Copyright Screen Rant
Most TV shows have stories that are better told across multiple seasons, but there are some shows that would have been much better as movies. Many TV shows had their start as movies, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Westworld, and others got movies some time after their final episode, as is the case for Firefly. However, just like there are movies that would have worked better as TV shows or miniseries, there are some TV shows that should have been movies. This doesn’t mean that these shows are bad (though some definitely were disappointing), but they would have thrived as movies either due to their stories, characters, or potential. Hemlock Grove Hemlock Grove is a horror TV series and one of Netflix’s first original TV shows. Based on Brian McGreevy’s 2012 novel of the same name, Hemlock Grove takes the audience to the title fictional town to meet the wealthy Godfrey family, who own the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and Hemlock Acres Hospital, along with a steel mill that left many residents unemployed. The events of Hemlock Grove begin with a series of brutal murders, with newly arrived Romani teenager, Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron), becoming the prime suspect. Peter befriends Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård), heir to the Godfrey empire, and together they try to solve the mystery of the murders, while also clearing Peter’s name. A rumor says Peter is a werewolf… and it’s true, but he isn’t the only supernatural creature in Hemlock Grove, as Roman is an upir, a type of vampire. Hemlock Grove is only one book, and the show ran for three seasons, with seasons 2 and 3 having unnecessary additions and nonsensical plots. Had Hemlock Grove been a movie, it would have had better chances of succeeding. Living With Yourself Living with Yourself is a sci-fi comedy-drama miniseries released on Netflix. Created by Timothy Greenberg, Living with Yourself is the story of Miles (Paul Rudd), who is unhappy with his life and struggling in his marriage as he and his wife, Kate (Aisling Bea), are trying to conceive, but with no positive results. After hearing about a spa that claims to improve its clients’ lives, Miles decides to try it and wakes up buried in a forest. After digging his way out and returning home, Miles is shocked to find that he has been cloned, and his clone has taken his place. Living with Yourself had a lot of potential but was limited to a miniseries format, leaving its audience with a major cliffhanger when it could have been a movie with a much clearer ending. Young Wallander Young Wallander is a crime drama TV series based on Henning Mankell’s literary character Kurt Wallander. The series, released on Netflix, follows the younger years of the Swedish detective (played by Adam Pålsson), though set in the present year. Young Wallander covers Wallander’s first case along with his formative experiences, both personally and professionally. The younger years of Kurt Wallander turned out to be a lot less interesting and exciting than the cases he takes and the struggles he goes through as an adult. Young Wallander’s first case would have been a great movie, as there isn’t much in it to stretch it into various episodes. Defending Jacob Defending Jacob is a murder-mystery legal drama miniseries based on William Landay’s 2012 novel of the same name. Defending Jacob introduces viewers to the Barber family: father and assistant district attorney, Andy (Chris Evans), mother Laurie (Michelle Dockery), and 14-year-old son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). When one of Jacob’s classmates is found stabbed to death near their school, Jacob becomes the prime suspect. Andy begins to investigate while also doing his best to defend his son, but the more he learns about the case, the victim, and his own son, the more he begins to wonder whether Jacob is truly innocent or not. As good as Defending Jacob, it’s a slow burn, so it would have benefited a lot more from the faster pace of a feature-length format, which could have also given the story a clearer ending. Castle Rock Castle Rock is a supernatural horror TV series created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason and based on characters from Stephen King’s universe (but not on a specific story). Castle Rock takes place in the title town, a recurring setting in King’s stories, given the many paranormal things that have happened there. The first season centers on the mystery of The Kid (Bill Skarsgård), a young man found in a hidden and abandoned cell at Shawshank State Penitentiary. There are no records of The Kid, so his identity, origin, and everything else are unknown. The Kid whispers the name of Henry Deaver (André Holland), a criminal attorney born and raised in Castle Rock who left years ago. Castle Rock season 1 explores the connection between The Kid and Henry, the former’s possible origin, and other paranormal events related to them. Season 2 went for a completely different story, instead following a young Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan) before the events of Misery. As good as Castle Rock is, each season would have worked a lot better as a movie – on one side is an original story that perfectly fits King’s universe, and on the other, a prequel to one of his most famous books and movies. American Horror Story: Delicate American Horror Story has some great seasons, but some, like Delicate, should have been a movie. American Horror Story: Delicate is the show’s 12th season and the first one based on a novel, instead of having an original story. Delicate follows Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts), an actress struggling to get pregnant. When Anna finally gets pregnant, though under mysterious circumstances, she begins to suspect there’s a conspiracy around her to stop her from having her baby, and those closest to her might be involved. American Horror Story: Delicate was disappointing, as it didn’t feel like part of the show, it felt rushed (especially the ending), and it left too many plot holes. The story of Delicate would have been a lot more suitable for a movie format, as turning it into a TV show led to many stretches in the story, while, at the same time, not covering the basics. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had some great TV shows, but it has also had a couple of misses. Falling into the latter category is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, created by Malcolm Spellman, which takes place after Avengers: Endgame, six months after Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) was handed the mantle of Captain America. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sees Sam teaming up with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) to stop an anti-patriotism group known as the Flap Smashers, who believe the world was better during the Blip. Although the series goes deeper into the dynamic of the title characters, the story wasn’t enough for a TV show, and would have worked a lot better as a movie – and would have been a much more interesting and exciting movie than Captain America: Brave New World. Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies is a comedy-drama TV series created by Bryan Fuller. Pushing Daisies introduces viewers to Ned (Lee Pace), a piemaker with a unique gift: he can bring dead things back to life with his touch, but only briefly. If something is revived for more than one minute, a similar “life value” in the vicinity drops dead to balance things. However, if he touches the revived person or animal for a second time, they die permanently. Ned is now a piemaker, but on top of that, he works with Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a private investigator. Ned uses his gift to bring back murder victims and learn as much as he can about their deaths in less than a minute, and so he and Cod solve crimes together. It all takes a turn when Ned brings his crush, Chuck (Anna Friel), back to life after her unexpected death, but they can’t touch again, or she will die. Pushing Daisies is a great show that was canceled unfairly soon, so it would have been more fitting as a movie that could have given Ned and Chuck a proper ending. Firefly Firefly is a space Western drama series created by Joss Whedon. Firefly takes place many, many years into the future, after humanity colonized a new star system, and after a civil war that resulted in a new societal order. The show follows the crew of the Serenity ship, led by Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), as they travel through space doing their best to make a living through odd jobs. Firefly is another great TV show that was canceled too soon, after just one season.
