! And concussions.