History Main / MadeForTVMovie

A number of TV movies have been released theatrically overseas after airing in the United States. This was especially common in the 1970s to ensure that the studios made quicker profits on these movies. One such example is ''Film/{{Duel}},'' a 1971 suspense thriller starring Dennis Weaver directed by an up-and-coming young filmmaker named Creator/StevenSpielberg. A peculiar recent example is the Music/{{Liberace}} {{Biopic}} ''Film/BehindTheCandelabra'', which was reportedly rejected by US film studios for its gay subject matter, was made as a TV movie by HBO, and then did get a cinematic release in many overseas markets.

Sometimes, theatrically-released movies will get made-for-TV sequels, such as ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds 3'' and ''4''. Also, regular weekly series will sometimes get these as a variation of TheMovie -- ''Series/DoctorWho'' is perhaps the best-known example, the 1996 TV movie being its only episode in the extended hiatus between the 1989 and 2005 seasons.

Like their more cinematic counterparts, made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). They also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like their more cinematic counterparts, made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). They also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films, ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like their more cinematic counterparts, made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). They also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like regular films, made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). They also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like regular films, Made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). They also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like regular films, Made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre and have any type of plot, but the most notable plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines (for example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies). Tney also tend to be full of BMovie-esque writing and/or acting, and are often marked for their perceived low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

Like regular films, Made-for-TV movies can be a part of any type of genre, but their plots tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines. For example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies. They also tend to be full of {{Glurge}} and/or melodrama, and are often marked for their low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

A Made-for-TV Movie, also known as a telefilm, is a one-off two-hour (usually) movie, made to be shown on television as opposed to in cinemas.

The plots of made-for-TV movies tend to be RippedFromTheHeadlines. For example, the Amy Fisher affair of the early [[TheNineties '90s]] spawned at least ''three'' made-for-TV movies. They also tend to be full of {{Glurge}} and/or melodrama, and are often marked for their low quality (a stereotype that is exemplified by Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Original Movies]], which are often watched solely for the NarmCharm). The exception to this rule seems to be {{Creator/HBO}}, whose own telefilms are usually quite well-made and have even won awards, thus "making up" for the lack of [[ActBreak act breaks]]. Some made-for-TV movies are targeted at female audiences (e.g.: ''Series/HallmarkHallOfFame'' films; ''Mother May I Sleep With Danger?'', or any other Creator/{{Lifetime}} [[LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek Movie of the Week]]), while the aforementioned Syfy movies and other films are targeted at men.

In the United Kingdom, this is not called a "TV movie", but rather a "one-off drama", and is generally seen as being more serious and artistic than a series rather than the reverse, not unlike how {{OVA}}s are viewed relative to anime made for broadcast television. Until the late '80s/early '90s they were called "plays" and were often videotaped on multi-camera, which gave them a more theatrical look; occasionally they were even direct adaptations of works written for the stage. Sometimes they'd even end up spawning an [[RecycledTheSeries ongoing TV series]]; ''Series/RumpoleOfTheBailey'' and ''Series/TheBill'' can trace their origins back to one-off dramas included in Creator/TheBBC's ''Play For Today'' and Creator/{{ITV}}'s ''ITV Playhouse'' anthology strands respectively.