Obi-Wan, Superman and Sheldon Cooper: shameless prequels of cult series

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“Obi-Wan Kenobi” (premiere – 2022)

Original – Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977 – 1983)

Spectators have been waiting for a separate story about the mentor of Anakin and Luke Skywalker since the mid-2000s, when Ewan McGregor appeared in this role in the prequel trilogy. The project has been in development for a very long time. At first they wanted to present it as a feature film, but after the failure of Han Solo, it was decided to focus on the serial format. As a result, Obi-Wan Kenobi finally made it to the small screen in May 2022.

In addition to McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Joel Edgerton will return to their roles. And the series itself will be a prequel to the original trilogy, which George Lucas released back in the 70s and 80s. There, Kenobi appeared as a wise old man, and in the solo series, he will only look after Luke Skywalker with one eye, while simultaneously fighting the ghosts of the past.

“Secrets of Smallville” (2001 – 2011)

Original – “Superman” (1978)

Now superhero stories have become so commonplace that projects like “The Boys” have begun to appear, which the whole cult is openly mocking. However, there was no such boom at the beginning of the century. “The Avengers” was only in the pipeline, Tobey Maguire had not yet put on a red and blue tights, and Nolan’s “Batman” had not yet been born. And only “X-Men” timidly tried to build their own cinematic universe. Therefore, the appearance of a series about Superman, and even not with the same name (all because of copyright) was an outright gamble.

However, the bet on Clark Kent played: the series “Secrets of Smallville” about the youth of the cult superhero became the longest project based on comics in the history of television. The series told the story of Clark Kent himself, his main enemy Lex Luthor, and also regularly made references to other iconic DC comics heroes: from The Flash and Aquaman to Cyborg and even Batman. But Superman in a classic suit has not been shown for 10 years due to copyright.

“Better Call Saul” (2015 – present)

Original – “Breaking Bad” (2008 – 2013)

The Breaking Bad series is considered one of the best in the history of American television, 16 Emmy awards and two Golden Globes speak for themselves. When the story of the main characters had already been told, the showrunners decided to continue their brainchild, focusing on a minor character. This is how the prequel “Better Call Saul” was born, dedicated to the early years of the lawyer Saul Goodman’s career. The lawyer helped the main characters of the Breaking Bad series. Here he appears as a second-rate lawyer who does not shy away from taking even the most hopeless cases in order to somehow earn some money.

The creators of the series were afraid that the audience might not accept the backstory, but the first series gathered almost 7 million people at the screens, at the time of the show’s release, this was a record for pilot episodes. From the original series to the prequel, not only the main cast migrated, but also a unique atmosphere that gave Breaking Bad fans another six unforgettable years in Albuquerque. The series, except that “Emmy” could not take, although it was nominated for an award 39 times. But Sol has a lot of other awards: from critics, the press and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul is expected in 2022.

“Fear the Walking Dead” (2015 – present)

Original – “The Walking Dead” (2010 – present)

“Fear the Walking Dead” is exactly the same project that broke the “Better Call Saul” record: more than 10 million people watched the premiere episode. The action of the series takes place in the same universe where the zombie apocalypse rages, but the script was already written without relying on the comic book, as was the case with the original The Walking Dead. Another difference is that another city becomes the scene of action: the chamber Atlanta was replaced by a large-scale Los Angeles. And the characters, respectively, are also different: single mother Madison Clark, who works as a career counselor, and divorced teacher Travis Manawa. But their tasks are the same: to survive in a world full of zombies.

The showrunners (the same as the original) had no doubts about the success of the project and extended it for a second season even before the release of the first. They did not fail: the series not only expanded the boundaries of the existing universe, but also attracted a new audience. In December 2020, it was renewed for a seventh season.

“Childhood Sheldon” (2017 – present)

Original – “The Big Bang Theory” (2007 – 2019)

The Big Bang Theory is not only the longest but also one of the most successful sitcoms in television history. And a genius without socialization skills, Sheldon Cooper, is his most popular character. The creators of the original considered it pointless to continue his story, because everything they wanted was already told in The Big Bang Theory. But the idea of ​​​​returning to the very young years of the hero seemed promising.

In the series “Childhood of Sheldon” the future theoretical physicist is only 9 years old, but it is at this age that he begins to show his genius. Young Cooper has to fight the prejudices of others, because no one shares his passion for science: his mother devotes himself to religion, his father to TV, and his friends are clearly not looking for enriched uranium. It is noteworthy that the idea of ​​​​creating the series belongs to the actor Jim Parsons, who received four Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his role as an adult Sheldon. He also voices in “Childhood” Sheldon’s voice-over from the future, who talks about himself. The prequel was conceived as a family sitcom with the original main character, and the bet on Sheldon played again: the series has been successfully running for four seasons and does not even think of ending.

“Policeman from Rublyovka” (2021 – present)

Original – “Policeman from Rublyovka” (2016 – present).

Initially, even in the original “Policeman from Rublyovka” Volodya Yakovlev was on the sidelines, but over time, the acting charisma of Sergei Burunov brought the head of the Barvikha police department to the fore. And in order to better acquaint the audience with their favorite hero, the showrunners of “Policeman” threw Yakovlev into the “dashing nineties”.

According to the plot of the prequel series, he is just graduating from the police school and gets a job as a simple opera. As a partner, he gets the eternally positive Maria Gudkova, and together they go to solve cases painted in the “boiled” colors of the nineties. There are underground markets for pirated video cassettes, and MMM shares, and prefixes “Dandy”, and six hundredth “Mercedes”. In addition, the prequel very wittily interweaves references to “Policeman from Rublyovka”, unobtrusively telling the audience why exactly Yakovlev fell in love with the song about the granite pebble in the chest, and how exactly certain signature phrases clung to him. In the second season, Artem Suchkov, Olga Vinichenko and Artem Zhigulin will return to their roles, and the creators promise to increase the degree of madness and bring the nostalgia counter to critical levels.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–present)

Original – “Star Trek” (1966 – 1969)

What do Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory have in common with his beloved Star Trek series? That’s right, they both have prequels! Star Trek: Discovery is about events that took place ten years before the original series. Instead of the Enterprise, there is the Shen Zhou ship, and the captain is not Kirk at all, but this does not prevent the series from being as exciting as other media franchise projects. In the story, a research space liner is sent to the borders of the federation to study strange damage and eventually discovers a Klingon space ship that signals the start of a war.

Discovery premiered on CBS with 9.5 million viewers, and then the project attracted a record number of subscribers to the CBS All Access streaming service. Three seasons have now aired, and fans of the franchise are eagerly waiting for the fourth, which is in production.