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We've mentioned a remake of Peyton Place, but how about a new one based on (for example) WRITTEN ON THE WIND?
(classic) films or novels that could be used for a new prime time soap opera?
- Thread starter Willie Oleson
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I've occasionally thought THE CARPETBAGGERS, a tawdry potboiler turned into a turgid movie, had potential for a soap: big business meets Hollywood sleaze. But then I guess it's already been done to some extent, since Aaron Spelling's soap TITANS ripped off a lot of its premise from Harold Robbins' novel.
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WRITTEN ON THE WIND was the partial basis for DALLAS -- Michael Filerman cited it, while David Jacobs wanted a Bergman-y "Scenes from a Marriage" thing (which later became KNOTS). Blending "trash" and "art" they "made television."
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For whatever reason, the first one I thought about was A Woman's Face. The high drama of the plot could translate well, and you know there probably wasn't a "happily ever after" for poor Anna post-movie credits.
I guess movies that fall into the "slice of life" category would fit nicely into this too.
I guess movies that fall into the "slice of life" category would fit nicely into this too.
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Giant is probably an obvious one that you could argue has already inspired Dallas.
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Apart from the DALLAS novels, Burt Hirschfeld wrote several glamorous community dramas that could work as an alternative "Flamingo Road".
With a bunch of new characters I could also imagine a soap version of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (that needs to be re-titled IVERSTOWN).
The tragedy from the past could be the setup, kinda how it worked in Falcon Crest and Dirty Sexy Money.
Also, A PLACE IN THE SUN although I'd rewrite the accidental death as a whodunnit.
Btw, why is that so many writers "don't exist" on Wiki?
With a bunch of new characters I could also imagine a soap version of THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (that needs to be re-titled IVERSTOWN).
The tragedy from the past could be the setup, kinda how it worked in Falcon Crest and Dirty Sexy Money.
Also, A PLACE IN THE SUN although I'd rewrite the accidental death as a whodunnit.
Btw, why is that so many writers "don't exist" on Wiki?
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Murder mysteries can focus a season, can't they? And having that mystery in the pilot does so, too, for an entire series.
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The premise of 'Rebecca' could make for a great soap although obviously it would need to go in a different direction than the novel if it was going to become a long running serial. Presumably with Rebecca herself coming back from the dead at some point leading to a kind of Blake/Krystle/Alexis set up. Only this time Rebecca comes back to testify at her own (attempted) murder trial! And she would have genuinely been pregnant allowing for a secret son/daughter return at some point.
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Funny, I had been thinking about Gene Tierney's LAURA. Has it ever been cited as being the inspiration for Twin Peaks?
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Starring Lady Jessica Montford, Eudora Weldon, Harlan Adams and Batman.
Maybe I should check it out.
Also never heard of this one, but I like the description on IMDB.
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I mispelled the first one´s title. Actually its title is "The Young Philadelphians". And yes, it´s worth watching, at least once.
"Duel in the Sun" is like a Greek tragedy, around a love triangle, with lots of types out of the epic melodramas: family of ranchers, seductive foreman, half-breed nymphomaniac, range wars, gun-toting matriarch... (does all these sound familiar to you from somewhere...?). All in vibrant Technicolor, a great score and a finale that belongs to the movie history... Too bad Miss Jones does her usual gestures and silly faces. And what about the publicity...?
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THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY could have been remade as a Howards' Way meets The Sopranos.
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And therein lies the problem with using almost any classic film or even novel as a source -- they're very unlikely to have enough material to support a series that could potentially run for 5+ years. DALLAS successfully drew on many sources: ROMEO & JULIET, Tennessee Williams, WRITTEN ON THE WIND, GIANT. If it had just been a straight adaptation of WIND, it would have dried up fast.
Perhaps a bit outside the scope of your premise, but I've long thought NORTH & SOUTH could have been a great 80s soap. Yea the mini-series were great too, but they dropped a lot of characters and plots from the novels. The three books had enough material to support two seasons each. I'd even argue that budget needn't be a big concern since the show didn't need those big battle scenes; they were boring anyway.
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Similarly, Tales of the City got the miniseries treatment and it was well done. If they had insisted on making it a continuing drama, a decision would have to have been made concerning time progression--namely, would they actually allow time to progress, or would they continue to keep the characters in the "bubble" of the mid-late 1970s? Because if they chose the latter, things would not be so cheery and magical in about five years because, to quote a favorite author of mine, "Then everyone started dying". But if "time stood still" for the characters, that would present another set of problems for the writers. As it was, the miniseries played a lot like a soap opera, what with all the shocking twists and secrets slowly being revealed.
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SUNSET BLVD and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE, obviously.
You need delusional divas front-and-center to draw in the queens and the delusional real-life divas.
Throw in a beer-drinking quarterback romantic interest if you think you need the straight male viewer demographic.
You need delusional divas front-and-center to draw in the queens and the delusional real-life divas.
Throw in a beer-drinking quarterback romantic interest if you think you need the straight male viewer demographic.
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Yes, of course, if we want any longevity to the series. Clearly, she can't commit murder at the end of every episode --- unless she's like a lady DEXTER (a show I've never seen). A serial killer who usually gets away with it.
