SMALLVILLE:  The teen series was smarter than expected, and revived the Superman brand as a viable commodity, only for Superman Returns to flounder.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

The flop movie was the inspiration for the TV show that became a pop-culture sensation. It was at one stage set to become the first-ever movie-to-show-to-movie remake.

BLADE

The woeful Blade: Trinity made expectations helpfully low for the not-bad Blade TV series.

KAREN SISCO

The undeservedly short-lived spin-off of Out of Sight was a worthy successor to Stephen Soderberg's best film.

STARGATE

Though beloved almost exclusively by sci-fi fanatics, it's been a genuine hit, with a near decade-long run and a spin-off series of its own, Stargate Atlantis.

COMING SOON ...

STAR WARS

The Clone Wars animated series is hotly anticipated, mainly because of the involvement of the team behind cult cartoon Samurai Jack (and the limited non-involvement of George Lucas).

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

This is a perfect example of a franchise that still won't die, despite diminishing artistic returns. A TV show is in production for next year. It will reportedly deal with a teenage stowaway Jack Sparrow (shudder), who dreams of becoming a pirate captain.

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING

A series is in the works chronicling the professional and personal trials of Nick Naylor, the tobacco PR guru immortalised by Aaron Eckhart.