Some TV revivals to watch for
This June Steve Carell stars in the big screen adaptation of the
1960s TV show
”
Get Smart.
”
It’s just the latest in a long string of movie versions of
classic TV shows. Some are good, like
”
The Fugitive
”
and
”
The Brady Bunch Movie
”
while others are terrible, like
”
The Honeymooners
”
and
”
Wild Wild West
”
with Will Smith.
When I get bored I like to think about my favorite TV shows and
whom I would cast in them if I made the movie versions. So below is
a list of some of my shows and the actors that I would pick to star
in them.
Some TV revivals to watch for
This June Steve Carell stars in the big screen adaptation of the 1960s TV show “Get Smart.” It’s just the latest in a long string of movie versions of classic TV shows. Some are good, like “The Fugitive” and “The Brady Bunch Movie” while others are terrible, like “The Honeymooners” and “Wild Wild West” with Will Smith.
When I get bored I like to think about my favorite TV shows and whom I would cast in them if I made the movie versions. So below is a list of some of my shows and the actors that I would pick to star in them.
The A- Team – Original cast: George Peppard, Mr. T, Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict. My cast: Harrison Ford, Ving Rhames, Michael Keaton and Brad Pitt.
Four Vietnam vets who were wrongly convicted of a crime go on the run and become heroes for hire. I’d update it and make them Iraq war veterans. It would be my big summer movie with lots of explosions and action. John Singleton is actually attached to direct a movie version, but there isn’t a cast list yet.
Baretta – Original Cast: Robert Blake. My cast: Mark Wahlberg.
Tony Barretta was a tough undercover cop who went by his own rules and lived in a fleabag hotel with his pet cockatoo. This could be a gritty film in the tradition of “The French Connection.”
CHiPS – Original Cast: Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. My cast: Wilmer Valderrama and Josh Hartnett.
Ponch and Jon are two CHP officers who patrol the freeways of Southern California on their motorcycles. Valderrama resembles a young Erik Estrada and is in talks to star in a film version, but it’s been put on hold.
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. – Original Cast: Jim Nabors, Frank Sutton. My cast: Will Ferrell and James Caan.
Gomer Pyle is a naïve, bumbling marine who constantly irritates his superior Sgt. Carter. This is the perfect role for Ferrell. He’s always funny and I think that he’ll do a great job.
James Caan is a great actor and he worked well with Ferrell in the movie “Elf.”
Hawaii-Five O – Original cast: Jack Lord. My cast: Matt Damon.
Steve McGarrett leads an elite team on the Honolulu police force as they investigate crimes. After “The Departed” Damon became one of my favorite actors and I think that he would be perfect to take on Jack Lord’s greatest role, plus it would be great to hear the theme song blasting out in movie theaters.
The Jeffersons – Original cast: Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford and Marla Gibbs. My cast: Martin Lawrence, Sherri Shepherd and Wanda Sykes.
George and Louise Jefferson move into a high-class neighborhood after his dry cleaning business becomes a success. Jeff Daniels and Vivica A. Fox would play the married neighbors Tom and Helen Willis.
MacGyver – Original cast: Richard Dean Anderson. My cast: Jake Gyllenhaal.
MacGyver was a secret agent who could make a gadget out of any household item. If you locked him in a jail with a paper clip he could somehow escape. I see this as a big summer blockbuster. Gyllenhall really hasn’t proved that he can carry a movie by himself and this would be a great opportunity for him to shine.
Moonlighting – Original cast: Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. My cast: Vince Vaughn and Heather Graham.
Ex-model Maddie Hayes runs the Blue Moon Detective Agency with her partner the wisecracking David Addison. Vaughn has the same hipster quality that Willis had in the show and Heather Graham proved that she could do comedy with her guest starring roles on “Scrubs.”
The Partridge Family – Original Cast: Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce. My cast: Sheryl Crow, Hillary Duff, Zac Efron and Angus T. Jones.
The Partridge family was a rock band that traveled around to concerts in a psychedelic bus. Single mom Shirley Partridge had her hands full coping with son Keith’s growing fame and wisecracking Danny. Let’s cast Ben Stiller as their agent Ruben Kincaid.
Remington Steele – Original cast: Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan. My cast: Rachel McAdams and Hugh Jackman.
Female detective Laura Holt couldn’t get any clients until one day she invented Remington Steele the fictional owner of her detective agency. Out of the blue a man shows up claiming to be Remington Steele and they become partners. Rachel McAdams is one of the best actresses right now. She was good in “Wedding Crashers” and “Red Eye.” I personally don’t like Hugh Jackman, but my girlfriend loves him and he was funny in the Woody Allen film “Scoop.” This would be a screwball comedy in the tradition of “His Girl Friday.”
The Rockford Files – Original cast: James Garner, Noah Berry Jr. My cast: Ben Affleck, Gene Hackman.
Jim Rockford was an ex-con who worked as a private detective for $200 a day plus expenses. He didn’t like violence and lived in a mobile home on the beach. This is one of the greatest TV shows in history and I would hate to see a crummy movie version made. Ben Affleck has the same easy going charm as James Garner and the same hairstyle. Affleck is a good actor and I think that he would do a great job.
The Six Million-Dollar Man – Original cast: Lee Majors. My cast: Luke Wilson.
Astronaut Steve Majors almost dies test flying a new plane and the U.S. Government rebuilds him using bionic parts. There have been talks to make this into a movie before with Chris Rock or Jim Carrey in the lead role.
Three’s Company – Original cast: John Ritter, Joyce Dewitt and Suzanne Somers. My cast: Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey and Jessica Simpson.
Jack Tripper moves in with Janet and Chrissy and has to pretend to be gay so the landlord will let him stay. The storyline needs to be updated a little, but it can still be made into a funny movie. I would like to see Fran Drescher and George Segal as the Ropers or Woody Allen as Mr. Furley.
