When TV Goes Wrong: Failed Movie Spin-Offs Part 2
Barely a week goes by these days without a new TV series based on a movie going into development. Last week’s news of a Scream TV series hasn’t exactly been greeted with open arms.
Should the series follow an anthology ‘Tales From The Crypt’ style show, then this could work. However if it follows a new bunch of teenagers being picked off by Ghost-Face, then I fear this will be a one season wonder if it gets passed the pilot episode.
Ferris Bueller – Dancing his way into the title role was Charlie Schlatter, this spin off was so bad that the movie’s writer John Hughes asked his name to be removed from the marketing. Thankfully he wasn’t involved in this mess at all, but Jennifer Aniston featured as Jeannie Bueller and a few episodes were directed by Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby.
Only 13 episodes were made, and the last couple never aired on US TV.
Planet Of The Apes (1974) – The apes franchise wasn’t well treated at the time, the budgets got progressively lower and after 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes the studio opted to retool the concept to a TV series.
The legendary Roddy McDowall once again plays an ape, but this time he’s called Galen. The series was canceled after 14 episodes.
Police Academy (1997) There was an animated series back in 1988, however this live action spin off only featured one original cast member from the movies. Michael Winslow (man of a thousand sounds) as Sgt. Larvelle Jones was in all 27 episodes. A few original cast members made guest appearances, but the series was canceled after 1 season.
10 Things I Hate About You - Arriving 10 years after the movie, the story is the same as its big screen counterpart and follows Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew once again. Only Larry Miller as the sister’s overprotective father reprised his role, after 20 episodes ABC canceled the series.
Uncle Buck – The movie had John Hughes and John Candy bringing the funny, this woeful TV spin off had neither.
This one season wonder starred Kevin Meaney and after his brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car cash (dark!) Buck has to look after their 3 kids. Critics hated it, audiences didn’t watch it and many of the 22 episodes were never broadcast.
Friday the 13th The Series: This started life as a show called The 13th Hour, but the producers changed the name to cash in on the horror franchise. It’s not connected to Jason Voorhees in any shape way or form, the story followed two antique shop owners recovering cursed objects. Utter bobbins!
It lasted for 3 years and 70 episodes.
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