The Top 10 Best Movies Based on TV Shows
People like to argue about which came first, the chicken or the egg. This week though we’re going to take a look at the age-old argument about which came first, the movie or the tv series. Now, since Stars & Popcorn is a movie site, for the most part, I’m going to be looking at the 10 best movies based on TV shows. That means the series definitely has to have been released before the film hit theaters. On top of that, I’m going to say that it has to be a series and not just a sketch (sorry SNL inspired movies like Wayne’s World). I also steered away from animated adaptations of cartoons and focused just on live-action (though an animated list might not be far off in the future based on my research). Even with those specifications, there are still a TON of movies that were inspired by classic television series (though not all of them have been good). While I came up with a solid list of the best of the best, I’d love to hear what your favorite movies based on TV shows are in the comments below!
10. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad
It’s with a heavy heart that I kick off this list of the best movies based on TV shows with The Naked Gun. Leslie Nielsen was a comedic genius loved for his work in films parodying classic movie genres. However, it’s his side-splitting take on police procedure that earns a spot on this list. In it, he plays bumbling Sergeant Frank Drevbine. The man is a walking disaster that manages to make everything he touches worse than when he found it. In fact, he only seems to be able to solve cases sheerly by accident. Even with all the chaos going on around him, Nielsen plays the character with a straight face which only adds to the hilarity. While the series it was based on, Police Squad, only lasted 6 episodes, these films were such a huge part of my childhood there was no way I wasn’t going to include them.
9. The Great Muppet Caper
Honestly, I could probably have included all the muppet movies on this list. However, as good as they all were, The Great Muppet Caper is a classic. Jim Henson brings his beloved creations to the big screen in a mystery musical that he actually directed as well as played 6 of the characters in. The muppets take their variety act across the pond and end up involved in a caper to steal an enormous diamond. Being wholesome Muppets though, they decide to do everything in their power to stop the robbery. It also marks the beginning of blossoming (though slightly toxic) romance between Kermit and Miss Piggy on the big screen. While the future of the Muppets is still up in the air, at least we can look back on their films as some of the best movies based on TV shows.
8. 21 Jump Street
Now a lot of people might look back on Johnny Depp’s 21 Jump Street with nostalgia tinted glasses, but I can assure you that it was actually a pretty terrible TV series. So, when Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill teamed up for a comedic remake of the series the chances of it being worse than the source material were pretty slim. However, 21 Jump Street (and 22 Jump Street), proved to be far superior to the absurd source material. Like the series, the show follows two “baby faced” cops who go undercover as teenagers to bust a drug ring. However, they get sucked into all the drama of high school and soon find themselves distracted from their true purpose. It’s a surprisingly great film all things considered and it’s definitely one of the best movies based on a TV show.
7. Serenity
Firefly was a series that developed a pretty huge following (known as Browncoats) considering it only ran for 14 episodes. Despite Fox giving it the ax back in 2002, Joss Whedon dusted off the characters for one last outing on the big screen (though there were plenty of comics later on). The series is a space western that follows the adventures of a crew of misfits that end up tasked with saving the universe. Featuring fandom legends like Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, and Summer Glau the franchise achieved cult status thanks to their performances as complex but loveable characters. While I was never as enamored with Firefly as some of the fans seem to be, I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoyed seeing Serenity on the big screen.
6. The Fugitive
Before Harrison Ford was on the run from Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive was a series in the mid-60s. The film follows a pretty similar plot to the show (though condensed down for the big screen). Doctor Richard Kimble is accused of killing his wife and escapes from death row in order to track her killer, the infamous one-armed man. Hot on his trail is a team of U.S. Marshalls, tasked with bringing him in whether he’s innocent or not. It wasn’t until I started doing some research that I found out that The Fugitive was eligible for a spot on this list of movies based on TV shows. While the spin-off, U.S. Marshalls wasn’t based on the original series, it also managed to earn a spot on another list here on Stars & Popcorn.