# TV shows that were originally plays, movies, books, or radio shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722 "2006-02-23T02:07:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![12\_buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/4491bb/32.png) [@12\_buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/12_buzz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/1 "2006-02-23T02:07:10Z")
TV shows are now often revived as movies, but TV shows were/are sometimes based on successful runs in other formats. Some of the oldies, for example: The Odd Couple was a play and movie first The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a radio show Lassie was from the book and movie Lassie Come Home Others include … ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/2 "2006-02-23T02:26:44Z")
Plenty of 1950s TV shows transferred over from radio: **Dragnet** (!) \*\*Amos and Andy Jack Benny\*\* **Barefoot in the Park** was a Neil Simon play, then movie, then TV show. **The Hot L Baltimore** is the odd case of a play tha went direct to TV without being a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/3 "2006-02-23T03:03:54Z")
_Little House on the Praire_-book series, based on the real life experience of the Ingalls family _M_A_S_H\*-originally a movie ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/4 "2006-02-23T03:09:16Z")
Let’s see. Just off the top of my head: **Gunsmoke** **The Lone Ranger** Both were radio shows well before coming to TV ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/5 "2006-02-23T03:14:56Z")
**Stargate SG1** ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/6 "2006-02-23T03:15:52Z")
_The Ghost and Mrs Muir_ was a movie before the serie ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/7 "2006-02-23T03:38:37Z")
I believe the BBC show [Absolute Power](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_Power_%28comedy%29) with Stephen Fry was a BBC4 Radio show before it was on tv ---
**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:** [February 23, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/8 "2006-02-23T03:39:42Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > _M_A_S_H\*-originally a movie Originally a book, actually. Then a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/9 "2006-02-23T03:52:48Z")
Even **I Love Lucy** kind of had its roots in radio, via **My Favorite Husband**. I think most popular radio shows from the era had TV incarnations, even if they’re not well remembered today – I believe George Burns and Gracie Allen were on TV as well. I think **The Brady Bunch** was inspired by the movie **Yours Mine and Ours**. There were TV cartoon versions of **Ghostbusters** and **Beetlejuice** , and probably others. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/10 "2006-02-23T04:07:53Z")
A few shows based on movies… Delta House was the TV version of Animal House Planet of the Apes had a short lived TV series based on it ---
**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:** [February 23, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/11 "2006-02-23T04:20:56Z")
**The Young Indiana Jones Adventures** (movie) **I Remember Mama** (radio and movie) **The Farmer’s Daughter** (movie) **Twelve O’Clock High** (movie) **Topper** (book and movie series) **Ferris Bueller** (movie) **Adventures in Paradise** (book by James Mitchener) **Batman** (comic books, movies) **Adventures of Superman** (comic books, movie serials, radio show) **The Green Hornet** (radio show) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/12 "2006-02-23T05:14:56Z")
_Please Don’t Eat the Daisies_ (book then movie) _Mortal Kombat_ (video game then movie) _Blade_ (comic book character then movies, TV later this year) ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/13 "2006-02-23T07:56:32Z")
_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ was a movie first _Alice_ was based on the movie “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/14 "2006-02-23T07:57:41Z")
_Homicide: Life on the Streets_ arose out of a non-fiction book by David Simon about a year in the life of Balitimore PD’s Homicide division (_Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets_). Much of first couple seasons are based on actual events covered by the book. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2006, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/15 "2006-02-23T08:39:30Z")
Well, **The Howard Stern Show** on E! was originally a radio show, I’m told. And **Mad TV** has some connection to a popular children’s magazine. **The West Wing** is arguably an outgrowth of **The American President**. PBS’s **Mystery!** , **Adventures of Sherlock Holmes** and **Masterpiece Theater** invariably adapt popular novels. **The Lost World** claims an Arthur Conan Doyle novel as its inspiration, and there was a **Conan the Barbarian** show in syndication starring a guy who looked like a muscular Al Bundy. It was based on the stories of Robert E. Howard. **The Waltons** had its origins in an Earl Hamner novel called **Spencer’s Mountainb**. **The Addams Family** and **My World and Welcome To It** both had their origins in **New Yorker** cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Otanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Otanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanx)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/16 "2006-02-23T09:37:33Z")
Nobody mentioned \*\*Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy{/B] yet? Or is it not considered a TV show as they only made 6 episodes? -Otanx ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/17 "2006-02-23T10:46:58Z")
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 1961 film 1964 tv show. ---
**Author:** ![12\_buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/4491bb/32.png) [@12\_buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/12_buzz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/18 "2006-02-23T20:02:46Z")
> [@Otanx](#): > > Nobody mentioned \*\*Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy{/B] yet? Or is it not considered a TV show as they only made 6 episodes? > > -Otanx The movie followed the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/19 "2006-02-23T20:11:01Z")
" And Mad TV has some connection to a popular children’s magazine." I take exception to that…Mad is not just a children’s magazine. I haven’t missed an issue since 1987 myself. I do think that the show should be called something else, since it is nowhere near as funny as the magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722/20 "2006-02-23T20:18:08Z")
**War of the Worlds Rocket Robin Hood** well, maybe not the rocket part, but still… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-were-originally-plays-movies-books-or-radio-shows/345722.md?page=2)