These 10 Movie-Based Shows Are So Bad They Should Never Have Been Made

Sometimes the idea of making a show out of a successful movie pays off, like with Fargo or Friday Night Lights. But it's not a rule, but rather a happy coincidence when this happens.

So here are ten unfortunate attempts to capture the success of a movie in an extended TV version.

10. Taken

The original movie Taken starred the brilliant actor Liam Neeson as the former agent who was trying to save his daughter no matter what, so the fact that the TV series had a different actor as the main hero of the story didn't help the show.

What the series also lacked was the original intense storytelling and dark atmosphere. Instead, the showrunners brought in the usual police procedural narrative, which just killed the vibe.

9. Blade: The Series

The original Blade trilogy is considered the iconic vampire horror franchise, and unfortunately, the series edition failed to live up to the fans' expectations and ended up being quite a failure. Wesley Snipes gave the performance of his life in the movies, and to top him as Blade was already mission impossible.

8. Napoleon Dynamite

The 2004 film was made on an incredibly low budget, but still ended up being the defining teen comedy of the 00's. The story of the movie revolved around students dealing with their problems at home while trying to make it in high school.

It was a perfect comedy with offbeat humor and quirky characters, but the animated series that came out many years later felt forced and somehow not authentic, even though the creators saved the entire original cast.

7. Damien

Damien is the little boy from the iconic 1976 horror film The Omen (and its 2006 remake). Fans remember his story in the movie: the child was suspected of being the Antichrist himself. The series follows his character in a battle with dark forces that try to break him.

However, the series only has a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is surprisingly high considering how insignificant it was not only for a horror series, but just in general.

6. Minority Report

The original film, directed by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of a dystopian society where technology has evolved to another level, and superhumans exist who can predict crimes before they are committed. And while the movie was philosophically thought-provoking, the subsequent series lacked the charm of its predecessor and simply became another crime drama.

5. Training Day

When Training Day was released in 2001, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, it was an instant hit. The story of a corrupt cop who becomes a mentor to a rookie captured the hearts of audiences with its hilarious premise and incredible dialogue.

In 2017, CBS decided it was time to bring the story back, but with different actors, and unfortunately failed because the new actors lacked the chemistry the original cast shared on screen.

4. Rush Hour

Another police-centric hit with an iconic cast and intriguing storylines involving dangerous and sometimes hilarious adventures in the world of crime. The movie actually introduced audiences to the best buddy couple of the time, Detectives Lee and Carter.

It comes as no surprise that the series, released many years after the success of the movie, failed to live up to expectations due to lack of chemistry among the cast and lack of entertainment in general.

3. True Lies

The year 1994 gave the world one of the most amazing action comedies of all time, but this James Cameron film is also widely considered to be his most overlooked.

With Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis as its main stars, the movie managed to grab the audience's attention from the very beginning. However, the 2023 adaptation ended up being a far cry from the blockbuster Cameron once directed.

2. Richie Rich

The original movie starred Macaulay Culkin as a super-rich kid trying to find his missing parents and make some friends along the way. It wasn't as critically acclaimed as Home Alone, but still received positive reviews, especially for Culkin's performance.

However, after Netflix tried to make a show out of the movie, it turned into a complete disaster. Viewers claimed it was impossible to watch and that they had experienced the most cringe-worthy family series ever.

1. Heathers

Once again, the 1988 movie that defined the dark comedy genre ended up as a disappointing TV show. Heathers told the story of outcast kids who plot to murder the popular kids. While it was a dark movie, the atmosphere of the original film was generally very captivating, but the TV adaptation was just an unfortunate event.

What made it worse was that the show premiered just as some real-life stories about school crimes were being told on the news, so the inappropriate timing just killed the series.