In the days before streaming and so-called “prestige TV”, the difference between content for the small screen and that of the cinema was like night and day. Thus, whenever a show made the leap to movies, it was an event, a way to see beloved TV heroes in ways the small screen could never achieve. From the rash of ’60s shows adapted into blockbuster movies in the ’80s and ’90s, to big-budgeted reboots of classic franchises in the 2000s and beyond, the thrill of seeing TV characters in movies has lost none of its appeal. With The Fall Guy blasting its way into cinemas, here’s our 8List of some of the best TV-to-movie adaptations!

 NOTE: For the purposes of this list, we only counted live action movies that a) continued their original universes or b) sincerely reinterpreted their source material for the big screen. On that note, Mission: Impossible is out due to making the show’s hero the bad guy in their first movie. We’re also not counting films that took otherwise serious series and turned them into near-parodic comedies, no matter how much fun those films turned out to be (our sincerest apologies to 21 Jump Street, Starsky & Hutch, etc.)!

8. Charlie’s Angels (2000)

Based on Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981)

In Charlie’s Angels, Cameron Diaz (The Holiday), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill), and Drew Barrymore (50 First Dates) punched, kicked, and shot their way to box office gold in this over-the-top hit from director McG (Terminator: Salvation). Updating the charmingly cheesy 1970s TV staple with a deliberately campy, hyperkinetic ode to girl power proved so successful that the main cast returned for a second round in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003).

While a 2019 reboot by director Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) established that all the films are taking place in the same universe as the TV series, we’re still waiting for old and new angels to team up and take on the bad guys.

7. Star Trek (2009)

Based on Star Trek (1966-1969)

Director J.J. Abrams is famous for his ability to begin stories with complex plots and colorful characters. Unfortunately, he’s just as infamous for being unable to craft satisfying endings for any of it. Thankfully, getting the ball rolling was just what the then-ailing Star Trek property needed, as Abrams’ film resurrected the venerable franchise following the failure of 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.

The 2009 film goes back to basics with an all-new cast playing Captain Kirk (Chris Pine, Wonder Woman) Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto, TV’s Heroes), and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban, The Boys). Packed with wit, action, and the character interplay that made The Original Series a sensation, Star Trek kicked off a veritable multiverse of sequels, series, and spinoffs that continues to this day. 

6. The Addams Family (1991)

Based on The Addams Family (1964-1966)

From their first appearance in Charles Addams’ 1938 comic strip of the same name, The Addams Family have amused fans worldwide with their surprisingly wholesome -if somewhat macabre- outlook on life. Their 1960s sitcom would solidify their place in pop culture, setting the stage for 1991’s smash, The Addams Family, and its delightfully unhinged sequel, The Addams Family Values (1993).

While the franchise has also seen multiple animated series, two animated movies, a live-action tv series, video games, and a questionable direct-to-video offering, the Addams clan would hit the bigtime anew with Netflix’s Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega (Scream). As we wait for Season 2 to arrive, The Addams Family’s popularity is definitely here to stay.

5. Downtown Abbey (2019)

Based on Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

This class-based period drama about the goings-on in an English manor and the people who inhabit it took the world by storm upon its release in 2010. Six successful seasons and five standalone specials later, a feature film was announced that would reunite the original cast. A big-screen continuation centered on an attempted royal assassination, the film was a hit, spawning a sequel, A New Era in 2022.

As of this writing, a third film has been announced, which will purportedly serve as a finale to the story of the Crawley family. Hitting cinemas a mere four years after the series ended, these films have more in common with the Sex and the City films than, say, Star Trek, or Charlie’s Angels, which continued their respective original stories decades after their original versions.

Here, the Crawleys, their staff, and associated characters look as if they stepped directly from the TV to the cinema; combined with the better lighting and more detailed accoutrements, the drama, intrigue, and dialogue viewers fell in love with is ultimately enhanced, delivering a leveled-up Downton Abbey experience that’s well worth the ticket.

4. The A-Team (2010)

Based on The A-Team (1983-1987)

Springing from the pen of creator Stephen J. Cannell (21 Jump Street, Renegade), The A-Team made a pop culture icon of Mr. T (Rocky III) as B.A. Baracus, while revitalizing the career of series lead George Peppard (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) as Hannibal in a weekly action fest that audiences couldn’t get enough of.

For the film, no less than Liam Neeson (Taken, Star Wars) took on the role of Hannibal, and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as B.A. Baracus, with Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) and Sharlto Copley (District 9) rounding out the titular team.

Best of all, director Joe Carnahan (The Grey, TV’s The Blacklist) ensured that the A-Team movie was chock-full of humor and action to spare, fun and exciting as the series that excited it. We love it when a movie comes together!

3. The Equalizer (2014)

Based on The Equalizer (1985-1989)

From 1985 to 1989, Edward Woodward was The Equalizer, a former intelligence operative using his skills to help people in need. For the big screen, Denzel Washington  (Training Day, Crimson Tide) takes on the role. Where the original touted his brand of “problem-solving” via newspaper classified ads, trouble tends to follow Washington’s incarnation without the need for promotion. Washington shines as the latest star to join the ranks of middle-aged action heroes, rendering questions of race swapping and/or “wokeness” moot. Clearly, Washington had a good time; to date, the three Equalizer films mark the only sequels he’s ever done.  

2. The Fall Guy (2024)

Based on The Fall Guy (1981-1986)

The Fall Guy series was about the adventures of Colt Seavers (Lee Majors, The Six Million Dollar Man, Ash vs Evil Dead), a Hollywood stuntman who, between films, worked a death-defying side hustle as a bounty hunter for the US Attorney’s office. In the new version (directed by David Leitch of John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Bullet Train), Seavers (Ryan Gosling, Barbie) is a down-on-his-luck stuntman who’s tricked into a a case of mistaken identity, conspiracy, and a quest to reunite with the love of his life, Jody (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer). The stunts and punchlines hit fast and hard, held together by the sheer power of Gosling and Blunt’s combined charisma. 

Whether Gosling’s Seavers is falling from a tall building or rolling a brand new car, the actor is hilarious in the title role, ending scenes in various states of injury, while Blunt balances out the onscreen mayhem as his beloved ex-girlfriend-turned-director. A former stuntman himself, Leitch’s The Fall Guy is a love letter to the men and women who keep Hollywood’s action industry going, and a knowing wink at the politics that go on behind the scenes. 

 1. The Fugitive (1993)

Based on The Fugitive (1963-1967)

The gold standard for TV-to-movie adaptations, The Fugitive is a breathlessly suspenseful take on the story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford, Star Wars, Indiana Jones), a man wrongfully accused of murdering his wife. With a no-nonsense lawman (Tommy Lee Jones, MiB) hot on his trail, Kimble will use his skills to stay one step ahead and uncover the truth.

Jones won a Best Supporting Oscar for his portrayal of U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, and though the spinoff where Wesley Snipes is framed by Robert Downey Jr. is sort of a bust, The Fugitive remains one of the all-time great thrillers, even if you’ve never seen the show.

Do you agree with our list? Sound off with your favorite TV-to-movie adaptations in the comments!

Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube, to be the first to know about the latest news and coolest trends!