# From TV drama to movie comedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977 "2015-01-04T21:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/1 "2015-01-04T21:22:17Z")
Most notably Starsky and Hutch and 22 Jump Street. These were ostensibly dramas which were remade years later as comedys. Maybe also Wild Wild West. Have there been any others? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/2 "2015-01-04T21:28:41Z")
Arguably, DARK SHADOWS, and CHARLIE’S ANGELS, and I SPY. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/3 "2015-01-04T21:35:20Z")
I wouldn’t say Dark Shadows is arguable…it was the very first example that came to mind (immediately followed by Starsky and Hutch, then 21 Jump Street). I’m not familiar with either version of I, Spy, so I can’t say anything there. Charlies Angels, I don’t think was much more (intentionally) comedic than the original…a bit more comic relief, but it wasn’t nearly in the same class as DS, SH, or 21JS. Wild, Wild West, I’d class as an _unintentional_ comedy. I’m pretty sure it was meant as a straight steampunkish/weird west action movie. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/4 "2015-01-04T21:54:50Z")
I don’t know about that , There was Kevin Kline in drag asking Will Smith to feel his breasts , the magnetic collar scene where one of them is pulled close to the other’s groin and says "Don’t tell anybody about this ", the "hard pumping " and wheelchair scenes with Kenneth Branagh , and his accent , and many other scenes all point to comedy . ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/5 "2015-01-04T21:58:11Z")
Wikipedia describes it as a western steampunk action comedy drama, thus covering all bases , ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/6 "2015-01-04T21:59:22Z")
[Dragnet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092925/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3) ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/7 "2015-01-04T23:51:34Z")
Land of the Lost ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/8 "2015-01-05T00:29:21Z")
Maverick ---
**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:** [January 5, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/9 "2015-01-05T01:54:00Z")
_Lost in Space_ was unusual in that they made the movie version less comedic than the original show. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/10 "2015-01-05T03:56:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Lost in Space_ was unusual in that they made the movie version less comedic than the original show. Not quite true. The first several episodes of LIS were quite serious in tone, and Dr.Smith began as an actual cold-blooded villain, not harmless comic relief. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/11 "2015-01-05T16:52:49Z")
[The Avengers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118661/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3) (Steed and Emma Peel, not the Marvel film). Both versions were ostensibly surreal dramas with a dry humorous streak, but the movie went too over-the-top for anybody’s tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/12 "2015-01-05T17:25:51Z")
You could make the case that Hogan’s Heroes was a comedic remake of Stalag 17, which had similar setting and some plots, and even character names. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/13 "2015-01-05T18:14:38Z")
_Brady Bunch_ was a sitcom, but when translated to big screen it was at least as big a transition as most TV dramas to movie comedies. As with _Starsky & Hutch_ the humor and tone were completely different/more adult/a parody of the original than a remake. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/14 "2015-01-06T00:17:15Z")
Teen Wolf went the other way, from 80’s teen comedy movie to modern teen drama TV show. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/15 "2015-01-06T00:26:17Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > Maverick No, _Maverick_ always had its tongue firmly in cheek. James Garner put it there. They did satire episodes of _Gunsmoke_ (“Gunshy”) and _Bonanza_ (“Three Queens Full”, with the Wheelright brothers Moose and Small Paul.) It got to the point where they did an episode (“The Ballad of Waco Williams”) that was a satire of… _Maverick._ ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/16 "2015-01-08T02:39:44Z")
Green Hornet was originally a (relatively) dark crime drama.\* Seth Rogen’s movie was more like a slapstick comedy. Was Charlie’s Angels originally funny? I don’t think I remember watching it for the plots or stories. MacGyver was originally light-hearted but not a comedy per-se. MacGruber was clearly making fun of it. I thought Dark Shadows took itself seriously but was corny anyway. The Addams Family on TV was semi-serious (in contrast to The Munsters). The movie incarnations were intentionally hilarious, The original Fugitive focused each week on the doctor helping people and then having to leave town. The movie Fugitive focused on finding the real killer. (Neither were comedies, though.) The Lone Ranger seemed pretty serious on TV – but I was pretty young; maybe I just took it real serious. The movie version seemed to be working too hard to be funny. –G! \*In contrast to the campy approach of the Adam West Batman series, to which it lost audiences. It seemed to me (at the time) that the Batman series could easily have been as serious as Green Hornet if they just quit using the silly _BAM_ and _POW_ and similar pop-ups. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/17 "2015-01-08T16:45:04Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > ICharlies Angels, I don’t think was much more (intentionally) comedic than the original…a bit more comic relief, but it wasn’t nearly in the same class as DS, SH, or 21JS. > > Wild, Wild West, I’d class as an _unintentional_ comedy. I’m pretty sure it was meant as a straight steampunkish/weird west action movie. Calling the _Charlie’s Angels_ TV show a drama issss, well, ok I guess. It was for the time an action, T&A, drama. However, as with most all 70s ‘drama’, today it just comes off as laughable (sort of like the ‘drama’ in a show like _The Six Million Dollar Man_). The Robert Conrad original _The Wild Wild West_ TV series was not a drama, it was an action comedy, and not a bad show for the time. Interestingly, even though it was a popular show it was cancelled because advocacy groups complained it was too violent! Conrad was extremely pissed about that. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/18 "2015-01-08T16:51:44Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Dragnet](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092925/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3) Excellent example! ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/19 "2015-01-09T00:22:23Z")
I always thought the TV series _The Wild Wild West_ was just _The Man From U.N.C.L.E._ redux with a 1870s flavor. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977/20 "2015-01-09T00:32:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Calling the _Charlie’s Angels_ TV show a drama issss, well, ok I guess. It was for the time an action, T&A, drama. Back when it was getting repeatedly nominated for _Best TV Series - Drama_, it earned Kate Jackson three straight _Best TV Actress - Drama_ Golden Globe nominations. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-tv-drama-to-movie-comedy/708977.md?page=2)