TV is the New Theater ... Or Something

Many have proclaimed this period to be the “golden age of television,” and with high-caliber, expertly done shows like The Good Wife, Game of Thrones, and Big Bang Theory, they may be right. But what does this upcoming season’s crop of new series show? Rather than recycling ideas for movies, they are now being recycled for TV.

Case in point, by my count (and granted I might have missed a few), there are no fewer than four (4!) old movie properties re-purposed for weekly consumption by the masses. Let’s take a look at CBS’s upcoming show based on when Chris Tucker had a viable career.

Rush Hour -

“A stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police officer is assigned to a case in Los Angeles where he’s forced to work with a cocky African-American LAPD officer who has no interest in a partner.” Stars Justin Hires, Jon Foo,Aimee Garcia and Wendie Malick.

Sign me up for more fish-out-of-water shenanigans with a clueless foreign detective and a loud-mouth know-it-all. I give it a 13 episode run with at least 6 of those burned off.

Uncle Buck -

Uncle Buck (Mike Epps) is a fun loving but irresponsible guy who needs a job and a place to stay. By happy coincidence, his nieces and nephew’s Nanny has just quit and his brother and sister-in-law need his help. His unconventional personality just may make him the right fit for the family and they may be the answer to his problems, too.

Let us remember that Mike Epps was the two-bit replacement for Chris Tucker in the Friday sequels. Let us also remember that this series was produced without the approval from John Hughes’ estate. Will the racial dynamics really make that much of a difference or will this be another series about a man-boy who barely manages to not kill children by negligent homicide. Let’s call this one a mid-season one and done.

Limitless -

“A drama based on the 2011 feature. The series follows Brian Finch as he discovers the power of the mysterious drug NZT, and is coerced into using his newfound drug-enhanced abilities to solve weekly cases for the FBI.” Stars Jake McDorman, Jennifer Carpenter, Hill Harper and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

A TV show based on a Bradley Cooper movie. That is also a procedural. And it will be airing on CBS. I call a full season pickup for this one.

Minority Report -

Minority Report is based on the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, which starred Tom Cruise. Envisioned as a continuation of that film’s storyline, the series — which counts Spielberg among the executive producers — picks up ten years, “after the end of Precrime in DC when one of the three Precogs (Stark Sands) struggles to lead a normal human life, but remains haunted by visions the future, when he meets a detective haunted by her past (Meagan Good) who just may help him find a purpose to his gift.” Max Borenstein (Godzilla) wrote the pilot.

Yawn. Isn’t this just Person of Interest with a different title? (Note, I have not seen Minority Report or Person of Interest). A predict a half-season before the pre-cogs take it out.

In fact, when was the last time a successful live action TV show was based on a movie? I’ll give you Fargo and my beloved Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles but aside from that, this course of action seems doomed to fail.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.