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 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 only if it fails?
And what about all those 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, and

If it was made for television — be it broadcast, streaming or whatever–
Then it’s (probably) a made-for-telvision movie.

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)
• 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”)
• Blackmail (1991, Paramount)
• Blade in Hong Kong (1985, CBS)
• Blue Lightning (1986)
• The Bogie Man (1992, BBC2)
• The Burden of Proof (1991, ABC)

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; pilot)
• 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)
• 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)
• The Empty Copper Sea (1983, aka “Travis McGee”)

F

• Face Down (1997, Lions Gate Films)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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”)
• 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)
• 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)
• Moonlighting (1985, ABC)
• Moon Over Miami (1993, ABC)
• Murder in Music City (1979, NBC; aka “The Country Music Murders”)
• Murder One, Dancer 0 (1983, NBC)
• Murder Sees the Light (1987, CBC)

N

• Nero Wolfe (1977, ABC)
• The Nightstalker (1972, ABC)
• The Night Strangler (1973, ABC)

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)
• Passport to Murder (1993)
• Peter Gunn (1989, ABC)
• The Pigeon (1969, ABC)
• 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

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

S

• The Saint (1989, Celtic Films/LWT)
• The Saint (2013, MPCA/Silver Screen)
• Salinas Jackpot (1971, CBS)
• Shamus: A Matter of Wife… and Death (1976, NBC)
• Shannon’s Deal (1989, NBC)
• Shock to the System (2006, here! Films; Donald Strachey)
• Shooting Stars (1983, ABC)
• Simon and Simon: Precious Cargo (1994, NBC)
• The Singing Detective (1986, BBC1)
• 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)

T

• A Taste for Justice (1994, NBC)
• Tatort: Tote Taube in der Beethovenstrasse (1972, German)
• TekWar (1993, Atlantis Films; pilot)
• Tenafly (1973, NBC; pilot)
• Third Degree Burn (1989, HBO)
• Third Man Out (2005, here! Films; Donald Strachey)
• The Thirty-Two Friends of Gina Lardelli (1966)
• This Girl for Hire (1983, CBS)
• Three Blind Mice (2001)
• Travis McGee (1983, aka “The Empty Copper Sea”)
• Twin Detectives (1976, Charles Fries Entertainment)
• Two for the Money (1971, 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)

X

Y

Z

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

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