A&E, home to Hoarders and Storage Wars, will once more dabble in homes cluttered with animal corpses and anticlimactic reveals by developing Bates Motel, a drama series that will serve as both a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho, and yet another pale imitation in the Norman Bates franchise that he unwittingly spawned. According to the network description, Bates Motel will give viewers an “intimate understanding” of Norman’s psyche, and “chronicle how his mother, Norma, and her lover damaged Norman, helping shape the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history.” Not mentioned in the network description is that there already was a low-rated and quickly canceled NBC pilot called Bates Motel in 1987, nor is it acknowledged that Psycho IV: The Beginning already chronicled the young Norman Bates’ relationship with his mother. Not to spoil the TV show for you, but it was sort of unhealthy.
Join the discussion...