TORONTO — Once upon a time, a TV series finale meant that fans would probably never again see their favourite characters experience new adventures.
But the gals from Sex and the City have now reincarnated themselves twice on the big screen and the swan song of 24, The Sopranos, and Corner Gas brought about near immediate buzz about possible movie followups.
Such projects are distinct from recent reboots like the last Star Trek film, Fame, Get Smart, and the upcoming A-Team extravaganza where stars, characters and premises are reinvented for a new audience.
Industry watcher Peter Vamos credits smart show creators with stopping at the top of their game rather than running a series into the ground, knowing there can be a lucrative life beyond TV.
“Sex and the City ran its course and probably if they just kept going they’d start to lose viewers and eventually it would get cancelled,” says Vamos, director of the upcoming Banff World Television Festival.
“So the smarter thing (to say) is, ‘Let’s go out on top and then give them something more. The appetite will be much stronger if we then throw something out there for them to consume rather than just letting this thing run down like MASH.”’
“They’re becoming more savvy on how to use different platforms, how to engage audiences and really just keep the conversation going.”
Some series end on such a high that the big screen is the only place that can afford the rising-star cast, notes Corner Gas writer Paul Mather.
Michael Cera earned a devoted group of fans when he played the awkward George Michael on Arrested Development, catapulting him to even bigger fame as he played variations of the same character in such popcorn hits as Juno, Super Bad and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
“Once the salaries go up and up and up and up it might approach a threshold where it makes more sense to do a movie instead of a TV show anyway,” says Mather.
Bottom line is a strong determinant, especially in this tight economy, adds industry consultant Larry Gerbrandt, who runs Media Valuation Partners.
“It is so incredibly expensive to create a brand that if you’ve got one that you think you can dust off and make work, whether it’s with the original cast or with a new cast after 30 years.... I think that’s pragmatism,” Gerbrandt says from Los Angeles.
Mather notes that the line between TV and film has blurred considerably, making the transition between mediums even more fluid.
Film stars like Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment) and Tim Roth (Lie To Me) are among those anchoring small screen series, while TV storylines embark on ever ambitious arcs with budgets that rival big-screen counterparts.
“Network hour-long shows in the States are becoming so... feature-like that it makes a lot of sense,” says Mather.
“(When) you spend a lot of money developing all this media property you’re going to want to exploit it by turning it into a movie.”
Among the recent TV hits surrounded by movie talk are 24, Arrested Development, and Entourage.
Vamos explains the extended life of a TV hit as an offshoot of the transmedia phenomenon, in which many series continue their storyline through other media such as webisodes, blogs and books.
“The language is changing, the way people are engaging is changing,” he says.
“The plot moves forward in different forms but it’s not a new thing — it’s the next phase, just on a different platform.”
Mather says he was surprised that “Corner Gas” fans clamoured for a theatrical take as soon as the Canadian series ended its six-year run last year.
“I think people loved ‘Corner Gas’ and they want to see it come back or they were sad to see it go, which is very flattering,” he says, adding there are no definite plans for a return to Dog River.
“But it is a little odd because it’s like you just finished the thing.... But I think it’s kind of a nice idea, if you love a show and it goes away, that you can come back and it’s like a little gift where you can have it for two hours or something every two years or however long it takes them to make sequels.”