How to deal with MACS? (Movies After Series Cancellation) (1 Viewer)

[Jon_Gu]

This topic came up in the Rockford Files thread, I've seen it mentioned in other threads about other shows (probably mentioned it myself). How will the studios handle releases of Made for TV Movies filmed AFTER a series was cancelled? 5 shows, off the top of my head, can justify their own release of just the Movies After Series Cancellation.

The matter of a last release in the series being just the movies is something the studios are going to have to consider somewhere down the line for several series.

The Rockford Files - 5 full seasons, a 12 episode 6th season + the unreleased on DVD pilot and 8 TV movies.

Kojak - 5 full length seasons - Pilot NOT included with S1, + 7 movies 1985-1990.

Hart to Hart - 5 full length seasons + 8 movies (not including the pilot that was included with S1)

Murder, She Wrote - 12 full seasons + 4 movies (not including the pilot that was included with S1)

Spenser: For Hire - 3 full seasons + 4 movies (released backwards with the 4 movies in a set, but no indication of season releases). The pilot was aired as the first two episodes of season 1. Was this one 'testing' the waters for sets of just the movies filmed after the show was cancelled?

 

[Jay_B!]

another one that is a real oddity of sorts is Remington Steele.

In early 1987, there were three final TV movies, and those three 2-hr episodes have been redubbed "season five".

How they're going to do the DVD's I have no idea... I'm thinking they'll tag on one more disc to the season 4 set when it comes out sometime next year.

 

[Jon_Gu]

We've seen several TVonDVD releases that were combined seasons. T.J. Hooker, McCloud, and Quincy come to mind because the first season was so short (6eps or so), we got a Seasons 1&2 release. I hope we'll see Remington Steele S3, then Remington Steele S4/5.

Same goes for the Prentender, add the TNT movies to the 4th season release. That's possible with series that only had 2 or 3 movies made after cancellation, but how will the studios handle the 6, 8, or more movie situation?

 

[Britton]

In the case of Babylon 5, all the movies were compiled into a seperate box set.

 

[Tory]

Are all the Hulk movies on DVD now?

Knight Rider's 1 movie came with Season 1.

Kolchack's two films before the series are on a single double feature DVD.

The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman had a few together, I'd figure a box of all of them should come out eventually. How many were there?

There are two Growing Pains films and it is possible that one of them will be released with Season 1 or not.

 

[TheLongshot]

Course, there is the king of TV movies after the series: Columbo. I think I counted something like 68 TV movies from 1971-2003.

Jason

 

[John*Wells]

WB Needs to keep this in mind with The Dukes of Hazzard. Ive seen several posts here hoping the 2 Movies They made after the series cancellation will be on one of the final season sets.

Perhaps season 7 because it only had 17 Eps I am hoping so

The same will apply to Dallas where there wer also 2 movies (J.R. Returns and The Ewing family Wars )

 

[Jay_B!]

I'm thinking the last four seasons of Murder She Wrote will contain one of the four movies a piece (well, that is only if Angela doesn't make a fifth film)

 

[Linda Thompson]

Off the top of my head:

ALIEN NATION - The show's one and only season is due to hit shelves in January, but fans are wondering if there are any plans for the 5 TV movies which followed.

McGYVER - I'm not sure exactly when all 7 seasons will be completed (shouldn't be too long if the current release schedule keeps up), but, again, fans are wondering if the two follow-up TV movies will be made available.

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND - I know at least one of the TV movies is available from quite a few different companies...apparently a PD-scavenge.

THE BRADY BUNCH - I haven't been paying attention enough to know if anything has been announced about this one beyond the original series itself.

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW - One TV movie and a host of reunion specials, all of which would be very nice to have (for completists).

GREEN ACRES - One TV movie that I can remember

 

[Tory]

I forgot about that, I think it was just one in the late 80's early 90's, they better put it on DVD.

 

[Chris Minogue]

There were 3 Little House On The Prairie movies after the show ended. The company has released all 9 seasons - but as far as I know have yet to announce the movies.

 

[Alex Wagner]

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4055

that says the movies are coming seperate soon.

 

[Mike*SC]

Shouldn't these be called "MASCs"?

 

[MattHR]

Three. "Return of TSMDM and TBW" (1987) introduced Steve's never-before-mentioned son who becomes bionic; "Bionic Showdown" (1989) introduced a young Sandra Bullock as a new bionic woman; and "Bionic Ever After?" (1994) where Steve and Jaime finally get married.

 

[David Lambert]

We tend to call them "Reunion Telefilms". A rose by any other name...

 

[FrancisP]

Perry Mason - Approximately 23 tv movies. Of course with
of the series in volumes, it may be a long
time before the series is finished much less
worrying about the movies.

Wild Wild West - Wild Wild West Revisited & More Wild Wild
West.

I think that one question can be rights issues. Sometimes the company that controls the series are different than the
company that makes the tv movies. Control of the shows can rest with the producer so he can take it anywhere he wants.

 

[Matt Butler]

Twin Peaks FWWM is one thats been released on DVD but anyone who hasnt seen S2 (or in my case cant remember much of S2) cant watch FWWM due to the many spoilers conatained in said film.

 

[Antony James]

^Except that FWWM doesn't fall into the 'made for TV' category that was specified in the original post. Otherwise we'd be mentioning Star Trek, Naked Gun, and Serenity.

 

[Matt Butler]

Oops! My bad. :b

Sorry friends.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

That is almost never the case with prime time series. The only producers who end up with that kind of control are the ones who finance the production of the series themselves - and you can count the number of those there have been in the history of television on one hand. (The most recent example I can think of is Roger Coreman with Black Scorpion.) The other 99.9% of shows are owned by the studio that produces them or by that studio's successor. In rare cases a series deal won't cover TV movies (especially prior to the early 70s when there were no TV movies), but these are also incredibly rare. (Hell, Warner Bros. believed there would be any demand for a Babylon 5 theatrical film, so their contract with J. Michael Straczynski gives them control of everything except the film rights.)

Regards,

Joe