8 ‘80s Movies That Would Secretly Make Great TV Shows

4. E.T

Back to the Future
Universal Pictures

A less obvious choice for a TV show, but with Stranger Things showing that Spielbergian toned fables work just as well on the small screen as the big, producers will inevitably start looking in the friendly alien's direction sooner rather than later.

Though the film doesn't necessarily leave much room for continuation, with E.T returning home, a spin-off format whereby E.T's alien world is explored in more detail could be a great starting point. As anyone who has rode the Universal Studios ride will know, there are a whole host of other quirky alien characters from E.T's home that could be developed further.

Restructuring the show into more of a space opera would also help prevent it from being constantly compared to the original classic. The idea of space travelers, almost Guardians of the Galaxy-esque, stumbling upon E.T's home world, only to engage in a number of adventures in order to protect (or destroy) the planet could be very entertaining.

Contributor
Contributor

I'm pretty good at writing screenplays, news articles, film & TV lists, short stories and reviews. Terrible at writing bios.