ABC Movie of the Week

ABC Movie of the Week
Premiere	September 23, 1969
Latest	May 14, 1975
Creator	Barry Diller
Network	ABC
Style	90-minute TV movie
Produced	248
Origin	USA

Launched in 1969, the ABC Movie of the Week banner (identified onscreen simply as The Movie of the Week) ran for six seasons through 1975, during which time it proved immensely popular and spawned the movie of the week craze which would persist until 2006, when CBS ended the last time slot set aside for TV movies in American network primetime. Billed at the time as "the most costly series in network history," the ABC Movie of the Week was hardly a series in the same sense of its anthology series predecessors. Nonetheless, over its six-year run, it would inspire numerous imitators, win dozens of awards, launch or give a boost to the careers of some of the biggest names in film and television in the 1970s—Steven Spielberg (Duel), James Caan (Brian's Song), Jeff Bridges (In Search of America) Burt Reynolds (Run Simon, Run) and others—and result in several TV shows.

What distinguished the ABC Movie of the Week from its predecessors were two things, which were spelled out by ABC vice president and the mastermind behind the Movie of the Week, Barry Diller. "First, the 90-minute form provides us with the opportunity to do justice to that special echelon of story ideas, which don't quite work in the standard one- and two-hour television program forms. Second, unlike previous movies-for-television packages, Movie of the Week is drawing its films from several production companies. And coupling the individual movie to the company best equipped to produce it." One of those production companies would be Spelling/Thomas Productions, the partnership between television legends Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. Although Spelling had been working in television for over a decade by the time of the ABC Movie of the Week, his numerous successes (amongst more than a few flops) there would play a central role in his rise to power in the television industry throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. In fact, three of the hit 1970s TV series which established him as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood—Starsky & Hutch, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat—premiered as movies of the week on ABC, although only Starsky & Hutch debuted under the ABC Movie of the Week banner.

That was due to another difference between the ABC Movie of the Week and its predecessors—one which Diller skillfully avoided mentioning in his press release touting the series as "the most costly" ever made. The ABC Movie of the Week gave the network a chance to test out new pilots for which it had already paid. Many of the pilots filmed never air, and the networks just lose that money. By airing some of those pilots as a Movie of the Week, ABC could both test their appeal on television audiences and recoup some of its money in sponsorship. Several of those pilots became series, and at least four of those series—The Six Million Dollar Man, Kung Fu, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and the afore-mentioned Starsky & Hutch—are today considered classics in their own right. The ABC Movie of the Week would also see the live-action debut of Wonder Woman on television, albeit in a form vastly different from the one she would have when portrayed by Lynda Carter in the later (non-ABC Movie of the Week) ABC movie The New Original Wonder Woman and subsequent series.

The ABC Movie of the Week, however, had a far greater impact on ABC than just boosting its ratings, bringing in ad revenue, giving it new talent and recouping some of its pilot expenditures. It also breathed new life into a network which had, in one sense, struggled since the dawn of television. Since the days when radio shows first started to gain pictures, rival CBS had planted its flag on the sitcom and variety show genres with such pioneering classics as I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners and The Ed Sullivan Show. By the end of the 1950s, NBC was dominating the various drama subgenres with such series as Dragnet, Bonanza and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. To be sure, all three networks had their successes in the 1950s and 60s in all genres, but the "alphabet network" had never dominated one type of programming as thoroughly as its competitors. As a result, it would lack a network "identity" or brand recognition—a problem which would plague it once again, three decades later, in the early 21st century after the decline of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and before the arrival of its dramas Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

In the 1970s, however, ABC became the "movie network." By 1975, when the ABC Movie of the Week logo (itself noteworthy, in that it was an early use of "slit-scan" technology, still used today in IMAX special effects and famously used in the ending sequence of the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey) aired for the last time before a movie debut, ABC was airing a movie (either original or theatrical) almost every night of the week, and on those nights when it aired more traditional series, NBC and CBS took up the slack with their own imitations. Despite the other networks' success, ABC would continue throughout the decade to be the leading network for original, dramatic, non-series programming even as it branched out into miniseries. Many of the classic miniseries of the format's American high water mark of the late 1970s and early 1980s were ABC productions, including Rich Man, Poor Man, QB VII, and, of course, the 1977 smash Roots—the most successful English-language American miniseries of all time.

Below is a list of made-for-TV movies created for ABC under the various banners—including The ABC Movie of the Weekend, The ABC Suspense Movie, Tuesday Movie of the Week and Wednesday Movie of the Week. It also includes those productions made for ABC and aired as part of The ABC Sunday Movie and Monday Night Movie banners, although both of those sometimes also aired theatrical films. For pilots which were picked up, the films listed below link to the pilot listings on the respective series pages.

Movies

#	Title			Airdate
1	Seven in Darkness			September 23, 1969
2	The Immortal			September 30, 1969¹
3	The Over-the-Hill Gang			October 7, 1969
4	Wake Me When the War Is Over			October 14, 1969
5	The Monk			October 21, 1969
6	The Young Lawyers			October 28, 1969¹
7	The Pigeon			November 4, 1969
8	Spy Killer			November 11, 1969
9	The Ballad of Andy Crocker			November 18, 1969
10	In Name Only			November 25, 1969
11	Three's a Crowd			December 2, 1969
12	Daughter of the Mind			December 9, 1969
13	The Silent Gun			December 16, 1969
14	Honeymoon with a Stranger			December 23, 1969
15	Gidget Grows Up			December 30, 1969
16	Black Water Gold			January 6, 1970
17	Foreign Exchange			January 13, 1970
18	Carter's Army			January 27, 1970
19	Along Came a Spider			February 3, 1970
20	The Challenge			February 10, 1970
21	Quarantined			February 24, 1970
22	Mister Jerico			March 3, 1970
23	The Love War			March 10, 1970
24	The Young Country			March 17, 1970
25	How Awful About Allan			September 22, 1970
26	Night Slaves			September 29, 1970
27	But I Don't Want to Get Married			October 6, 1970
28	The Old Man Who Cried Wolf			October 13, 1970
29	Wild Women			October 20, 1970
30	The House That Would Not Die			October 27, 1970
31	Tribes			November 10, 1970
32	The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again			November 17, 1970
33	Crowhaven Farm			November 24, 1970
34	Run Simon, Run			December 1, 1970
35	Weekend of Terror			December 8, 1970
36	The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever			December 15, 1970
37	Alias Smith and Jones			January 5, 1971¹
38	Assault on the Wayne			January 12, 1971
39	Dr. Cook's Garden			January 19, 1971
40	The Feminist and the Fuzz			January 26, 1971
41	The Point			February 2, 1971
42	Love, Hate, Love			February 9, 1971
43	Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring			February 16, 1971
44	Longstreet			February 23, 1971¹
45	Yuma			March 2, 1971
46	River of Gold			March 9, 1971
47	In Search of America			March 23, 1971
48	Sheriff			March 30, 1971
49	Escape			April 6, 1971
50	The Forgotten Man			September 14, 1971
51	The Birdmen			September 18, 1971
52	Congratulations, It's a Boy!			September 21, 1971
53	Deadly Dream			September 25, 1971
54	Five Desperate Women			September 28, 1971
55	Sweet, Sweet Rachel			October 2, 1971³
56	The Last Child			October 5, 1971
57	Thief			October 9, 1971
58	A Taste of Evil			October 12, 1971
59	In Broad Daylight			October 16, 1971
60	Suddenly Single			October 19, 1971
61	Death Takes a Holiday			October 23, 1971
62	The Death of Me Yet			October 27, 1971
63	A Little Game			October 30, 1971
64	Two on a Bench			November 2, 1971
65	Revenge!			November 6, 1971
66	Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate			November 9, 1971
67	Duel			November 13, 1971
68	Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones			November 16, 1971
69	The Reluctant Heroes			November 23, 1971
70	The Failing of Raymond			November 27, 1971
71	Brian's Song			November 30, 1971
72	The Devil and Miss Sarah			December 4, 1971
73	If Tomorrow Comes			December 7, 1971
74	See the Man Run			December 11, 1971
75	The Trackers			December 14, 1971
76	What's a Nice Girl Like You...?			December 18, 1971
77	Gidget Gets Married			January 4, 1972
78	The Astronaut			January 8, 1972
79	The Night Stalker			January 11, 1972¹
80	Madame Sin			January 15, 1972
81	Getting Away from It All			January 18, 1972
82	The People			January 22, 1972
83	Women in Chains			January 25, 1972
84	The Screaming Woman			January 29, 1972
85	Hardcase			February 1, 1972
86	When Michael Calls			February 5, 1972
87	Second Chance			February 8, 1972
88	Hound of the Baskervilles			February 9, 1972
89	Call Her Mom			February 15, 1972
90	Kung Fu			February 22, 1972¹
91	Two for the Money			February 26, 1972
92	The Eyes of Charles Sand			February 29, 1972
93	A Very Missing Person			March 4, 1972
94	The Rookies			March 7, 1972¹
95	The Longest Night			September 12, 1972
96	The Daughters of Joshua Cabe			September 13, 1972
97	No Place to Run			September 19, 1972
98	Haunts of the Very Rich			September 20, 1972
99	Moon of the Wolf			September 26, 1972
100	Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole			September 27, 1972
101	Playmates			October 3, 1972
102	Rolling Man			October 4, 1972
103	Night of Terror			October 10, 1972
104	Lt. Schuster's Wife			October 11, 1972
105	Goodnight, My Love			October 17, 1972
106	A Great American Tragedy			October 18, 1972
107	Short Walk to Daylight			October 24, 1972
108	Family Flight			October 25, 1972
109	The Bounty Man			October 31, 1972
110	That Certain Summer			November 1, 1972
111	The Crooked Hearts			November 8, 1972
112	The Victim			November 14, 1972
113	All My Darling Daughters			November 22, 1972
114	Home for the Holidays			November 28, 1972
115	The Heist			November 29, 1972
116	The Couple Takes a Wife			December 5, 1972
117	Pursuit			December 12, 1972
118	Every Man Needs One			December 13, 1972
119	Weekend Nun			December 20, 1972
120	Firehouse			January 2, 1973
121	The Devil's Daughter			January 9, 1973
122	Trouble Comes to Town			January 10, 1973
123	The Night Strangler			January 16, 1973²
124	Female Artillery			January 17, 1973
125	Go Ask Alice			January 24, 1973
126	A Cold Night's Death			January 30, 1973
127	Snatched			January 31, 1973
128	Divorce His			February 6, 1973
129	Divorce Hers			February 7, 1973
130	The Great American Beauty Contest			February 13, 1973
131	The Girls of Huntington House			February 14, 1973
132	A Brand New Life			February 20, 1973
133	And No One Could Save Her			February 21, 1973
134	The Connection			February 27, 1973
135	You'll Never See Me Again			February 28, 1973
136	The Letters			March 6, 1973
137	The Six Million Dollar Man			March 7, 1973¹
138	The Bait			March 13, 1973
139	Class of '63			March 14, 1973
140	Beg, Borrow or Steal			March 20, 1973
141	Toma			March 21, 1973¹
142	Deliver Us from Evil			September 11, 1973
143	She Lives!			September 12, 1973
144	Dying Room Only			September 18, 1973
145	Satan's School for Girls			September 19, 1973
146	Hijack			September 26, 1973
147	Runaway!			September 29, 1973
148	Isn't It Shocking?			October 2, 1973
149	Letters from Three Lovers			October 3, 1973
150	The Alpha Caper			October 6, 1973
151	Shirts/Skins			October 9, 1973
152	Don't Be Afraid of the Dark			October 10, 1973
153	Double Indemnity			October 13, 1973
154	Third Girl from the Left			October 16, 1973
155	The Man Who Could Talk to Kids			October 17, 1973
156	The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War			October 20, 1973²
157	Money to Burn			October 27, 1973
158	Ordeal			October 30, 1973
159	Guess Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?			October 31, 1973
160	Linda			November 3, 1973
161	The Girl Most Likely To...			November 6, 1973
162	My Darling Daughters' Anniversary			November 7, 1973
163	Death Race			November 10, 1973
164	Trapped			November 14, 1973
165	The Affair			November 15, 1973
166	The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping			November 17, 1973²
167	Scream, Pretty Peggy			November 24, 1973
168	Outrage			November 28, 1973
169	A Summer Without Boys			December 4, 1973
170	Bloodsport			December 5, 1973
171	Maneater			December 8, 1973
172	The Cat Creature			December 11, 1973
173	Message to My Daughter			December 12, 1973
174	What Are Best Friends For?			December 18, 1973
175	Pioneer Woman			December 19, 1973
176	The Death Squad			January 8, 1974
177	Shootout in a One Dog Town			January 9, 1974
178	Mrs. Sundance			January 15, 1974
179	Scream of the Wolf			January 16, 1974
180	Skyway to Death			January 19, 1974
181	Get Christie Love!			January 22, 1974¹
182	Pray for the Wildcats			January 23, 1974
183	Heatwave			January 26, 1974
184	The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped			January 29, 1974
185	Killdozer			February 2, 1974
186	Can Ellen Be Saved?			February 4, 1974
187	Cry Panic!			February 6, 1974
188	The Elevator			February 9, 1974
189	I Love You... Goodbye			February 12, 1974
190	The Morning After			February 13, 1974
191	Live Again, Die Again			February 16, 1974
192	Hitchhike!			February 23, 1974
193	Killer Bees			February 26, 1974
194	Unwed Father			February 27, 1974
195	Houston, We've Got a Problem			March 2, 1974
196	The Stranger Who Looks Like Me			March 6, 1974
197	Wonder Woman			March 12, 1974³
198	The Hanged Man			March 13, 1974
199	The Gun and the Pulpit			April 3, 1974
200	Murder or Mercy			April 10, 1974
201	The Last Angry Man			April 16, 1974
202	Nakia			April 17, 1974¹
203	The Chadwick Family			April 17, 1974
204	Planet Earth			April 23, 1974
205	The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd			May 7, 1974
206	Hurricane			September 10, 1974
207	Savages			September 11, 1974
208	The Sex Symbol			September 17, 1974
209	The Day the Earth Moved			September 18, 1974
210	The Great Niagara			September 24, 1974
211	The California Kid			September 28, 1974
212	The Stranger Within			October 1, 1974
213	Death Sentence			October 2, 1974
214	Where Have All the People Gone?			October 8, 1974
215	Hit Lady			October 8, 1974
216	Locusts			October 9, 1974
217	Bad Ronald			October 23, 1974
218	The Mark of Zorro			October 29, 1974
219	Death Cruise			October 30, 1974
220	The Great Ice Rip-Off			November 6, 1974
221	All the Kind Strangers			November 12, 1974
222	The Gun			November 13, 1974
223	It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy			November 19, 1974
224	Panic on the 5:22			November 20, 1974
225	The Godchild			November 26, 1974
226	Betrayal			December 3, 1974
227	Only with Married Men			December 4, 1974
228	Roll, Freddy, Roll			December 17, 1974
229	Let's Switch!			January 7, 1975
230	The Missing Are Deadly			January 8, 1975
231	Satan's Triangle			January 14, 1975
232	The Hatfields and the McCoys			January 15, 1975
233	The Abduction of Saint Anne			January 21, 1975
234	The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return			January 28, 1975
235	The Trial of Chaplain Jensen			February 11, 1975
236	A Cry for Help			February 12, 1975
237	The Family Nobody Wanted			February 19, 1975
238	You Lie So Deep			February 25, 1975
239	Someone I Touched			February 26, 1975
240	Trilogy of Terror			March 4, 1975
241	The Desperate Miles			March 5, 1975
242	Huckleberry Finn			March 25, 1975
243	Dead Man on the Run			April 2, 1975
244	Returning Home			April 29, 1975
245	Starsky & Hutch			April 30, 1975¹
246	Matt Helm			May 7, 1975¹
247	The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant			May 13, 1975
248	Promise Him Anything			May 14, 1975
¹Pilots for series which were picked up (not under the ABC Movie of the Week banner in the Wiki) ²Sequels to pilots for series which were picked up (not under the ABC Movie of the Week banner) ³Pilots for series which were picked up but significantly re-conceived & recast (under the ABC Movie of the Week banner)

Series Launched

Several series were picked up as the result of pilots which aired as part of the ABC Movie of the Week. Below is a list of those series.

Title	Series Debut
The Young Lawyers	September 21, 1970
The Immortal	September 24, 1970
Alias Smith and Jones	January 21, 1971
Longstreet¹	September 16, 1971
The Sixth Sense²	January 15, 1972
The Rookies	September 11, 1972
Kung Fu	October 14, 1972
Toma	October 4, 1973
The Six Million Dollar Man	January 18, 1974
Get Christie Love	September 11, 1974
Kolchak: The Night Stalker	September 13, 1974
Nakia	September 21, 1974
Starsky & Hutch	September 10, 1975
Matt Helm	September 20, 1975
Wonder Woman²	April 21, 1976
¹Series picked up by CBS ²Series re-conceived and recast from ABC Movie of the Week pilot