Show business is a truly unforgiving arena. There’s so much to live up to and so little time and resources to do so. Fan expectations are a major force of nature in Hollywood. These movies and shows stand testament to that.
The Golden Palace
The Golden Palace was the ill-fated spin-off of the legendary series Golden Girls. After Dorothy gets hitched, the remaining Golden Girls buy a hotel and basically run the entire operation. The Golden Palace was fun and fresh, although the humor and the tone was a tad bit different. Fans hated the change in pace and tone and so the series lasted for only one season (24 episodes). It was the least successful Golden Girls spin-off project ever.
Justice League
Despite constantly being hated on for his DCEU movies, Snyder did have a vision in mind. And that was very different to what the MCU was feeding the fans. Warner Brothers didn’t give in to fan pressure for so long but suddenly relented and kicked Snyder out of the project. Whedon was brought in and he was supposedly going to give what the fans wanted. The Josstice League was an utter disaster. Zack Snyder’s Justice League on the other hand, rocked it on HBO Max.
Joey
To think that every spin-off project should live up to the legacy of its original is a recipe for disaster. The production team of Joey knew that it would be heard for Joey to stand up to the legendary Friends. So instead, they gave the show its on fun little twists to the story. For a while fans liked Matt le Blanc’s character but fan hype soon turned the project sour. They expected Joey to connect to Friends somehow. The show was cancelled after two seasons.
Fantastic Beasts
Warner Brothers merely wanted to milk the Harry Potter universe with Fantastic Beasts. The movies were meant to be popcorn flicks and should have been viewed as such by the fans. Eddie Redmayne did a commendable job as Newt Scamander. Had the movie been a standalone project, it would have surely been considered above average, if not a master-class. Its connection to the Harry Potter universe is what ruined it.
Counterpart
The sci-fi Starz series was very ambitious. It dared to go where no other series had gone before. Starring J.K. Simmons in the lead, it explored parallel realities and political conspiracies. But fans expected the show to be like any other action themed series. Simmons’ character was sadly not like Jack Bauer or Jack Ryan. fans expected it to be another fast paced story, not a slow-burn thriller. Ratings dropped and Starz later cancelled the series.
Kick-Ass 2
In no way do we say that the Kick-Ass movies were the epitome of superhero fiction. But they were unique and fresh. Kick-Ass was a success because it parodied the superhero genre. Kick-Ass 2 was more into world-building, introducing new characters and expanding the franchise. Kick-Ass 2 suffered because fans expected another parody movie. Despite having some truly incredible moments, the movie pretty much killed the franchise
WandaVision
The Mephisto fan theories and the ‘Wanda’s powers will create the X-Men’ predictions eventually led to the Ralph Bohner twist. WandaVision was definitely a very strange and quirky tale that deserved applause. Many still love it. Some do hate it because Marvel didn’t give them what they wanted.
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect example of a movie never managing to escape the predecessor’s shadow. In 2008, Nolan’s Dark Knight smashed through the Box Office, becoming a beloved masterpiece. 4 years later, The dark Knight Rises tried upping the ante. But its comparison to the 2008 film is what makes people hate it even more.
The Batman
People ridiculed the 2004 animated series The Batman for their experimental design of classic Batman villains and making Batman team up with other superheroes. What the fans were really complaining about was that the series was nothing like the iconic Batman: The Animated Series.
Doctor Sleep
Mike Flanagan’s sequel movie to The Shining already was overburdened with insurmountable odds. Fans of The Shining were expecting a Kubrick movie while Flanagan had already spun his own formula into the Stephen King tale.
