Is TV the new movies?

Audiences these days are more receptive to these TV-quels, as it quells their desire to follow through on a story they loved on the big screen.

Better late...
Some come to roost as sequels, others as spin-offs and some as re-tellings. Psycho (1960), comes to your telly as many as 53 years later, remarkably as a prequel called Bates Motel. The show, first released in 2013 on A&E, now airs in India on Colors Infinity. Minority Report’s TV version is set 11 years after the 2002 film’s events. The Odd Couple saw a return to popular culture earlier this year, a send-up to the 1968 and 1998 film versions.

Content is king
The biggest advantage such shows have is familiarity with content and characters and once upon a time, networks believed that would be enough to send up ratings. Not anymore. With networks cancelling several such adaptations on a routine basis and them finding homes elsewhere, the message is being sent out loud and clear. It isn’t just enough to sell a good adaptation. Perform or get cut. 
Which is why, hit films like Constantine, About A Boy and Bad Teacher had short-lived runs on television. However, shows like Fargo, 12 Monkeys and From Dusk Til Dawn hold steady and look poised to go all the way (or as long as audience interest doesn’t wane).

What also works sometimes are strong story lines woven around characters and cinematic universes like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which takes off in the same time frame as the events of the first Avengers film and other subsequent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is a coherence that binds viewers like no other. Also, geeks had Agent Carter, first seen in Captain America: The First Avenger, set decades before the events depicted in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And then there are upcoming shows (like Limitless and Ash Vs Evil Dead) which are bound to make a big bang when they hit Indian television screens. Phew, it sure seems like television is the new movies.

Different takes
We asked Indian channel spokespersons for their take on the growing movie-to-TV adaptations and why they seem to be working even in India and what works to their advantage. Here’s what they had to say Ferzad Palia, EVP Viacom18 and Head, English and Youth Entertainment says, “When there are big franchises with a huge fan base, there is a need and an opportunity to sustain it, thus we see big Hollywood productions making sequel after sequel. Now, with TV becoming the new movies, the next step was the adaptation of these great storylines, contemporarising them and turning them into TV series. There is an existing foundation on which they can build and expand, which makes it a profitable venture. 

Even in terms of these series becoming popular, there is an existing fan base, but with the TV series, they are reaching out to a newer audience as well. It’s not a tried-and-tested formula for sure — you can never guarantee what works and what doesn’t — but in this case, we know that there is already an audience which is hooked on to the story. In India, especially, the audience likes familiarity, thus when you present them with something they have heard of (shows like Fargo, for example, which is hugely popular) or can connect to, it is easier to bring them in to the viewership. I feel the concept has worked, and when something works, you make more of it.”

The official Star India spokesperson feels, “For starters, it’s a great way to monetise established franchise for international studios. But more importantly, shows that get adapted from movies help build familiarity and it becomes easy for audiences to latch on the stories. It also becomes a great opportunity for viewers to gain a new perspective and build an in-depth understanding about characters, something that is otherwise difficult to establish in a two-hour movie. It’s a little bit of both. Shows like Minority Report, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter, that are currently airing or scheduled to run on our channels are based on hugely popular films and with shows like these we have managed to build an instant connection with our viewers. We feel that such adaptations work for the television format. Like mentioned earlier, since these are well known movies the shows get well received by audiences across the globe.”