Oscar-winning ‘Crash’ as a TV series

What happened

Paul Haggis’s racially charged film Crash, which won the Oscar for best picture in 2005, is being adapted into a TV series for the Starz network, the cable channel announced on Monday. Although Haggis and Don Cheadle—who were both involved in the film version of Crash—will lead the show’s creative team, the cast has yet to be decided. Production on the series is set to begin this spring.

What the commentators said

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“Three years after Crash inexplicably won Best Picture and enraged moviegoers and Oscar watchers worldwide,” said Katey Rich in the blog Cinema Blend, the Starz network decides to turn it into a TV series. Great. “Because there are just too many ways to explore racism in the most obvious and pandering way possible, we now get 13 mini-Crashes to make us all feel bad about ourselves but good” for watching a show “that addresses racism.”

“I’m one of those people who actually really dug the movie,” said Monika Bartyzel in the blog Cinematical. “It was interesting, thoughtful, and entirely gripping,” and “I was happy to see it win the big statue.” But I guess it remains to be seen if the TV version of Crash will be as captivating as the movie.

Well, don’t get too excited, said Jay Frasco said the blog If Magazine. “If you loved the film, don’t expect to see the same characters back for more. The series will use the same storytelling style and will be set in L.A., but new faces will fill out the multi-cultural drama.”