The announcement that Psycho — Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller, one of the most studied and influential films in cinema history — would be adapted into a television series generated the kind of skeptical attention that surrounds any attempt to extend or reimagine a canonical work.

The series, Bates Motel, which premiered on A&E in March 2013, was conceived as a prequel of sorts: a contemporary drama exploring the backstory of Norman Bates and his mother Norma, set in the present day rather than in the 1960s period of the original film. Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore were cast as Norma and Norman respectively, and the show was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano.

The skepticism was understandable. Hitchcock's original was a masterwork of cinematic technique, famous for its construction of dread, its subversive narrative structure (killing the apparent protagonist in the first act), and Bernard Herrmann's iconic score. Any television series bearing its name would inevitably be compared to something that could not be reproduced in a weekly drama format.

Bates Motel, as it turned out, navigated this challenge by committing fully to its own identity. Rather than trying to replicate Hitchcock's style, the series developed its own visual and tonal approach, focusing primarily on the psychologically charged relationship between Norman and his mother and on the particular pressures of their isolated, dependent dynamic. Farmiga's performance as Norma became the critical anchor of the show.

The series ran for five seasons, ending in 2017 with a finale that returned explicitly to the events of the original film. It was, on its own terms, a worthwhile piece of television — which is the most reasonable standard to apply.