Based-on-TV flicks crowd theaters

We all have a favorite show. It’s the one around which we schedule our days and risk potential… We all have a favorite show. It’s the one around which we schedule our days and risk potential GPA damage. Ranging from “The Sopranos” to “Jackass,” each favorite show is different yet provides the same basic principle of entertainment.

So what do you do when your favorite show suffers from an overdue or premature cancellation? One of three things, of course. One: Huddle in a corner and cry. Two: Write angry letters and petition the station to revive it (worked for “Family Guy”). Three: Check out the Internet and see if there’s a show-based movie in the works.

While one would be pathetic and two might yield some results or financial ruin thanks to postage costs, three is becoming the more likely choice for studios and writers involved with the show. It’s not necessarily to breathe new life into the franchise but rather to give the show a good sendoff.

Take for example “Firefly.” I’ve never seen an episode, so when it was canceled I really didn’t know what the fuss was about. A few years later, while browsing around Video Warehouse, I came across its film “Serenity.” The box art looked cool enough, and it got decent ratings, so I gave it a try.

I now understand what the fuss was about – the movie was actually quite good. It stood enough on its own that you could call it a movie, yet it introduced the characters in such a fashion that you didn’t have to be properly acquainted with the series before seeing the film (although the big buildup about River’s secret was a little ruined when I borrowed my friend’s “Firefly” DVDs).

Then there’s the better known and insanely controversial “Jackass.” Striking fear in the touchy censors’ hearts and starting a trend of Internet videos starring unnamed yet insane participants, “Jackass” was doomed by the FCC from the start. Giving up on bargaining with them, MTV and the crew pulled the plug on the series.

In doing so, the station paved the way for a cinematic takeover, giving old people heart attacks and ammo for their “moral decline of America” argument. The original film wasn’t just a way to circumvent the censors and do whatever hair-brained yet hilarious stunts the crew wanted, but to give the “Jackass” name a memorable and painful last hurrah.

Well wouldn’t you know? Two movies down and apparently one more in the works. We’ll consider this a grand finale when Phil and Bam Margera finally square off.

And last but not least, the ever popular “X-Files.” This mind bending sci-fi romp through aliens and Bigfoot yielded a movie in 1998 that further built on the central story of Mulder’s obsession with the aliens that kidnapped his sister.

Now that the show’s canceled, the production team and the cast are dusting off their equipment for a final truth-searching in the possible 2008 film, tentatively called “The X-Files: Done One.”

Personally, I’m always saddened by my favorite shows biting the dust when it seems like they are in the prime of their youths. Yet at the same time I wonder how long the writers can milk the material to make the plots seem fresh and addictive to justify the lengthy run (I’m talking about “The Simpsons.” I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t really judge, but if it’s anything like the latest seasons