'The Fall Guy' is No. 1 at the box office. These '80s TV shows should be movies next
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Before Ryan Gosling, there was Lee Majors.
Majors didn't quite presage Gosling as a box-office idol, but he did get to the role of Colt Seavers first. Majors played the stuntman-turned-bounty hunter on ABC's "The Fall Guy" from 1981 to 1986 — and, in true '80s fashion, crooned the theme song.
The show eventually inspired a big-screen adaptation starring Gosling and Emily Blunt, which topped the box office last weekend, bringing in just under $30 million. In stuntman parlance, Majors walked up to a fiery car crash so Gosling could run toward it.
No doubt, some viewers had little acquaintance with the source material, simply feeling the pull of Gosling's and Blunt's megawatt charm. While I prefer Hollywood develop its own new stories and not simply rely on existing IP, "The Fall Guy's" leap to the big screen suggests other, unsung '80s shows are worth reviving.
Here are four small-to-big screen ideas — none of which have been done to death — worth kicking around.
'Crazy Like a Fox'
Original TV run: 1984-86 on CBS
Premise: Wise guy PI Harry Fox (Jack Warden) pulls his straight-laced attorney son Harrison (John Rubinstein) into all manner of crime-solving hijinks.
New casting ideas: While, at 56, Will Ferrell could play the dad of a younger co-star, Hollywood still doesn't seem to see him that way. So make Ferrell's Harry an older brother to the more anxious Harrison, as played by Jason Schwartzman (and write a good joke about why the brothers have such similar names).
'Hardcastle and McCormick'
Original TV run: 1983-86 on ABC
Premise: Hardcastle, an unorthodox judge (Brian Keith), enlists car thief/race-car driver McCormick (Daniel Hugh Kelly) to pay his penance by helping solve a murder.
New casting ideas: Let John Goodman lean into every quirk of Hardcastle, as he interacts with John David Washington's daring McCormick.
'Scarecrow and Mrs. King'
Original TV run: 1983-87 on CBS
Premise: An intelligence agent (Bruce Boxleitner) finds an unlikely partner in divorcee Amanda King (Kate Jackson). They practice espionage around the world and enjoy several seasons of will they, won't they chemistry.
New casting ideas: Scarecrow seems like a tailor-made role for Gosling. But since he just did "The Fall Guy," we'll cast another Canadian Ryan — as, in Reynolds — with the part of the Mrs. King going to the plucky Anna Kendrick. Both stars can handle the action and comic misdirection.
'Street Hawk'
Original run: Just 14 episodes, from January-May 1985 on ABC
Premise: A former motorcycle cop (Rex Smith) is recruited to ride a new bike — the motorcycle equivalent to the Batmobile — to aid a high-level government mission. Jesse Mach (yep, that's his name) gets remote help from a computer engineer (Joe Regalbuto) to make sure Street Hawk is firing on all its literal cylinders.
New casting ideas: The role (and even the name) of Jesse Mach seems ripe for a gender swap. Give Maya Hawke the keys to Street Hawk, with "SNL" standout Bowen Yang running things from the inside.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These '80s TV shows should follow 'The Fall Guy' into movie theaters
