There’s a lot nice TV on the market, and most isn’t derived from legacy franchises.
Prime Video didn’t appear to get the memo as a result of it continues to deliver these glorious properties again to screens with out the fun of their predecessor.
The newest effort, Merciless Intentions, primarily based on the hit film of the identical title, premiered in November 2024 and was just about ignored.
The 2024 model of Merciless Intentions was a below-average teen drama at finest, enjoying out extra like Max’s canceled Gossip Woman reboot, which had some redeeming qualities on the very least.
The 1999 Merciless Intentions had a compelling plot and a forged that included Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair.
Because the lame follow-up motion pictures can attest, you may’t reinvent the wheel with out the forged that made it so successful within the first place.
The unique film captivated audiences as a result of it pushed the envelope, however was buoyed by genuinely compelling characters who had some improbable actors bringing them to life.
That’s to not say Prime Video’s Merciless Intentions didn’t have good appearing. Sarah Catherine Hook is at present handing over a stellar efficiency on The White Lotus Season 3.
Savannah Lee Smith Was the Primary Attraction of Merciless Intentions
Savannah Lee Smith was the most effective a part of the Gossip Woman reboot as a result of she understood the task and used her craft to raise the shaky materials, however actors can solely accomplish that a lot with poor writing.
Amazon has deep pockets, so buying the rights to legacy franchises should really feel like pocket change for its streaming platform. Nonetheless, it appears to neglect that these costlier properties want a bigger-than-average viewers to interrupt even.
This feeds right into a broader drawback with Prime Video as an entire. The platform appears to assume that utilizing these names on sequence will get subscribers and viewers, however the actuality is that the world has modified.
As soon as upon a time, a teen drama, notably on streaming, might simply break via as a result of the viewers consumes these reveals and talks about them throughout social media, producing a dialog.
Nevertheless, the streaming platform appears to neglect that it has to make these reveals price watching.
Keep in mind Prime Video’s I Know What You Did Final Summer time? It had zero similarities to the unique film and was swiftly canceled after a single season.
Prime Video Can’t Deal with Well-liked Franchises
When you use a well-liked IP, no less than use the story to craft one thing that can problem viewer expectations and received’t be forgotten a number of years later.
Within the phrases of Sidney Prescott, “Don’t f–okay with the unique.”
Now that Amazon has secured the rights to the James Bond franchise, there’s already a lot trepidation about whether or not the franchise will likely be sliced and diced to the purpose that we don’t know what it’s any longer.
Then there’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy, a sequence that’s epic in scale, nevertheless it’s been shackled by being related to the legacy franchise.
Admittedly, it’s a nice present, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel like the identical universe because the books or the flicks, and I’ll die on the hill that it solely earned a Season 3 renewal in order that Amazon might save face.
Keep in mind when it was picked up? Prime Video dedicated to a five-season deal, and ending that early could be admitting that the present hasn’t reached expectations.
Even probably the most diehard followers had been frightened when there was radio silence for months following the second season, and there was no phrase on a renewal.
Fortunately for these followers, a 3rd season is formally within the works.
Over to you, TV Fanatics! What are your ideas on Prime Video ruining legacy IP? Do you assume Merciless Intentions would have been successful with out the legacy film title?
Hit the feedback.