5 Martin Scorsese classics that definitely deserve to get series adaptations

Martin Scorsese's career has spanned over five decades now. And throughout his time as a filmmaker, he has given us some timeless classics like Taxi Driver (1976), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Last Temptation of Christ (1989), and many more.

His execution style and inclusion of themes, which are mostly gangster-based, are what we call absolute cinema. And then there are some that the audiences simply can't get enough of. His movies still become a subject of debate, and those debates can stretch for long on internet communities today.

We also thought of some of those movies and pondered that they might make a good TV show, too. There's always something to explore, and these movies we are about to discuss can pull off at least a mini-series based on the respective story. Let's see which of them made the cut, then.

Martin Scorsese movies that should get TV show adaptations

King of Comedy (1982)

In his fifth collaboration with Robert De Niro, the director put him in the role of a comedian with some mental issues. His name is Rupert Pumpkin... sorry, it's Rupert Pupkin. No one remembers his last name. King of Comedy can get a TV show based on Rupert's grand performances, where he told his life stories that audiences loved. Maybe they were make-believe, too. But if not, and even if not, they would make some interesting watching for TV audiences.

Gangs of New York (2002)

With Gangs of New York, Martin Scorsese began collaborating with Leonardo DiCaprio. However, it was Bill the Butcher who stole the show in the film. And why not, considering the veteran actor Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed the role. While it was more about Amsterdam's (DiCaprio) revenge, which is, behold, a Quentin Tarantino pun here, 'Kill Bill,' Bill the Butcher had a deeper past that can be best explored in a TV show. Basically, how he came to be what he was.

Casino (1995)

Martin Scorsese mixed the mafia and casino business in his 1995 film and told us a story of the rise and fall of things in Las Vegas. It's more about how Vegas changes over the years. In the film, the casino business is taken over by corporations, which De Niro's Ace didn't really like. Perhaps, we can get a TV show about a character similar to Ace who challenges the workings of these corporations while working in the casino business only.

The Departed (2006)

There were so many spies in Martin Scorsese's The Departed that it is unclear how big the web of spies and rats was. This is a perfect setting for a proper spy show where we can take a deeper look at the network of all these double-faced people surviving in the corrupt 80s Boston.

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

Finally, in this list, we thought that Martin Scorsese's second feature is among the films that can be adapted as a TV show. The low-budget romantic crime drama follows the story of Boxcar Bertha, who becomes popular with her group involved in train and bank robberies. The TV show can take a closer look at these robberies that made the group notorious in the first place.

Scorsese’s worlds are rich, layered, and bursting with untapped potential, which is why so many of his films feel ripe for episodic storytelling. Whether it's the psychological depths of Rupert Pupkin, the brutal rise of Bill the Butcher, or the sprawling criminal webs of The Departed, each narrative offers room for expansion beyond the big screen. As television continues to embrace complex, character-driven stories, these Scorsese classics could easily find new life and new audiences on the small screen.

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