I’m not talking about shows that were overtly spun off from movies, like MASH or Private Benjamin (Delta House, anyone?), but shows that were seemingly “inspired” by a particular film, but different.
Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
WKRP in Cincinatti >> FM
Hogan’s Heroes >> Stalag 17
The Monkees >> A Hard Day’s Night
The Flintstones >> The Honeymooners
Battlestar Galactica >> Star Wars
These are both TV shows.
Oh, I finally remembered the one I was forgetting:
Happy Days >> American Graffiti
Here’s a tidbit from the trivia section of FM’s IMDB listing:
Often believed to be the inspiration for the TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati” (1978), but in fact the pilot for that show was filmed before this film’s release.
Happy Days was spun off from an episode of Love: American Style, though it certainly does seems to have taken much of its style, especially in the first season, from American Graffitti.
“What’s Happening?” (yes, the show with Raj, Dwayne, and Re-Run) was inspired by/based on the movie “Cooley High”.
:smack: :smack: double- :smack:
The early '90s Fox show Parker Lewis Can’t Lose seems obviously influenced by the mid-'80s John Hughes film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Parker Lewis even ran against a Ferris Bueller TV show (obviously a direct spin-off of the movie, despite having a different lead actor) during the short time it was on. Personally, I greatly preferred Parker Lewis (the show AND the title character) to Ferris Bueller (the movie and the character).
Well, that was its pilot, although we’ll have to let Garry Marshall tell us if it was intended to be a series all along. I’m pretty sure it was filmed after the movie was released, tho.
Interesting. That topped my list because it seemed the most obvious one. Garry Sandy and Howard Hessman bore a strong resemblence to the guy who played the program director in FM and Martin Mull’s dj character respectively.
And along the lines of Big Bad Voodoo Lou’s example, having mentioned Delta House, I seem to recall that there were several fraternity-themed shows in the wake of Animal House. One of them was called “Brothers and Sisters” IIRC.
Shortly after the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, there were two new TV shows with a similar pre-war exotic-adventure theme; Tales of the Gold Monkey and Bring 'Em Back Alive, though the latter had roots predating Raiders.
McCloud >> Coogan’s Bluff.
According to tvtome, *Love and the Happy Days * was first shown in February 1972. *American Grafitti * was released in 1973. So while the idea of the show did not come from AG, it made it to the airwaves because of it.
Tony Curtis starred in a very brief series called McCoy. Curtis played a con man who would con the bad guys out of money (which he probably returned to widows and orphans or something, since this was American television) which was clearly suggested by The Sting.
*Alias Smith and Jones * was even more clearly swiped from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
So did the former. Tales from The Gold Monkey had been introduced to networks several times and rejected. It was picked up after the success of Raiders, but it wasn’t based on it.
I don’t doubt the success of Raiders greased the skids, as it were. Actually, most of the shows listed here probably weren’t rip-offs, but had been pitched for a while before the success of a similar-themed movie proved the existence of an audience. I’m not sure how true the cliché of a pitch meeting where someone says “It can’t miss, J.L.! It’s Jaws meets The Exorcist starring the dog from Frasier!” is.
If Tia Carrere’s Relic Hunter was not a rip-off of the Tomb Raider movie (and video game), I’ll… I’ll… I’ll sleep with both Tia and Angelina Jolie! 
There seems to be a connection between Excalibur and Wizards and Warriors, since the latter used the same battle footage.
So will I, by golly! (I don’t like our chances though)
If we’re just talking “inspired by” or “similar to” or “paved the way for,” then we must include the glut of 60s super suave spy series all given life because of the world-wide James Bond phenomenon.
Sir Rhosis
This bet would be an example of “Heads, I lose, tails you win,” I believe.