A couple weeks ago, I talked about TV’s biggest current trend: the geek takeover. Whether it’s fantasy, sci-fi or superhero related, the nerdy is in. Yet one of this week’s headlines suggests TV is picking up another fad: the movie-based miniseries.
On Monday, Starz announced its newest project will be the development of an “Evil Dead” series directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell. The details of the spin-off have yet to be revealed, but its connection to Raimi’s very own 1981 horror film is unquestionable and has been accentuated in the press for the series. Starz’s announcement feels all too familiar and is just one of the many examples of TV networks’ newfound adoration of adopting and reworking big screen fare.
Ridley Scott recently announced his “2001: A Space Odyssey” sequel miniseries. Syfy is set to premiere a “12 Monkeys” series later this year, and the “Scream” series premiere is slated for sometime in 2016. So what is it with this insistence on taking the big screen and pushing it into the small? To answer that, we’ll need to take a detour into Minnesota.
FX’s “Fargo,” developed for TV by Noah Hawley, seems to be the root of the recent movie-to-TV influx. Adapted from Joel and Ethan Coen’s Best Picture-winning film of the same name, “Fargo” focuses brilliantly on crime, evil and deception in the snowy wasteland of northern Minnesota. The show catapulted to success in both the public sphere and the critics’ circles, winning Best Miniseries at this year’s Emmy Awards. It’s no coincidence that since the show’s finale, there have been more and more announcements of soon-to-be TV shows rooted in film.
Since the success of “Fargo,” there’s even been talk of adapting the work of other iconic filmmakers like the Coen Brothers. Quentin Tarantino has buzzed about a possible “Django Unchained” miniseries, and Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn” was turned into a ten-episode miniseries this past summer. Even Cameron Crowe is being tapped for potential pilots — his “Say Anything” was nabbed for a miniseries order earlier this year. With all the prestige and innovation these great filmmakers bring to theaters everywhere, it begs the question: why not craft original productions for TV instead of rehashing derivative work? People seek originality; I know I do.
Sure, “Fargo” was one of the best shows on TV this year. But that’s because it felt original. It was a departure from the Coen Brothers’ movie and told a story unlike anything else on screens, both big and small.
If anything, “Fargo” should reflect TV’s dire need for more new material and not TV producers’ relentless seeping of pre-owned ideas. Plus, in hindsight, the only TV miniseries better than “Fargo” this year was HBO’s “True Detective.” It was purely original and immensely popular. More importantly, it didn’t draw from any Hollywood source material. TV networks need to broaden their scopes, seek originality and think bigger. Just not “big screen” bigger.