5 TV Shows Based On Movies That Surpassed The Source Material

Trying to recapture the movie magic made by a beloved big-screen entry is always a risky game to play, but perhaps even more so when the new direction is television. Can a handful of episodes really deliver the same standard or even surpass what came before without staining the reputation of the property it's based on? Annoyingly, that is often the case, but there are a handful of television shows inspired by films that've actually surprised us in the best way by being not just good, but great even.

After they've gotten over the hurdles of winking at the audience with the world they've knowingly venturing into, some of the best films turned TV shows have been ones that have gone off and done their own thing. They don't go beat for beat with what's already been done before, but expand upon it by way of new characters, wild plot threads, or simply twisting a familiar tale into something fresh and exciting. Here are just a handful of great shows that were inspired by films and took things in an amazing direction.

In 1992, Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry drove a stake into the heart of teenage horror-comedy with director Fran Rubel Kuzui's vampire slaying cult flick "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Five years later, Sarah Michelle Gellar picked up the mantle as the Slayer and turned the titular hero into a staple of television for an incredible seven seasons. Joss Whedon's groundbreaking series blended "Scooby-Doo" with "The X-Files," in the process making household names out of Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, and Nicholas Brendon as the heroes of Hellmouth. There was also the added romance involving David Boreanaz as Buffy's tortured vampire lover Angel, who was lingering in the shadows and brooding over a human girl long before Edward Cullen made a big deal out of it.

Funny and frightening in equal measure, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series may have seen its ups and downs, but it was also chock-full of great moments and impeccable writing (even when things got really weird). In a world where "Breaking Bad" has "Ozymandias" and "The Sopranos" has "Pine Barrens," the "Buffy" episode "The Body" still sits as one of the most gut-wrenching hours in television history (one that Gellar still can't bring herself to watch). Buffy saved the world a lot and no vampire slayer has managed to match her achievements since.

Hannibal the Cannibal took quite the massive bite out of Hollywood thanks to Brian Cox's portrayal in "Manhunter" and especially Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning rendition of the character across three films. For many folks, however, Mads Mikkelsen brought a whole new taste to the role and may have surpassed both of his predecessors. Indeed, Bryan Fuller's brilliant crime series "Hannibal" follows the good but secretly very bad doctor as he helps track down killers for the FBI while addressing his own monstrous urges.

Tweaking certain details in the legacy of Thomas Harris' legendary villain (who has a stronger love than most for humanity), Mikkelsen is undeniably brilliant as Doctor Lecter, teaming up and then gradually turning on Hugh Dancy's Will Graham. Thanks to Fuller's incredible work, Lecter is once again a baddie that you can't help but love and side with, regardless of what his appetite calls for. But the real game-changer that sets the show apart, even from Hannibal's big screen outings, are the unsettling but beautiful visuals, which are the stuff nightmares are made of. 

Every crime scene and subconscious thought that haunts Graham and the series' other heroes are connected to Mikkelsen's undercover cannibal. This has an unsettling and stunning effect, allowing "Hannibal" to surpass "Manhunter" and even "The Silence of the Lambs" when it comes to sheer artistry. And even though the sho was cut short in 2015 upon being canceled after three seasons, it still managed to conjure up a lasting taste of quality television (one that Fuller still hopes to return to, possibly even via a "Hannibal" movie) and one of the greatest antagonists to ever make his way onto the small screen.

A one-and-done masterpiece from Damon Lindelof, the TV series "Watchmen" dared to return to what the property's original creator, Alan Moore, once described as an "unfilmable" comic book and do a sequel series. The result was perhaps one of the best comic book inspired stories every put to screen. Set 34 years after the disappearance of Doctor Manhattan, the twisted and dark world of "Watchmen" has carried on spinning without the heroes that tried to save it (and the villain that almost brought it to its knees). Meanwhile, Jeremy Irons plays an aged statesman with a dark history who's been imprisoned for his past misdeeds and is doing everything he can to get out.

The world he'd be getting back to has changed dramatically, however, with vigilantism and especially racism still major issues wreaking havoc on the show's setting of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Regina King dominates the series as Sister Knight, a masked police officer on the hunt for those operating outside the law, leading her down a disturbing path and a revelation that will cause every jaw to drop near the tail end of its gripping story.

Compared to Zack Snyder's massive and by the book movie adaptation of "Watchmen," Lindelof dives into the same world after rather thatn during the events of "Watchmen," and surpasses Snyder's film on every level. While some shows on this list were canceled prematurely, it's perhaps a blessing that "Watchmen" restricted itself to a limited, single-season run. The world looked up and shouted "Another season!" and HBO whispered, "No."

Another show that had its plug pulled too soon, HBO's take on "Westworld" surpassed the original film in every way and handled the terrifying topic of humanity and artificial intelligence brilliantly. The show pulled out the big guns in the first season when it welcomed Anthony Hopkins as the chilling and heartless Dr. Robert Ford, the creator of this advanced getaway that ends up getting away from itself.

Just like the attractions themselves, though, there's so much more to "Westworld" than living a staged life in the Old West. Thanks to its carefully orchestrated storytelling and performances from the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and James Marsden (finding a pitch perfect role that deservedly got him back on the world's radar again), "Westworld" was a series that had so much more to say than the film that came before it.

It's a real shame that we never got the ending the show deserved as it dared to go outside the titular theme park and into the real world. Co-creator Jonathan Nolan has hinted that "Westworld" may yet get a proper conclusion someday (and somehow), but in the meantime, if you haven't already, you owe it to yourself to take the ride with one of HBO's finest bits of work in years.

Unlike most of the shows on this list, "Cobra Kai" was a legacyquel series that dared to throw a jab at a franchise that, however beloved, was a little out of date. It was this very issue that the creators of "Cobra Kai" (which initially streamed on YouTube before being snatched up by Netflix) amplified in the best way possible, creating what was essentially a soap opera with karate chop action.

Reprising their roles as longtime rivals, "Cobra Kai" sees Ralph Macchio and William Zabka return as former All-Valley Karate Champions Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Together, they go through their own personal journey of recapturing their forgotten warrior instinct, even as young blooded heroes step forward to learn both the way of the fist and the ancient teachings of Miyagi-Do.

If there's any particular board getting broken its of the cheese variety, as "Cobra Kai" leaned into the ridiculousness of the "Karate Kid" movie franchise it spawned from and high-kicked things up to 11. The show even included Vietnam War flashbacks featuring age-old foe John Kreese (Martin Kove) and Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) returning with such a level of hype you'd think Thanos had walked into a dojo, all while Zabka and Macchio created a frenemyship for the ages. No wonder it earned such a massive viewership for its incredible six seasons, with the third and final section of season 6 slated to premiere in early 2025. We're not one to place bets, but we can guarantee that however "Cobra Kai" ends, someone's getting a Crane Kick to the face.