TWIN PEAKS
The 1992 prequel, "Fire Walk With Me", suffered much of the same fate as the second (and final) season of the TV show. Derided by critics as uneven, it was completely ignored by a public who was buying "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" T-shirts not that long ago. However Lynch's new film. "Mullholand Drive", may hold the record for shortest-lived TV show to be turned into a movie. After ABC failed to pick up or even air the series, Lynch fashioned an "ending" onto the original pilot. And that's what you'll be seeing this fall. Too bad. Lynch's best work is produced when his more outré tendencies chafe against broadcast restrictions. Compare the lackluster "Lost Highway" to the Disney-produced "Straight Story".

STAR TREK
The failed TV show didn't inspire anything but legions of deranged fans for ten years after its cancellation. But one film sired another which inspired another TV show (which lasted four years longer than the originals three season run) which inspired more movies which inspired more series. Which inspired more deranged fans. With so much inspiration spread so thin, I highly recommend the documentary "Trekkies". Much like the Grateful Dead no piece of actual art could be half as fascinating as the loons who follow (worship?) it. Unfortunately it was released by Paramount (who also own all of the various Trek franchises) so it doesn't rip into the freaks as hard as it could - but still mind-bending how INTO IT these guys are. And watch out for Scott Bakula as Capt. Kirk's grandfather on UPN this fall.

POLICE SQUAD!
People like to relax and turn off their brains when the watch TV. And for as stupid as the typical Zucker-Arahms-Zucker production is (say, "Airplane!") it does require that you really watch as the screen is packed to the gills with those stupid jokes. That may explain why only six episodes were produced. However several years after that show completely disappeared off the cultural radar, the creators brought Leslie Nielsen back as Frank Drebbin (not mention a lot of the exact same gags) for the "Naked Gun" film. Which was successful enough to spawn more hours of sequels than there were of the original series.

BATMAN
Holy spin-offs, Batman! Okay this was not originally a TV show. In fact Bob Crane's comic book has inspired everything from movie serials of the '30s to today's two animated shows. However, the public perception of Batman was clearly and foremost Adam West in campy gray tights. At least until Tim Burton's dark vision supplanted it. (And luckily Joel Schuemaker's further atrocities have returned the common image of Batman to it's tacky roots). While the infamous TV show lasted only three years (just two episodes short of "Herman's" run) it did inspire a movie. Well not so much a movie as a 90-minute episode of the show released theatrically. (Which wasn't that hard considering that the episodes were all two-parters anyway). Recently it's been re-released on DVD with commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward. Ka-Blooey!

THE BEN STILLER SHOW
Ok, maybe not a direct movie, but did start the film careers of Ben Stiller (who has yet to make a film half as funny as any of these 13 episodes) and Janeane Garofalo (whose a great actress - why can't they put her in a good movie).

THE MONKEES
It's potent mixture of faux-reality TV show (anticipating "Popstars" and "Making the Band") and goofy band sit-com (before either "The Partridge Family" and "The Banana Splits") caused many frustration with its network. Resulting in the show being axed after only two seasons despite uniformly high ratings. Still the show produced several gold records (including one hit before the show even debuted), world tours, crappy knock-off merchandise, and several re-unions. It also produced "Head" - a hard-core acid trip of a movie that attempted to gain some respect in hippie community by letting them know that the Monkees were really in on the joke. About all it did was alienate the pre-teens who were there core audience by being rated R and preventing them from going. (Not that they would have understood it if they went).

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND
It lasted only three years - and yet has spawned numerous made for TV re-union movies. ("The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Isle" anyone?) I don't know if that counts though....