10 Classic Movies You May Not Realize Had TV Show Remakes

By Abigail Stevens Published 1 minute ago

Several classic movies including The Karate Kid, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Dirty Dancing were remade as TV shows that few people have heard of.

Summary

• Most movie-to-TV show reboots are of poor quality and forgotten in pop culture.
• Despite these shows commonly failing, a few under-the-radar reboots featured future big stars.
• The trend of rebooting classics continues due to the hope of drawing in a fan base.

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Before the trend of remakes and legacy sequels really took off, there was still a slew of reboot TV shows based on several classic movies. Most of these shows were of poor quality and therefore forgotten in the history of pop culture. Still, no one can stop producers and executives from wanting to capitalize on a classic, which will likely draw a fan base who at least want to know for sure that the show isn't good.

While the idea of rebooting a classic that is impossible to live up to usually doesn't work, it is still interesting to learn about the under-the-radar reboots that do exist. Some of these include performances from actors who are now big stars, who might have hoped that the show would be their breakout role. Regardless of whether the show was successful, they went on to become stars anyway.

10 Beetlejuice (1988)

Adapted into the TV show Beetlejuice (1989-1991).

Shortly after the release of Tim Burton's original iconic Beetlejuice, an animated series about the famous Beetlejuice himself having adventures with 12-year-old Lydia came out. Burton executive produced this show but did no direction. With Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz being turned into Beetlejuice's companion and generally more levity, the show might feel like a soft reboot. Even if it can't compare to the original, the show managed to last for four seasons with Burton and Danny Elfman's contributions. It remains to be seen where Beetlejuice 2 will rank in this comparison.

9 Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Adapted into the TV show Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1986).

The general premise of Fast Times as Ridgemont High of California teenagers partying seems like it was a one-off success that shouldn't have been dragged out. The high school romp is credited with helping Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, and Forest Whitaker achieve fame. A few years after the movie, a short-lived TV series aired with an entirely new cast playing the same characters. Part reboot, part sequel, the series only lasted one season. However, it does feature an early career performance by Patrick Dempsey as Mike Damone, Robert Romanus' character in the movie.

8 Clueless (1995)

Adapted into the TV show Clueless (1996-1999).

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In a strange continuation of the popular high school rom-com, original Clueless stars Stacy Dash, Donald Fashion, and Wallace Shaw return for a three-season sitcom while most of the other characters are recast. This includes the "clueless" protagonist Cher Horowitz, originally played by Alicia Silverstone and recast as Rachel Blanchard. Some other actors from the movie make guest appearances. All things considered, it is impressive that the show lasted for three seasons. Maybe it is because Clueless was originally conceptualized as a TV show before being developed into a movie (via IMDB).

7 Westworld (1973)

Adapted into the TV show Westworld (2016-2022).

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In this case, most people are probably more familiar with the TV show adaptation than the original movie. However, HBO's Westworld, featuring a notoriously confusing timeline, was inspired by the 1973 classic sci-fi movie of the same name. While the Westworld movie is pitched as a thriller where the visitors must escape malfunctioning robots in the amusement park, the show focuses more on the uprising among the park's androids, creating a more complex story about the nature of AI. Characters like Dolores, Bernard, Maeve, and the Man in Black were created for the show.

6 Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Adapted into the TV show Conan the Adventurer (1997-1998).

In the late 90s, producers took a shot at remaking one of the hallmarks of Arnold Schwarzenegger's action movie heyday…and failed. Ralf Moeller (who would appear in Gladiator a few years later) was given the impossible task of living up to Schwarzenegger as Conan. The show was canceled after one season. While the 2011 movie would also flop, Jason Mamoa at least had the gravitas to stand a chance at matching his predecessor. However, Mamoa was not as famous as he would become at this point, with Game of Thrones just beginning.

5 Dirty Dancing (1987)

Adapted into the TV show Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing spawned multiple unpopular sequels and spinoffs, demonstrating how it also works as a standalone movie, which most effectively conveys its message in this form. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights is at least well-known enough to be made fun of (possibly because it stars Diego Luna), but even more obscure is the soft reboot continuation of Johnny and Baby's story in the TV show also titled Dirty Dancing. Johnny and Baby are recast, and Baby's surname is changed to Kellerman, for a 10-episode, forgotten summer. It's anyone's guess how the upcoming Dirty Dancing sequel will fit into all this.

4 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Adapted into the TV show 10 Things I Hate About You (2009-2010).

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10 Things About You is a charming high school 90s rom-com that was the start for stars including Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. About a decade after the classic came out, a rebooted TV show followed. The 10 Things I Hate About You show features the same premise of sisters with polar opposite personalities navigating high school crushes under the watchful eye of their overprotective father. The show only lasted for one season. However, it does star Succession's Nicholas Braun as Cameron, the younger sister Bianca's love interest.

3 Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Adapted into the TV show Ferris Bueller (1990-1991).

The premise of Ferris Bueller's Day Off might work as a sitcom & every day, a clever high school student endears himself to his parents and schemes to evade getting caught by the school principal. However, in addition to lacking the talents of Matthew Broderick, the Ferris Bueller show essentially pulls an "it was all a dream," revealing that the movie was a fictional version of the "real" Ferris' own life. Some still might be drawn to the show out of curiosity about its bizarre premise, and to see pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston play Ferris' sister.

2 The Karate Kid (1984)

Adapted into the TV show The Karate Kid (1989).

While the Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai turned out to be a hit, it is not the first show to come from the Karate Kid franchise. While Cobra Kai can boast the original actors William Zabka and Ralph Machio, the animated Karate Kid series only has Pat Morita providing the opening narration. Otherwise, new actors voice Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, in a continuation of the former's fights with the bullies of the Cobra Kai Dojo loosely based on the movie. The show was canceled after one season.

1 The Third Man (1949)

Adapted into the TV show The Third Man (1959-1965).

Even the work of legendary director Orson Welles was caught up in the remake trend, long before the days of Disney's live-action remakes. While Welles' original movie is about a novelist investigating the death of an old friend Harry Lime (played by Welles), the show is about the exploits of Harry Lime himself (then played by Michael Rennie). The show ran for five seasons and has good ratings, doing comparatively better than other shows rebooted from classic movies & but maybe this was just before the concept was generally looked at with disdain.

Source: IMDB