20 TV series you didn’t realize ended with a movie

Theoretically, ALF could continue in perpetuity. It didn’t, but it did get a movie to wrap things up after the series ended. About six years after the finale, fans got Project: ALF. 

Still one of the best-named shows in all of children’s TV, Ed, Edd n Eddy is a classic example of a show that kids love but infuriates parents. And that infuriation didn’t end with the series’ stint on TV. They had to wait until Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show premiered for the madness to end. 

If you didn’t realize that Prison Break ended with a movie, it might be because the series initially ended with the movie Prison Break: The Final Break, but years later, it returned for another season. The show was then canceled for good. 

Life with Derek, the Canadian children’s sitcom that aired on Disney Channel in the States, actually had two follow-up films after it ended. First was Vacation with Derek, and next was Life with Luca. Spoiler alert: the two main stepsiblings did not get together in the end, despite what the wild subtext in the series seemed to indicate would happen. 

One of the most beloved children’s series of all time, Hey Arnold! always left viewers wondering what happened to the titular character’s parents. The finale movie, Hey, Arnold: The Jungle Movie, wraps up Arnold’s story and answers the fans’ most pressing question. 

One of the most iconic Disney Channel series of all time, Even Stevens ended with a Disney Channel Original Movie, The Even Stevens Movie. And yes, it is one of the films that Shia LaBeouf live-streamed himself watching in 2015. 

It’s hard to keep track of the entire CSI world because of all its spin-offs, but the original series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ended with a made-for-TV movie called CSI: Immortality. It aired months after the series finale. 

All animated series should end with a movie instead of a finale episode. Doug did so in 1999 with Doug’s 1st Movie. Tragically, no other movies were made based on the series. 

The Last Kingdom initially aired for one season on the BBC before moving to Netflix. On the streaming service, the series got another four seasons, and it wrapped up with a film, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die. 

The Proud Family also did the proper thing by feeding fans a movie to end the series. The Proud Family Movie aired in 2005. 

If you’re a diehard Firefly fan, you didn’t miss Serenity, the film that served as the finale of the series. But if you were a more casual watcher, you might’ve missed the movie given the name change. 

Before the series was rebooted, its original showing ended with the film Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. Then another special was filmed called The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex. The series just couldn’t end. 

Not every series needs a movie to wrap things up, but for a show as epic and intense as Breaking Bad, that was the only way. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie served as the true finale of the series, earning praise from critics and fans alike. 

Millennial women across the nation are familiar with The Lizzie McGuire Movie, the epic film that concluded the hit Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire with a trip to Italy and a Hannah Montana-esque pop star plot. But the average television fan might not know about the film.

Not every series finale gives viewers the satisfaction of knowing what happens to the characters in the future, but Deadwood did its audience a favor by showing just that, though audiences had to wait a while. Ten years after the series ended, Deadwood: The Movie premiered, and the story showed the characters about a decade in the future. 

Timeless ended with a two-part series finale, but for all intents and purposes, it ended with a made-for-TV movie. The show didn’t last for long, but it was eventful during its run. 

Dead Like Me: Life After Death was really easy to miss. The film that served as the finale for the short-lived series Dead Like Me was released as a direct-to-DVD film, and it came out about five years after the original series ended. 

Clearly, it’s fairly common among children’s shows to have a film serve as a send-off. And it’s a great idea. Kim Possible ended with Kim Possible: So the Drama, which fans of the show recognize as the perfect title. 

People couldn’t get enough of Veronica Mars when it was on air, and it’s still a favorite for streamers. If you’re just getting into the show, you’ll be happy to know that the series ended with Veronica Mars: The Movie, not just a regular series finale episode. 

The Pretender had such a strong fan base and compelling storylines that it warranted two follow-up movies. After the series ended, it continued with a movie called The Pretender 2001, and then it continued again with Island of the Haunted. Then the story ended for good.