NBC is developing a Single White Female television series

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

It's usually groan-worthy news when it's announced that yet another movie from yesteryear is being turned into a television series, but I have to admit that a lot of the modern movie-to-TV adaptations have turned out quite well, so well that even some projects that looked like sure-fire failures have become successes.

For me, the latest announcement of this kind of show did indeed elicit a groan, but I'll certainly be paying attention to see how it turns out: NBC has announced that they are developing a TV series based on the 1992 film SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, in which Bridget Fonda placed an ad for a roommate and the applicant she ended up choosing was played by Jennifer Jason Leigh – a very poor choice, as her new roommate turned out to be a total lunatic who became obsessed with her and tried to copy her life, right down to her hair color and style. Violence and murder ensued.

Directed by Barbet Schroeder from a screenplay by Don Roos, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE was based on the novel SWF Seeks Same by John Lutz. The TV reboot is being written by Eric Garcia, who will also executive produce the show. Garcia's version moves the setting from New York City to San Francisco and has the following logline: 

When erstwhile con-artist Hedra uses her professional connections to target Allie, a seemingly moneyed colleague in search of a roommate, Hedra slowly begins to realize that her mark may not be quite as innocuous as she first seems. Soon, viewers will come to understand that Hedra may have met her match in Allie, making viewers question who is really being "single white female’d."

Some things match up to the movie in there, while other things stray away from the film's story. I'm intrigued to see how the casting will go for this, as Leigh's crazy performance is a tough act to follow.