The Best Movies Based on TV Shows — Could The Fall Guy Join This List?
Earlier this year, we celebrated the best TV shows based on movies… but it goes the other way around, too, you know.
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Over the years, many TV shows have made the leap to the big screen as feature films, either as direct continuations with the same cast or as reinventions decades later with a fresh cast and a totally new take on the source material. A lot of those movies crashed and burned — and we have a list for that, too — but some defied the odds and soared, becoming box office hits and Oscar contenders and even winning over viewers who never saw the original TV version.
So with The Fall Guy — an update on the 1980s ABC series — hitting theaters this weekend, we thought we’d honor the greatest movies that started out as TV shows. (And who knows? Maybe Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt will find a place on this list in the years to come.) Note: This list is rating the best movies in overall quality, not for how faithful they remained to the original series. In fact, some of these took very different angles on the original concept… and we love them for it.
Read on to see which movies made our must-see list, and then hit the comments to remind us of any we missed. Plus, if you’ve seen The Fall Guy: Do you think it earns a spot on this list?
21 Jump Street
This 2012 buddy cop comedy starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill pretty much defined the concept of “loose adaptation”: It took Fox’s ultra-serious Johnny Depp vehicle about cops going undercover in high school and transformed it into a riotous romp, with Tatum and Hill’s cops trying to fit in as high school students and stirring up old feelings of teenage angst. The goofy approach worked, though: Tatum and Hill proved to be a dynamic comedic duo, and the movie grossed over $200 million worldwide, with a sequel — 22 Jump Street — following two years later.
Addams Family Values
1991’s The Addams Family was a grand reintroduction to the ghoulish family we met on TV in the ‘60s, but we’re partial to this 1993 sequel, which got even more deliciously dark. Joan Cusack brought a maniacal glee to the cast as Uncle Fester’s black-widow bride Debbie, while Christina Ricci’s Wednesday enjoyed — OK, barely tolerated — a summer at the unbearably upbeat Camp Chippewa. The sparkling script from Paul Rudnick was packed with pitch-black humor, and we loved every twisted minute of it.
Borat
Jagshemash! Sacha Baron Cohen first introduced the clueless Kazakh journalist Borat on Da Ali G Show, but he took it to a whole new level in this 2006 movie, traveling the country in character and finding prank-comedy gold along the way. The result was one of the most outrageously funny comedies of the decade, breaking box office records and adding catchphrases like “Mah wife!” and “Very nice!” to the vocabulary of every frat boy in America. It also spawned a 2020 sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, that miraculously managed to recapture nearly all of the first film’s mischievous energy.
The Blues Brothers
First appearing on Saturday Night Live, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s dapper duo Jake and Elwood Blues exploded in theaters with this 1980 movie musical that featured performances from legends like James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Throw in incredibly destructive car chases and a script full of quotable one-liners (“We’re on a mission from God”), and a classic film comedy was born. As for the sequel, Blues Brothers 2000? Let’s just pretend that never happened.
Charlie’s Angels
The original ABC series, led by Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, was a Top 10 hit out of the gate, thanks to an entertaining mix of crime-solving, glam and camp. The 2000 film starring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and an all-in Cameron Diaz winningly evoked the titular trio’s camaraderie, wink-winked aplenty at the ABC series’ “jiggle television” roots, gave us an (extra-)weird Crispin Glover and threw in ridiculous, Matrix-style fight moves to boot.
Downton Abbey
When Downton Abbey wrapped its six-season run on PBS, we were ready to leave the titular estate in our rearview. We thought we’d seen all that the Crawleys had to offer… but we were wrong. The period drama’s 2019 big-screen debut reinvigorated the franchise, delivering a visually sumptuous experience that upped the stakes and shed refreshing light on several beloved characters. The glamour, the intrigue, the shade — it was everything that fans had come to love, this time cranked up to 11.
The Fugitive
The original 1963-67 ABC series, starring David Janssen as a doctor on the run after being wrongfully accused of killing his wife, was a hit in its own right, but it vaulted to all-time greatness with the 1993 film version, starring Harrison Ford as the accused killer. Tommy Lee Jones brought grit and humor as the U.S. Marshal chasing Ford across the country, and the film became a blockbuster, earning seven Oscar nominations and standing as one of the decade’s most enduring big-screen thrillers.
A Goofy Movie
Derived from the syndicated series Goof Troop, this mid-‘90s entry didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. But the family-friendly film — which saw Goofy embark on a cross-country fishing trip with his high school-aged son Max — gained a cult following with its home video release and is now widely considered a classic, thanks in no small part to the film’s soundtrack, which features R&B singer Tevin Campbell as the voice of fictional pop star Powerline.
In the Loop
Prior to his stint on Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi’s signature TV role was the fiendishly foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in the 2005-2012 British political satire The Thick of It, created by Armando Iannucci (Veep). Capaldi’s perennially pissed-off Director of Communications also took center stage in this 2009 theatrical spinoff, deliciously tossing off verbal beatdowns from an Oscar-nominated script at record speed. The film’s cast was stacked, featuring a handful of series regulars (sometimes playing brand-new characters) alongside comedy all-stars like Steve Coogan and a pre-Veep Anna Chlumsky. Our favorite “guest star,” however, was The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini as an American general who went toe-to-toe in gloriously profane barbs with Tucker and almost came out on top. But Capaldi’s character demanded the final word at all times, so let’s end with one of his more gentle sign-offs: “F—ity bye.”
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Say the words, “Hey now,” and watch an entire generation’s serotonin levels instantly rise as fond memories of this iconic movie based on the Disney Channel series starring Hilary Duff burst through in Technicolor. While the show focused on Lizzie’s mundane life, the 2003 film allowed the normally shy teen to reinvent herself as a famous pop star in a fun case of mistaken identity. It had all the makings of quality early aughts entertainment: Duff in dual roles, a Vespa ride with a cute boy through scenic Rome, a stellar fashion montage and a bubblegum pop soundtrack featuring the breakout song, “What Dreams Are Made Of,” which really summed up the whole experience. We couldn’t ask for anything more… except, perhaps, Disney reversing course on that cancelled revival.
Mission: Impossible
The CBS spy series with the ultra-cool theme song got the big-screen treatment in 1996, with Tom Cruise starring as secret agent Ethan Hunt. The film featured a number of dazzling action sequences — who can forget Hunt dangling inches off the floor while hanging from the ceiling? — and raked in big bucks at the box office, kick-starting a billion-dollar film franchise that’s still going strong today. The stunts have only gotten bigger and more outrageous with each installment, including last year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, but we’re still savoring the relatively small-scale pleasures of the original film.
The Muppet Movie
After a couple seasons of The Muppet Show had aired, Kermit and the gang kept movin’ right along to the big screen with this 1979 adventure, which saw Kermit head to L.A. to pursue showbiz stardom while avoiding the evil grasp of frog leg hawker Doc Hopper. The Muppet Movie was a smash hit, leading to a number of sequels, and it remains a family classic to this day, introducing us to the wonders of Kermit riding a bike as well as the timeless tune “Rainbow Connection.”
The Naked Gun
ABC’s silly cop show spoof Police Squad! was axed after just six episodes, but it found a much longer life on film, starting with this 1988 comedy classic. Leslie Nielsen reprised his TV role as hopelessly incompetent cop Frank Drebin, joined by Priscilla Presley (as femme fatale Jane), Ricardo Montalban and, um… O.J. Simpson. The sight gags came fast and furious, and fans turned it into a sleeper hit, which led to two sequels.
Rugrats in Paris
The second (and best) entry in the Nicktoon’s big-screen trilogy tugged at our heartstrings as the Rugrats’ resident scaredy-cat Chuckie — whose mother died shortly after he was born — longed to have a mom, just like the rest of his friends. This paved the way for the introduction of Chaz’s new wife, Kira, as well as a new Rugrat: Chuckie’s stepsister, Kimi. But what really took this sequel over the top was a pair of standout voice performances by Susan Sarandon (who played the child-hating Coco LaBouche) and John Lithgow (as Coco’s accomplice, Jean-Claude).
Scooby-Doo
The CGI may not hold up, but everything else about Mystery Inc.’s first live-action adventure sure does. Not only did 2002’s Scooby-Doo perfectly capture the wacky energy of its animated source material, but the core four’s casting — Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Linda Cardellini as Velma and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred — was simply perfect. It was also a critical darling, winning the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Fart in a Movie, which Lillard accepted in person.
The Simpsons Movie
It only took them 18 seasons to get there, but Fox’s favorite animated family made their big-screen debut in 2007, with the town of Springfield getting sealed off inside a giant dome after an environmental disaster caused by (you guessed it) Homer. Even though the series had infamously dipped in quality by that point, the movie was surprisingly spry, with lots of meta winks to past episodes, and it earned a robust half-billion dollars at the global box office. Actually, it feels like we’re about due for a sequel, huh?
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Midway through South Park’s third season on Comedy Central, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought the animated hit to theaters with a 1999 movie musical, with Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny starting a moral panic after sneaking into an R-rated movie. It combined the show’s outrageously crude humor and vicious satire with a slate of catchy original songs, and it earned surprising critical kudos, even scoring an Oscar nod for the boisterous tune “Blame Canada.”
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
A decade after their TV mission ended, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew boldly went to the big screen with 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. But it’s this 1982 sequel that became not only the best Trek film but also one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. Ricardo Montalban reprised his TV role as superhuman villain Khan, and his interstellar battle of wills with Kirk was truly epic, with Spock’s noble sacrifice standing as an all-time tearjerker. Many other Trek films soared, but never quite to the heights that Khan reached.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
The big-screen prequel to Twin Peaks’ original ABC run premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, but despite a prestigious Palme d’Or nomination, its reception was decidedly polarizing. Audiences hungry for more quirky humor and cherry pie were instead treated to a full-blown horror movie. But there was no other way to tell the tragic story of Laura Palmer’s final days, and director David Lynch’s searing masterpiece — anchored by Sheryl Lee’s powerhouse performance as a young woman struggling to face her trauma — has been reassessed over the years, earning a Red Room full of overdue critical accolades. And after the film’s echoes were felt throughout 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return, it became clear that Fire Walk With Me is the (broken) heart of the full Twin Peaks experience and a crucial, raw depiction of the series’ most important character. Apologies to Coop, but: “Laura is the one.”
The Untouchables
The real-life showdown between federal agent Eliot Ness and crime boss Al Capone first inspired a 1959-63 ABC series starring Robert Stack, but it was truly immortalized on film in 1987, with Kevin Costner as Ness and Robert De Niro as Capone. With flashy direction from Brian De Palma and a smart script from David Mamet, The Untouchables was an instant-classic gangster movie, and the legendary Sean Connery finally took home an Oscar for his role as gruff cop Jim Malone.
A Very Brady Sequel
Like Addams Family Values, this 1996 follow-up to the perfectly groovy Brady Bunch Movie gets the nod from us for going further and getting weirder than the original. The first film’s notion of putting the cheerfully square Brady family in the grunge-tastic ‘90s was a comedic masterstroke, and the sequel added even more surreal wackiness, like an acid-trip song-and-dance number through a shopping mall. Jennifer Elise Cox was delightfully deranged as middle sister Jan, who invented a fake boyfriend (George Glass!) to compete with older sister Marcia, and the whole gang ended up in Hawaii, just like they did on TV.
Wayne’s World
Party time! Excellent! Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s head-banging basement slackers proved so popular on SNL that they got their own movie in 1992, with Wayne and Garth being tempted to sell out by a slick TV producer played by Rob Lowe. The inventive script gave us plenty of memorable gags like the iconic singalong to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which made the song a hit again), and it rocked the box office with a $120 million domestic gross. As far as inclusion on this list goes? It absolutely is worthy.
The X-Files: Fight the Future
Released in the summer of 1998 between Seasons 5 and 6 of The X-Files’ run, Fight the Future felt like a supercharged, XL episode of Fox’s hit supernatural drama, which is exactly why it remains so satisfying. Mulder and Scully’s first foray onto the big screen featured elaborate set pieces, a globetrotting continuation of the series’ central mythology arc and some intriguing interpersonal dynamics between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s characters — yeah, we’re talking about that hallway scene — that pollinated storylines that would bloom for seasons to come.
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