Summary
- Over time, movie and TV franchises can outgrow their titles, leaving them with names that no longer accurately represent the content.
- TV shows like “Lost” and “New Girl” shift focus over time, moving away from their original premises even though the titles remain the same.
- Franchises like “Saw” and “Friday the 13th” may no longer make sense due to changes in characters or plotlines, causing the titles to feel outdated.
It’s natural for long-running franchises to evolve over the years, but some change so drastically that their titles no longer make sense. A good title should capture something fundamental about a movie or TV show while making audiences excited to watch it. However, if a franchise drags on for long enough to change what it’s about, this can leave it tied to a title that doesn’t fit.
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TV shows can’t just change their titles halfway through their run if it no longer reflects what the show is about. Similarly, movie franchises can name each movie depending on the content, but studios always prefer including a recognizable franchise name to drive ticket sales. Years after their first entries, there are plenty of movie and TV franchises which are stuck with ill-fitting names which no longer represent them.
You are watching: 10 Movie & TV Franchises That Outgrew Their Own Titles
10 Saw
Jigsaw Isn’t The Only Killer In The Saw Franchise
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Saw Where to Watch
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Director James Wan Release Date October 1, 2004 Cast Cary Elwes , Leigh Whannell , Danny Glover , Monica Potter , Ken Leung
The Saw franchise now includes 10 movies, with another one slated for release in 2025. It’s most iconic scene may still be from the first movie in 2004. The image of Gordon sawing off his foot is part of what made the low-budget horror movie such a huge hit, but none of the following movies have had similar scenes. The traps and games have become more creative and elaborate over the years.
The image of Gordon sawing off his foot is part of what made the low-budget horror movie such a huge hit, but none of the following movies have had similar scenes.
The other reason that the franchise is named Saw is because John Kramer’s serial killer moniker is “Jigsaw”. However, the franchise killed Jigsaw off in Saw III. His legacy still influences the subsequent movies, but he isn’t as important, so the name Saw doesn’t make as much sense as it used to. Saw X is a direct sequel that tears up the timeline to bring Jigsaw back, so Saw may be on the way to reclaiming its title.
9 Lost (2004-2010)
The Character Gradually Uncovered The Mysteries Of The Island
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Lost Where to Watch
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Cast Evangeline Lilly , Naveen Andrews , Henry Ian Cusick , Daniel Dae Kim , Harold Perrineau , Dominic Monaghan , Emilie de Ravin , Jorge Garcia , Josh Holloway , Michael Emerson , Terry O’Quinn , Matthew Fox , Ken Leung , Elizabeth Mitchell , Yunjin Kim Release Date September 22, 2004 Seasons 6 Expand
Lost is a very simple title for a show with such a rich and complex mythology. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the show’s many mysteries, but the survivors of Oceanic 815 aren’t marooned on the island forever. The end of season 4 shows a flash-forward with some of the main characters having returned home. They are no longer lost, but they debate about whether they should go back.
The end of season 4 shows a flash-forward with some of the main characters having returned home. They are no longer lost, but they debate about whether they should go back.
Lost‘s supernatural mysteries keep things interesting right until the end. While the first couple of seasons are as much about the struggles of survival and escape as they are about unlocking the truth of the island, the show gradually shifts focus. By the end, the characters know that they were marooned on the island for a reason, and simply escaping isn’t the tempting option it once was.
8 Search Party (2016-2022)
The Search Party Is Over By Season 2
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Search Party Where to Watch
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Cast John Reynolds , John Early , Meredith Hagner , Brandon Micheal Hall , Alia Shawkat Release Date November 21, 2016 Seasons 5
The first season of the dark comedy Search Party follows a group of friends who go looking for their missing friend, but once she is found, the show takes an unexpected turn. Seasons 2 and 3 are about the friends trying to cover up a murder and subsequently being put on trial. Season 4 returns to the premise that the title promises, but this feels more like a coincidence than a desire to set the record straight.
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Season 4 returns to the premise that the title promises, but this feels more like a coincidence than a desire to set the record straight.
With Search Party, it’s wise to expect the unexpected. Once the show stops trying to stick to the concept of its title, all bets are off, and the plot develops in plenty of surprising ways. By the fifth season, Dory is leading a psychedelic enlightenment cult, not leading a search party. Each season takes on a new genre, but the show’s title still somehow describes the ever-present elements of discovery and fun.
7 New Girl (2011-2018)
Jess Isn’t New For Long
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New Girl Where to Watch
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Cast Zooey Deschanel , Max Greenfield , Hannah Simone , Damon Wayans Jr. , Lamorne Morris , Jake Johnson Release Date September 20, 2011 Seasons 7
New Girl is the perfect title for about a season or so, but the sitcom changes its approach before too long. By definition, Jess can only be new for so long, so the writers found a way to give New Girl legs long after the novelty of Jess’ arrival wore off. New Girl is initially about the comedic conflict when a woman moves in with an apartment full of immature men, and the title emphasizes this.
New Girl
is initially about the comedic conflict when a woman moves in with an apartment full of immature men, and the title emphasizes this.
As New Girl developed, the show pulled back from its “battle of the sexes” premise. Jess became an accepted part of the friend group, and the show transitioned into being a more generic but no less hilarious sitcom about young people living together. New Girl‘s cast shared the load a lot more, and by the time the show wrapped up, it felt strange that the title would single Jess out.
6 The Pink Panther
The Pink Diamond Isn’t In Every Pink Panther Movie
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The Pink Panther franchise is known for Peter Sellers’ performances as the bumbling French detective Inspector Clouseau, but he was never meant to be the star of the show. Clouseau is merely a supporting character in 1963’s The Pink Panther. The main character is the gentleman jewel thief Sir Charles Lytton, also known by his criminal alias, The Phantom. The “Pink Panther” of the title is his latest target, an enormous diamond with a pink flaw.
The Pink Panther gets stolen and recovered a few times in other movies, but some movies are named after the diamond even though the plot has nothing to do with it.
The Pink Panther doesn’t feature in the next two movies in the franchise, but it makes another appearance in the aptly titled The Pink Panther Returns. The diamond gets stolen and recovered a few times in other movies, but some movies are named after the gem even though the plot has nothing to do with it. The worst offender is 1993’s Son of the Pink Panther, which follows Inspector Clouseau’s son.
5 Two And A Half Men (2003-2015)
Two And A Half Men Wasn’t Meant To Last So Long
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Two and a Half Men Where to Watch
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Cast Charlie Sheen , Jon Cryer , Angus T. Jones , Marin Hinkle , Melanie Lynskey , Holland Taylor , Conchata Ferrell , Ashton Kutcher , Amber Tamblyn Release Date September 22, 2003 Seasons 12
Two and a Half Men was initially about two brothers living together during their adult years, while one of them has custody of his son on the weekends. Shows with child stars don’t tend to last for too long, since the actors age out of their roles before too long. August T. Jones started playing Jake when he was just 10 years old, but Two and a Half Men carried on until he was well into adulthood.
August T. Jones started playing Jake when he was just 10 years old, but
Two and a Half Men
carried on until he was well into adulthood.
For a while, Two and a Half Men was really about three fully-grown men. The show got even further from the concept of its title in its last two seasons, when Jones left the show to attend college. Then, Two and a Half Men became a show about two men. Ashton Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen after the original star was fired, but the show never tried to replace Jake’s character.
4 Friday The 13th
The Franchise Shifts Away From Its Titular Date
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Friday the 13th Where to Watch
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Director Sean S. Cunningham Release Date May 9, 1980 Cast Peter Brouwer , Adrienne King , Betsy Palmer , Jeannine Taylor , Kevin Bacon , Robbi Morgan , Harry Crosby
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The Friday the 13th franchise doesn’t take long to start moving away from the date in its title. The movie that started it all does take place on Friday the 13th, as Jason’s mother embarks on a killing spree to avenge the death of her son many years earlier on the same date. Part II returns to the same date a few years later, but the franchise soon moves on and ignores its own premise.
For some movies, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact date they take place, but the very fact that it isn’t mentioned shows how the date has lost its importance.
Following Part II, the next two movies in the franchise are set in the following two days, on the 14th and 15th respectively. There have been a total of 12 Friday the 13th movies. For some movies, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact date they take place, but the very fact that it isn’t mentioned shows how the date has lost its importance. Jason is the star of the franchise, and he can get his hockey mask and machete out on any day of the year.
3 The Last Man On Earth (2015-2018)
Phil Finds Out He Isn’t Alone
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The Last Man on Earth Where to Watch
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Cast Will Forte , Mel Rodriguez Release Date March 1, 2015 Seasons 4
The Last Man on Earth‘s first episode ends with the brilliant reveal that Phil is not alone, as he sees smoke rising from a fire made by another survivor. However, for the first few episodes, he does still consider himself to be the last man on Earth, since his only companions are women. This all changes with the arrival of Todd, and Phil gradually discovers more and more survivors.
Ultimately, Phil realizes he is far from the last man on Earth, even if there are times when he wishes that were true.
The Last Man on Earth ends with a cliffhanger. The season 4 finale shows Phil and his group being surrounded by a newly discovered population of people wearing gas masks, but the show was canceled before season 5 could explain this development. Ultimately, Phil realizes he is far from the last man on Earth, even if there are times when he wishes that were true.
2 The Raid
The Raid Abandons Its Title Concept After Just One Movie
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The Raid: Redemption Where to Watch
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Director Gareth Evans Release Date March 23, 2012 Cast Iko Uwais , Joe Taslim , Yayan Ruhian , Pierre Gruno , Ray Sahetapy
The Raid, also known as The Raid: Redemption, is a groundbreaking martial arts movie featuring the traditional Indonesian martial art of pencak silat. Some of the movie’s stars have gone on to have success in Hollywood, including Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Joe Taslim. The Raid caused a sensation when it was first released, and a sequel followed soon after, although it completely ignored the premise of the title.
It normally takes a while for movie franchises to drift away from the meaning of their titles, but
The Raid
does so as soon as possible.
It normally takes a while for movie franchises to drift away from the meaning of their titles, but The Raid does so as soon as possible. The first movie follows an elite tactical response team during a raid on an apartment block in Jakarta. The sequel expands its scope, as one of the characters goes undercover to expose the police corruption in Jakarta’s criminal underworld. There is no raid to speak of, but The Raid 2 is another jaw-dropping martial arts movie.
1 Veep (2012-2019)
Selina Isn’t The Vice President For Long
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Veep Where to Watch
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Cast Anna Chlumsky , Timothy Simons , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Reid Scott , Tony Hale , Matt Walsh , Kevin Dunn , Sufe Bradshaw Release Date April 22, 2012 Seasons 7
British satirist Armando Iannucci had already created the popular political comedy The Thick Of It when he decided to set his sights on the D.C. bubble. It makes sense that he would eventually zero in on the concept of Veep, since Britain has no real equivalent to the office of vice president. The job of VP has often been a consolation prize for unsuccessful primary nominees, and Iannucci skewers that inherent power imbalance.
Many of
Veep
‘s best seasons take place long after Selina has left the role of vice president behind, and the show’s title has become redundant.
In season 3 of Veep, Selina Meyer suddenly gets thrust into the Oval Office when President Hughes resigns in disgrace. Many of Veep‘s best seasons take place long after she has left the role of vice president behind, and the show’s title has become redundant. Veep is at its best when Selina is on the campaign trail with her team of constantly bickering aides and analysts. She even uses the promise of nominating someone as her running mate as a threat, because she knows how impotent the vice president truly is.
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