Thanks to the immense critical success of Fargo, it looks like another crime saga is going to make its way to the small screen. The Departed, Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning undercover drama, has been tapped for a television adaptation.
The Departed is actually a remake of a trilogy of Chinese films called Infernal Affairs, so there’s some precedent when it comes to re-adapting this story and telling it in a longer format. But, from what today’s news tells us, that’s not exactly the case with The Departed TV series. The Departed was set in Boston, Massachusetts while this new TV series would take place in an entirely different city. Would there be tenuous connections to The Departed characters and world like Fargo occasionally dabbles in?
Adult crime dramas have been flourishing in the last decade, and The Departed seems like the perfect property to inject into a world of Breaking Bad and Narcos. The concept of having two moles on opposing sides of the law lends itself to so much inherent drama, especially when the moles begin to sympathize with their targets.
It’s been interesting to see how more complex adult stories are finding their way to television while feature films have leaned more towards juvenile properties. That’s by no means a bad thing, but it is fascinating to see shows like Fargo and Better Call Saul flourish as serialized stories rather than try and work within the confines of a typical movie experience.
Regardless, this sounds like a great idea that deserves our attention. The Departed is a great film that could definitely be mined for some equally great television drama. It’s certainly a better idea than adapting Rush Hour.
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