10 Other Favorite 80s Series That Deserve Big Screen Treatment

It’s weekend and I’m just chillin’ like hotdamn villain’. Waiting to see what kind of shenanigan will this year’s MTV Movie Awards have for us. Back when I was growing up, where I came from, in my homeland, they only had about 4 major television channels, I’m talkin’ about years ago. And they’d show re-runs from American TV series. I grew up with Hannibal, Murdock, Faceman and B.A. I ate dinner in front of L.A. Law and Hill Street Blues, my friends and I couldn’t wait to get home from our boring junior school in the afternoon just to catch Transformers or G.I. Joe and at night, my folks would be laughing out loud and Rose’s stupidity in The Golden Girls while I was waiting for Benson to go on.

Now Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, and director Joe Carnahan are bringing THE A-TEAM to the big screen, 80s series producer Stephen J. Cannell wants a movie version of THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO and rising comedy movie star Jonah Hill is writing the adapted screenplay for 21 JUMP STREET The Movie.

So I’m thinking… what about the others?
I’ve compiled 10 other favorite 80s series of mine that I think should be turned into a movie. With the right theatrical elements, these titles could work great. Now granted, it’s been a while since the last time I’ve watched any of these shows, so please correct me if I may have overlooked some details and feel free to suggest me a title that I didn’t get to mention but you think deserves to be on this list. Check them out after the jump…

10. OUT OF THIS WORLD

The original series plot was about this girl named Evie Garland whose mom was all human but her dad was an alien from outerspace. Because of this combo parentage, she possessed certain cool abilities like stopping time by putting her index fingers together and she can transport herself from one place to another. She lived with her mom and she talked to her dad using a crystal cube.

Ok, I know, OUT OF THIS WORLD Movie sounds like something that should go straight to DVD. But hey, if Race To Witch Mountain could get another shot at the theater, then why can’t this?! It could also be about secret government group that’s trying to hunt her down and turn her into a lab rat, a case study. The only one who’s helping her escape is her boyfriend but the bad guys try get to her by capturing her mom. Along the way, she finds out that her dad actually has left her with even more new awesome abilities.
I always thought Kristen Bell looks just like the teen actress who played Evie, Maureen Flannigan. Maybe the story could be about her in college.

9. MOONLIGHTING

The original series was about a broke, ex-model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) who only had a run-down detective agency as a property that she was determined to sell but the agency’s only detective, the cocky David Addison (Bruce Willis) convinced her to join the team. What we got were 4 classic seasons about two individuals who couldn’t stand each other but had to work together to solve crimes. All the while we were left wondering whether there were feelings between them at all and would they ever become a couple.

After the show got canceled, many series came and went that have tried to do the same by presenting two opposing male-female individuals in an investigative world. Bones is one example and Castle is the most recent one. But what about MOONLIGHTING The movie people?! I don’t know about you but Vince Vaughn is what come to mind as David Addison and I’m thinking Kate Hudson as Maddie Hayes. 2 people with comedic timing. It could be comedy/thriller/action, written and directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)

8. MAGNUM P.I.

The original series was about an ex-navy vietnam vet Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) who ended up in Hawaii, lived in a rich man’s estate and got a PI license. Each episode was about him dealing with clients and all kinds of humorous, dangerous adventures, and good lookin’ girls. He got help from his friends, even from the British caretaker, Higgins who thought Magnum was a leech but Magnum and Higgins secretly have respect for each other.

Talks about having a MAGNUM P.I. Movie have been going for quite some time, at one point I heard they were thinking of casting Matthew McConaughey as the private eye with the mustache. I still think McConaughey would be perfect for the role, especially after seeing his performance in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Who wouldn’t wanna watch a thriller in the beautiful Hawaii, anyway?! All we got with that backdrop has always been romantic comedy like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 50 First Dates. The last investigative thriler I remember was set in Hawaii was The Big Bounce and that was a big flop.

7. KNIGHT RIDER

I’m sure most of us still remember what the original series was about. A lawman named Michael was given a new identity and a new face by a rich benefactor named Devon Miles. Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) was then hired to fight crimes using the one equipment that went down in history as one of the coolest talking cars ever, K.I.T.T. A hot brunette named Bonnie was the mechanic. Every episode, Michael in K.I.T.T. drove out of the expensive huge truck and all we wanted to see was what awesome things that K.I.T.T. could do that day.

The new series that was launched not too long ago got canceled, I blame it on the fact that the stories were lame, and they made the car too unreal, plus actor Justin Bruening didn’t even come close to how cool the Hoffman was years ago. So let’s take it up a notch and bring this baby to the big screen, shall we?! We already got Jason Statham driving a BMW and an Audi in Transporter movies and a post-apocalyptic Mustang battle car in Death Race, so why not have him drive a brand spankin’ new K.I.T.T.?!
Katie Holmes could play Bonnie and I’ve always wanted this to be Sean Connery‘s return to movies, he could play Devon Miles.

6. ALF

Ha! Remember this one? Vaguely maybe. It was about a furry, arrogant, wisecrackin’ alien named Alf who becomes a member of the Tanner family. Just keep your cats hidden, otherwise they might become Alf’s lunch. It was simply one of the funniest things I watched as a kid.

This might be the craziest, silliest idea for a movie version that’s on this list. I mean, if you ask me, I still don’t have a clue as to how we could actually make ALF into something that’s larger than life. Unless it’ll be another outrageous take on E.T. or Mac and Me. Or maybe we could have The Tanner family end up in Alf’s home planet Melmac where we’ll meet thousands of different kinds of Alf’s and their various hilarity.

5. NIGHT COURT

This wasn’t your average courtroom because the cases were bizarre crimes, Judge Stone was different from others, and there were unique oddball characters that we’d see in each episode including those who assisted Stone (Harry Anderson).

Some of the cast of Night Court made a guest appearance on one of the episodes of 30 Rock and I thought boy wouldn’t it be funny if Judd Apatow and his gang could take on the big screen version of NIGHT COURT. It could be one of those movies with lots of supporting cast, each with their own stories but they’re connected by one strange case. It’ll be like Crash but with Apatow people (Rogen, Hill, Mann, Heigl, Carell, Banks, Rudd) where they have their own silly dillemas and the only thing they have in common is the court. Jason Segel could play Judge Stone.

4. DUCK TALES

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to jump into an ocean of gold coins and literally swim in money like what Scrooge McDuck did in the opening theme. Sunday morning cartoon was about finding out what Uncle Scrooge, Hewey, Dewey, and Louie were up to that day or what adventures were they experiencing with the help of the dumb but skilled pilot, Launch McQuack.

The trend now is hybrid, a combo of CG and live action ala Alvin and the Chipmunks. Even the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is thinking about doing the same style. DUCK TALES the movie could have the characters look like that but with real world setting. Besides, they’ll be out in the jungle looking for treasures or Scrooge trying to get his money back from Beagle Boys, while Donald Duck yelling, worrying about his nephews. It’ll be a 90 minute roller coaster ride.

3. AIRWOLF

Yes! if Knight Rider was about the coolest car, AIRWOLF was about the coolest helicopter! Ya see.. back in the 80s, most of the characters’ background or motivation was influenced by Vietnam war. In the series, renegade pilot Stringfellow Hawke got his hands on the most sophisticated helicopter on earth, it could fly halfway across the world and go faster than a jetplane, it could also do all kinds of surprising maneuvers. He promised to complete every mission for the agency as long as the agency was looking for his brother who’s M.I.A. in Vietnam.

Paging Jerry Bruckheimer! Only him and director Tony Scott can pull this off. A big screen version of AIRWOLF would be the next summer blockbuster and young generation won’t even have to familiarize themselves with the old series. No more Vietnam War connection.. completely new take and I’m even picturing Chris Pine as the new pilot

2. SPENCER FOR HIRE

The original series starred the late Robert Urich as Spencer, a private investigator living in Boston. Solving murder mystery cases each episode with his sharp deductive reasoning, observation and the help of his friend Hawk (Avery Brooks). This was one of the few series they showed at at night. My folks wouldn’t let me watch that late so I had to sneak out a lot when they were asleep, just so I could watch it quietly downstairs.

Finally, after comedy, drama, animated and action, this list deserves a murder mystery movie full of suspense, we could make it noir with an unexpected psychological twist. Nothing supernatural, it’s a serial killer that’s so smart, he’s messing with Spencer’s mind and his life. Most of the story will take place in the night until before dawn. Something artful ala Steven Soderbergh. Spencer could be someone who you’d consider a deadbeat P.I. until he’s hired to crack the case that could help renew his tarnished reputation, Sam Rockwell would be the man for this job. Terrence Howard as his sidekick Hawk

1. QUANTUM LEAP

Technically, QUANTUM LEAP was more like the early 90s show but since it did start in late 80s, I’d still call it an 80s series. Each week we got to see Sam (Scott Bakula) leap from one body to another, experiencing life in various time periods, to fix history. Sometimes he even finds himself as a woman. The only person helping him out was the holographic Al (Dean Stockwell). Al’s famous for that calculator-lookin’ device he had in his hand that would tell him what Sam must do before he could make another leap. Sam would have to keep making things right in hopes that his next leap would take him back home.

QUANTUM LEAP was one of the most interesting take on time travel. Usually we’d get a person go back in time as himself again but not in a body of another person, so in a way, the show was groundbreaking. Hands down, for the movie version, Sam should be played by Luke Wilson and Al should be played by Jack Black. These two know how to play drama and comedy. Edgar Wright should direct. A winning team!