In today’s entertainment industry, everything is a franchise. Every movie or TV show is ripe for sequels, spin-offs, and, perhaps the hardest to pull off, prequels. In the last few years, prequels have become all the rage, filling in the gaps in the stories we know and love.
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What makes a prequel hard is that you have to tell a story in a way that justifies its existence. We already know how the story ends, so why are we going backward? In the history of prequels, several examples have not only justified their existence but also created great stories that may be better than the originals.
‘House of the Dragon’ (2022- )
After the disappointing final season ofGame of Thrones,it was unclear what the franchise’s future would be. IfHouse of the Dragonis any indication, the future is brighter than ever.
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Set hundreds of years beforeGame of Thrones, this series follows the Targaryen family back when they were the royal family of Westeros. What makes the show work so well is that it focuses on the strengths ofGoT. WhereasGoTarguably followed too many characters,HotDis centered on a core family, creating a deeper sense of character than was often possible in the original series. It also tells a more coherent story, honing in on the power struggle building over time. Time will tell if its legacy will matchGame of Thrones, butHouse of the Dragonis making a real case for itself in its first season.
‘Pearl’ (2022)
WhileTi West’sXtook place in the 1970s and was an homage to the slasher movies of the time,Pearlhas more in common withThe Wizard of OzthanThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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The film is the origin story of the killer inX, following Pearl as she pursues her dream of being a star while battling the close-minded, repressed world of 1918 America. The movie is bright and colorful, with some of the most stunning cinematography you’ll ever see, capturing the essence of old Hollywood technicolor.Mia Goth’sperformance as Pearl is a revelation. It’s genuinely Oscar-worthy, imbuing this tragic character with a deep desire for a better life than she has: it’s one of the year’s most disturbing, engaging, and brilliant movies.
‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ (1992)
The mystery of “Who killed Laura Palmer?” engrossed audiences throughout the first two seasons ofTwin Peaks. The prequel movieFire Walk With Mefollows Laura Palmer in the days leading up to her death,asking the audience if her death was inevitable.
While the original TV show mixed the mystery and soap opera genres with touches ofDavid Lynch’s weirdness,Fire Walk With Meis full-on Lynch, feeling like a fever dream of anger and fear.Sheryl Lee’s performance is incredible, finally giving life to one of television’s most famous dead characters. Like a good prequel,Fire Walk With Medoesn’t quite work as well if you haven’t seen the original, but its more stylized and striking story makes it a movie you cannot miss.
‘Ratched’ (2020-2020)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nestis a masterpiece. It wasthe second film ever to sweep the major categories at the Oscars. That’s quite a lot forRyan Murphy’sRatchedprequel to live up to. So, instead of competing, Murphy makes a prequel that’s so different from the movie it practically stands on its own.
Ratchedfeels more likeAmerican Horror Storythan the original movie, and it surprisingly works. Serving as an origin story for the notorious Nurse Ratched,Sarah Paulsonplays the role with real humanity, separating her Ratched fromLouise Fletcher’s more intense villain. What makes this prequel stand out is how the show carves its own path instead of trying to live up to an impossible legacy.
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ (2022- )
Famously, the original pilot ofStar Trekfeatured aslightly different crew than the one we saw in the final product. That pilot was retconned as having occurred before the show began in a two-part episode called “The Menagerie.” That history is now being fleshed out in the newestStar Trekseries,Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
The show follows the crew of the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Along with new characters, there are also plenty of faces you’ll recognize from the original series, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and even a younger James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). What makes the show so good is that it combines the best aspects of the two eras ofStar Trek: the episodic structure of the older shows and the scope and scale of the Paramount+ series. It’s the show everyStar Trekfan has been waiting for.
‘Gotham’ (2014 - 2019)
Most of the time, the Batman origin story is told in just a few minutes, and then we jump to the fully-formed vigilante.Gothamdives deep into how the young billionaire orphan became a crime-fighting machine while highlighting the rise of some of his greatest villains, including Catwoman, The Penguin, and The Riddler.
What makesGothamincredible is that the story isn’t told just from Bruce Wayne’s perspective. It’s the story of the city itself, including villains and hero cop Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie). Not taking a specific style from any Batman movie, Gotham charts its own course and becomes one of the definitive versions of the Batman myth.
‘Prey’ (2022)
Predatoris an action/horror classic. The sequels? Not so much. That’s why it was so surprising thatPrey, a prequel to the original, may be the bestPredatormovie to date.
Preyis one of those prequels that doesn’t try to connect too much to the original. While the original takes place in the modern era,Preygoes back to the year 1719 and follows a young Comanche warrior named Naru as she struggles to prove herself by protecting her people from the Predator.Amber Midthunder’sperformance as Naru is what elevatesPreyabovePredator. We all loveArnold Schwarzenegger, but Naru is a real character that the audience can rally behind.
‘Bates Motel’ (2013-2017)
Alfred Hitchcock’sPsychois one of the most iconic horror movies ever. Everyone knows Norman Bates and his murderous motel. But onBates Motel, we get to know Norman better than we ever had before.
The show tells the story of Norman and his mother, Norma, leading up to the original film’s events. Featuring incredible performances byFreddie HighmoreandVera Farmigaas the mother/son duo, the show dives deep into how Norman becomes the psychopath he’s destined to become. You may think that a serial killer is a tough protagonist for a TV show, but much like the original movie, the show pulls it off, humanizing Norman and Norma to the point that you even understand why they do what they do. The best prequels justify their existence by adding new layers to the original, and that’s whatBates Moteldoes.
‘1883’ (2021-2022)
Sam Elliot as Shea Brennan, Tim McGraw as James Dutton, and Faith Hill as Margaret Dutton standing side by side in a black and white promotional image for 1883.
Taylor Sheridan’sYellowstoneis one of the most popular shows on TV, with the season four finale drawing 9.34 million viewers. While the show has connected with a large audience, its prequel series1883takes what works in the neo-western series and tells a more ambitious story of the Wild West.
WhileYellowstoneis a mix betweenDallas,The Sopranos, andSuccession,1883is a full-blown western, following the post-Civil War generation of the Dutton family as they travel west to establish the Yellowstone ranch.1883swaps out the melodrama and soap opera storylines fromYellowstonewith a serious, well-crafted story about the struggles that must be endured when looking for a better life.Yellowstonemay be more popular, but1883is the best western show on TV.
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)
Breaking Badis considered one of, if not the greatest, TV shows of all time. Once it ended, it was hard to believe that another show would top it anytime soon. Then cameBetter Call Saul. The show takes place years beforeBreaking Badand shows how con-man lawyer Saul Goodman, aka Jimmy McGill, came to be involved with the criminal underworld of New Mexico.
You may think that it’s just going to beBreaking Badagain, following Jimmy as he descends into evil, but it’s really not. It’s a nuanced exploration of the gray areas of morality with an incredible lead performance byBob Odenkirk. It feels likeBetter Call Saulis a logical progression of the themes ofBreaking Bad, without the growing pains of a brand new show and with the artistic freedom of an experienced team of creatives.
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