Will ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ TV show lead a wave of TikTok adaptations?

Who TF Did I Marry? is coming to a TV station near you.

Actor, writer, and producer Natasha Rothwell is helming an adaptation of the viral TikTok series, which racked up 400 million views over the month following its Valentine’s Day release. Creator Reesa Teesa (real name Tareasa Johnson) used more than 50 TikToks to tell the story of her manipulative ex-husband, to whom she gave the nickname Legion. Johnson’s tale struck a chord, especially with the older TikTok users who are sometimes overlooked amid the scramble for Gen Z engagement.

Rothwell, who readers may recognize from her appearances in shows like Insecure and The White Lotus, is betting that Who TF Did I Marry? will connect with its target audience on TV screens. After what Variety described as a “competitive bidding war,” the adaptation got the green light from ABC Signature, which had previously signed an overall deal with Rothwell’s Big Hattie Productions.

Ever since Who TF Did I Marry? broke out on TikTok, its creator has harbored clear ambitions for an adaptation of her project. “I hope to bring this story and personal experiences to an even bigger platform with the hope of helping those in similar circumstances know they are not alone,” Johnson said when she signed a representation deal with CAA less than a month after her series’ initial release date.

Who TF Did I Marry? will not be the first TV program adapted from TikTok content. Earlier this year, reality TV satirist Boman Martinez-Reid landed a self-referential series on the Canadian network Crave. There have also been numerous Hollywood projects inspired by other pieces of social media; a notable example is the 2020 movie Zola, which began as a thread on X (then known as Twitter).

The social media-to-TV pipeline may not be new, but Who TF Did I Marry? feels like it could kick off a wave of TikTok adaptations, especially if Rothwell’s take hits the mark. That is easier said than done. Some adaptations of web-based material have struggled to attract fans who would rather enjoy the free version of the concept on a platform like YouTube or TikTok. The decline of YouTube’s premium programming initiative speaks to that consumer preference.

But Who TF Did I Marry? may be insulated from some of those difficulties, since brands, studios, and agencies are hungry for connections to TikTok trends. We’ve already had a Roman Empire menu at Panera and a Girl Math promotion at Pizza Hut. Now, TikTok’s dankest memes are infiltrating Hollywood as well. Are TV viewers ready to learn the horrifying truth about Legion? Rothwell will have to complete her adaptation before we can find out.