The Biggest TV Shows Turned Into Movies
What are some of the best TV shows you remember? Did they have spin-off movies that were Christmas special productions, or other standalone movies that may have been used to bridge the gap between seasons, or re-launch an older TV show that's getting a reboot?
Let's examine 40 TV shows that met or exceeded fans' expectations and became successful movies, letting the legend of their original show live on.
21 Jump Street
The cop TV show 21 Jump Street was released in 1987, running till 1991. The premise was interesting: youthful cops dealing with youth crime. It starred Johnny Depp and is credited as being the show that kickstarted his career. A 2012 film of the same name was released as a more comedic take on 21 Jump Street and starred Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.
It was very positively received by critics and grossed $201 million worldwide.
Columbia, 21 Jump Street (2012)
The Addams Family
Based on the groundbreaking 1964 TV series The Addams Family, the movie—released in 1991—was supposed to be a continuation of the story of The Addams Family. It did this with huge success, even spurning a sequel, The Addams Family Values, in 1993. The first film grossed $191 million worldwide, blowing its $30 million production budget out of the water.
Orion Pictures, The Addams Family (1991)
Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan
The official title might not make much sense and it's better known by its simplified title of Borat. It was released in 2006 and is based on the "Borat" character that was introduced on the British comedy, Da Ali G Show, from 2000 to 2004. Borat was released in 2006 and starred Sacha Baron Cohen in the titular role as the brash journalist from Kazakhstan on a quest to learn more about America.
Borat has grossed $260 million worldwide since its release and was nominated for multiple Golden Globe, Academy, and Film Societies awards across the United States.
Everyman Pictures, Borat (2006)
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels hit the big screens as a TV show in 1976, running for five seasons and 115 episodes. It followed a trend set in the 1970s of Cagney and Lacey, featuring women in powerful roles and following the crime-fighting adventures of five detectives at a private detective agency in Los Angeles. Charlie's Angels starred Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, and Kate Jackson.
Charlie's Angels was adapted for a feature film in 2000 that starred late-'90s Hollywood superstars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. The film has grossed $264 million worldwide since it's release.
Columbia, Charlie's Angels (2000)
Deadwood: The Movie
One of our more recent movie adaptations comes in the form of Deadwood: The Movie (2019). It's based on the HBO series of the same name from 2004, which starred Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant. Fans of Deadwood were left shocked when the series was abruptly cancelled by HBO in 2006, leaving many plot lines unanswered.
Deadwood: The Movie attempted to assuage the fans' dismay from 15 years prior as the cast reunited for the nearly two-hour Western. It grossed $1.35 million worldwide.
HBO, Deadwood: The Movie (2019)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
When Breaking Bad ended in 2013 after five seasons, fans were left clamoring for more. Director Vince Gilligan saw an opportunity almost six years later. He directed El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which featured much of the original cast, including Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, and was intended to act as an epilogue to Breaking Bad.
The movie was not released at the box office in the traditional way, instead being released on Netflix, with a limited box office run. It only grossed $40,000 at the box office, but was a huge success on Netflix.
Sony Pictures, El Camino (2019)
The Equalizer
Based on the mid-1980s spy thriller starring Ed Woodward, the vigilante known as "the Equalizer" was all about delivering justice to innocent people using his CIA skills. In 2014, Denzel Washington would star in The Equalizer movie, following a similar vein as the first series. It grossed $192 million at the box office in 2014 and was followed by two sequels—one released in 2018 and another in 2023.
Columbia, The Equalizer (2014)
The Fugitive
This one is based on the 1963 series The Fugitive, and tells the story of an escaped convict wrongly convicted of murder. The series ran for four seasons, following the escaped convict's search for the real killer—and redemption. The movie, released in 1993 and starring Harrison Ford, was a re-telling of The Fugitive's main plot. It grossed $368 million worldwide.
Warner Bros., The Fugitive (1993)
I, Spy
Comedy stars Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson came onboard for I, Spy, released in 2002. The buddy cop comedy is based on the 1960s TV series of the same name. I Spy (1965) featured two police officers going undercover as professional athletes to solve crimes. In the '02 film, Wilson and Murphy go undercover as a well-known spy and a boxer. Overall, the movie paled in popularity to it's original series, grossing only $60.3 million at the box office.
Jackass: The Movie
This cult classic was released in 2002 and is based on the Jackass TV series that launched in 2000 and ran till 2003. Featuring Bam Margera, Johnny Knoxville, Dave England, and Chris Pontius, Jackass was a huge commercial success. The premise of the show (and the movie) featured the cast performing various danger and ridiculous stunts.
As popular as Jackass was, Jackass: The Movie only grossed over $79 million worldwide.
Paramount, Jackass: The Movie (2002
The Many Saints Of Newark
Premiering in 2021 The Many Saints of Newark is HBO's prequel to their cult classic, The Sopranos (1999). It serves as the coming-of-age story of Tony Soprano and his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti. It rode the coattails of the success of The Sopranos to popularity on HBO Max, but was less successful at the box office.
Chase Films, The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Miami Vice
Fans of the cop drama series from the mid-1980s only had to wait 20 years for it to be made into a film. Miami Vice was released in 2006 and starred Colin Farrell as Sonny Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Rico Tubbs. It was originally an idea of Jamie Foxx's, who pitched it to director Michael Mann during a party for the release of Ali (2001). While the OG Miami Vice featured multiple crime-fighting themes, the 2006 flick sees Sonny and Rico go undercover to fight drug traffickers.
Miami Vice was well-received by critics and did well at the box office, grossing $164 million.
Mission: Impossible
The movie that started the franchise, Mission Impossible was released in 1996 and is a continuation of the 1988-1990 TV series of the same name—which is also a continuation of a 1966-1973 TV series of the same name. It follows the action-packed adventures of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a cadre of secret agents working for the American government.
Mission: Impossible from the late '90s starred Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in the lead role and would spawn seven sequels, with the eighth set to premiere sometime in 2025. Mission: Impossible grossed $457.7 million worldwide.
Paramount, Mission: Impossible (1996)
The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!
The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! was a 1988 film based on the 1982 Police Squad TV show that ran as a spoof series for one season on ABC. It featured Leslie Nielsen in the lead role and was well-liked for it's approach as a spoof of the various police procedural comedies of the 1980s.
It's film release as The Naked Gun grossed $152 million worldwide and has spurned four more films—with the latest set to be released in 2025.
Paramount, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Sex And The City
Sex And The City from 2008 was originally based on the TV show of the same name, a rom-com that ran from 1998 to 2004. It starred Sarah Jessica Park, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon. It follows the lives of four friends in New York City, focusing mainly on their romantic lives.
The Sex And The City movie was well-received in 2008, earning itself a sequel after grossing $415 million worldwide.
New Line Cinema, Sex and the City (2008)
The Simpsons Movie
You might not think it would be possible (or wise) to break canon and craft a movie about The Simpsons, but in 2007, The Simpsons Movie was released following the same characters getting up to the same hijinks you'd expect from Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Co. It follows Homer Simpson's blundering pollution of Springfield's local lake, causing the EPA to imprison Springfield's residents under a giant glass dome. Homer's quest for redemption and to "save" Springfield makes up the movie's hilarious plot.
The Simpsons Movie grossed $536.4 million worldwide, winning it multiple accolades, including the highest-grossing adult animated movie of all-time, the highest-grossing film based on an animated series of all time, and the second-highest animated movie of all-time, behind Disney's The Lion King.
Twentieth Century, The Simpsons Movie (2007)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
South Park (1997) broke new ground when it was released as a no-holds-barred, crude comic in the late 1990s. It quickly became one of the most popular television series of all time. So, when South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released in 1999, fans flocked to the theatres. It grossed $83 million worldwide, nearly quadrupling it's $21 million production budget.
Paramount, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Space Jam
Released in 1996, Space Jam was the first time Warner Bros Looney Tunes characters had appeared on the big screen. The movie featured star basketball player Michael Jordan, combining his talent and notoriety with the Looney Tunes cast to produce a basketball-themed film. It mixed animation and live action in a fantastically-technical way and gained notoriety among cartoon and sports fans alike.
Space Jam is the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time, grossing over $250 million worldwide. A less successful sequel was released in 2021, starring LeBron James.
Warner Bros., Space Jam (1996)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek has always been viewed as a TV series ever since The Original Series was released in 1968, starring William Shatner. But following the incredible success of The Original Series and then The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in 1979. Star Trek fans flocked to the theaters in their millions the weekend of it's release, setting a box-office record of $11 million. Globally, Star Trek: The Motion Picture grossed $139 million worldwide.
Paramount, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
The State Of Play
The State of Play was released in 2009 as a movie based on the TV series of the same name, released in the UK in 2003. It tells the story of an investigative journalist looking for answers after the demise of a well-connected political researcher. The State of Play from 2009 starred Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck and told the same story, but the murdered woman was a mistress of a political powerhouse.
The State of Play grossed $88 million worldwide and was well-received by critics.
Universal, State of Play (2009)
Tim And Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
Directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareham, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie is a slapstick comedy featuring the two as would-be directors of a movie starring Johnny Depp. They're given a billion dollars to produce the movie, but end up squandering the fortune. They're then forced to reopen an abandoned mall to pay back the loan.
The movie is loosely based on Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, a sketch comedy show featuring the pair from 2007. The film was released in 2012 at Sundance and grossed only $201,000 at the box office.
2929 Productions, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)
The Untouchables
Loosely inspired by Elliot Ness's memoir, The Untouchables was based on the 1959 TV series that told the story of the downfall of Al Capone and the FBI agent (Ness) who brought him down. The Untouchables was released in 1987 to great acclaim. It grossed $106 million worldwide and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
Paramount, The Untouchables (1987)
Veronica Mars
This 2014 movie is based on the teen mystery drama TV series of the same name, released 10 years earlier. The TV series was one of Kristen Bell's breakout roles in a majorly successful TV show as the lead character. Veronica Mars was re-released as a 2014 movie, seeing Bell reprise her role as Veronica Mars.
The film grossed $3.4 million worldwide and was interestingly entirely backed by fans on Kickstarter.
Warner Bros., Veronica Mars (2014)
The X-Files
The X-Files was one of the best sci-fi TV series of the 1990s, detailing explorations of the supernatural and unexplainable by FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully. It almost immediately gained a huge cult following, leading to the production of a feature film in 1998—bridging the gap between Seasons 5 and 6.
The X-Files fans were waiting for their feature film with baited breath and flocked to theatres on it's weekend release date, earning it $30 million in it's opening weekend—35.9% of it's total worldwide gross of $189 million.
Twentieth Century, The X-Files (1998)
Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey is a period drama TV series that began in 2010, telling the story of an aristocratic family, the Crawleys, and the staff on their country estate. With a focus on post-Edwardian England and story arcs involving multiple historical events throughout the five seasons, Downton Abbey was one of the most successful British costume dramas in history.
In 2019, a historical drama was released as a continuation of the series, grossing $194 million worldwide and leading to the release of a sequel in 2022.
Universal, Downton Abbey (2019)
Bean
Bean was released in 1997, based on the incredibly popular Mr. Bean, the British comedy series that ran from 1990 to 1995. Consisting of 15 episodes and created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, the series is widely considered one of the best British comedy shows of all time.
Building on that popularity, Bean grossed $251 million worldwide and spurned a standalone sequel, Mr. Bean's Holiday, in 2007.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Bean (1997)
The Inbetweeners Movie
Based on the success of The Inbetweeners, a British school teen comedy from 2008, The Inbetweeners Movie was commissioned. It set the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a comedy film in the UK, grossing £2.5 million or $3.2 million. It's total box office revenue was $88 million.
Film4, The Inbetweeners (2011)
Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
Based on the hugely popular children's British TV show, Wallace and Gromit, the 2005 family comedy stuck to the script that had worked for Aardman Animations for decades after Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out was released in 1989. Wallace is largely a silent character in the film, whilst Gromit speaks often.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit grossed $192 million worldwide, raking in over $50 million in the United States—a success for any British TV-show-turned-movie.
DreamWorks, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Serenity
Serenity (2005) is the movie that somewhat repaired Firefly (2002) fans' hearts, which had been broken by the one-season-only cancellation of the show starring Gina Torres and Nathan Fillion. Serenity stars Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin and grossed $40.4 million at the box office.
The A-Team
Released in 2010, The A-Team is based on the TV show of the same name, released on NBC in 1983 and running for four seasons until 1987. The cult classic tells the story of a Special Forces team of soldiers who are imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit, escape, and work to clear their names.
The movie sought to capitalize on the cult following of The A-Team from the 1980s and did well at the box office, grossing $177 million worldwide.
Twentieth Century, The A-Team (2010)
Get Smart
Based on the 1965 TV series of the same name, Get Smart starred Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, and Dwayne Johnson. The spy-action comedy imported some of the themes from Mel Brooks' original Get Smart from the 1960s, with a modern twist.
It was generally a commercial success, despite receiving mixed critical reviews. It grossed $230 million at the box office.
Warner Bros., Get Smart (2008)
Monty Python's Life Of Brian
One of the most successful adaptations of a TV series ever has to be the cult classic Monty Python's Life of Brian. Adapted from the 1969-1974 TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Life of Brian is one of five film adaptation of the hit series.
The Life of Brian grossed $20 million worldwide, with almost all of the money being made in the United Kingdom.
HandMade Films, Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Paw Patrol: The Movie
Based on the hugely successful Paw Patrol children's TV series released in 2013, Paw Patrol: The Movie grossed $151 million and spurned an equally successful sequel. A third film is currently in-production.
Paramaunt, PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021)
The Flintstones
Based on the childhood classic from the 1960s, The Flintstones: The Movie was a stunning commercial success, grossing $342 million worldwide.
Universal, The Flintstones (1994)
Scooby-Doo
The 2002 film Scooby-Doo, based on the 1969 animated TV series Scooby-Doo: Where Are You?, performed well when it was released at the box office, grossing $275 million worldwide.
Warner Bros., Scooby-Doo (2002)
Transformers
The 2007 blockbuster hit was based on the 1980s animated TV series and toy line. It starred Megan Fox, Shia Laboeuf, and Tyrese Gibson. It grossed over $700 million worldwide.
DreamWorks, Transformers (2007)
Dennis The Menace
The 1993 film written by Home Alone's John Hughes is based on the 1959-1963 animated TV series of the same name. A huge hit among Menace fans, Dennis The Menace grossed $50 million worldwide after it's 1993 release.
Warner Bros., Dennis the Menace (1993)
Maverick
This one is based on a primetime Western that ruled the airwaves in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The star of the show, James Garner, returned to play a role in Maverick (1994), which also featured stars Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. Maverick was a huge commercial success, grossing $101 million worldwide.
The Donners' Company, Maverick (1994)
Casper
Casper The Friendly Ghost's titular character was a children's animated favorite from the 1949 comic book series. Released as an animated motion picture in 1995 under the title of Casper, the film grossed $288 million worldwide.
Twilight Zone: The Movie
The Twilight Zone was a 1959 sci-fi series that ran for five seasons, created, written, and directed by Rod Serling. Interestingly, each episode stood alone and featured different characters dealing with bizarre and surreal experiences with the supernatural while entering The Twilight Zone. It spurred a 1985, 2002, and 2019 TV series revival, in addition to a 1983 movie.
The 1983 movie of the same name grossed $42 million on a $10 million budget. Tragically, the movie gained notoriety when a helicopter crash killed two illegally-hired child actors during filming, leading to years of legal action.
Which of these TV shows did you watch before you saw the movie? Did you learn about any of them through the movie first? Do you have a favorite from our list? Head to the comments section below.
