Directory of Made for TV Movies

A great directory of made for TV movies can come in handy when you're looking to find a particular film. While Hollywood blockbusters are the films that typically win awards and garner the majority of public interest, movies made especially for television have made their own significant contribution to the history of film. Considering that television has been around for five decades, the sheer number of films produced for television has become quite substantial.

Films produced specifically for television have been around since the 1950s, although the term "made for TV" was not introduced until the 1960s. The inspiration for marketing films as "made for TV" derived from the television networks' desire to try to cut into the movie theatre market. If they could convince people to stay home and watch movies as opposed to going to the movie theatre, they could increase their viewing audience and therefore increase their advertising revenue. ABC and NBC both began airing a made for TV movie every week, and the films were often cast with major stars.

In every decade since, made for TV movies have grabbed headlines and made impressions on the nation's popular culture. In the 1970s, films such as Steven Spielberg's Duel and Brian's Song, the story of the Chicago Bears' Brian Piccolo, were both huge hits. In the 1980s, the Cold War film The Day After tapped into the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and caused a stir. The 1990s saw the release of Babylon 5: The Gathering, and in 2003 a made for TV version of Battlestar Galactica led to a successful TV series of the same name.

Because their budgets are considerably less than those for films produced for the big screen, the production qualities of made for TV films are often less slick and sophisticated. In addition, since they must meet certain content standards, these films are usually less provocative and contain less violence and sex than Hollywood pictures.

The following online resources will provide you with searchable databases where you can find information on made for TV movies.

• Yahoo Directory – The Yahoo Directory of Made for TV Movies and Miniseries is a comprehensive and searchable listing of these films.

• Ultimate Disney – This excellent site has a listing of all the made for TV films produced by Disney.

• AOL Television – AOL Television is an excellent website to help you find what made for TV movies are playing in your area right now. You can enter your zip code and then search for movies. The search engine will return hits for the films playing on your particular cable provider.

• Amazon – At Amazon, you can search their directory of made for TV movies that have been released on DVD. If you see one you like, you can buy it and watch it whenever you like.

• Super Seventies – The 1970s were a bit of a heyday for made for TV films. Because of their campy style and dated fashions, these films are of particular historical interest for many people today, even if they're just looking for films to goof on. The website Super Seventies does a great job of listing and providing descriptions for some of the most memorable films from that decade.

People seem fascinated by made for TV movies for different reasons. For some, the cost of going to the movies has gotten too high to be affordable, so made for TV movies are an inexpensive alternative. For others, the toned down production and family friendly themes are preferred to the garishness of Hollywood movies. Whatever your reason for watching made for TV movies, hopefully the directories will help you find what you're looking for.

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