The Made-for-Television Movies & Pilots

Of course, the line gets damn blurry sometimes.

Is a two-hour Rockford Files episode a TV movie?
Should Banacek be listed as a series or a series of separate TV movies?
Was The Dain Curse a mini-series or a multi-part TV movie?
Does a two-hour pilot get listed as a TV movie if it fails? Or if it succeeds?
And what about all those one-off straight-to-cable, straight-to-video or (now) straight-to-streaming flicks?

The way I’m figuring it is: 

If it’s one-off, not part of a series,  or if it’s tied to no more than two other movies;
or if it’s a pilot, successful or otherwise,
or it was “feature”-length and intended to be broadcast, streamed or whatever—
and not intended for the big screen–
then it’s (probably) listed here…

Unless it isn’t…

Meanwhile, if you’re not too clear on the concept of who is or isn’t a private eye,
check out What the hell is a private eye, anyway?

SEE ALSO:

TV SERIES in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

TV SERIES in ALPHABETICAL ORDER

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A

• The Abduction of St. Anne (1975)
• Affairs of the Heart (1998, CBS; pilot)
• Alex and the Doberman Gang (1980, NBC)
• Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (1998)
• Anonymous Rex (2004, SciFi Channel)

B

• Balmain Boys (2002, Australia)
• Banyon (1971, NBC; pilot)
• The Big Black Pill (1981, NBC; aka “Joe Dancer”)
• The Big Easy (1982, ABC)
• Big Rose: Double Trouble (1974, CBS)
• The Big Trade (1981, NBC; aka “Joe Dancer: The Big Black Pill”)
• Biller High Private Eye (2019)
• Blackmail (1991, Paramount)
• Blade in Hong Kong (1985, CBS)
• Blue Lightning (1986)
• The Bogie Man (1992, BBC2)
• The Burden of Proof (1991, ABC)
• Burn Notice (2007-13, USA Network)

C

• Cannon (1971, CBS; aka “Salinas Jackpot”; pilot)
• Cast a Deadly Spell (1991, HBO)
• Caught in the Act (2004, Lifetime)
• Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for Hanging (1977, NBC)
• Chopratown (2005, BBC)
• Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983)
• The Concrete Cowboys (1979, CBS)
• Cool Million (1972, NBC; aka “Mask of Marcella”)
• The Country Music Murders (1979, NBC; aka “Murder in Music City)

D

• The Dain Curse (1978, CBS)
• Dangerous Passion (1990, USA Cable/Carolco Pictures)
• Dark Rivers (2020-24, ARD; aka “Ein Krimi aus Passau“)
• Dash and Lilly (1999, A&E)
• Dead Men Don’t Make Phone Calls (1987; CBS)
• Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street (1972, German)
• Die Kinder (1990, BBC/PBS)
• Do Jama Do Jama EkP (1997; Cinematograph [India]; aka “Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One”)
• Double Deception (1993, NBC)
• Double Exposure (1993, Falcon Arts)

E

• Ebony, Ivory and Jade (1979, CBS)
• Ein Krimi aus Passau (2020-24, ARD; aka “Dark Rivers”)
• The Empty Copper Sea (1983, aka “Travis McGee”)

F

• Face Down (1997, Lions Gate Films)
• The Fall of Sam Axe (2011, USA Network)
• The Fat Man: The Thirty-Two Friends of Gina Lardelli (1966)
• Final Notice (1989, USA)
• Flickan som lekte elden (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV; aka “The Girl Who played with Fire”)
• Foreign Exchange (1969, ABC)
• Fourth Story (1990, Viacom)
• Francesca Quinn, P.I. (2022, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
• Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert (1993, NBC)

G

• Goodnight, My Love (1972, ABC)
• Gotham (1988, Showtime)

H

• Half Nelson (1985, NBC)
• Harry’s Case (2001, CBC)
• Heer en meester: de film (2018)
• Hollywood Confidential (1995, Fox)
• The Hollywood Detective (1989, MCA/Universal)
• Home for Christmas (1993)
• The Huntress (2000, USA Network)

I

• I Had Three Wives (1985, CBS)
• I Love a Mystery (1967, Universal)
• In Trouble Again (1995, CBS; aka “Precious Cargo”)
• Innocent | (2010, TNT)

J

• Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou (1995, NBC; aka “Justice on the Bayou”)
• Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989, USA Network; aka “Hoodwinked”)
• Jigsaw (1972, ABC)
• Justice on the Bayou (1995, NBC; aka “Jake Lassiter: Justice on the Bayou”)
• Justin Case (1988, ABC/Disney)

K

• Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978, ABC)
• Killer Heat (2024, Amazon Prime)
• Kindred Spirits (1992, NBC; aka “Love Can Be Murder”)
• Knee High P.I. (2003, Comedy Central)

L

• Lady Against The Odds (1992, NBC)
• Landon, Landon and Landon (1980, CBS)
• Las Vegas Roundabout (1975, CBS)
• Last Hours Before Morning (1975, NBC)
• Le débarcadère des anges (2009, Arte/TV5)
• The Lonely Profession (1969, NBC)
• The Long Goodbye (1954, CBS; episode of Climax!)
• Longstreet (1971, ABC; pilot)
• Love Can Be Murder (1992, NBC; aka “Kindred Spirits”)
• Love Walked In (1998, Columbia Home Video)
• Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV; aka “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest”)

M

• MacShayne: Winner Take All (1994, NBC)
• Man On The Move (1972, ABC)
• Man On The Outside (1975, ABC)
• Män som hatar kvinnor (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV; aka “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”)
• Manhunter (1974, CBS)
• Mask of Marcella (1972, NBC; aka “Cool Million”)
• Matt Helm (1975, ABC)
• A Matter of Wife… and Death (1976, NBC)
• A Menu For Murder (1995, NBC)
• Mickey Spillane’s Margin for Murder (1981, CBS)
• Mickey Spillane’s Murder Me, Murder You (1983, CBS)
• Missing Persons (1990, BBC)
• Missing Pieces (1983)
• The Monk (1969, ABC)
• The Monkey Mission (1981, NBC/Universal; aka “Sweet Wine, an Old Line, One More Time”)
• Moonlighting (1985, ABC)
• Moon Over Miami (1993, ABC)
• Mr. Monk’s Last Case (2023, Peacock)
• Murder in Music City (1979, NBC; aka “The Country Music Murders”)
• Murder One, Dancer 0 (1983, NBC)
• Murder Sees the Light (1987, CBC)

N

• The N&N Files (2014, webcast)
• Nero Wolfe (1977, ABC)
• The Nightstalker (1972, ABC)
• The Night Strangler (1973, ABC)
• Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files (2014, webcast)
• Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths (2022, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

O

• The Old Dick (1989, USA Network; aka “Hoodwinked; Jake Spanner, Private Eye”)
• Olímpicament Mort (1986, Televisió de Catalunya [TV3])
• One Shoe Makes It Murder (1982, CBS)
• The Outsider (1967, NBC)

P

• Parker Kane (1990, NBC)
• Passport to Murder (1993)
• Peter Gunn (1989, ABC)
• The Pigeon (1969, ABC)
• Play Dirty (2025, Amazon Prime)
• The Private Eye (1951)
• Poodle Springs (1998, HBO)
• Powderkeg (1971, CBS)
• Precious Cargo (1995, CBS; aka “In Trouble Again”)
• Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One (1997; Cinematograph [India])
• Probe (1972, NBC)

Q

• Quick and Quiet (1981, CBS)

R

• Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022, Showtime)
• The Return of Frank Cannon (1980, CBS)
• Rivkin: Bounty Hunter (1981)
• Rogue’s Gallery (1972, NBC)

S

• The Saint (1989, Celtic Films/LWT)
• The Sain (2013, MPCA/Silver Screen)
• Salinas Jackpot (1971, CBS)
• Shamus: A Matter of Wife… and Death (1976, NBC)
• Shannon’s Deal (1989, NBC)
• Sharman (1996, ITV)
• Shock to the System (2006, here!)
• Shooting Stars (1983, ABC)
• Silent Hours (2021
• Simon and Simon: Precious Cargo (1994, NBC)
• The Singing Detective (1986, BBC1)
• Sister Sleuths (2022, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
• Slow Burn (1986, MCA-TV)
• Smile Jenny, You’re Dead (1974, ABC)
• The Smiling Man (2007; Nick Chambers)
• Spenser Confidential (2020, Netflix)
• The Spy Killer (1968, ABC)
• Stingray (1985, NBC)
• Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? (1977, NBC)
• Stormy Weathers (1992, ABC)
• Street of Dreams (1988, Phoenix Entertainment Group)
• The Suicide Murders (1987, CBC)
• Sweet Wine, an Old Line, One More Time (1981, NBC/Universal; aka “The Monkey Mission”)

T

• A Taste for Justice (1994, NBC)
• Tatort: Tote Taube in der Beethovenstrasse (1972, German)
• TekWar (1993, Atlantis Films; pilot)
• Ten Days of a Good Bad Man (2023, Turkey)
• Ten Days of a Good Man (2023, Turkey)
• Tenafly (1973, NBC; pilot)
• Third Degree Burn (1989, HBO)
• Third Man Out (2005, here!)
• The Thirty-Two Friends of Gina Lardelli (1966)
• This Girl for Hire (1983, CBS)
• Three Blind Mice (2001)
• Tick Tock (2001)
• Transmission (2023, streaming)
• Travis McGee (1983, aka “The Empty Copper Sea”)
• Trenchcoat in Paradise (1989, CBS)
• Twin Detectives (1976, Charles Fries Entertainment)
• Two for the Money (1972, ABC)

U

• The Underground Man (1974, NBC)
• Up Against the Odds (1979, NBC; see also The Duke)

V

• Vega$ (1978, ABC; pilot)
• Vengeance Unlimited (1998, ABC; pilot)

W

• Wilsberg: Und die Toten lässt man ruhen (1995, ZDF)
• Witch Hunt (1984, HBO)
• Wolfs (2024, AppleTV+)

X

Y

Z

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Not Quite Ready for Primetime
  Pilots That Didn’t Fly & Spin-offs That Didn’t Spin