# TV shows ripped off from movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218 "2004-12-10T22:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/1 "2004-12-10T22:15:45Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/2 "2004-12-10T22:18:47Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > The Flintstones \>\> The Honeymooners These are both TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/3 "2004-12-10T22:19:23Z")
Oh, I finally remembered the one I was forgetting: Happy Days \>\> American Graffiti ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/4 "2004-12-10T22:23:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/5 "2004-12-10T22:27:10Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > Oh, I finally remembered the one I was forgetting: > > Happy Days \>\> American Graffiti _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_. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/6 "2004-12-10T22:29:53Z")
“What’s Happening?” (yes, the show with Raj, Dwayne, and Re-Run) was inspired by/based on the movie “Cooley High”. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/7 "2004-12-10T22:46:28Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > These are both TV shows. :smack: :smack: double- :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/8 "2004-12-10T22:48:36Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/9 "2004-12-10T23:04:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Happy Days was spun off from an episode of Love: American Style 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. > [@](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/10 "2004-12-10T23:09:18Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/11 "2004-12-10T23:20:45Z")
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_. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/12 "2004-12-10T23:36:56Z")
McCloud \>\> Coogan’s Bluff. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/13 "2004-12-11T00:05:52Z")
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_. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/14 "2004-12-11T00:09:21Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > 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_. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/15 "2004-12-11T00:30:05Z")
> [@Odinoneeye](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/16 "2004-12-11T00:58:50Z")
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! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/17 "2004-12-11T01:28:35Z")
There seems to be a connection between **Excalibur** and **Wizards and Warriors** , since the latter used the same battle footage. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/18 "2004-12-11T01:53:19Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > 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! 😃 So will I, by golly! (I don’t like our chances though) ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/19 "2004-12-11T02:16:41Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218/20 "2004-12-11T02:19:02Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > 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! 😃 This bet would be an example of “Heads, I lose, tails you win,” I believe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-ripped-off-from-movies/279218.md?page=2)