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We’ve seen a thousand different movies get the remake treatment — sometimes as another movie itself or a TV show. While some of them get the attention they deserve, others tend to go under the radar. Syfy’s 2015 TV remake of Bruce Willis’ iconic science fiction thriller, “12 Monkeys,” was no different, sliding under most people’s noses when it first released. But, with an average audience rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, this Syfy remake featuring a cast that includes Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Emily Hampshire, Barbara Sukowa, and Kirk Acevedo might just be worth a shot for any fans of the film.
Building off the premise of the original 1995 movie from director Terry Gilliam with the same title, which centers on time travel and is set in a dystopian future, the Syfy TV show quickly finds its own feet after the first season. Because it kicks off by trying so hard to tie everything in with the original source material, some viewers have shared opinions that the first season is by far the weakest of the show’s four seasons. However, after diverting from the original plot and digging into its original storytelling, fans seem to have fallen in love with what Syfy’s remake has to offer. And that’s where many believe the “12 Monkeys” TV show really shines, as it doesn’t have to rely on the same exact story as the ’90s movie.
Exactly why “12 Monkeys” has gone overlooked by so many is hard to say. 2015 was an interesting time for TV as a whole, as many had been leaning hard into the act of “cord cutting.” There were likely other factors at play, too, but the fact remains that Syfy’s adaptation continues to go unwatched by many who would probably enjoy it.
A tough legacy to live up to
Another thing to keep in mind is that remakes are always difficult, especially when you take something like a movie — which is usually formatted to be a maximum of two hours long — and start breaking it down into an episodic formula. This likely turned off some people, a sentiment shared across multiple Reddit threads. However, it seems the creators of the TV remake managed to pull it off, with one user on Reddit writing, “12 Monkeys is a great show. And not because it has the best acting, special effects, or biggest fanbase.”
Instead, the user says the show manages to remain “gritty and complex” while also leaving the audience wondering how in the world the writers are going to wrap everything up. A pretty common trope in time travel stories. And yet, they manage to do it somehow, with many praising the show’s full-circle ending as one of the best that the Syfy network has put out. Fans even rate it up there with classic shows like “Battle Star Galactica” and the first few seasons of “The Expanse” — which is still one of the most recommended shows for sci-fi fans to check out.
You can stream all four seasons of the show on Amazon Prime, or if you prefer, you can always find it on other services like Apple TV. And, if you’re looking for even more great sci-fi to dig into, make sure you check out Silo, one of Apple TV’s best sci-fi shows.
