7 Games That Would Make Great TV Series

LA Noire

When it was released back in 2011, LA Noire already felt like a bit like a TV show. LA Noire entered a world where Mad Men was just starting to boom with popularity. Since the game contained a bunch of that show’s cast and took place roughly around the same time, it felt like some alternate version of the hit show. Now that Mad Men is officially over it would be the perfect time for a real reunion and for a TV adaptation of LA Noire with the entire cast joining together to reprise all their roles.

It would be more than just Mad Men fan service however. LA Noire could make for a fantastic TV series. Each episode could be one case and the story of complicated lead Cole Phelps could play out through the season (or seasons). LA Noire jumped the player around to several different time periods and fast forwarded through sizable chunks of Cole’s life. The TV series would be completely free to slow down and go more in depth with not only Cole but all the characters.

This post was originally authored by Derek Stauffer.

The Last of Us

There have been murmurs of a big screen adaptation of The Last of Us almost since the game was released. The Last of Us really belongs on the small screen not the big screen. In a world where The Walking Dead is one of the most popular shows around, The Last of Us would fit in perfectly. A movie would likely rush the incredible slow burn that is Joel and Ellie’s relationship. The show could really take its time with the central duo and expand things outside of what fans saw in the game.

All the big moments from the games could be there and it could even follow the same central premise, Joel has to get Ellie to the Fireflies. Otherwise The Last of Us TV show would and should be free to explore the destroyed but oddly beautifully post-apocalyptic world of the game. The Last of Us shouldn’t be designed to go on forever but there is way too much story to be confined to a single movie, especially with the sequel on the horizon.

Overwatch

Everytime Blizzard releases one of their animated short films that explore the lore of Overwatch, fans start clamoring for a full-length feature film. While an Overwatch movie could be great a TV show would be fantastic. The series probably wouldn’t be able to handle same level of animation as the shorts for budget reasons. It might also have to switch from 3D to 2D animation but if Overwatch fans can pour over comics they can handle Reaper doing his death blossom on just one plane of animation.

There is no limit to the type of stories that an Overwatch series could tell. The show could cover everything from the organization’s origins to the “present day” adventures and even the individual backstories of the huge cast of characters. It is because of that huge cast that a TV show is required. An Overwatch movie would only appeal to fans of the game who have at least a passing familiarity with all the characters. An average movie goer would likely be completely lost. A TV show could take its time and make sure the audience knows their Widowmaker from their Soldier 76.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars will always reign supreme on the big screen. With shows like Rebels and The Clone Wars it has been proven that bigger isn’t always better with Star Wars. There is plenty of room in a galaxy far, far away on the small screen. Disney will likely never take that big of a gamble with one of their Star Wars movie projects to adapt a story that relatively few people know and love. This makes the story of the first Knights of the Old Republic game, arguably one of the best Star Wars stories ever, perfect for a TV show.

It could be animated like Rebels and Clone Wars or there could finally be a live-action Star Wars TV show but all that matters for a Knights of the Old Republic show is that it nails the characters. Knights of the Old Republic is much more about the relationships you build with your crew and their backstories than any gameplay. The story of your character is emotional and engaging no matter if you decide to be a Jedi or Sith. As long as Bastilla, Carth and of course HK-47 are as interesting and complex as they are in the game there is no reason a TV show wouldn’t become as beloved as the game.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption, with good reason, is considered one of the best video game stories of all time. It is begging for the larger recognition a live-action adaption can provide. Considering the sweeping epic feel of the game a TV show is the way to go, not a movie. The gruff male anti-hero isn’t quite as popular as he once was  on TV but John Marston fits and adds new layers to that popular mold. A TV show could really begin with any moment in Marston’s life. Whether it is his days with the gang that was only hinted at in the game, the time period and story of the game, or some combination of both, there is a lot of material to mine. Even a shot for shot adaptation of the Undead Nightmare DLC would work.

There hasn’t been a (successful) Western on TV since HBO’s Deadwood. There have been elements of Westerns in certain shows like Justified. (Sidenote: Timothy Olyphant would make a fantastic John Marston.) Red Dead Redemption TV show could be the revival that the genre needs to become relevant. The show would scratch an itch that no one is trying to go after as well as give fans of the game another reason to fall in love with its story and main character again.

Resident Evil

Resident Evil already has some live-action adaptations in the form of the ridiculous, but still vaguely fun, movie series. Yet just like Resident Evil 7 allowed the series to get back in touch with its horror roots, an excellent TV show could do the same. The smaller and more intimate scale of a TV show would force a Resident Evil adaptation to move away from the spectacle and popcorn flick stunts of the Milla Jovovich movies. A TV show focus on what really matters for Resident Evil, scaring the crap out of the audience.

There is enough story in the games that a TV show could run for years and years. It could start with the story of the first game or the Racoon City prequel and just move down the timeline. This approach might even fix the story of the later games. Since he is played by an actual human being, Chris Redfield wouldn’t become some incredible superhuman with arms the size of most small children, he’d just be a normal (but likely still incredibly handsome) man. There is certainly an audience for horror and the supernatural on TV. A Resident Evil TV show could rise up to do what shows like American Horror Story and Stranger Things haven’t even attempted.

Fallout

One of the joys in playing the Fallout series is having your character come across some wonderfully weird settlement or character in the wasteland. Though it takes place in world that have been ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, Fallout is a game series that is brimming with life. A TV show that takes one of the strange side stories from the games and expands on it could be nothing short of extraordinary. Imagine an entire slice-of-life TV show about the residents of Megaton from Fallout 3, or the rise of the Minutemen from Fallout 4 or even a story about the formation of New Vegas.

It is an idea that some Fallout fans might be cautious about approaching. One of the reasons that the small side stories are so compelling is that they are small. They are not really designed to be expanded upon or developed. Megaton is supposed to be just a blip in the Lone Wanderer’s journey. If handled in the right way a Fallout TV show about one small aspect of the gigantic world could be just as memorable as any main storyline from the games.