The 20 Best TV Shows Based on Movies, Ranked

by Amber Dowling, for Metacritic – August 5, 2022

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:

7 of 21 photo by FX

75 Mr Inbetween (FX, 2018-21)

adapted from ▣ The Magician (2005)

(#14) Director, writer and star Scott Ryan didn’t quite finish the story he set out to tell in the 2005 mockumentary The Magician. So he returned 13 years later in this three-season narrative revolving around the same character, Ray Shoesmith. The series follows the criminal-for-hire as he attempts to balance his shady professional life with his personal one, which includes being a father, ex-husband, and boyfriend. Over its run, the series racked up wins and nominations on the Australian awards circuit before Ryan decided to end the show on his own terms following Season 3.

“The killer with a heart of gold isn’t a new trope. ... But Mr. Inbetween gives it a fresh and funny going over.” —Matthew Gilbert, The Boston Globe

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