Line #59 TheMovie/LiveActionTV


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/OddSquadTheMovie https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_07_20_at_00_04_18_odd_squadthemovieposter09webp_webp_image_1200_1600_pixels_scaled_47.png]]]]
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7	Examples of TheMovie in live-action TV.
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9	* ''Series/DoctorWho'' had two films starring Peter Cushing as 'Dr. Who' which took place outside the series' continuity. "The Five Doctors", a 90-minute special to celebrate the 20th anniversary, was basically a Movie. Another film was the 1996 Paul [=McGann=] [[MadeForTVMovie TV movie]], which was an attempt to get the show back on track after its original 1989 cancelling. The [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor 50th anniversary special]] was billed as a movie, and showed in theaters along with the global simulcast.
10	* ''Series/TheXFiles'' used its first movie ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture'' to further its storyline, although it mostly used the medium to reveal important secrets of the GovernmentConspiracy. By contrast, ''Film/TheXFilesIWantToBelieve'' has nothing to do with the MythArc, so it's more of a NonSerialMovie.
11	* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' spawned a theatrical film, ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', which tied up most (but not all) of the dangling threads from the short-lived series. Universally known to fandom as the Big Damn Movie. FanFiction even uses this to help identify the time frame: Post Show Pre BDM, Post BDM, No BDM. There are some that are Post BDM + AU.
12	* ''Series/BlueMountainState'' ended after 3 seasons. While the final episode did finish its story, fans wanted there to be at least one more season (students normally spend 4-6 years in an American college and since each season represented a school year, fans wanted to see Alex Moran's senior year) to the point where they signed a petition and the creators launched a Kickstarter. The result was ''Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland'', released on February 2, 2016.
13	* The 1970s SpeculativeFiction series ''Series/BuckRogersInTheTwentyFifthCentury'' found its pilot released to theatres rather than broadcast.
14	** This was also the case for the original ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica\|1978}}'', at least in Canada and Europe.
15	*** ...and In America! Where it appeared in some theaters ... in ''Sensurround!''
16	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' 's movie was actually ''shorter'' than any episode of the TV series - having apparently had a few of the 'host segments' cut right out just prior to release - and featured slightly dumbed-down riffing (i.e. fewer obscure references, more crude language) as well as an actually tolerable movie (''Film/ThisIslandEarth'', considered by many to be a ''sci-fi classic'') due to ExecutiveMeddling. This is not to say the movie isn't still pretty funny.
17	** ''This Island Earth'' was itself edited down significantly for use in the [=MST3K=] movie which- even including the new footage- still ran almost 15 minutes shorter than the original film.
18	* ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' have had 10 films between them -- six of the former and four of the latter. In a more conventional way of speaking, however, the first one (''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'') was ''the'' Movie for TOS and the seventh and first unnumbered one (''Film/StarTrekGenerations'') for TNG--the sequels to them essentially icing on the Movie cake, allowing their respective shows to basically continue well past their final TV episodes and to engage in the {{Grand Finale}}s they didn't have during their original run. Then again, if you have not heard about the [[http://everything2.com/title/Odd+numbered+Star+Trek+movies+suck "even-odd rule"]]... basically, there is a strange pattern in which the even-numbered films are (in general) better than the odd-numbered films. The result is that the second TOS film, ''The Wrath of Khan'', is usually considered their best, and the second TNG film (movie #8), ''First Contact'', is also considered the quintessential TNG film, distilling all that was best in their respective series. Still, their first movie outings still had that "The Movie" effect, where everything was a shiny new movie set focusing more on "wow, we're actually in a theatrical film now". Of course, of the four TNG films - movies #7 through #10 - #7 and #9 fell victim to the odd-numbered rule (though #9 is more like a pleasant stand-alone, the cast officially thinks it's boring), and #10 (''Nemesis'') officially broke the "even numbered Trek films are great" rule (the cast openly stated that "it sucked"), ''First Contact'' was the only TNG film widely accepted as a great entry.
19	** Reviews for The Motion(less) Picture were better than one might expect based on how commonly it's panned today (Ebert gave it 3/4 stars, and it's got a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is ... well ... ''rotten'' by the stated standards, but significantly higher than a lot of arguably better movies). While it didn't meet its over-optimistic revenue expectations, it did at least make back its budget 2-3 times over, which was good enough for Paramount to green-light a (lower-budget) sequel after booting Roddenberry, who was perceived to be much of what went wrong with the first one.
20	* TheSixties' ''Series/{{Batman\|1966}}'' series had a theatrical film (''Film/BatmanTheMovie'') between the first and second seasons, featuring ComicBook/TheJoker, ComicBook/ThePenguin, ComicBook/TheRiddler, and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} as a LegionOfDoom.
21	** Also - according to Creator/AdamWest, the third season's three-part arcs were meant to be edited together into telefilms for overseas distribution (as with several contemporary shows like ''Series/TheManFromUncle''. It's unknown if any of these plans actually went ahead, though.
22	* ''Series/McHalesNavy'' spawned two movies during its run as a TV series in the early 1960s; then TheFilmOfTheSeries in 1997 attempted to tell an "after-the-series" story mainly by ignoring the show's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII roots and throwing in a UsefulNotes/ColdWar {{Retcon}}.
23	* ''Film/TheNakedGun'' series of films continue the adventures of the short-lived series ''Series/PoliceSquad''. The combined running-length of the three films is 253 minutes, over an hour and a half more screen-time than the six-episode series [[AdaptationDisplacement which you've probably never seen or heard of]].
24	* ''[[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan's Island]]'' had three {{Made For TV Movie}}s, in addition to its two {{Animated Adaptation}}s.
25	** ''Rescue From Gilligan's Island'' had the cast finally escape the island, struggle to reintegrate into normal life, and finally become shipwrecked on the island once again during a reunion cruise.
26	** ''The Castaways on Gilligan's Island'' saw them escape yet again, but return to open a holiday resort. This was intended to be the pilot for a SpinOff that never happened.
27	** ''The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island'' saw, you guessed it, The Harlem Globetrotters crash landing on the island before helping to thwart the schemes of a MadScientist who wants the island for its rich energy supply. The issue is, naturally, settled in a basketball match between The Globetrotters and the MadScientist's robotic team.
28	* ''Series/NoahsArc'': Jumping the Broom, the movie about Wade and Noah's wedding (and the craziness that precedes it).
29	* After already being [[RecycledTheSeries a spinoff]] of the original ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' movie, once ''Series/StargateSG1'' was canceled, the major plot of the ninth and tenth seasons was brought to a climax in the movie ''Stargate: Film/StargateTheArkOfTruth''. This was then followed by a sequel called ''Film/StargateContinuum''. Further movies were apparently planned, including another SG-1 movie, an SGA movie, and an SGU movie, but these have since devolved into DevelopmentHell if not cancelled altogether.
30	** The unusual thing about Stargate fandom is that the film referred to as "The Movie" is actually ''not'' TheMovie in the sense of this trope; it was the first film that everything else is based on (essentially the opposite of TheMovie). The reason for this is simply that it's the only part of the entire franchise that doesn't have a subtitle, so there's pretty much nothing ''else'' to call it. And then it gets even more complicated because the cast and creators of the film don't consider the series canon, and have frequently remarked on their desire to complete the film series as ''they'' intended and ignoring the spinoff entirely, while the series in turn diverges from the movie in a number of areas as well.
31	*** So while other shows might have The Series followed by the BigDamnMovie, Stargate has The Movie followed by the Big Damn Series. (This is considering that in the first movie they only saved one planet, whereas afterwards they go on to save multiple galaxies several times over and uncover the Secrets of the Universe).
32	* Numerous {{Brit Com}}s of the 1970s had movie spinoffs, featuring the original cast and (usually) writers, but filmed on different sets and locations. These films typically featured the cast [[VacationEpisode going on a bus trip, or a cheap foreign holiday]], and generally had poor reviews. Examples include:
33	** ''Film/OnTheBuses'', followed by ''Film/MutinyOnTheBuses'' and ''Film/HolidayOnTheBuses''.
34	** ''Series/PleaseSir''
35	** ''Series/TillDeathUsDoPart''
36	** ''Series/LoveThyNeighbour''
37	** ''Series/RisingDamp''
38	** ''Series/ManAboutTheHouse''
39	** ''Series/GeorgeAndMildred''
40	** ''Film/AreYouBeingServed''
41	** ''Film/UpPompeii'' - which had two sequels relocating Lurcio to different time periods, ''Film/UpTheChastityBelt'' (TheMiddleAges) and ''Film/UpTheFront'' (UsefulNotes/WorldWarI).
42	** ''Series/SteptoeAndSon'' - two movies
43	** ''Film/TheLikelyLads''
44	** ''Series/{{Porridge}}''
45	** ''Film/DadsArmy1971'' - notable in that it [[RetCon retconned]] the first episode somewhat, and the retcon was carried over into the {{Radio}} adaptation.
46	** ''Series/BlessThisHouse''
47	*** It's worth recording Nick Hornby's reaction to these things, when he was watching them as a kid. 'For me, growing up, the cinemas wasn't a place of magic and wonder. It was where old sitcoms went to die.'
48	** While ''Series/FawltyTowers'' never actually made TheMovie, Creator/JohnCleese did consider doing one at some point. The [[http://metro.co.uk/2009/05/15/john-cleeses-fawlty-towers-movie-122006/ idea]] he came up with plays with the whole VacationEpisode plot in that it apparently involved Basil Fawlty trying to go on holiday to Spain, only for the plane to get hijacked and forced back to London -- which ended up driving Fawlty so crazy that he ended up hijacking the plane himself just to get his holiday.
49	* ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'': The series was followed by two theatrical movies, which were unexpected box-office flops (in fact, the second film was greenlighted ''despite'' the first one being a flop as they thought it was a fluke!).
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51	%% The 2004 film is The Film Of The Series.
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53	* In one of the largest dichotomies in this trope, the otherwise-cheery and humorous ''Series/SesameStreet'' had ''Follow That Bird'', a full-length TearJerker of a film that delves into much darker territory of family, loss, and self-identity than anything that ever showed up in the normal show. This was followed over a decade later by ''Elmo in Grouchland''.
54	* Some '80s US sitcoms had [[MadeForTVMovie made for TV]] extensions:
55	** ''Series/FamilyTies Vacation'' sends the cast to Merrie Olde England after Alex wins a summer scholarship to Oxford.
56	** ''Series/TheFactsOfLife'' had more than one of these: ''The Facts of Life Goes to Paris'' sends Mrs. Garrett and the girls to France, while ''The Facts of Life Down Under'' sends them to Australia. There was also a [[ReunionShow reunion movie]] about a decade after the show ended.
57	* Moving into the '90s, ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' had two during the run of the live-action show: ''Sabrina Goes To Rome'' and ''Sabrina Down Under''. Unlike most movies of this ilk, the majority of the regular cast weren't involved (in both cases only Sabrina and Salem got to make the trip).
58	* ''Series/{{Blossom}}'' also had ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Blossom In Paris]]'' (subsequently shown in syndication in four parts).
59	* Several movie-length {{Reunion Show}}s:
60	** ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' had a reunion movie (''Still the Beaver'') which led to a new series (titled, creatively enough, ''The New Leave It To Beaver'') in the '80s. It also had a very forgettable theatrical version, with a whole new cast and set in more modern times, in 1997.
61	** ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' had two reunion movies ''The Brady Girls Get Married'', ''A Very Brady Christmas''. Each of these spawned a short-lived series (''The Brady Brides'', ''The Bradys'').
62	** ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' (''Film/ReturnToMayberry'')
63	** ''Series/EightIsEnough: A Family Reunion''
64	** ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie: 15 Years Later''
65	*** Also, ''I Still Dream of Jeannie''
66	** ''Series/TheLoveBoat: A Valentine Voyage''
67	** ''Back to the Streets of San Francisco''
68	** Several ''Rockford Files'' movies in the '90s.
69	** ''The Series/GrowingPains Movie'' and ''Growing Pains: Return Of The Seavers''.
70	** ''Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis'' for ''Series/TheManyLovesOfDobieGillis''.
71	* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' has done a fair number in its later years.
72	** In 1990, ''Series/UltraQ'' got one (some twenty-four years late!) called ''Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars'', featuring an alien named Wadatsujin and her {{kaiju}} Nagira.
73	** ''Series/UltramanTiga: The Final Odyssey'' was released in 2000 (three years after the series ended), but wrapped up some of the remaining plot points in the series (such as Daigo and Rena finally getting engaged) and featured cameos from the cast of SequelSeries ''Series/UltramanDyna'' to bridge the gap between series. It also revealed a fair bit about Ultraman Tiga's past and that of the prehistoric civilization he defended.
74	** ''Series/UltramanCosmos'' had an entire trilogy. It's first movie served as a prequel to the series and a MilestoneCelebration for the franchise's 35th anniversary. The next two movies took place after the events of the show and featured a new hero called Ultraman Justice.
75	** ''Film/UltramanMebiusAndTheUltraBrothers'' continued the ''Series/UltramanMebius'' theme of "[[MilestoneCelebration commemorating 40 years of Ultraman]]", as Mebius meets the first four Ultramen (the original, Seven, Jack, and Ace), battles a gang of aliens pulled from the early shows, and learns about what it means to be an Ultraman.
76	** 2010s Ultramen (Series/UltramanGinga, Series/UltramanX, Series/UltramanOrb, and Series/UltramanGeed) would always have a movie after the series concludes.
77	* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' got two movies during the height of their popularity. The first is a non-canon film based on ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie''. It introduced early the ninja powers they would be using for Season 3 (which later formed their own story arc on how they got those powers). The second was used to introduce the ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' series. This one was part of the TV show's continuity.
78	* On the Japanese end of things, every year (since the early [=2000s=]) there's a ''Franchise/SuperSentai''/''Franchise/KamenRider'' double-feature (aka Super Hero Time: The Movie (insert year here)), with the Sentai movie getting about half the screen time the Rider movies get. (In contrast to America, where {{toku}} shows can be divided into the categories of "Power Rangers" and "everyone else", ''Kamen Rider'' is much bigger than ''Super Sentai'' in Japan.)
79	** ''Super Sentai'' also has a team-up with the current team and its predecessor every January. ''Kamen Rider'' is getting in on the action with that lately every December. And now, Rider/Sentai teamups (''Super Hero Taisen'' series) are also going to be an every year thing. So by now, you've got a Super Hero Time double-feature, a Sentai 'versus' movie, a Kamen Rider 'Movie Wars' movie, and a ''Super Hero Taisen'' movie every year. Also, if a series is popular enough, it'll get a movie or two after its run finishes, though usually DVD only. Japan really loves its {{Toku}}.
80	* ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' and its SpiritualSuccessor ''Series/HannahMontana'' both have one.
81	** Okay, so it's [[MadeForTVMovie not going to be in theaters]], but it's still called ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace: The Movie'', and so did ''The Series/EvenStevens Movie''. The former did get another one: ''The Wizards Return: Alex VS Alex'', set after the TV show.
82	* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' started as an NBC made-for-TV-movie, ''then'' spawned a TV series, ''then'' spawned even more TV Movies!
83	* ''Series/SexAndTheCity'' took 4 years to get the movie out. Originally planned for the year after, but Kim Cattrall wanted more money for the work. (and who can blame her?) So it dragged on for a while until Kim got a deal.
84	** And there's a {{Sequel}}.
85	* British political satire ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' spawned ''Film/InTheLoop'', in which the action transferred to the US and most of the actors played different characters.
86	* The new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica\|2003}}'' got two of these in [[DirectToVideo Direct To DVD]] form: ''Razor'' and ''The Plan''. ''Razor'' is a {{Midquel}} and ''The Plan'' is a POVSequel. Each focuses on a troubled villainous character, [[GeneralRipper Admiral Helena Cain]] and [[BigBad Brother John Cavil]], respectively.
87	* ''Series/GetSmart'' had planned to make a full-length movie, which instead became the three-episode story arc "A Man Called Smart". Way after the series ended, there was a bad movie, a made-for-tv movie, and [[Film/GetSmart another 2008 movie]].
88	* ''Series/TheGongShow Movie''.
89	* ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen's Apocalypse'', in which all the characters became [[RefugeeFromTVLand Refugees From TV Land]], and enacted a terrible revenge on the writer-performers.
90	* [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Monty Python]] refilmed a bunch of their TV sketches and released it in 1972 as ''And Now For Something Completely Different.'' It became must-see viewing on the midnight movie circuit.
91	* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'' had a theatrical movie at the end of its run. Miss Brooks finally marries LoveInterest Mr. Boynton. She also spends much of her time tutoring a LonelyRichKid
92	* ''Series/{{Studio 3}}'s'' ''Bitcom'' segment of shorts became popular enough to get its own 40-minute SpinOff special, ''Bitcom And The Oblivion Ray''.
93	* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' and ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'' had ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'', and here's a brief summary. Sir Topham Hat has vacation and leaving Mr. Conductor in charge. They have to find a lost engine named Lady while this is going on.
94	* ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' had ''Film/BarneysGreatAdventure'', a movie where Barney and the kids have to chase after a rainbow-striped egg which contains a creature that can make people's dreams appear before them.
95	* There was going to be a Series/{{Teletubbies}} movie, but there was a dispute between the American distributor of the Teletubbies and the original creator of the Teletubbies, Anne Wood. This resulted in the Oogieloves.
96	* ''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie Little House on the Prairie]]'' had quite a few TV-movies after the series' run which gave the show closure, the most notable movie being when the town of Walnut Grove is destroyed.
97	* A theatrical version of ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' was released in 1954. It's slightly DarkerAndEdgier than the series tended to be, with a bit of a downer ending involving a PyrrhicVictory. It was notable in being the first movie based on a TV show.
98	** The 1987 theatrical version of ''Dragnet'', on the other hand was pure AffectionateParody.
99	* The ''Series/PeterGunn'' movie ''Gunn'' (1967) had Craig Stevens once again as the title character.
100	* ''Series/Tracker2001'' had a movie of sorts that was really a couple of episodes edited together and released as ''Alien Tracker''. The poor quality and fan refusal to buy it is probably what made Lion's Gate think [=DVDs=] wouldn't sell, and [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes no season set was ever released.]]
101	* ''Film/WaynesWorld'', ''Film/{{Coneheads}}'' and ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' are all The Movies of recurring skits from ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''.
102	* Similarly, ''Film/KevinAndPerryGoLarge'', based on the characters from ''Series/HarryEnfieldAndChums''.
103	* ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' and its seven theatrical follow-ups, as well as two TV flicks and a direct-to-video movie.
104	* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Back & Forth'', which had an extremely limited theatrical release; it was commissioned for the Millennium Dome's Skyscape Cinema, and subsequently went to DVD.
105	* ''Series/DarkShadows'' got two: ''House of Dark Shadows'' (1970) and ''Night of Dark Shadows'' (1971). Creator/TimBurton made another ''Film/DarkShadows'' film in 2012.
106	* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' got a limited-release [[Film/VeronicaMars movie in 2014]] after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
107	* Due to the popularity of Flemish series Series/KabouterPlop created by {{Creator/Studio100}}, a couple of movies were released in Belgium starting in the mid 2000's.
108	* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' ended in 2015, but in 2019 got a full-length theatrical continuation film appropriately titled, ''Film/DowntonAbbey''. A sequel came out three years later in 2022 subtitled ‘A New Era’ which serves as the GrandFinale.
109	* ''Series/TheArmyGame'': 1958's ''I Only Arsked!'', directed by Montgomery Tully and made by Hammer Films. In it, slapstick ensues when the inept army recruits from Hut 29 are transferred to a post in the Middle East.
110	* ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries'' received a feature film in 2020 titled ''Film/MissFisherAndTheCryptOfTears''. In it, Phryne goes on a globetrotting adventure from Palestine to England and back again, dragging a reluctant DI Jack Robinson in her wake. Most of the other series regulars have at least a cameo.
111	* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' has had two movies so far, ''Psych: The Movie'' in 2017 and ''Psych 2: Lassie Come Home'' in 2020.
112	* ''Series/OddSquad'' has two: ''Odd Squad: The Movie'' in 2016, and the MadeForTVMovie ''World Turned Odd'' in 2018. ''Odd Squad: The Movie'' was unique in that it reunited the main cast of Seasons 1 and 2 of the show and also had star power like Creator/JackMcBrayer and Creator/HannahSimone, while ''World Turned Odd'' was co-creator Tim [=McKeon=]'s last time-travel-related concept made for the show, since [[https://twitter.com/TimMcPhone/status/1005158956405219328 he was banned from making any more time-travel episode suggestions in the writer's room]].
113	* The French Myth/ArthurianLegend-[=inspired=] comedy series ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'' ended in 2009. Twelve years later, the theatrical film ''Film/KaamelottPremierVolet'' continued the story, and it is intended to spawn a trilogy.
114	* ''Series/ZoeysExtraordinaryPlaylist'' got a GrandFinale film following it's cancelation, called ''Film/ZoeysExtraordinaryChristmas'', and airing on the Roku Channel. It takes place, naturally, around the Holidays following the completion of the series.
115	* Various Creator/DisneyPlus titles within the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe --namely ''Series/TheMandalorian'', ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'', and ''Series/{{Ahsoka}}''-- were announced to feature in a crossover event, later revealed to be a theatrical feature-length release directed by Creator/DaveFiloni.

Context TheMovie / LiveActionTV