10 Flop TV Shows That Made ONE Huge Mistake
6. Ditching The Source Material - Resident Evil
In an era where Hollywood is finally taking video games seriously, with quality recent TV shows based on The Last of Us and Fallout, its sheer refusal to deliver a source-faithful take on Resident Evil remains one of life's great mysteries.
After Paul W.S. Anderson's not-remotely-reverent movie series concluded and 2021's somewhat more faithful mish-mash of the first two games failed to make a dent, there was hope that the IP might be better served by a TV series.
But Netflix's Resident Evil instead saw showrunner Andrew Dabb take the series' name branding and use it to deliver his own distinct sci-fi horror show.
Beyond borrowing some names, characters, and a few scattered ideas, the Resident Evil series was a nearly unrecognisable adaptation.
Perhaps were it any good it wouldn't have mattered so much, but save for a compelling performance from the late Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, this was a hot mess. Amid poor ratings, Netflix cancelled it just six weeks after its premiere.
The golden rule of adaptations: respect the source material, even if you make changes.