The lines between movies and TV shows have been slowly dissolving in recent years, but some TV shows would still have been better as movies. The extended runtime of TV shows allows for more expansive stories, while still retaining the same level of detail. TV shows are usually able to include more characters and more plot lines, but this isn’t always a good thing. The same rules mean that some TV shows become bloated and rudderless. In theory, boiling the story down to its most important elements and making a movie instead should help trim the fat.
TV shows are often created as open-ended stories so that they can run for multiple seasons without having to constantly reinvent anything. Miniseries bridge the gap between TV shows and movies by providing a definitive end, but even these could sometimes benefit from being movies instead. If a TV show worries too much about maintaining the equilibrium which is necessary for multiple seasons, it can damage the story. Adapting a project from a TV show into a movie is by no means a simple idea, but some shows could have benefited from this treatment.
10 Movies That Would Have Been Much Better As TV Shows
If these movies had decided to explore their characters and the worlds around them in more depth, they could have been fantastic TV shows instead.
10 Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
The Star Wars show slowed down its pace to stretch out its story
The Star Wars franchise has been making a concerted effort in recent years to expand into live-action TV shows, but not all of these shows have been worthwhile. While Andor and The Mandalorian make the most of their format, other shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi struggle with pacing issues. The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi could easily have been condensed into a movie, as the main arc of Obi-Wan rescuing a young Princess Leia is so clearly defined. A potential Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 could go in a different direction, but season 1 could easily have been a movie instead.
9 Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016-2017)
A movie would have taken the strange premise of Dirk Gently’s methods to the next level
Based on the novels by Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency follows a detective with unusual methods and his reluctant sidekick. The show only ran for two seasons, but a movie could have achieved more success. Dirk Gently believes in the interconnectivity of all things, so he often takes on obscure and seemingly irrelevant cases to help him understand his more important cases. This premise works well on TV, but it would work even better in a movie, and the moment when everything comes together would be much more satisfying at the end of a longer runtime.
8 Avenue 5 (2020-2022)
The sci-fi political satire lost sight of its core concept
Avenue 5 imagines a near future where the rich and famous can board luxurious cruises around the solar system. Armando Iannucci, the creator of Veep, took a different approach to his political satire with Avenue 5. The sci-fi comedy uses the extended format of TV to draw out the cruise, as a miscalculation leads to the voyage being extended by years. If it were a movie instead, Avenue 5 could retain its focus throughout, rather than drifting much like the titular ship. It could also wring more drama out of its big twist, revealing the captain’s true identity.
7 The Great (2020-2023)
The historical comedy-drama suffered from audience’s expectations
The Great tells the story of a young Catherine the Great in Russia, but it doesn’t care much for historical accuracy. It’s a hilarious alternate history, although it was perhaps a little too idiosyncratic to ever reach the audience it deserved. The Great could have been much more popular as a movie, as it may have been able to break free of the expectation that it should be a straight-laced historical biopic. A movie would also have been able to cut some of the less interesting characters and focus more on the dynamic between the two stars.
6 The Bletchley Circle (2012-2014)
A unique mystery show which should have had a singular focus
The Bletchley Circle follows a group of British World War II codebreakers who use their skills after the war ends to solve crimes which are too complex for law enforcement. They excel at pattern recognition and cryptography, but they also have to get their hands dirty during their investigation, as the Official Secrets Act prohibits them from disclosing their activities during the war and recruiting help. The Bletchley Circle has a unique approach to the crime genre, but it could have been even better as a movie by focusing on just one case and incorporating some more action.
5 Prison Break (2005-2017)
After a brilliant start, Prison Break soon lost its spark
A Prison Break movie was made after the fourth season to wrap up the show’s story lines, but the show had run out of steam long before then. Prison Break season 1 is a brilliant drama centered around a man who hatches a plan to get his wrongfully convicted out of prison before he is executed. The following seasons struggled to live up to this adrenaline-fueled ride, so the first season could have been better as a standalone movie. By cutting some of the supporting characters and streamlining the narrative a little, Prison Break could have made an excellent thriller.
4 Lupin (2021-)
The charming heist drama may soon run out of road
There are far more heist movies than heist TV shows, because it can be difficult to maintain the same level of suspense for a long time, and there is always the problem of how to keep extending the story. Lupin is one notable exception, having already sustained three compelling seasons, but a movie would have been even more thrilling. Lupin generates plenty of new mysteries each season, but focusing on just the main plot for a movie might feel more natural. If a movie retained the same stylish heist scenes, it could be a huge hit.
3 The Muppets Mayhem (2023)
All the ingredients of a hilarious mockumentary biopic movie
There hasn’t been a Muppets movie since 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted, but The Muppets Mayhem was released on Disney+ in 2023. The musical mockumentary follows Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they try to record their first studio album. A movie format would have allowed the story to lean even further into its musical biopic mockery, and the shorter runtime could have delivered on the mayhem that the title promised. The Muppets Mayhem was canceled after just one season, suggesting that a movie might have been a better approach.
2 Space Force (2020-2022)
Space Force was never destined to last very long, so it should have made one big impact as a movie
With showrunner Greg Daniels alongside Steve Carrell, Space Force had some of the key ingredients of The Office, but it failed to live up to such high standards. The Office is a broad and universal workplace sitcom. Space Force, by contrast, was always bound to have a much shorter shelf life, because it was created to satirize a specific moment in American politics. Space Force underwhelmed fans and critics, but if it had been a movie instead, then it could have had a more dynamic story. Space Force‘s best moments tend to happen when it is focused around one mission.
1 Halo (2022-)
Halo could have been the video game adaptation that finally got it right
There have been rumors of a Halo movie for years, but the video game adaptation eventually became a TV series instead. Halo fans were disappointed by the first season, so maybe a movie would have been the better option after all. Hollywood has been historically inconsistent with video game adaptations, but Halo seems like a better contender than most to break this streak. With such cinematic visuals and rich sci-fi lore to explore, Halo could have developed into a franchise if the source material had been handled with care.
