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6 MORE rubbish TV remakes of classic movies

Photo credit: ABC
Photo credit: ABC

From Digital Spy

Movies have made the leap to TV on many occasions, with mixed success. And often, these remakes, sequels or prequels are pretty damn good – just look at the likes of Fargo or Bates Motel.

But sadly, this isn't always the case. There have been many times where classic movies have had a dodgy small screen tweak. We've already looked at the likes of RoboCop, Rush Hour and even Casablanca, and it turns out there are even more turkeys:

1. Snatch

Photo credit: Crackle / Columbia Pictures
Photo credit: Crackle / Columbia Pictures

You'd think they would have learnt their lesson after the terrible TV remake that was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but nope – Guy Ritchie's other great gangster movie has had its own TV update.

This time, it went down the Fargo route of taking the overall atmosphere and premise of the original film rather than bringing back past characters. However, the Crackle (yeah, that TV channel you've most definitely not got or know how to access) series had pale imitations of the original cast.

While the original had Brad Pitt, Jason Statham and Benicio del Toro, the remake has Dougray Scott, Rupert Grint and Luke Pasqualino.

Worst of all: it's not actually been cancelled. So, catch the second season... somehow.

2. Dirty Dancing

Photo credit: Vestron / ABC
Photo credit: Vestron / ABC

We're not being over the top when we say that this might be the worst thing to happen on TV in all of 2017. And we've seen Channel 4's Host the Week.

Quite what possessed ABC to make an almost shot-for-shot remake of the classic 1980s teen drama is beyond us. It wasn't even done live like other recent remakes (like Grease or The Sound of Music).

Instead, it was horrifically cast, lacked the heart of the original, had terrible dance moves, was far too long, and even featured the cast SINGING the 'Time of My Life' climax. The only reason we'd recommend watching this is if you watch it immediately after the original. Then, it's hilarious.

While we're here, Dirty Dancing already had a rubbish TV version back in 1988 (featuring director Paul Feig as Norman). Leave Baby alone!

3. Gone with the Wind

Photo credit: MGM / CBS
Photo credit: MGM / CBS

Now, this TV sequel wasn't necessarily awful, just wrong. It was never ever going to live up to the original 1939 film, aka literally the world's most successful movie.

Scarlett was a 1994 six-hour miniseries on CBS, and was loosely based on the 1991 book of the same name written by Alexandra Ripley, and was officially a sequel to Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel, Gone with the Wind.

While the original film starred Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, the sequel featured former Bond actor Timothy Dalton and Willow actress Joanne Whalley. No disrespect to either of them, but they're no Gable or Leigh. (Not as bad as Jennifer Love Hewitt playing Audrey Hepburn, but it's up there.)

4. Uncle Buck (twice)

Photo credit: ABC / Universal
Photo credit: ABC / Universal

Uncle Buck is by no means the best comedy movie ever made, but it had a certain charm. And anything starring John Candy and written by John Hughes is going to be worth your time.

They've tried to turn the film about an upper-middle-class man's slobby brother looking after his nieces and nephews into a TV show twice, and both times they flopped.

The first time saw Kevin Meaney playing Buck, and made the whole thing rather miserable by actually killing off his brother and sister-in-law. And Uncle Buck without John Candy? No thanks. It was cancelled after 16 episodes, with six remaining unaired.

Mike Epps then starred in a new version in 2016, but again it was met with largely negative reactions, and was axed after just eight episodes.

5. Bad Teacher

Photo credit: CBS / Columbia Pictures
Photo credit: CBS / Columbia Pictures

Here's an example where the source material wasn't even that great to begin with. The movie version was released in 2011, and starred Cameron Diaz as a gold-digging, drug-abusing teacher. It wasn't the worst comedy of all time, but it certainly didn't need any follow-ups.

But then in 2014, CBS unveiled a TV show of the same name loosely based on the movie. Diaz wasn't back, and it instead starred Fringe's Ari Graynor as a different teacher altogether.

Sara Gilbert and Kristin Davis also featured in the show, which saw the title character left with nothing following a divorce, and so she comes up with a plan to get back her lifestyle by faking a teaching career in the hopes of marrying a rich father. Lovely.

It didn't go down well, and it was axed after just three episodes. The remaining episodes later aired as part of a summer burn-off period (essentially when networks are desperate for material).

6. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Photo credit: Buena Vista / ABC
Photo credit: Buena Vista / ABC

This cult comedy from 1997 actually had an earlier life on TV. The title characters originally featured in a play titled Ladies Room, and Lisa Kudrow and Christie Mellor filmed a pilot for a TV version called Just Temporary, but it didn't get picked up.

Eight years after the film's release, ABC Family attempted to bring back Romy and Michele for a TV prequel.

They attempted the backdoor-pilot route, creating a one-off film that would serve as the first episode of a potential full series. Titled Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, it featured Romy and Michele as they graduated in 1987, and again three years later as they took on Los Angeles.

Grey's Anatomy's Katherine Heigl played Romy, while The Walking Dead's Alexandra Breckenridge played Michele. However, the film was panned by critics, had low ratings, and thus the whole idea was scrapped.


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