‘The Departed’ TV Series Lands At Amazon

Drew Dietsch
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TV

Back in February, we reported that Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was getting the TV series adaptation treatment. That was all the info available to us at the time. Well, today brings us a little more development on this project, including where you can watch it and where it will be set.

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Amazon has nabbed the series which will be headed up by Detroit 1-8-7 creator Jason Richman. Though the series will take inspiration from the Boston-set American film, the property originated with a trio of Hong Kong pictures called Infernal Affairs. However, the series is going to carve out its own identity by moving the setting to Chicago. The city has a strong history when it comes to organized crime. Looks like The Departed will be taking advantage of that.

The TV Version of the Remake Will Be…

In this updated version, a young cop will go undercover with a powerful Latino gang. Of course, the gang plants their own operative within the police force at the same time. The premise has potential. There is no need to try and stay faithful to either of the previous versions. Hopefully, viewers will be able to separate themselves from the Oscar-winning film and judge the show on its own merits.

It’s clear that Amazon is doing everything they can to be a part of the big leagues. Between The Man in the High Castle and the recent news about Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, they are making a ploy for bigger and badder programming. Something as prestigious as The Departed will definitely add another feather in their cap. Though they’ve had critical success with shows like Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle, Amazon still hasn’t produced a series that sells people on their Prime service. As HBO has Game of Thrones and Netflix has… well, everything, Amazon needs something that grabs the culture’s attention. Will The Departed be that show? Even if it isn’t, let’s hope it’s as good as (or even better than) its source material.

No word yet on casting or a release, but we’ll keep our eyes on this one.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.