BEST TV SERIES FROM MOVIES
“Peyton Place” (1965-69, ABC):
Unique scheduling for a prime-time show — with multiple episodes airing weekly for much of its run — was a hallmark of this serialized drama that made stars of Ryan O’Neal and Mia Farrow. “The Odd Couple” (1970-75, ABC):
Neil Simon’s hit play became a popular television vehicle for Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, who reprised the roles of dissimilar roommates Felix and Oscar in other projects later.
“M*A*S*H” (1972-83, CBS): To many, this is the best series adaptation of a feature film to date. With Alan Alda as its lead, the show was brilliantly cast ... but the biggest kudos go to series developers Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, who transferred the irreverent Korean War saga to television without losing its edge.
“The Paper Chase” (1978-79, CBS; 1983-86, Showtime): John Houseman was sterling in re-creating his Oscar-winning role as imperious law professor Charles Kingsfield, but his opposite number had to be effective, as well. James Stephens scored as the successor to the movie’s Timothy Bottoms as earnest, eager-to-please law student James Hart. “Fame” (1982-83, NBC; 1983-87, syndication): All the buoyancy of the 1980 movie about New York’s High School for the Performing Arts was retained — along with the title song and several cast members — in the story of students dealing with rites of passage while trying to build music or dance careers for themselves. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (19972001, WB; 2001-03, UPN): What had been a modestly successful horror-comedy movie became a cult phenomenon as a series, elevating former soap-opera actress Sarah Michelle Gellar to stardom in the title role. “In the Heat of the Night” (198892, NBC; 1992-95, CBS): Carroll O’Connor (also an executive producer of the show) and Howard Rollins assumed the roles originated by Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier in the drama of lawmen in a Mississippi town. “Friday Night Lights” (2006-11, NBC; 2008-11, DirecTV): This highschool-football drama was so involving and affecting, it was one of the first series a satellite or streaming service stepped in to help save. “Parenthood” (2010-15, NBC):
Though a series version of this family dramedy had been attempted earlier, this is the one that took hold ... owing largely to its excellent, multi-generational ensemble of actors.
“Hannibal” (2013-15, NBC): Even if this variation on the “Silence of the Lambs” character’s saga wasn’t to everyone’s taste, Mads Mikkelsen’s compelling title performance kept it intriguing. “Bates Motel” (2013-17, A&E Network): The roots of Norman Bates’ (Freddie Highmore) fixation on his mother (Vera Farmiga) were explored in this “Psycho” prequel.