# Whatever happened to TV movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623 "2008-09-22T01:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/1 "2008-09-22T01:55:43Z")
The cable networks still make them, of course, but why don’t the broadcast networks make them anymore? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/2 "2008-09-22T01:59:19Z")
Probably (and this is a WAG, just so you know) because it’s cheaper to buy the rights for broadcast than it is to produce an original movie. Also, probably, they found that original made-for-TV movies don’t produce the ratings (and therefore potential ad revenue) that a broadcast of a major cinema production does. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/3 "2008-09-22T02:02:55Z")
Yeah, but they don’t run a lot of studio movies, either (other than Disney-owned ABC running Disney fare on Saturday nights). Remember when all three networks would run movies on Sunday evening? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/4 "2008-09-22T02:10:01Z")
Don’t they still make Stephen King movies once in awhile? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/5 "2008-09-22T02:14:24Z")
Movies are rarely shown on the networks these days, even feature films. Only ABC seems to do it consistently, with occasional Saturday night movies. Made-for-TV movies were made in a time where movies were big on broadcast, so original movie programming made sense. Now that there’s cable (including the premium channels), you can see movies any time you want. The broadcast networks moved on to other programming. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/6 "2008-09-22T02:16:11Z")
Made-for-TV movies are a standby for cable, as you mentioned. Certainly, Lifetime and a little thing called _High School Musical_ can attest to that. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/7 "2008-09-22T02:18:49Z")
By “broadcast” networks, do you mean NBC, CBS, ABC? If so, I think that particular species of made-for-TV movies is pretty much extinct. However, there _ **is** _ a cable channel that has exciting new films premiering almost every week. Their latest made-for-TV offering features the talents of John Rhys-Davies\*. It’s called Anaconda III. 😛 \*and David Hasselhoff! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/8 "2008-09-22T02:25:33Z")
The great thing about the TV movies they do on Lifetime is that they at least once upon a time they were all titled something like _Breathless Anticipation: Living the Life of a Transvestite Stripper_. Then three months later they’d get re-run as _Living the Life of a Transvestite Stripper: Breathless Anticipation_ as though it was a brand new movie. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/9 "2008-09-22T02:42:13Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > The great thing about the TV movies they do on Lifetime is that they at least once upon a time they were all titled something like _Breathless Anticipation: Living the Life of a Transvestite Stripper_. Then three months later they’d get re-run as _Living the Life of a Transvestite Stripper: Breathless Anticipation_ as though it was a brand new movie. Reminds me a bit of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson’s famous book _Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life_, which has also been published as _The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-tv-movies/464623/10 "2008-09-22T03:36:42Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Movies are rarely shown on the networks these days, even feature films. Only ABC seems to do it consistently, with occasional Saturday night movies. > > Made-for-TV movies were made in a time where movies were big on broadcast, so original movie programming made sense. Now that there’s cable (including the premium channels), you can see movies any time you want. The broadcast networks moved on to other programming. …and VCRs and DVD players. I think the straight-to-video movie is the modern-day equivalent of the made-for-TV movie.