TV Shows That Would Have Been Better As Movies

I’ve always thought some stories just fit better as a self-contained movie, even though most TV shows really need multiple seasons to develop. It’s interesting how often things go the other way, though! I mean, shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Westworld actually started as movies, which is cool. And then you have a show like Firefly – I was devastated when it ended, but at least we got a movie to wrap things up, even if it was after the fact.

Just as some movies would have been better as TV shows, there are also TV shows that could have worked better as films. This isn’t to say these shows were poorly made – though some weren’t great – but their stories, characters, or overall potential would have been better suited for a movie format.

Hemlock Grove

Hemlock Grove is a horror series and was one of the first original shows created for Netflix. Based on a 2012 novel by Brian McGreevy, the show is set in the fictional town of Hemlock Grove and centers around the powerful Godfrey family. They own a biomedical technology institute, a hospital, and a steel mill that has caused job losses for many of the town’s people.

Hemlock Grove kicks off with a string of violent killings, and suspicion immediately falls on Peter Rumancek, a teenage newcomer. He teams up with Roman Godfrey, from the powerful Godfrey family, to investigate the crimes and prove Peter’s innocence.

There’s a rumor that Peter is a werewolf, and it’s actually true. But he’s not the only supernatural being in Hemlock Grove—Roman is a type of vampire called an upir. While the original story Hemlock Grove is just one book, the TV show lasted three seasons, though the later seasons included confusing and pointless storylines. The story might have worked better as a single movie.

Living With Yourself

The Netflix miniseries Living with Yourself, created by Timothy Greenberg, is a sci-fi comedy-drama about Miles (Paul Rudd). He’s feeling unfulfilled and his marriage to Kate (Aisling Bea) is strained as they try, unsuccessfully, to start a family.

Miles visits a spa promising life improvements, but he wakes up lost in the woods. After escaping, he returns home to a shocking discovery: a clone has replaced him!

While Living with Yourself showed promise, the show’s limited run as a miniseries left viewers on a frustrating cliffhanger. It felt like a concept better suited for a full-length movie with a more conclusive resolution.

Young Wallander

Young Wallander is a Netflix crime drama that explores the early life and first cases of the famous Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, portrayed by Adam Pålsson. The show focuses on his personal and professional development as he begins his career.

The early life of Kurt Wallander isn’t as captivating as the complex cases and personal battles he faces as an adult. The story presented in Young Wallander feels more suited to a single film than an extended series, as the plot isn’t substantial enough to fill multiple episodes.

Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob is a limited series legal drama and mystery, adapted from William Landay’s 2012 novel. The show centers on the Barber family – Andy (Chris Evans), a father who works as an assistant district attorney, his wife Laurie (Michelle Dockery), and their 14-year-old son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell).

When a student is found murdered near school, Jacob quickly becomes the main suspect. His father, Andy, tries to prove Jacob’s innocence while also investigating the crime himself. However, as Andy uncovers more details about the case and the victim, he starts to question whether his son is actually telling the truth.

While comparable in quality to Defending Jacob, this story unfolds slowly and would have been more impactful as a movie. A faster pace could have also resulted in a more satisfying conclusion.

Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a horror TV series with supernatural elements, created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason. It’s inspired by characters and settings from the works of Stephen King, but doesn’t adapt any single one of his stories. The show is set in the town of Castle Rock, a location King often uses in his writing due to its history of strange and unsettling events.

The first season revolves around the enigma of a young man, known only as The Kid (Bill Skarsgård), who is discovered locked away in a secret, forgotten cell at Shawshank State Penitentiary. No one has any record of who he is or where he came from—his past is a complete mystery. The Kid repeatedly mentions the name of Henry Deaver (André Holland), a lawyer originally from Castle Rock who had left town years prior.

The first season of Castle Rock delves into the mysterious link between a character known as The Kid and Henry Deaver, examining The Kid’s potential origins and other strange occurrences connected to them. However, season 2 took a new direction, focusing on the story of a young Annie Wilkes (played by Lizzy Caplan) – before the events of the novel and film Misery.

Even though Castle Rock is a quality show, each season would have been stronger as a standalone movie. It felt like each installment could have been either a completely new story within Stephen King’s world, or a backstory to one of his well-known novels and films.

American Horror Story: Delicate

Image via FX

While some seasons of American Horror Story are excellent, the latest, Delicate, feels better suited as a movie. American Horror Story: Delicate is the show’s twelfth season and a first for the series – it’s based on an existing novel instead of an original idea. The story centers on Anna Victoria Alcott (played by Emma Roberts), an actress who is having difficulty getting pregnant.

After unexpectedly becoming pregnant, Anna starts to believe someone is trying to prevent her from having the baby, and she suspects the people she trusts most are involved. Unfortunately, American Horror Story: Delicate didn’t live up to expectations. It felt disconnected from the rest of the series, was hurried, particularly at the end, and had several unresolved plot points.

As a movie fan, I honestly think Delicate would have worked so much better as a film. Stretching it into a TV show felt like they were trying to fill time and lost the core of what made the story good in the first place. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has produced many successful TV series, not all of them have been hits. One example that didn’t quite work as well is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, created by Malcolm Spellman. This show picks up six months after the events of Avengers: Endgame, following Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as he adjusts to becoming the new Captain America.

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson joins forces with Bucky Barnes to take down a group called the Flap Smashers. This group believes things were better when half of all life disappeared during ‘the Blip’.

The series explores the relationship between the main characters in more detail, but the story feels better suited for a film. In fact, it would have made a more compelling and thrilling movie than Captain America: Brave New World.

Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies is a funny and heartwarming TV series created by Bryan Fuller. The show centers around Ned (played by Lee Pace), a pie maker who has an extraordinary ability: he can bring people and things back to life with just a touch. However, there’s a catch – whatever he revives, something else nearby of equal ‘life force’ will die to keep things balanced, and he can only bring them back for a minute.

So, here’s the deal – I’m totally hooked on this show! It’s about this guy, Ned, who can bring people back from the dead, but there’s a catch: touch them twice and they’re gone for good. He’s trying to live a normal life as a pie maker, but he also teams up with a private investigator named Emerson Cod. Basically, Ned uses his ability to briefly revive murder victims – just long enough to get clues about how they died – and together, he and Cod crack these really interesting cases. It’s a clever setup, and I’m always eager to see how they pull it off.

I absolutely loved Pushing Daisies. The premise is so clever – this guy, Ned, can bring people back to life, and he does it for his crush, Chuck. But there’s a catch: they can’t touch, or she’ll die again! It was such a fantastic show, and I was heartbroken when it was cancelled. Honestly, it felt like it would have worked better as a movie. A film could have given Ned and Chuck the satisfying ending they deserved.

Firefly

Firefly is a science fiction drama created by Joss Whedon, set in the distant future. The story unfolds after humans have settled a new star system and following a civil war that reshaped society.

Firefly is a sci-fi TV series about the crew of the spaceship Serenity, captained by Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). They travel the galaxy taking on various jobs just to get by. Unfortunately, it was another fantastic show cut short after only one season.

As much as I loved getting to see Firefly wrapped up with Serenity, I honestly think the story and those incredible characters deserved a full movie series, not just a cut-short TV show. It feels like Firefly had so much potential to be something bigger, but we ended up with one fantastic movie and a lot of great comic books instead. It’s still amazing, but I can’t help but wonder what could have been if it had started as a film!

2025-10-31 00:11