# Commercials that turned into TV shows or movies

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 9, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048 "2005-05-09T13:27:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048/21 "2026-10-04T04:45:34Z")

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Reviving a very old thread because I was googling the topic of movies based on commercials and this thread was one of the top hits.

The examples given in this thread missed one of the biggest ones; the 1992 Super Bowl commercial [“Hare Jordan”](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mwS_8QLMGjI) for Nike shoes. This commercial led to the 1996 movie _Space Jam_, which had a 2021 remake _Space Jam: A New Legacy_.

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048/22 "2026-10-04T04:56:51Z")

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Nah, the biggest one was the Geico Caveman spawning the “Cavemen” TV show.

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**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048/23 "2026-10-04T06:33:12Z")

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Ted Lasso first appeared in a series of NBC promos for Premier League football.

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**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-that-turned-into-tv-shows-or-movies/303048/24 "2026-10-06T02:33:36Z")

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I don’t think it counts because I don’t think Hogan was playing the character of Dundee in the ads. He was himself, popular Australian comedy bloke Paul Hogan. But the ads got him noticed by Hollywood.

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