Series based on movies
Last updated: March 18, 2026
Movies getting spinoff series is a regular occurrence, especially for kids movies. But plenty of more mature movies get the same treatment, where the movie's premise continues in an episodic format. Sometimes for the worse, but sometimes for the better.
Ted
Eight year old John wishes upon a falling star for his teddy bear named Ted to really be able to talk to him. To his surprise he finds Ted alive the next morning. Throughout the years Ted becomes a mini celebrity for being a living teddy bear until the both become washed up adults in the movie. The series is a prequel to the movie where we follow John and Ted as they traverse the perilous years of high school. John being quite the loser at school gets some more often than not, unhelpful advice from Ted to get girls and get cooler.
The show almost works better than the movies as we’re still rooting for John seeing as his blunders are more forgivable at this age rather than in his adulthood.
What We Do in the Shadows
A documentary crew follows a group of vampires living together in New Zealand. They follow them through their rivalry with a pack of werewolves and one of the vampires yearning for an old human flame. The crew also come with the vampires as they prowl the streets of the city to feed on humans. During one feeding at their house, where one of their familiars has lured people to them, one man is accidentally turned into a new vampire and the crew follows his journey into being undead.
The show follows the same premise but with different characters now taking place in Staten Island, New York. A documentary crew follows along as vampires Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja try to navigate the modern world along with Nandor's familiar Guillermo who also wishes to be a vampire. The series works just as well as the movie but has the opportunity to expand the world and show off even more mythological creatures.
M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H follows two new combat surgeons, "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Duke" Forrest, as they join the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean war. The pair dislike the rigid rules of military life and prefer to drink and play pranks on their colleagues at the base. Something frowned upon by their superior but their surgical skills surpass their foolishness.
The show of M*A*S*H continues to follow most of the same characters while building on their daily lives in the midst of war. The episodes vary from purely comedic scenarios to showing more of the war side. The series ran for a long time and is now considered an all time classic, often shadowing the lesser known original movie.
Ash vs Evil Dead
While staying at a remote cabin five college students find a mysterious book. Opening and reading from it conjures an evil that turns the friends into evil zombie-like creatures called Deadites. They are hard to kill and infect one another whilst attacking, leaving but one survivor, Ash Williams. Ash must endure and fight against the Deadites in two more movies after that but in the show he’s finally shown just working a regular job. That is until Ash realizes the curse has once again awakened. At first he wants to escape but is persuaded by his coworkers to stay and help their town.
A thirty year later sequel series was not on many Evil Dead fans' radar but it was perceived with positivity. Seeing Ash fight against the brash and cruel demons again was simply a treat.
For more interesting reading, here are four movies where actors broke their mold.
