Roku UK: Great movies based on classic TV series

With rumours circulating around the possibility of a Game of Thrones feature film, we thought we’d take a look at some of the TV shows which actually made it to the big screen.

Here are just three of our favourite movies that have been inspired by a television series, along with the Roku channels you can find them on…

Starsky & Hutch (2004. Starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg)
Based on: Starsky & Hutch, 1975-1979, (ABC)

The original ‘70s TV series Starsky & Hutch is, for many, the definitive ‘American cop show’. Centred around two Californian police detectives, -the streetwise and brooding David Starsky and his intellectual partner Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson, each episode brought us cool tales of crime fighting and flashes of a red Ford Gran Torino (aka ‘the striped tomato’).

Todd Phillips’ 2004 feature film remake captures the spirit of the original series perfectly. As Ben Stiller takes on the role of Starsky and Owen Wilson stars as Hutch, we see the duo bust drug criminals on the streets of Bay City.

Available on NOW TV, Sky Store and Google Play

21 Jump Street (2012. Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum)
Based on: 21 Jump Street, 1987 – 1991 (Fox Network)

21 Jump Street first appeared on our TV screens in the late ‘80s as a lively police drama series, following a squad of young undercover cops as they investigated crimes in high schools and colleges. It was popular in its day, not least for introducing the world to a fresh-faced Johnny Depp.

In the 2012 film version, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as cops Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, who masquerade as high-school students to shut down a dangerous drug ring. A smart take on the ‘teen movie’ genre, this film offers plenty of laughs along the way. Johnny Depp even makes a cameo appearance as Officer Tom Hanson.

Available on Sky Store, Google Play and Sainsbury’s Entertainment

The Addams Family (1991. Starring Anjelica Huston, Raúl Juliá, Christopher Lloyd)
Based on: The Addams Family 1964 – 1966 (ABC)

Inspired by the work of macabre cartoonist, Charles Addams, The Addams Family is one of the most popular TV series of all time with original episodes still popping up on our screens some 50 years after they were first aired.  Each episode delivers tales of a bizarre family, headed by Morticia and Gomez Addams, whose members include Lurch, the monosyllabic butler, morose daughter Wednesday, the not-quite-right son Pugsley and dynamite fanatic Uncle Fester. Oh, and a disembodied hand known as ‘Thing’.

Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 feature film stays true to the ethos of the 1960s series but takes full advantage of modern cinematic techniques to ramp up the goth-factor. Anjelica Huston and Raúl Juliá star as Morticia and Gomez, while Christopher Lloyd excels in his performance as eccentric Uncle Fester.

Available on Netflix and Google Play