I purposefully left out movies that are just continuations - or big budget, big screen finales - of TV shows. Movies like the original Star Trek Features, or Serenity, or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, etc, that use the same cast and creative teams as the shows they originate from. Instead I picked projects that are reimaginings (for better or worse) of the source material. I also left out sequels and films based on characters that are much better known from comics, books, plays, etc.
It was hard to find anything prior to 1987. Movie studios, before then, seem to have thought that TV was beneath them. Oh, how the tide has turned. If you can think of any examples of earlier adaptations, please share.
