From Hannibal's tastiest meal preps to Slippin' Jimmy's messiest exploits, these shows are proof that some TV prequels are even better than the stories they came from.
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00:00From Hannibal's tastiest meal preps to Slip and Jimmy's messiest exploits, these shows
00:06are proof that some TV prequels are even better than the stories they came from.
00:11A prequel to a reboot, Caprica hit screens in 2010, a year after the dramatic ending
00:16of science fiction drama Battlestar Galactica.
00:20Battlestar had been a relaunch of a short-lived sci-fi adventure from 1978, with producer
00:24Ronald D. Moore turning the campy family adventure into a gritty war story that dazzled
00:30audiences with dark, sobering storylines and unpredictable twists and turns.
00:34Caprica was entirely different, a sci-fi political thriller set decades earlier on a thriving
00:40world where AI technology is in its infancy.
00:43Taking place nearly 60 years before the Earth-Cylon War of BSG, the show explored the relationship
00:49between two rival families, the Greystones and the Adamas, and saw the advent of the
00:54technology that would lead to the Cylon race.
00:57I'm Zoe, and the Avatar, and the robot.
01:00Like some kind of, whatchacallit, three-parter.
01:03Trinity.
01:05Starring Erik Stoltz and Isai Morales as family patriarchs Daniel Greystone and Joseph Adama,
01:10respectively, the series set itself apart from BSG with a focus on political and religious
01:15intrigue and profound personal drama.
01:19What would you do if you had the chance to be with your daughter again?
01:23Packed with social allegory, Caprica garnered rave reviews from critics.
01:27The Guardian called the series,
01:29"...dense and intelligent sci-fi, complex, bizarre, and ambitious."
01:33Despite the acclaim, Caprica lasted just a single season, but it's remained a cult favorite
01:38ever since.
01:40A Batman prequel arrived in 2014 in the form of Gotham, a grim, hard-boiled crime series
01:47set in the city Batman would one day protect.
01:49Bruce.
01:50My name is Bruce Wayne.
01:54In it, Bruce Wayne is a young boy, so the series focuses more on Gotham PD lieutenant
01:59James Gordon, played by Ben McKenzie, and his efforts to combat the city's criminal
02:04underworld.
02:05The series opened with the killing of Gotham socialites Thomas and Martha Wayne.
02:09As the show progressed, audiences met many of Batman's eventual rogues gallery, with
02:14future villains the Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler, and the Joker making appearances,
02:19as well as several new baddies, like Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney.
02:23Only my friends call me Fish.
02:28Praised for its slick production and stylish storytelling, Gotham ran for five seasons,
02:34ending with a now-adult Bruce Wayne donning cape and cowl to become the Dark Knight.
02:40The Big Bang Theory was a multi-camera sitcom about three geeky friends in Pasadena who
02:44fill their days with video games, comic books, and RPGs.
02:48There's just some quantum mechanics, with a little string theory doodling around the
02:52edges.
02:53That part there?
02:54That's just a joke.
02:55It's a spoof of the Born Oppenheimer approximation.
02:57A smash hit for 12 astonishing seasons, Big Bang became a franchise in 2017 with the debut
03:03of prequel series Young Sheldon, about the awkward youth of child prodigy Sheldon.
03:08Young actor Ian Armitage plays Sheldon, whose trials and tribulations include skipping four
03:13grades.
03:14This makes him a social misfit and yet, occasionally, a hero.
03:18Him being so young is, like, weird.
03:21I'm basically 50.
03:22And we're basically 12, so it all works out.
03:24Balancing a tough school schedule with problems at home, he also has to deal with the frustrations
03:29of having a dimmer-witted older brother.
03:31Morning.
03:32Morning.
03:33I slept in the nude last night, felt every little breeze.
03:39A heartfelt and heartwarming family sitcom that brings a fresh angle to the character,
03:44With stories about Sheldon's social struggles, Young Sheldon was a big hit, with IndieWire
03:49calling out its strong mix of comedy and drama and its empathetic approach to the central
03:53character.
03:55Perry Mason began in the 1930s as a series of novels by Earl Stanley Gardner before becoming
04:01a series of films, a radio drama, and eventually a hit TV series starring Raymond Burr that
04:06ran for nearly 300 episodes beginning in 1957.
04:11Survived briefly in the 1970s as the new Perry Mason, Burr returned to the role for a series
04:16of TV movies all the way through the 1990s.
04:20No further questions.
04:21After a decades-long absence, the unflappable lawyer reappeared in the 2020 prequel series
04:27Perry Mason, starring Matthew Rhys.
04:29You were in the war, weren't you?
04:31The way you hold your cigarette, hiding the ember in your palm.
04:34I guess I'm still trying not to give him something to shoot at.
04:37The series takes place years before Mason becomes a lawyer.
04:40In this darker drama, Mason is a beleaguered private investigator whose business is struggling
04:45during the Great Depression.
04:47The series' first season tells a single story across eight episodes, as Mason investigates
04:52a grisly child murder case.
04:54The show's strongest asset might be its phenomenal cast, which includes Tatiana Mislany and John
05:00Lithgow, among many other standouts.
05:03Praised for its sophisticated story, compelling mystery, evocative style, and overall panache,
05:09Perry Mason built off decades of previous stories to provide a new spin on an old classic.
05:15Born from the mind of Muppets creator Jim Henson, The Dark Crystal was an iconic 80s
05:20family fantasy film full of ancient relics and mystical powers.
05:24It became an enduring cult classic thanks to its incredible design, captivating story,
05:28and blend of lighthearted playfulness with a foreboding sense of doom.
05:32Though there was talk of a sequel for years, a prequel eventually materialized, The Dark
05:37Crystal, The Age of Resistance.
05:40Released in 2019 as a Netflix original, the series was helmed by action director Louis
05:45Leterrier and boasted an all-star cast, voicing its ensemble of puppet actors, including Mark
05:50Hamill, Taron Edgerton, Awkwafina, Jason Isaacs, and Helena Bonham Carter.
05:55These are the world's greatest puppeteers, working with Louis Leterrier, the brilliant
05:59director.
06:00It's a look that you've never seen before."
06:01Set long before the events of the film, Age of Resistance sees a group of childlike gelflings
06:06on a journey to unite their people to fight back against the devious and tyrannical Skeaksies
06:10that rule them.
06:11The series delivered a powerful story of friendship, loyalty, and indomitable spirit.
06:16Gorgeously produced, with sumptuous visuals and a story that expanded on Henson's original,
06:21The Dark Crystal, Age of Resistance, was a magical treat that did more than justice to
06:26a classic, making for a stellar fantasy series in its own right.
06:31Director Peter Jackson's groundbreaking Lord of the Rings trilogy brought J.R.R.
06:35Tolkien's fantasy world to the mainstream in the early 2000s.
06:39Expertly realized with a lavish production budget, it quickly became iconic.
06:43Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its master.
06:49It wants to be found."
06:52Following a trilogy of prequels adapted from The Hobbit, many wondered where the franchise
06:56would go next.
06:57It would be a decade before Amazon's Rings of Power prequel series landed in 2022.
07:02Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, long before the events of Lord
07:07of the Rings, yet includes several crossover characters, notably immortal elves Elrond
07:12and Galadriel.
07:13As new evil rises in the East, the different races — dwarves, elves, hobbits, and man
07:18— prepare to rise up and meet it head-on.
07:21The series is a visual treat, a true spectacle that brings the cinematic experience to the
07:26small screen.
07:27Story-wise, it expands upon themes from Jackson's trilogy.
07:31Strong performances, an intriguing plot, and plenty of surprises have helped it garner
07:35critical acclaim, too, with Variety calling it,
07:38"...a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures, with clear reverence
07:43and affection for the considerable mythos behind it."
07:46A massive success for the streaming giant, it's anyone's guess where the series will
07:50go following its debut season, but it's already proven itself a worthy addition to Tolkien's
07:55world.
07:57In 2001, the comedy troupe known as The State produced an offbeat comedy film, Wet Hot
08:02American Summer, that followed the antics of a group of teen counselors at a 1980s summer
08:06camp.
08:07Members of The State were joined by a remarkable cast, including young Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper,
08:12and Amy Poehler, alongside veterans David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, and Janine Garofalo.
08:18Though it flopped in theaters, its surreal humor and raunchy tone made it a cult classic.
08:24More than a decade later, in 2015, a prequel series arrived on Netflix, Wet Hot American
08:29Summer First Day of Camp.
08:31The entire cast, now 15 years older, returned, still playing teenagers in a story set several
08:37months before the film, on the first day of camp in 1981.
08:41Even Rudd, Cooper, and Poehler, who had since achieved mega-stardom, came back for the eight-episode
08:46series, with the likes of Kristen Wiig and Jason Schwartzman joining them.
08:50Flouted by critics for its wild, off-the-wall comedy, the show became a big hit for Netflix.
08:56In 2017, it was followed by a sequel series, Wet Hot American Summer, ten years later.
09:03Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was a seminal 1960s thriller that almost single-handedly gave
09:08rise to the modern psychological horror genre.
09:11Psycho centers on a young woman who winds up in a hotel run by Norman Bates, a twisted
09:16madman whose obsession with his own mother turns him into a killer.
09:20Well, a boy's best friend is his mother.
09:23A Hollywood classic and box office smash, it was followed by a few lesser sequels and
09:28a TV movie called Bates Motel in 1987.
09:31In 2013, when the title was repurposed for a prequel television series starring Freddie
09:36Highmore as young Norman, no one had particularly high hopes.
09:40The series introduces a teenaged Norman, whose mother Norma, played by Vera Farmiga, purchases
09:46a motel after the death of her husband.
09:48Trouble strikes when Norma is forced to kill an attacker, leading to a series of cover-ups
09:52and conspiracies that threaten to expose them both.
09:56Surrounded by violence, Norman's fragile mental state deteriorates.
10:00As he slowly spirals into madness, his mother struggles to deal with his condition.
10:04Bates Motel is a riveting psychological thriller that ran for five seasons.
10:08You told her something happens to me when I black out.
10:11You said I change, that I'm not myself.
10:13Who am I, Mother?
10:14Who am I and what do I do?
10:15The final season was a jaw-dropping remake of the original film.
10:19The Los Angeles Times called the series,
10:21"...twisty, moody, and modern.
10:23Bates Motel is a blueprint for how to craft a clever, fresh prequel to an iconic property."
10:30The 1991 film Silence of the Lambs brought author Thomas Harris' novel to the big screen
10:35with aplomb.
10:36Oh, Clarice, your problem is you need to get more fun out of life.
10:41Director Anthony Hopkins gave a spine-chilling and Oscar-winning performance as sociopathic
10:46serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
10:48Technically, this was Lecter's second big-screen appearance.
10:51He originally featured in Michael Mann's 1986 flick Manhunter.
10:56Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen took on the role for a 2013 NBC prequel series titled Hannibal,
11:02which chronicled the years before Lecter was imprisoned for a series of cannibalistic murders.
11:07Drawing mostly on material from Harris' novel Red Dragon, the show saw renowned psychiatrist
11:12Lecter assisting intrepid FBI agent Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy, as a criminal profiler.
11:18Not fond of eye contact, are you?
11:21My eyes are distracting.
11:23See too much, don't see enough.
11:26Created by Brian Fuller, the series reimagined the relationship between the two future adversaries
11:30as Lecter, whose murderous inclinations are explored in secret, becomes obsessed with
11:35the young FBI agent.
11:36It seems you have an admirer.
11:37You think someone sent me in here because they admire me?
11:43Dark, disturbing, and bold, Hannibal pushed the boundaries of network censorship and was
11:47rewarded with universal acclaim.
11:50Star Trek had done prequels before, with the 2001 series Enterprise set in the early days
11:55of Starfleet.
11:572017's Star Trek Discovery also takes place in the past, just a decade before Kirk and
12:02Spock.
12:03In that show's second season, we meet Captain Pike and the USS Enterprise.
12:07In 2022, their story spun off into its own series, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, starring
12:12Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn as classic characters Pike, Mr. Spock, and
12:18Number One.
12:19It explored early missions of the Enterprise that had only previously been hinted at, joined
12:23by a mix of returning franchise icons like Uhura.
12:26Oh, uh, can I help?
12:30No.
12:32Nurse Chapel, and Dr. Ndanga, plus new characters Luann Noonien-Singh, Ensign Ortegas, and Andorian
12:40Engineer Hemmer, the series was a retro return to sci-fi adventure.
12:44While Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Picard focused on darker, more adult-themed serialized
12:50stories, Strange New Worlds successfully recaptured the classic Trek spirit, with family-friendly
12:55episodic stories that took the crew to new worlds each week.
12:59With a strong cast and a big budget, the series refreshed the final frontier.
13:03Strange New Worlds was hailed as a return to form with a stirring mix of big adventure,
13:08thought-provoking science fiction, humor, and heart.
13:12Creating a spinoff of an acclaimed series can be risky.
13:15No matter how good it is, it may always live in the shadow of its parent series.
13:19Such was the predicament when the 16-time Emmy Award-winning Breaking Bad announced
13:24that supporting star Bob Odenkirk would lead spinoff series Better Call Saul.
13:29The fact that it would be a prequel and would run alongside the final seasons of Breaking
13:33Bad made it even trickier.
13:34Did you just bring Bob into a hospital?
13:38What?
13:39Was I supposed to leave it on his car?
13:41But Odenkirk and series creator Vince Gilligan pulled off the impossible.
13:45What the hell do you think you're doing?
13:47I need Saul.
13:48I need him right now.
13:49which debuted in 2015, explored more of unscrupulous lawyer Saul Goodman's shady past and underhanded
13:56dealings, while appearances from Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring and Jonathan Banks as
14:01Mike Ermantrout helped flesh out the Breaking Bad universe by enriching old stories with
14:06new context.
14:07In time, the events of the series caught up with its predecessor, which even allowed for
14:12the brief return of Bryan Cranston as Walter White.
14:15With a more left-of-center vibe and a colorful cast of quirky, eccentric characters, Better
14:20Call Saul was a series with its own identity while still delivering gut-wrenching, nail-biting
14:25crime stories.
14:26Standing on the shoulders of a giant, the series may have soared even higher, with The
14:31Guardian declaring it even more profound and outstripping Gilligan's former series in nearly
14:36every way.