Before James Bond made his film debut in 1962's
Dr. No, starring Sean Connery, he made an appearance on a 1954 episode of the TV show,
Climax! It was an adaptation of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel,
Casino Royale, with Bond portrayed as an American CIA agent played by Barry Nelson. This is, as of today, the only TV adaptation of one of Fleming's novels- but could Bond ever make a reappearance on the small screen? It wouldn't be the first time a movie or film series became a TV show (
MASH,
The Odd Couple,
My Big Fat Greek Wedding). There's no plans to bring Bond to TV as of now, but this article will focus on some reasons why a James Bond TV show could be a good idea.
10. The "Bond Formula" Would Work For a Weekly Series
While the Bond series has, throughout the years, occasionally played around with its established formula, most notably with the Daniel Craig films, when one thinks of the series, they have a particular image in mind- that of a suave, sophisticated secret agent with a ton of gadgets saving the world while bedding many gorgeous women. The TV landscape is full of shows that have a familiar formula-think of the
CSI franchise. Having a weekly series based around Bond doing his thing, albeit on a smaller scale, could have the same kind of success weekly procedural shows enjoy, especially since the Bond film series has already made millions for 50 years as a formula franchise.
9. One Bond Woman
One trademark of the Bond series is the Bond girl, or, since this is the 21st century, Bond woman. It'd probably be overboard to have a different love interest in each episode, and the producers of the series likely wouldn't want to negate a female presence, besides Moneypenny, all together. So there's the possibility the series could have one prominent Bond woman as a co-lead to Bond-maybe another MI6 agent or even an American or Russian agent, a la
The Spy Who Loved Me or
Moonraker, in which Bond had to team up with a Russian and CIA agent, respectively. It'd be great to witness the growing attraction and sexual tension between Bond and his companion, and would allow the audience to become involved in their relationship instead of Bond just having a different love interest each episode. My suggestion: Lizzie Brochere. a French actress, Brochere is becoming known to American audiences for her role as the axe-murdering mental patient Grace on
American Horror Story Asylum. That character description may not make Brochere seem like an ideal Bond woman but Brochere makes Grace surprisingly sympathetic and even alluring. Cleaned up she could bring a real intensity and sexiness to the Bond woman role.