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‘Shutter Island’ to become an HBO series: How to make sure it doesn’t suck

Good news for fans of the 2010 psychological thriller “Shutter Island.” Maybe.

A new HBO series called "Ashecliffe,” based on the Martin Scorsese film, is currently in development. Set prior to the events of the movie, the TV show will revolve around the isolated mental hospital that was the setting for the Leonardo DiCaprio-headlined film and the staff and patients who inhabit it. According to Deadline, Scorsese will produce and direct the pilot episode, much like he did for his other HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” (No word on whether DiCaprio will be involved, but it's probably safe to assume that he won't.)

Small-screen movie adaptations have historically not made for very good television. With the exception of ratings hits like “M.A.S.H.” (adapted from the Robert Altman film of the same name) and critical darlings like “Friday Night Lights,” TV land is littered with failed attempts to bring big screen magic to living rooms on a weekly basis. For every “M.A.S.H.” there are a dozen terrible “Planet of the Apes” or “Timecop” TV shows that barely make it past the pilot stage or their first season.

"Ashecliffe" has a lot of potential, but what does the show really need to do to succeed where other TV adaptions have failed?

Stand out from the pack
Beyond the unfortunate track record of television spin-offs of famous movies, "Ashecliffe" faces one big hurdle right out the gate: The fact that there's already been a few TV shows made about creepy psychiatric hospitals, most notably the second season of the FX series “American Horror Story.” Titled “Asylum,” that show aired in 2011 and is still pretty fresh in the minds of people who would likely tune into "Ashecliffe."

"Shutter Island" may have been novel for a film, but as a TV show it's not exactly treading new ground. The show will need to sufficiently differentiate itself from other shows with similar subject matter. The 1940/1950s period setting is one way to do that, and signing a known actor to star is another.

Play up the Scorsese factor

Not many TV shows can claim to have a legendary Oscar-winning filmmaker like Martin Scorsese intimately involved in their creation. That kind of name recognition and industry respect goes a long way with both viewers and critics. "Ashecliffe" will need to play up the Scorsese factor to make the biggest splash. The "Boardwalk Empire" pilot was a ratings success largely because HBO played up the fact that Scorsese directed the premiere episode and was a producer on the show. However, once Scorsese handed off creative control to the showrunners, ratings for "Boardwalk" dipped and haven't returned to the heights of the pilot since.

How can "Ashecliffe" avoid "Boardwalk's" fate? Get Scorsese to direct the the pilot and the finale. Give fans of the director something other than the pilot to look forward to.

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The FX television crime drama “Fargo,” a spin-off/re-imagining of the Coen brothers film of the same name, set a precedent on Aug. 25 by taking home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries, so it's clear that adapting a movie for television - and making it decent - is possible. If "Ashecliffe" follows "Fargo's" lead by taking the things that made its movie source material so compelling (creepy setting, mysterious characters, a bigger mystery bubbling just below the surface, etc.), then the show should do just fine.

With television becoming an increasingly cinematic medium with big budgets and big stars (see series like “Game of Thrones,” “True Detective,” and “Boardwalk Empire”), Scorsese should be right at home. Perhaps the age of the decent TV spin-off is finally upon us?

Before the television renaissance of the 2000s, basing a TV show on a movie like "Shutter Island" would have been a recipe for swift cancellation. The combination of dark subject matter and a big budget would have been a hard sell even for cable networks in the 1990s. Movies just didn't make for good television before serialized dramas and binge-watching became the norm.

But in this new world where television shows can be just as engrossing and twisted as any movie (if not more), a show like "Ashecliffe" should easily be able to find its legs. Having Scorsese and HBO in its corner doesn't hurt its chances, either.