With TV shows and movies racking up billions of hours of viewing, it's safe to say that the small screen has never held such a grip on our hearts.
From slick action to political dramas, here are some of the most famous TV movies of all time. Some are familiar names, others are newer faces.
1. ER
When it debuted 25 years ago, ER was a game-changer. It introduced viewers to the medical drama genre and launched the careers of stars like George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle and Julianna Margulies.
The show was the first to portray the volume and complexity of cases seen in a public Level One trauma center. It also portrayed physicians staggering under the weight of their responsibilities and struggling with relationships at home.
Unlike the Nurse Ratched and sex object depictions on many other TV shows, ER nurses were capable and nuanced. It did make an effort to portray nurses as patient advocates by questioning physician treatment plans and catching mistakes. However, the show still presented a physician-centric vision of nursing. Nonetheless, ER is one of the most influential medical dramas in history. It will likely continue to influence how the world views health care, including nursing.
2. Band of Brothers
Following the success of 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, exec producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg sought to explore World War II through historian Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers book. The ten-part series chronicled the experiences of American soldiers in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Easy Company).
The show depicted the unit from their training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia to their participation in some of the most notable battles of the European theatre, including the disastrous siege of Bastogne and Operation Market Garden, to their capture of Hitler’s mountaintop retreat in Berchtesgarten. The acclaimed miniseries garnered massive critical acclaim and has made a considerable impact on the world. It has also elevated HBO’s status as a prestige television network.
3. Bewitched
The classic sitcom is still a fan favorite decades after it first aired, and its influence has spread far beyond America. According to IMDb, it's spawned remakes in countries as diverse as Japan and Russia.
The story revolves around Samantha, a witch who falls in love with New York ad executive Darrin Stephens. He convinces her to marry him with the promise that she will never use her magic powers, but she can't resist performing a few quick tricks here and there. Her mother, Endora, is appalled by her choice of a mortal husband and does everything she can to break them up.
The series was so popular that it was even adapted into a big-screen movie in 2005. Nicole Kidman starred as Samantha, while Will Ferrell played Darrin. The film also featured a cast of famous actors including Shirley MacLaine, Agnes Moorehead, and Jason Schwartzman.
4. The Insider
In a time when TV movies were largely considered inferior to their big-screen counterparts, this drama proved that small screens could still deliver big production values and a larger-than-life feel. This film chronicles the tumultuous rise and fall of television journalist Mike Wallace, and is a compelling reminder of how much power the medium can hold in our lives.
Michael Mann normally makes slick, action-packed movies but here he delivers a powerful story of journalism. Russell Crowe and Al Pacino give outstanding performances as Jeffrey Wigand (the former Brown & Williamson executive who blew the whistle on the tobacco industry) and Lowell Bergman, the 60 Minutes producer who brought it to air after a bruising battle with CBS.
This movie lays bare the lethal duplicity of the tobacco industry and shows how powerful the media can be. Contains some profanity and graphic violence.
5. Soapdish
With the exception of a clunky final scene, this backstage satire of daytime soap operas is an uproarious delight. Director Michael Hoffman assembles a dizzy cast of crazies, led by Sally Field as mature diva Celeste Talbert. The supporting players include Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Cathy Moriarty, Garry Marshall, Kathy Najimy and Carrie Fisher, plus cameos from TV personalities Leeza Gibbons and John Tesh (both playing themselves as Entertainment Tonight hosts/reporters).
Soapdish is an irreverent and hilarious look behind the scenes of a fictional soap opera. A must-see for fans of the genre.
6. The Running Man
In a future dystopia where the government distracts its citizens with crummy reality TV games, impoverished Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries out for the Games Network to earn money for his daughter's medicine. After rigorous physical and mental testing, he's selected to appear on the most popular game show, The Running Man.
While Richards is on the run across America, being chased by elite killers known as Hunters, he discovers the sinister behind-the-scenes machinations of the show's host, Damon Killian (played with hammy brio by Family Feud's Richard Dawson). He eventually takes control of his own destiny, revealing the truth to the viewers and destroying the Games Network's grip on society.
Despite its preposterous ideas, this duff sci-fi warbling based loosely on a Stephen King short story is funny in retrospect -- particularly in light of our current obsession with reality TV. It's also helped cement Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of the biggest stars of the '80s.
7. The Fugitive
Harrison Ford is known for starring in Indiana Jones movies, Star Wars films, and Blade Runner – but he also starred in The Fugitive. The film was notable for being one of the first films to use TV as its backdrop – it is about a detective hunting for a notorious murderer who is hiding out on television.
Adapted from the popular 1960s series that starred David Janssen, The Fugitive was a hit and still holds up well three decades later. This smart, taut 1993 movie benefits from great pacing, top performances from Ford and Tommy Lee Jones (who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance), visceral practical stunts, and a riveting James Newton Howard score. Plus, it was the first movie to introduce viewers to the concept of reality TV. The Truman Show essentially copied this idea 20 years later.
8. The Rockford Files
James Garner shines as Jim Rockford, the wisecracking ex-con private eye. He lives in a trailer in Malibu and drives a classic Pontiac Firebird. His cases often involve people who don't want to be found or get caught, and his instincts are golden.
The series was ahead of its time. Unlike other detective and police shows of the time, it didn't glorify its hero or make him seem indestructible. It also broke with conventions by having Rockford cheat during fights, be beaten up, and even hurt his own hand in a fistfight.
The show's production values were high and the cast, including Garner, Michael Lerner, Joe Santos, Bill Mumy, Gretchen Corbett, and Stuart Margolin, was outstanding. The first season aired in 1974, and the show ran for six seasons until 1980. It then resurfaced for eight TV movies between 1994 and 1999.
9. Oz
While cinematic releases occupy the starring roles in Hollywood, made-for-television movies still captivate audiences and push the boundaries of TV film-making. In fact, some of these films have even garnered more critical acclaim than their theatrical counterparts.
Glinda the Good Witch embodies hope, guidance, and spiritual wisdom in the film version of The Wizard of Oz. She also displays compassion towards Dorothy.
Before The Wire and The Sopranos, this acclaimed TV movie about a maximum security prison was a canary in the coal mine for scripted dramas outside of broadcast network ecosystems. It introduced a slew of well-known names, including St. Elsewhere and Homicide: Life on the Street star Tom Fontana as sadistic white supremacist Vern Schillinger, and Angelina Jolie in her breakthrough role. It also spawned a worthy sequel.
10. The Walking Dead
The first zombie-related TV series to gain massive popularity, TWD is set in a world overrun by walkers and led by sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes. The show explores the struggles of a group of survivors who constantly find some semblance of normalcy only to lose it spectacularly.
The violence is not just directed at the undead, but at living people whom viewers come to care about - like Sasha, Carol and Gabriel (who lost his entire parishioner family). While the show has had its ups and downs, its ability to tap into cultural anxieties over refugees, terrorism and natural disasters makes it one of the most important TV shows in history. The show also offers an exploration of the dark psychology of humanity when forced to survive at all costs. Gore abounds, as the dead are shot, stabbed, bludgeoned and smashed to death while living characters have their throats cut, limbs chopped off and heads bashed.
