A 1980s Trend Followed By Back To The Future, Ghostbusters & Beetlejuice Has Aged Remarkably Well 4 Decades Later

Although few theatrical franchises receive animated TV spinoffs like Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters did, this ’80s trend predicted major change in 2020s Hollywood. While the blockbuster may have been born in the ‘70s with hits like Jaws, Star Wars, and Alien, the ‘80s was where the movie franchise truly flourished. The aforementioned hits all received sequels that expanded their fictional worlds and earned staggering sums at the box office, but the decade was also home to a slew of huge franchises that continue to this day. These include the Ghostbusters movies, the Gremlins series, and the Back to the Future franchise.

Related

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Shows That Tim Burton Will Probably Never Repeat His $1Bn Hit, And That’s A Good Thing

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a huge box office hit, and its success proves that Tim Burton is better off staying away from mega budget blockbusters.

From Rambo to Robocop to Mad Max to Indiana Jones to The Terminator, the ‘80s was a halcyon period for blockbuster franchises. Although some of the best ‘80s movies never received a follow-up, the decade was nonetheless instrumental in popularizing the concept of sequels, reboots, spin-offs, prequels, and assorted other IP extensions. This is without even mentioning the ‘80s horror franchises whose low budgets and high box office returns often resulted in them gaining upwards of half a dozen sequels. Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Children of the Corn all reliably churned out follow-ups.

Many Major 1980s Movies Received Animated TV Sequels

Everything From Robocop To Rambo Received An Animated TV Spinoff

However, one thing that these R-rated horror franchises were less likely to spawn was animated TV spinoffs. From The Real Ghostbusters to Robocop, gaining an animated TV show spinoff aimed at children was a rite of passage for major ‘80s movie franchises. Some of these, like Rambo’s infamous TV spinoff The Force of Freedom, diverged wildly from the tone of their source material. Even Troma’s infamously explicit and gruesome The Toxic Avenger somehow received a spinoff cartoon aimed at children, although Toxic Crusaders altered the style and tone of the original movie series beyond any recognition.

Many of these spinoffs allowed popular franchises with only a handful of theatrical outings a comparatively inexpensive way to expand their fictional universes. Shows like The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Back to the Future, Teen Wolf, The Karate Kid, and Police Academy offered viewers chances to catch up with their favorite characters as they embarked on shorter weekly adventures. This made their respective movies more popular in the rental market by building on their stories. Others, like Robocop, Toxic Crusaders, and Rambo: The Force of Freedom, gave younger viewers an introduction to franchises that were otherwise aimed firmly at adults.

The 1980s’ Animated Spinoff Boom Predicted How Modern Franchises Expand On Streaming Platforms

TV Spinoffs Expanded Fictional Universes Much Like Modern Streaming Shows

Although it might seem strange for a violent, R-rated franchise like the Robocop movies to have a TV spinoff aimed at children, it is worth noting that these TV shows allowed franchises to enter the lucrative world of merchandising. Younger viewers were more likely to purchase toys and branded products, meaning even thoroughly grown-up franchises received cartoon spinoffs aimed at kids. In many ways, the numerous Star Wars streaming shows that expanded the world of the franchise borrowed this approach. Although Star Wars was at the forefront, franchises like DC, Marvel, and the Jurassic World series have since followed suit.

Shows like Wandavision and its subsequent spinoff Agatha All Along, Andor, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous expand the world of their respective franchises, allowing viewers to catch up with characters who might otherwise not appear on the big screen for years at a time. In this regard, streaming spinoffs from contemporary cinematic universes operate a lot like animated TV shows did for ‘80s franchises. In both cases, these smaller-scale shows offer studios a comparatively inexpensive way to build the world of their franchises without relying entirely on large-scale, theatrically released feature films.

Many Animated Spinoffs Of 1980s Movies Hold Up Surprisingly Well Today

The Best ‘80s TV Spinoffs Felt Like An Extension Of Their Movie Counterparts

The other major similarity between many of these streaming shows and their ‘80s cartoon counterparts is that,ie as surprising as it might sound, both are usually true to the tone of their parent franchises. Many ‘80s animated TV spinoff shows are surprisingly good, with Beetlejuice, The Real Ghostbusters, and The Karate Kid all nailing the tone of their respective movies. While shows like Robocop may stray far from their inspiration, they remain fun, well-animated, and engaging. Even the worst efforts of the era, such as Rambo: The Force of Freedom, are good for providing a few laughs.

While not all of the ‘80s franchise spinoffs can be quite as impressive as Beetlejuice’s superb sequel series, many of them served the same purpose as contemporary streaming shows and are well worth revisiting as a result. For viewers who want to re-immerse themselves in the world of Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, or Ghostbusters movies, revisiting their respective TV shows could prove just as effective as another umpteenth re-watch of the movies themselves.

Release Date

June 8, 1984

Runtime

105 Minutes

Distributor(s)

Columbia Pictures

Expand