Tellycast Vintage Opinion Piece: Universal Truths

Do we really need a spin-off series set in the Killing Eve ‘Universe’?

AMC says that it is working with Sid Gentle Films to explore ways in which to extend the show’s “iconic universe” beyond the?Killing Eve?finale.??

My short answer would be ‘no’.

Although I enjoyed S1 and managed to stick through S2 (aided by the change of locations), by the third season I was pretty much done with the show.

In my eyes, the concept appeared played out, with repetition and shock-seeking taking the place of character development and narrative growth.

Any attempts to squeeze out another show set in the same ‘universe’ looks a tad grubby although of course AMC have got form in the dead horse flogging field with the flagging Walking Dead brand and its multiple spin-offs.

After the enjoyable Terminus storyline and post the introduction of Negan, TWD became a lost cause for me, as the Groundhog Day quality of the series became too much.

Plus, the godawful dialogue which recycled the same increasingly obvious truisms.

Of course, we've been down the ‘shared universe’ route before.

Anyone remember Dickensian (BBC1 2015-6), where showrunner Tony Jordan hubristically presumed to one-up the author by creating a murder mystery set in the world of Dickens characters?

?“I’ve entwined them and meshed them all up to create something unique,”

Tony Jordan

Viewers obviously failed to agree, as ratings declined throughout the show’s sole run. This didn’t stop Jordan from whining that:

?“I do think the BBC had something very special with Dickensian and let it slip through their fingers.”

Other recent shows that have run with the ‘universe’ idea include Hulu’s Castle Rock, which built around Stephen King’s characters who reside in or around the fictional Maine town of that name. At least the writer had established that many of his novels took place in the same world and generally approved of the series concept.

The long-deceased Dickens of course was denied any opportunity either approve of or condemn Dickensian.

Recently Eddie Murphy’s sequel?Coming 2 America?(2021) continued the tradition established by the original 1988 movie in existing in the same universe as his classic comedy?Trading Places?(1983).

On the horizon, the John Wick spin-off The Continental (Starz) should air in 2022, if Covid delays are overcome.

Set in the hotel chain of the same name, could we see a homicidal version of Hotel Babylon (BBC1, 2006-09)?

Or will the show concentrate on remodelling plans for the various branches and worries about declining liquor sales, air conditioning outages etc?

To quote Ronald Searle’s Molesworth, ‘as any fule kno’,?there has been numerous TV spin-offs of dramas and sitcoms throughout the years - but the success of the Marvel/Star Wars franchises has led to a meta-sizing of the universe concept which is now bleeding into TV.

So rather than simply being known was spin-offs, the label pretentiously lends the dollar-extracting exercise a certain cachet.

Recently Life (BBC1) was a part of the Doctor Foster universe, ditto The Missing’s Baptiste (also BBC1) - and of course Doctor Who (Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class).

Both Last of the Summer Wine (First of the Summer Wine) and Only Fools & Horses (Rock & Chips, The Green Green Grass) spawned 'companion' shows set in their mutual fictional Worlds: the 'Wine-Verse' and the 'Fool-Verse' respectively.

ITV’s 1960s-set hospital drama The Royal leaped forward to the present for The Royal Today, whilst Casualty went the other direction in time with Casualty 1900s.

Casualty spin-off Holby City has its own offshoot in the shape of police procedural HolbyBlue.

Looking forward, Inspector Morse spawned Lewis and Endeavour - could the producers trample the remaining sediment of the Colin Dexter’s sleuthing barrel for yet another show?

Perhaps DS James Hathaway (gobby now-ex thespian Laurence Fox) could have a series set in Billericay, with his very own sidekick.

Who would then be the sidekick of a sidekick to a sidekick.

?A Midsomer Murders spin-off, set in a neighbouring, equally bloodthirsty county?

Death in Paradise –one of the Saint Marie local investigators is seconded to The Isle of Sheppey? (there has in fact now been spin-off, set in Cornwall)

?The Orkneys – a sister show to Shetland

?First Tango in Halifax

?Ted Hastings Begins – a prequel to Line of Duty

?Watson

?The Crown – The House of Grimaldi (Monaco)

?Before Chernobyl, there was…Windscale

?Game of Thrones…oh.

etc…

?Stephen Arnell 19/03/21 2021