Downton Abbey' and 9 Great Shows That Continued On As Movies - Collider
You could argue that TV shows are more popular than movies nowadays, mainly thanks to the advancements in filming technology and techniques and the invention of streaming services. Millions of people all around the globe can become invested in film quality programming from their living rooms.
With the increase in popularity of TV shows, many even becoming cultural touchstones, it makes sense that studios would capitalize on their popularity by making movies out of them as well. It's a great way to make money at the global box office and give the fan base another reason to stay invested.
'Downton Abbey' (2010-2016)
Downton Abbey may sound boring if it's just described to you. The show follows the family of the Earl of Grantham and their staff as they throw parties and go about living in high-class British society. But if you watch it, you'll understand why Downton fans are so devoted to their favorite series. It's essentially an exquisitely produced soap opera, complete with affairs, murder, and all the contemplative staring you could hope for.
After the show came to a close with season six, fans thought they would never get to revisit Downton. However, audiences returned to the Abbey three years later on the big screen. Downton Abbey grossed $192 million worldwide and was followed by a sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era in 2022. These movies may be somewhat incomprehensible to the uninitiated, thanks to the complex history of the characters that developed on the show. Still, for fans, they are welcome trips back to a world of class and elegance.
'Absolutely Fabulous' (1992 - 2012)
Absolutely Fabulous is a beloved British sitcom from the minds of Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. The show followed Edina (Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley), two high-powered women working in the British fashion industry as they lead incredibly drunk, drugged, selfish lives. The show is an unforgettable part of British pop culture. Over ten (non-consecutive) years and 39 episodes, these two women worked their way into the hearts of fans all over the globe.
The show may have ended in 2012, but icons never die, and Edina and Patsy returned with an upgrade in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. After knocking Kate Moss into the River Thames, the film sees our heroes on the run from the media to France. The movie serves as a sweet send-off for the show, but if there were ever any more entries into the series, that would be Absolutely Fabulous.
'Batman' (1966 - 1968)
Before superheroes took over pop culture, a select few impacted the mainstream. Arguably, the most famous superhero of all time is Batman. His live-action exploits date back to serial films in the 1930s, but his first big hit was the Batman TV show that premiered in 1966. Adam West's portrayal of the caped crusader immediately became iconic, and the whole comic book style of the show captured the world's imagination.
The show was such a big hit that in July 1966, mere months after the show debuted in January, West's Batman hit the big screen in Batman: The Movie. While each two-part episode of the series featured Batman and Robin (Burt Ward) fighting a different villain, the movie put the dynamic duo up against not one, not two, but four villains. Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Lee Meriwether), and Riddler (Frank Gorshin) are great villains in their own right; together, they pose a threat that could only be fought on the silver screen.
'Police Squad!' (1982-1982)
Most people probably don't even know that Leslie Nielsen's beloved Naked Gun films are follow-ups to a short-lived comedy TV series called Police Squad! The show starred Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin, and each of the six episodes followed him as he took on a new case. Even though it didn't find an audience on the small screen, it's well worth checking out because they're basically six Naked Gun short films.
Six years after the show came and went, Detective Drebin hit the big screen in the comedy classic The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Much like the show, the film featured Drebin stumbling his way through an investigation, falling into some of the funniest comedy bits ever put to screen. The film was followed by two equally hilarious sequels, appropriately titled The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear and The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
'Reno 911!' (2003-)
Patrolling the streets of Reno, Nevada, is a tough job, and it calls for equally tough officers. Unfortunately, they have Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) and his squad of imbeciles of the Reno, Nevada Sheriff's Department. Reno 911! follows them Cops-style as they police the equally dumb citizens of Reno.
Reno 911! has ended and been revived a couple of times by companies like Quibi, Paramount+, and Roku, but the best continuation has to be when they hit the big screen in Reno 911!: Miami. In the movie, the Reno, Nevada Sheriff's Department officers are called in to patrol Miami, Florida, after a terrorist attack puts the Miami police out of commission. The movie features the improvised comedy you know and loves from the show interspersed between a larger plot more epic and action-packed than the show ever got.
'Twin Peaks' (1990 - 1991)
David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks is one of the greatest shows of all time. The way the show combined soap opera conventions with Lynch's signature surreal style was revolutionary for the time. Throughout the first season, America was obsessed with solving the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Season two answered the question and was backloaded with filler: many viewers were not satisfied, leading to the show's cancelation.
One year after the show was canceled, fans got to return to the weird world of Twin Peaks with the feature-length prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, whichtold the story of Laura Palmer in the time leading up to her death. While the show was a take on the TV soap opera, this movie was full-on Lynchian and was much darker and more bizarre than the show ever was. It even included Lynch's signature stylistic choice of featuring one-scene wonders, in this case featuring a cameo by David Bowie.
'Breaking Bad' (2008 - 2013)
Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad broke ground when it debuted on AMC in 2008. It was one of the major shows that ushered in the era of peak TV we live in today. The show was a bonafide cultural phenomenon, and Bryan Cranston's Walter White immediately became a pop culture icon. The show followed Walter, a high school science teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer, who decided to sell drugs to raise money to leave his family. However, Walter gets caught up in the world of drug kingpins, and things get complicated.
The finale of Breaking Bad is perfect and beloved, proving that the show knew when to call it quits and move on in the name of the story. However, with a show as popular as Breaking Bad, it was evident that the story wouldn't end there. It was followed by a prequel, Better Call Saul (which some may say is even better than the original), and a sequel Netflix film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, that followed fan-favorite character Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in the aftermath of the series finale. El Camino proves there's plenty of gas left in the tank and that there are still more stories to tell in the world of Breaking Bad.
'Star Trek' (1966 -1969)
Star Trek is one of the most iconic and well-known TV shows of all time. When it debuted in 1966, there wasn't a show like it. It created a future where humanity came together in the name of science and exploration. The sheer creativity on display each week was astounding, and the crew of the starship Enterprise have become icons. While the three seasons were beloved by their fans, it was decided that the show hadn't found a big enough audience, and it was unceremoniously canceled.
Star Trek's fans were outraged and demanded that the show be brought back to the air. Ten years after the show ended, the fans' wishes were granted when Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit movie theaters in 1979. It was everything you could want from a Star Trek movie. It was an intelligent movie that reunited Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Bones (DeForest Kelley), and the rest of the Enterprise crew for a bigger mission than they had ever faced on the small screen. The movie's success led to several sequels, more Star Trek shows, and a franchise that is still expanding to this day.
'Sex and the City' (1999 - 2004)
Sex and the City is one of the all-time great HBO shows. Inspired by Candace Bushnell's book of the same name, the show followed the love lives of four women living in New York City. The characters have all become beloved TV characters with real-life friend groups, even going as far as to decide who is Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) of their group. The show ran for 94 episodes and became a cultural touchstone for many.
In 2008, four years after going off the air, the ladies returned to the big screen in a two-and-a-half-hour Sex and the City movie. Like the show, the film was a huge hit, leading to a sequel, Sex and the City 2. The film captures everything that made the show great but with a larger scope and scale.
'Firefly' (2002-2003)
When you think of shows that were canceled too soon, chances are Firefly will come to mind. The show followed the ragtag crew of the spaceship Serenity as they avoided the authorities hunting them down and took jobs, both legal and illegal. The Joss Whedon-created space western is a beloved show amongst its cult following. However, it failed to find a large enough audience to warrant Fox renewing it for a second season, and it was canceled.
Like Star Trek decades before, the Firefly fans rallied to save the show. While they may not have gotten a second season, Firefly returned as a feature-length film named after the show's ship, Serenity. While the film may not have recaptured the show's magic, Firefly fans enjoyed having one more adventure with the show's characters, even if it may be last.
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