The TV format offers inherent opportunities for story and character development that just don’t exist on the silver screen. In a TV show, writers and producers can develop personalities and plotlines over much longer periods of time, adding a level of depth, richness and complexity that exceeds anything the movies can do.
Some stories just beg to be told with more detail that the movie version could offer, while other films create such interesting narrative landscapes that viewers just want more. Here are nine popular movies that may have been a better match for the small screen.
9. Ghostbusters (1984)
This beloved hit comedy from 1984 actually did have a brief-lived television adaptation in the form of a Saturday morning cartoon. Yet, the movie has enough staying power that further sequels and reboots have been constants in the Hollywood rumor mill. With efforts to make the long-promised Ghostbusters III stalled, why not revive the franchise in the form of a TV show? It’s got built-in episodic elements — surely there’s no way to run out of ghosts for the team to capture — and introducing a new team of paranormal investigators would reinvigorate the storyline. Season-long buildups towards battles with mega-ghosts could also test the crew’s mettle, and the original cast could even participate.
