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
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
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
Useful reference — many thanks!