TV Series vs. Movie Franchise: What Should Be Kept, What Should Be Discarded!

[WendyCR72]

Just what the title says. Like it or not, there will likely be times when we want (or don't!) something from the movie incorporated - or not. Talk about what you want adapted or forgotten here!

I said this in the Roger thread, but I want Murtaugh to get trapped on his toilet by a bomb again like in the second film. That was both chilling and oddly funny. Maybe it was just the way Danny Glover played it!

ETA: I also sort of wished a variation of Murtaugh pulling Riggs into a store (after the classic "Do you really wanna jump?!" scene) happened, where Murtaugh demanded to know if Riggs wanted to die and giving Riggs his gun to finish the job. Man, that was intense.

For those who have never seen movie #1 (or even those who have!), here is the jump scene. And here is the aftermath with Murtaugh ripping into Riggs.

 

[Watermelon]

I want a season 3(because I'm hoping this show lasts that long) cop love interest who can hold her own aka Lorna

 

I want their version of a Joe Pesci

 

I want Trish to have the book career via pseudonym.  She could even be self-published on Amazon. 

 

I would enjoy a construction site fight.

[paigow]

Look at the movie bad guys...

#1. Vietnam vet mercs

#2. South African diplomats

#3. Bad Cop

#4. Hong Kong Triads

The critical bond between Riggs 1.0 and Murtagh 1.0 was shared experience in Vietnam and how the bad guys were connected.

Has Murtagh 2.0 served in Iraq / Afghanistan? If not, recycling the first movie would be wrong...

[Raja]

On 9/24/2016 at 6:13 PM, paigow said:

Look at the movie bad guys...

#1. Vietnam vet mercs

#2. South African diplomats

#3. Bad Cop

#4. Hong Kong Triads

The critical bond between Riggs 1.0 and Murtagh 1.0 was shared experience in Vietnam and how the bad guys were connected.

Has Murtagh 2.0 served in Iraq / Afghanistan? If not, recycling the first movie would be wrong...

1. We are almost guranteed to get vets, either sworn military or private contractors becoming a criminal team somewhere down the line.

2. I can't think of an outlaw country like apartheid South Africa represented. There is the Miami Vice era example of the bad guy being in the local consulate though.

3. Always a favorite, many times actually an Internal Affairs investigator on top of just being dirty.

4. Another long term favorite, Many New York based shows substitute the Russians. The Shield had the Armenians

5. I think they said that Murtagh 2.0 was a 25 year veteran cop meaning he missed the window for the Global War on Terror. However the real life LAPD lost a SWAT officer in Afghanistan who was a USMC Reserve a Sergeant Major  called up to fight

[Morrigan2575]

I don't want the South Afrian Drug Dealing diplomats to make an appearance.  I especially don'twant some crazy tie in to Riggs' wife's death, it never worked for me in the movie and i don't want it on the show.

I also don't want Murtaugh's daughter developing a crush on Riggs or dating a Chris Rock type character. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I don't want the South Afrian Drug Dealing diplomats to make an appearance....

Non specific "South American Cartel" boss???

[Morrigan2575]

9 minutes ago, paigow said:

Non specific "South American Cartel" boss???

I could be fine with that, although I kind of hope they go away from Drug Dealers/Gangs being the Big Bads (all the time).  My biggest issue with LW2 was tying Victoria Riggs death to the Big Bad.

I really would prefer if the Series leaves it as a horribly tragic accident.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[dusang]

16 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I don't want the South Afrian Drug Dealing diplomats to make an appearance.  I especially don'twant some crazy tie in to Riggs' wife's death, it never worked for me in the movie and i don't want it on the show.

I also don't want Murtaugh's daughter developing a crush on Riggs or dating a Chris Rock type character. 

In a post-Apartheid world, drug dealing South African diplomats is a VERY different storyline.

[kassygreene]

What I liked about the movies is the character development remained consistent.  By the second movie, Riggs has walk-in privileges (and I think laundry privs as well) at the Murtaugh house; by the end of the fourth movie this big unwieldy cast is very definitely a large and close family.  This through-line is why I will occasionally re-watch the entire series, even though my original shallow reason (MG was soooo pretty) has long since been swamped by a more reasoned reaction (MG's interpersonal processes are soooo ugly), the movies were good independently and as a series.  

I think the banter and the character relationships are what really made the movies work, and the series has not ignored that - Riggs and his FIL, the Murtaughs, the shrink, and the cops are all informed by the movie set-up.  Seriously, look at the cops as Roger does his brag-dance - they are enjoying the tale, but they also react organically to Trish coming in, instead of just being random extras doing reaction shots by the numbers.

[DollEyes]

Delurking to suggest that there should definitely be a holiday-themed episode, with Trish's dad coming to visit the Murtaughs for Christmas. The dad could be a retired cop who hates Roger because he never thought he was worthy of Trish. In a shout-out to the original film, the cop should be played by Danny Glover. 

[BooBear]

32 minutes ago, DollEyes said:

 the cop should be played by Danny Glover. 

That would be awesome. :) 

[paigow]

HHHeeyyyy Riiiiiggs!

[romantic idiot]

Crawford could use his Leverage contacts for that.

[DollEyes]

On 10/21/2016 at 7:25 PM, romantic idiot said:

Crawford could use his Leverage contacts for that.

For what?

[romantic idiot]

Getting Danny Glover.

[WendyCR72]

6 hours ago, Sonoma said:

Lorna was my favorite,  but I think that would be a lot of pressure for the show.  They'd have to find the right actress, hope they have the right chemistry between the two characters to go beyond a couple of episodes, and hope it clicks with audience.  Like you said, it's a significant character.  If the pairing/chemistry doesn't work, you've now ruined Riggs/Lorna for fans of the movie if you get rid of the character and possibly ruined the show if you keep the pairing.

But isn't that true of all of these characters? They are all from the movie - minus Cahill (as it was Woods in the movie version, the blonde shrink that told the captain that Riggs was suicidal). I think Lorna can work, if the casting director takes his or her time as it has with the rest.

Heck, we're seeing

TV Leo Getz

soon. So I think it's just a matter of not rushing the casting, making sure TV Lorna Cole has the right vibe with TV Martin Riggs, and go from there.

[weathered1]

^Exactly what I was thinking. It definitely wouldn't be easy to get the dynamic right, but if the show's powers that be take the time to find an actress capable of hitting the emotional beats and extensively chem testing her with Clayne Crawford, I think it's definitely doable.  Given the elements from the movies that we're seeing in the show, I can't imagine they won't at least try, especially since they've already proven that they can get the uber-important dynamics right by casting Clawford and Wayans as Riggs and Murtaugh.

[ohjoy]

I assumed the DEA agaent from a few weeks back was their version of Lorna, or a prototype at least. But I'd be fine if they waited a while (late next season?) before trying to introduce a true Lorna. I agree she's an important figure in Rigg's story, and I really want them to get it right.

[jay741982]

18 hours ago, RandomMe said:

I assumed the DEA agaent from a few weeks back was their version of Lorna, or a prototype at least. But I'd be fine if they waited a while (late next season?) before trying to introduce a true Lorna. I agree she's an important figure in Rigg's story, and I really want them to get it right.

Hilarie Burton played a DEA agent Thank you I wasn't remembering her characters job lol. She's back for at least the next two Episodes her and Riggs are gonna get Closer 

[rove4]

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 2:20 PM, jay741982 said:

I saw it too BUT they are bringing back Hilarie Burton's character this week and she's on next week as well so I wonder if they are gonna a dreaded triangle 

I was wondering about that but why would they change her name instead of just using Lorna, especially when they've kept the character names for all the other major characters (IMO the psychologist in the movie wasn't a major character).  Now I'm thinking that Palmer is going to be Riggs' toe in the water moment, testing things out but ultimately just a transitional relationship.

[paigow]

7 minutes ago, rove4 said:

I was wondering about that but why would they change her name instead of just using Lorna, especially when they've kept the character names for all the other major characters (IMO the psychologist in the movie wasn't a major character). 

Lorna was Internal Affairs...they need to start as enemies / hostile co-workers...Movie Captain was Murphy and was never partnered with Murtaugh.

Edited February 15, 2017 by paigow

[rove4]

Obviously there have been some changes. I'm just speaking of actual names for the more relevant characters. They've used Martin Riggs, Roger Murtaugh (even Trish and Rianne), Leo Getz...so why not Lorna?  It's possible the writers just don't like the name. It's also possible that they're not planning to pull that trigger yet given that Riggs only symbolically made the break with his past in the last episode. My feeling is that they just want to show Riggs starting the process of even thinking of another woman in a romantic context, hence Palmer, but that she won't be The (new) One.  And that the real tv Lorna won't show up until sometime in S2. Time will tell.

[WendyCR72]

Maybe Karen Palmer replaces Rika from LW2, who was played by Patsy Kensit. Since Rika seemed like the first woman that Riggs was really into since his wife's death. Obviously, as was said, there are changes, but, thus far, all MAJOR characters have appeared - with their canonical names. Since, at least overall, Rika was a blip, maybe that is just another change and here is Karen Palmer instead.

[weathered1]

4 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Maybe Karen Palmer replaces Rika from LW2, who was played by Patsy Kensit. Since Rika seemed like the first woman that Riggs was really into since his wife's death. Obviously, as was said, there are changes, but, thus far, all MAJOR characters have appeared - with their canonical names. Since, at least overall, Rika was a blip, maybe that is just another change and here is Karen Palmer instead.

That was my thought, too. I truly do think they'll bring in Lorna at the appropriate time, but they need to have that Rika-esque relationship first in order to help Riggs get over some of his issues. I think Karen Palmer fulfills that role - she'll help him see that he can move on and have feelings for another woman, which opens the door for that slow build with Lorna to begin. At some point. 

[Raja]

On 2/15/2017 at 2:35 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Maybe Karen Palmer replaces Rika from LW2, who was played by Patsy Kensit. Since Rika seemed like the first woman that Riggs was really into since his wife's death. Obviously, as was said, there are changes, but, thus far, all MAJOR characters have appeared - with their canonical names. Since, at least overall, Rika was a blip, maybe that is just another change and here is Karen Palmer instead.

I made the woman that Riggs "cheated" with in his trailer and couldn't remember her name was the Rika stand in. It had been a while but the TV version of the sex scene reminded me of her before the South Africans killed her.

[rove4]

If memory serves though, movie Riggs didn't feel guilty after sleeping with Rika so it doesn't really fit with his drunken one night stand in the tv show. Riggs still needs that transition relationship where he feels okay with having feelings for a woman who is not his wife.

[Raja]

21 hours ago, rove4 said:

If memory serves though, movie Riggs didn't feel guilty after sleeping with Rika so it doesn't really fit with his drunken one night stand in the tv show. Riggs still needs that transition relationship where he feels okay with having feelings for a woman who is not his wife.

He didn't but visually the first sex scenes of both widowed Riggs seemed identical to me.

[ohjoy]

I've been watching the marathon of the movies that's on TV today, and it's just stengthened my hope that Palmer is not supposed to be the TV version's Lorna. Hilarie Burton does a good job and don't dislike her character or anything, but there's just something about Lorna's personality and her chemistry with Riggs in the movies that I'm not getting from Palmer. Hopefully that's something to look for down the road with the show, because I don't believe we have it yet.