View Full Version : Which was better-the movie or the tv show?
lenslady
11-10-17, 12:54 PM
Hi there, I 'm new to this forum, but I enjoying being here. I love that so many people here have views that are both fun and thought provoking.So maybe this topic already has had a dozen threads, but anyways- I've been thinking of some tv shows that were spin-offs from a movie, and vice-versa. Usually one was better than the other, so I 'm interested in your opinions and observations. Here are a few of mine:
1-Superman The original tv series is a bit dated, but was treasured in its day. But I liked the Christopher Reeve movie series better, I think they brought power and visuals to the screen, while staying true to the characters.
2-Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Alice. Movie wins here. Tv show was enjoyable but didn't stand out as a sitcom, but the movie was a special gem.
3-Sex and the City- Wha' happened here? TV show was solid and there were some classic lmao scenes - I could sit through the movie but that was about it.
4-The Odd Couple- I may be in the minority here but I thought the movie VASTLY superior to the lackluster tv show. So many classic scenes: sandwiches of green or brown being "either very new cheese or very old meat"; those "moose calls" ; "now it's garbage" - classic lines in a top of the line comedy. I could watch maybe three eps of the tv show.
Citizen Rules
11-10-17, 02:23 PM
Hi there, I 'm new to this forum, but I enjoying being here. I love that so many people here have views that are both fun and thought provoking.So maybe this topic already has had a dozen threads, but anyways- I've been thinking of some tv shows that were spin-offs from a movie, and vice-versa. Usually one was better than the other, so I 'm interested in your opinions and observations. Here are a few of mine:
Good topic Lenslady! I don't recall a thread topic like this, at least not recently....Here's my thoughts:
M*A*S*H* the movie wasn't all that great. It had colorful characters and interesting premise but the story itself wasn't well thought out. And the racist jokes are painful to see.
The TV series was vastly superior especially after Alan Alda took over production and the show took on a moralistic quality coupled with heart felt characters that one could deeply care about.
I haven't really seen both the TV and Movie versions of the ones you listed. But I have been wanting to watch the TV series Alice. If I can find it that is.
SeeingisBelieving
11-10-17, 04:45 PM
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966) are essentially reimaginings of their TV series counterparts. Peter Cushing's Dr. Who for example is a human scientist rather than the alien Doctor played by William Hartnell.
I prefer The TV stories: The Daleks (1963) and The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964).
SeeingisBelieving
11-10-17, 04:48 PM
M*A*S*H* the movie wasn't all that great. It had colorful characters and interesting premise but the story itself wasn't well thought out. And the racist jokes are painful to see.
The TV series was vastly superior especially after Alan Alda took over production and the show took on a moralistic quality coupled with heart felt characters that one could deeply care about.
I'd go one further and say that the version of M*A*S*H without canned laughter that was shown here in the UK was massively superior.
I'd go one further and say that the version of M*A*S*H without canned laughter that was shown here in the UK was massively superior.
Oh yeah I remember that but didnt it bomb because it was so sombre. it was about death if i recall and what the medics go through
SeeingisBelieving
11-10-17, 05:17 PM
Oh yeah I remember that but didnt it bomb because it was so sombre. it was about death if i recall and what the medics go through
Oh no I think it was very successful – I mean what was it, 10 seasons? I just didn't realize until they started showing it again here that the version in the US had a laughter track and I can't stand to watch it with that. It still works as a comedy without it.
“Suicide is painless...”
Carlos: The Miniseries was better than the movie? Right, you've seen both?
I’ve only seen the movie!
Oh no I think it was very successful – I mean what was it, 10 seasons? I just didn't realize until they started showing it again here that the version in the US had a laughter track and I can't stand to watch it with that. It still works as a comedy without it.
You mean the yanks added a laughter track to that episode?
thats hideous. There was no comedy in thatepisode. Thats sacrilreligious however its spelt
SeeingisBelieving
11-10-17, 05:57 PM
You mean the yanks added a laughter track to that episode?
Yeah to the whole of the TV series as far as I know. I don't know why it was removed when it was shown here in the UK but it worked a dream.
I definitely prefer the series to the film. The cast was great, especially Alan Alda.
SeeingisBelieving
11-10-17, 06:18 PM
I like most of the Star Trek films but definitely prefer the first two TV series. I think for one thing The Original Series had far more scope and actually to me feels like it's even further into the future than the films. This is something that I think the reboot actually managed to capture as well. The problem with the Next Generation movies, largely, is what they did to Picard's character.
Yeah to the whole of the TV series as far as I know. I don't know why it was removed when it was shown here in the UK but it worked a dream.
I definitely prefer the series to the film. The cast was great, especially Alan Alda.
Yeah I love the series as well. Saw it first then didnt like the movie. I love Margaret when sheshows her human side. Thatepisde when she lost it about the little dog being run over had me bawling.
gbgoodies
11-11-17, 01:47 AM
The M*A*S*H TV series was much better than the movie.
Both The Odd Couple movie and TV series were good, but the series with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall was a little bit better than the movie.
The original Star Trek TV series was much better than the recent movies.
The old Superman TV series with George Reeves was good, but the Superman movie (and Superman II) were better than the series.
I'm sure that I'm in the minority here, but I loved the old Batman TV series with Adam West, and it was far superior to any of the Batman movies.
The Addams Family TV series was much better than the movies, however I did like Raul Julia as Gomez, but he still wasn't as good as John Astin.
My Favorite Martian is one of my favorite TV shows, but sadly the movie wasn't very good.
I didn't care much for the 21 Jump Street movie, but I liked the TV show.
Starsky and Hutch was another great TV show that didn't deserve such a terrible movie.
The Fugitive was a good TV show, but the movie was even better.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was an amazing movie, but the TV show wasn't nearly as good.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father TV show was much better than the movie.
Most people don't even know that there was a Starman TV show, but it doesn't matter because it wasn't as good as the movie anyway.
The original The Twilight Zone TV series was one of the best sci-fi shows ever, but the movie was only okay, with the exception of the last segment with John Lithgow, which was great.
The X-Files movies didn't live up to the greatness of the TV series.
The old Spiderman TV show was a joke compared to any of the movies with either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.
However the old The Incredible Hulk TV series with Bill Bixby was far superior to any of the Hulk movies.
And for those who remember it, the old The Green Hornet TV series was much better than the movie.
I'm sure that I forgot some, but those are the ones I remember that I've seen both the movie and the TV series.
Suburra, the movie, was good, but Suburra the TV Series was great.
https://youtu.be/AYwpxrt7ZLA
https://youtu.be/5GcC9kduhO4
Gomorrah, the movie was not that good, but Gomorrah, the TV Series, was great.
https://youtu.be/egtdYTuRKto
https://youtu.be/aq_0qJoUzvU
DocHoliday
11-21-17, 10:18 PM
The Fugitive is the best example I can think of the movie being vastly better than the show.
DocHoliday
11-21-17, 10:32 PM
The original The Twilight Zone TV series was one of the best sci-fi shows ever, but the movie was only okay, with the exception of the last segment with John Lithgow, which was great.
The Twilight Zone to me is far and away the best tv show ever made. There's no way any movie was going to possibly match its brilliance.
Buffy. Obviously the TV show is approximately 200,000,000,000 times better than the film...
TV Shows' better than Movie
Friday Night Lights
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Hannibal
Twilight Zone
Dark Shadows
The Avengers
The X-Files
Dragnet
Push
Bates Motel
Fargo
The Simpsons
South Park:Bigger Longer Uncut
Veronica Mars
Movie's better than TV Show
Addams Family
MASH
MIST
The Fugitive
Mission Impossible
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(only the first one)
The Brady Bunch
The Naked Gun
Stirchley
02-05-18, 03:07 PM
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Alice. Movie wins here. Tv show was enjoyable but didn't stand out as a sitcom, but the movie was a special gem.
One of my favorite movies of all time. (Doncha love the story of a woman’s journey in life?) Had no idea Alice was based on it. Never seen the tv show.
Sex and the City- Wha' happened here? TV show was solid and there were some classic lmao scenes - I could sit through the movie but that was about it.
Seen the entire SATC a million times. Love it. The first movie was semi-watchable, but the 2nd movie was atrocious. People get greedy & taint what was good.
Both The Odd Couple movie and TV series were good, but the series with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall was a little bit better than the movie.
I agree. I liked them both.
Suburra, the movie, was good, but Suburra the TV Series was great.
Des is banned so I can say without fear that neither was good.
Gomorrah, the movie was not that good, but Gomorrah, the TV Series, was great.
Gomorrah the movie was great. Gomorrah the tv show was far & away the best show I saw last year & can’t wait for season 3 dvd to arrive next month.
Des is banned so I can say without fear that neither was good. .
What did he do again - was he the rollercoaster fetish guy?
Sex and the City - oh my god that movie made me want to claw my eyes out. Cringeworthy to the extreme!!! Utter crap!
Stirchley
02-05-18, 04:35 PM
Don’t know why Des was banned. You’d have to ask Yoda. I really enjoyed baiting him as he was ultra-quick to take offense, but then he put me in ignore & spoiled all my fun. A wannabe marine who was not in the marine corps.
SeeingisBelieving
03-09-18, 05:51 PM
I've just watched the 1967 Callan pilot, A Magnum for Schneider, and was very impressed.
I was also surprised. I hadn't realised that the plot was the basis for the 1974 film, which I saw many years ago and was also on TV a few nights back. This meant that certain scenes were fresh in my mind and I could compare them, with the original production winning out easily.
I recall that the film didn't engage me but this TV version definitely did. I think the choices the actors made in this episode worked far better – for example Callan is not so overtly intimidating towards Lonely, and for his part Lonely does not seem as scared of him as he is in the film, at least at first :). It makes the film seem incredibly one-dimensional whereas these characters are more real.
The writing's top-notch, the acting is great all-round. Russell Hunter is so brilliant – when wasn't he :D? I also enjoyed seeing Joseph Furst (who, like Hunter, I first encountered through Doctor Who) and I thought he played an excellent character.
8/10 for me. And I'm looking forward to watching more.
SeeingisBelieving
03-10-18, 05:23 PM
Continued with Callan today with the episode The Good Ones Are All Dead. It suffers slightly as it's partly a reprise of situations and some dialogue from the pilot as mentioned above. However, still incredibly watchable and with good actors. Anthony Valentine in particular really impressed me, taking over the role from Peter Bowles who was also very good. Valentine just has that bit more menace which he put to good use again and again over the years – my favourite example being as Baron Gruner in Sherlock Holmes.
7.5/10.
Stirchley
03-12-18, 04:03 PM
SeeingisBelieving Had forgotten all about Callan. Vaguely remember Edward Woodward in the role. Was he some kind of danger man or something?
Bravefart
03-12-18, 04:48 PM
.TV Shows' better than Movie
Hannibal
SeeingisBelieving
03-12-18, 05:38 PM
@SeeingisBelieving (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=88921) Had forgotten all about Callan. Vaguely remember Edward Woodward in the role. Was he some kind of danger man or something?
Yes he's essentially a killer for the secret service. It's been great seeing them – I've watched two more since :).
Gideon58
03-16-18, 06:12 PM
Good topic Lenslady! I don't recall a thread topic like this, at least not recently....Here's my thoughts:
M*A*S*H* the movie wasn't all that great. It had colorful characters and interesting premise but the story itself wasn't well thought out. And the racist jokes are painful to see.
The TV series was vastly superior especially after Alan Alda took over production and the show took on a moralistic quality coupled with heart felt characters that one could deeply care about.
I haven't really seen both the TV and Movie versions of the ones you listed. But I have been wanting to watch the TV series Alice. If I can find it that is.
Wow, Citizen, we have vastly different opinions about MASH...I love the movie, it's a little more graphic and serious in tone than the sitcom and I thought Robert Altman's directorial style worked for it perfectly. As for the sitcom, I thought the show got pretentious and overly serious when Alda took over as Executive Producer, but the first few seasons were a lot of fun.
Gideon58
03-16-18, 06:17 PM
I'm really torn regarding The Odd Couple...I never get tired of watching either one. I often find it hard connecting Alice to Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The series was more of a comic ensemble based on the characters in the movie where the movie was pretty much a character study about the character of Alice Hyatt. The sitcom always felt like it took place fifty years after the movie. Sex and the City is the only one you mentioned where I think the series was superior to the movie.
Stirchley
03-16-18, 07:18 PM
Sex and the City is the only one you mentioned where I think the series was superior to the movie.
Far superior. The 1st movie was semi-bearable, but the 2nd movie was unwatchable. Thank goodness they never made a 3rd.
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