The 20 Best TV Shows Based on Movies, Ranked
Movies have the ability to deliver punchy stories, top-notch action, and ideas that can linger well after the closing credits roll. TV shows, on the other hand, can take those same pros and extend them over a much longer timeframe. Only on TV can viewers really get into a character and get to know all of their nuances, plus watch them develop and change as the episodes or seasons go on.
Given that, it’s no surprise so many TV shows are based on movies. Here, Metacritic has rounded up the 20 best film-to-TV adaptations as ranked by Metascore. Only live-action TV shows from 1985 and onward are eligible for inclusion.
Note also that we opted to make all Marvel Cinematic Universe shows eligible based on their ties to the film series as a whole even though many of the shows are not a direct adaptation of a single film. Don't like that decision? Here are seven honorable mentions that would have made the top 20 if we excluded MCU shows:
adapted from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
(tied at #15) This buddy series reunites Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) following the events of Avengers: Endgame, leading to an internet-wide discussion on the future of Captain America. The series winds up answering that question by the time it wrapped its six-episode run, with critics mostly leaning into the action sequences and character continuations.
“The balance of action and story is nimble, and in the series' first episode seeds are planted for conflict, team building and drama of the personal and global variety.” —Adam Graham, The Detroit News