mindpollution.org header image

Why haven’t these ’80s tv shows been made into movies yet?

March 17th, 2012 by Rick · No Comments ·

For this weekend’s premiere of “21 Jump Street” (which is awesome and hilarious), I put together a list of 10 other television shows from the ’80s that I’m amazed haven’t been made into movies yet.

Basically, the list is composed of shows that have a cool, unique premise that could easily be translated to the screen with either minor tweaks or as source material for a comedic take in the same way that the “21 Jump Street” movie paid homage to the original series.

I’ve posted two excerpts from the list here, including one popular show that could make a ridiculously cool movie with very little changes at all (and I’ve described the slight tweak I would make to it), and a lesser-known show (there were only six episodes) that would also have an easy jump from television to the big screen (and starred Patrick Swayze).

Oh, and I’m pretty sure “The Fall Guy” has my second favorite intro song of all time — just after “The Greatest American Hero” (which is also on the list).

Here’s what I had to say about these two shows and why it’s surprising that they haven’t been made into movies yet:

The Fall Guy

Stunt man by day, bounty hunter by night, Colt Seavers is an action hero with a shtick that has big-screen adventure written all over it. Sure, the concept might need to be tweaked a bit (a stunt man who’s framed for a crime and uses his skills to catch the real culprit, perhaps?) but the core idea is great. Of course, any movie based on “The Fall Guy” would have to have a cameo from the original star, Lee Majors.

The Renegades

No, I’m not talking about the popular ’90s series starring Lorenzo Lamas. “The Renegades” chronicled the adventures of an ’80s-era street gang that’s forced to help the police by going undercover in a special investigation unit. Imagine “21 Jump Street” mixed with “The Warriors,” and you get the idea. The series only lasted six episodes, but it was full of potential, as Patrick Swayze played the leader of the gang, and the show was written by “Die Hard” co-creator Steven E. de Souza. A movie based on the series could offer a dark, gritty take on the modern gang world and the deadly line walked by undercover investigators — or even better, set the whole thing in the ’80s and mine that well of nostalgia.

You can read the rest of the list at IFC.com — and I encourage you to do so, if only to watch the intros for “Manimal” and “The Highwayman,” which are gloriously ’80s-tastic.

Oh, and while making this list, I was reminded that “ALF” may also have one of the best openings in television history. That intro was brilliant.

Tags: clips · movies · television