There's nothing better than a movie that leaves you wanting more, yet in spite of that feeling we often prefer filmmakers to leave it there, as so many unnecessary sequels end up being terrible. But what about a TV spin-off of a popular movie? The impending Bates Motel, a TV show about the early years of Psycho's murderous antagonist Norman Bates set to air in March, will be an acid test for whether this format has viability, and the prospects so far are high. As such, we got thinking about which great movies we'd love to see become spin-offs; movies which seem compatible with the restrictions and freedoms of a TV show format. There's so many to choose from, such that even though we'd love a Human Centipede series, we're going to keep it to mainstream fare that actually might get a series or two made... Without any further ado, here are 10 movies that need a TV spin-off.
10. Starship Troopers
Paul Verhoeven's immensely underrated sci-fi satire Starship Troopers might on the surface be a simple man vs. bug shoot 'em up film, but beneath that it's a satire about the military, media and politics, making this one of the more subversive mainstream films of the 1990s. If it can land on the right network, say, Showtime or HBO, this could be a force to be reckoned with; imagine the format of the film distended out into a 10-episode series, introducing us to a new array of characters (perhaps with a one-episode cameo from Casper Van Dien) and some absolutely insane combat situations. Amass the most badass TV actors currently kicking around - Daryl from The Walking Dead, for example - and ensure the satire remains as ripe as it was in the film, while even TV visual effects will be leaps and bounds ahead of the (admittedly impressive) effects work of the first film. And for God's sake, it has to be better than those dreadful straight-to-video sequels, right?