While Lifetime movies might seem like a tradition as old as cable TV itself, the first one debuted in 1990, six years after the network was established.
Called "Memories of Murder," it centers on a woman with amnesia who suddenly gets her memory back and becomes convinced there's another woman out to get her. Consider it a relatively tame preview of what was to come, as it was followed by tawdry fare such as "Abducted: A Father's Love," "Co-Ed Call Girl," and numerous other titles. Needless to say, the recipe worked, and the network even set up its own respective channel just for movies.
Nowadays, Lifetime movies are commonly divided into a few respective categories: soapy biopics like "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance," child abduction stories, thrillers involving family secrets (such as the infamous "Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?"), teen dramas, and romantic comedies.
Aimed primarily at an audience of mostly women, these films come in well below most cinematic standards but still represent a qualitative leap over the network's earliest output. In fact, Lifetime is no stranger to the occasional Emmy nomination or positive review.
The network has also become a veritable hub for talented women, both in front of and behind the camera. Many now-famous A-list and B-list actors got work in Lifetime movies early in their careers or when they were struggling to break through. Some notable names on this list include Mahershala Ali, Alia Shawkat, Regina King, and Kristen Stewart. And occasionally, Lifetime provides roles for truly great actresses who have trouble finding work in a sexist industry that tends to discard women as they age (see Angela Bassett in "Betty and Coretta" and Cicely Tyson in "The Trip to Bountiful").
Admirable qualities aside, Lifetime movies typically persist as the stuff of pure TV melodrama. These are films people love to hate or hate to love, with precious few exceptions. Most subjects are ripped straight from the headlines and treated with a heavy hand. Every now and then, however, an authentic story slips through the cracks. Examples include "Miracle Run" and "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story," both of which offer deft perspectives on important issues.
To celebrate these iconic cable fixtures in their cheesiness and glory alike, Stackerused IMDb user ratings data to rank the top 50 Lifetime movies, with ties broken by total votes. To qualify, the movie had to be produced or distributed by Lifetime and have at least 250 user votes. Counting down from #50, here are the best Lifetime movies.
#50. Missing at 17 (2013)
- Director: Doug Campbell
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Runtime: 90 minutes
After running away to find her biological mother, a teen is seduced by a criminal. When the girl never returns home, her adoptive mother sets out to find her. So goes this dramatic thriller, in which both mothers join forces to save the young girl.
#49. Double Daddy (2015)
- Director: Lee Friedlander
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Runtime: 85 minutes
Despite its laugh-out-loud title, this teen movie unfolds in the vein of a soapy drama. The double daddy in question is high school playboy Connor, who impregnates two different girls around the same time. It was later followed by a stand-alone sequel called...wait for it..."Double Mommy."
#48. Half a Dozen Babies (1999)
- Director: Douglas Barr
- IMDb user rating: 5.9
- Runtime: 89 minutes
While struggling to conceive, a married couple partakes in one final round of fertility treatments. This gives way to Indiana's first-ever sextuplets and a host of new problems for both partners. It's all based on the true story of Keith and Becki Dilley.
#47. My Name Is Sarah (2007)
- Director: Paul A. Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 98 minutes
Her name is Sarah (Jennifer Beals), and she's not a recovering alcoholic, though her fellow Alcoholics Anonymous members are none the wiser. To give up the ruse is to compromise her budding romance with an actual alcoholic named Charlie. Empathic characterization keeps the viewers on Sarah's side throughout this romantic dramedy.
#46. Hit and Run (1999)
- Director: Dan Lerner
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 88 minutes
Margaret Colin returned to her soap opera roots with "Hit and Run," playing Joanna, a woman who accidentally hits a girl with her car. She does the right thing at first and flees the scene to get help for the girl. When she returns and sees the reactions of a horrified crowd, however, she stays mum about her role in the accident. Joanna's silence and guilt would soon prove too much for her to bear.
#45. When Innocence Is Lost (1997)
- Director: Bethany Rooney
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 91 minutes
Before her breakout performance in the TV series "Felicity," Keri Russell starred in this family drama. Like a soapy take on "Kramer vs. Kramer," it finds a young single mother (Russell) fighting for custody over her newborn baby. Expect a pivotal twist as the courtroom battle unfolds.
#44. Unstable (2009)
- Director: Don McBrearty
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 85 minutes
At the heart of this psychological thriller is a wealthy woman named Megan Walker (Shiri Appleby). Still grappling with past trauma, Megan enters into a new and seemingly perfect marriage. When strange events unfold, she must determine whether her husband has ulterior motives or if it's all in her head.
#43. Not Like Everyone Else (2006)
- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 120 minutes
This Lifetime drama tells the story of Brandi Blackbear (Alia Shawkat), a Native American teenager accused of witchcraft. Suspended from school for casting a spell, Blackbear sues for Civil Rights violations. As bizarre as it may sound, this one's based on actual events.
#42. Lies My Mother Told Me (2005)
- Director: Christian Duguay
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 87 minutes
Con artist Laren Sims (Joely Richardson) violates her probation and skips town with her daughter Haylei (Hayden Panettiere). They end up in Las Vegas, where Laren marries a wealthy attorney. The grim story that follows is loosely based on actual events.
#41. Bond of Silence (2010)
- Director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 98 minutes
Ripped straight from the headlines, this small-town drama kicks off with an accidental murder and the air of silence that follows. When a suspect finally emerges, the victim's widow resorts to empathy in lieu of spite. The subsequent bond between these two characters entails themes of compassion and forgiveness.
#40. Fugitive at 17 (2012)
- Director: Jim Donovan
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 84 minutes
Lifetime's bottomless fixation with 17-year-old girls finds its muse in computer hacker Holly Hamilton (Marie Avgeropoulos). Framed for the murder of her best friend, Holly goes on the run to catch the real killer. When the movie aired, Avgeropoulos was nine years older than her on-screen character.
#39. Montana Sky (2007)
- Director: Mike Robe
- IMDb user rating: 6.0
- Runtime: 96 minutes
A wealthy stock trader bequeaths his Montana farm to his three daughters, who are half-sisters and complete strangers to one another. There's just one catch: the daughters must live on the property together for a year before they can officially own it. This Lifetime drama is one in a long line of Nora Roberts adaptations.
#38. Bringing Ashley Home (2011)
- Director: Nick Copus
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 87 minutes
A trouble-laden teen (Jennifer Morrison) goes missing, and her older sister (A.J. Cook) is determined to find her. The story unfolds over the course of years and depicts both sisters on their respective journeys. Patricia Richardson (of "Home Improvement") co-stars in the drama.
#37. Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart (2016)
- Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 90 minutes
A chart-topping song by R&B artist Toni Braxton became the title of her subsequent memoir and this movie adaptation. Following her meteoric rise to success, the singer battles with lupus, a public divorce, and her son's autism. What emerges is a portrait of perseverance and self-healing for the sake of family.
#36. Lies in Plain Sight (2010)
- Director: Patricia Cardoso
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 89 minutes
After the sudden suicide of her close cousin, a blind woman (Martha Higareda) goes looking for answers. During the investigation, she uncovers a dark past of long-buried secrets. The movie is a remake of the 2006 Israeli film "Out of Sight."
#35. Dear Secret Santa (2013)
- Director: Peter Sullivan
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 88 minutes
A busy Beverly Hills banker (Tatyana Ali) comes home for the holidays in this romantic Christmas comedy. The plot takes a twist when she starts receiving mysterious letters from a secret admirer, who may very well be dead. Has her wish to find true love actually been fulfilled?
#34. Expecting Amish (2014)
- Director: Richard Gabai
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 88 minutes
An 18-year-old Amish girl (AJ Michalka) is on the brink of an arranged marriage when she discovers the world outside her community. Now, she must choose between two different men and the different lifestyles they represent. Contrary to the film's depiction, the Amish don't actually practice arranged marriages.
#33. Starving in Suburbia (2014)
- Director: Tara Miele
- IMDb user rating: 6.1
- Runtime: 84 minutes
As the title would suggest, this Lifetime drama examines the ongoing threat of anorexia among teenage girls. It centers on 17-year-old Hannah, who takes her eating disorder to dangerous extremes. Viewers appear to be divided as to whether the movie delivers an authentic depiction or actually romanticizes the very thing it's trying to demystify.
#32. Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (2013)
- Director: Jace Alexander
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Runtime: 89 minutes
Lifetime snagged the rights to a headline-grabbing murder case and brought forth this tawdry romantic thriller. It tells the true story of aspiring photographer Jodi Arias, who stands accused of brutally killing her former lover. While completely dramatized, the movie does incorporate elements from the actual trial.
#31. Kept Woman (2015)
- Director: Michel Poulette
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Runtime: 83 minutes
This dramatic thriller peels back the layers of suburbia to find something bleak and dangerous lying underneath. Upon moving into her new home, a woman (Courtney Ford) quickly becomes suspicious of her kind neighbour. Despite her instincts, she's soon lured into a twisted trap.
#30. The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
- Director: Karen Moncrieff
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Runtime: 89 minutes
After failing to find an audience elsewhere, this film was picked up by Lifetime and aired in 2013. Kate Beckinsale plays disgraced lawyer Cate McCall, who takes on a pro bono appeal to regain both her credentials and the custody of her daughter. An apparent case of wrongful conviction delivers unexpected twists as the drama unfolds. Nick Nolte and James Cromwell also star.
#29. For One Night (2006)
- Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 89 minutes
A Georgia town experiences a long overdue reckoning in this Lifetime drama, loosely inspired by actual events. Fed up with her high school's segregated prom policy, teen Brianna McCallister (played by Raven-Symoné) advocates for change. It may come as a surprise that the story takes place in 2002.
#28. Betty and Coretta (2013)
- Director: Yves Simoneau
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 88 minutes
From the director of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" comes this biographical drama with still-pressing themes. After the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, widows Coretta Scott King (Angela Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (Mary J. Blige) continue the fight for racial justice. Both stars were nominated for Women's Image Network Awards, with Bassett taking home the prize.
#27. Taken Back: Finding Haley (2012)
- Director: Mark Jean
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 85 minutes
No stranger to the premise, Lifetime released yet another missing child movie in 2012. This time around, a mother named Karen (Moira Kelly) goes to drastic extremes in her decade-long pursuit of the truth. She finally tracks down her daughter in a schoolyard … or is it merely someone who looks like her daughter?
#26. Reviving Ophelia (2010)
- Director: Bobby Roth
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Runtime: 92 minutes
Based on Mary Pipher's nonfiction book of the same name, this drama chronicles the trials and tribulations of two sisters and their teenage daughters. Wrapped up in the narrative is a taut examination of modern adolescence. Like the book before it, the movie argues that many teens still come of age in "a girl-poisoning culture."
#25. Love at the Christmas Table (2012)
- Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Runtime: 89 minutes
What better time than Christmas for two close friends to fall in love? Those friends are Sam and Kat, and their bond goes back decades to when they used to sit at the kids' table. To quote the movie's tagline, "It was love with every bite."
#24. Cruel Instruction (2022)
- Director: Stanley M. Brooks
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Runtime: 88 minutes
Based on a true story, "Cruel Instruction" features "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star and model Cynthia Bailey as a mom who sends her teen daughter to a treatment center that turns out to be more sinister than helpful. Emmy-winning actress Camryn Manheim stars as the abusive school's corrupt headmistress.
#23. The Pregnancy Project (2012)
- Director: Norman Buckley
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Runtime: 89 minutes
Witness the true story of Gaby Rodriguez (played by Alexa PenaVega), who grabbed headlines in 2011 for her high school senior project. Determined to expose the stigmas surrounding teen pregnancy, Rodriguez pretended to be pregnant herself. Her experiment is the subject of both this Lifetime drama and a memoir.
#22. Girl, Positive (2007)
- Director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Runtime: 88 minutes
High school teen Rachel Sandler (Andrea Bowen) appears to have a perfect life and a promising future. But everything changes when she discovers that a former fling—who has since died in a car accident—was HIV positive. "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum Jennie Garth co-stars as a substitute teacher who's been secretly grappling with the very same disease.
#21. Odd Girl Out (2005)
- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Runtime: 84 minutes
Hot on the heels of 2004's "Mean Girls" came this similar-sounding TV movie, in which a teen girl flirts with the object of someone else's affection. Now in the crosshairs, she suffers relentless bullying as a result. The book it adapted likewise brought the overlooked issue of teenage girl bullying to much wider attention.
#20. Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story (2005)
- Director: Andy Wolk
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 120 minutes
Jami Gertz plays former parole officer Marilyn Gambrell in this biographical drama. Inspired by firsthand experience, Gambrell launches a nonprofit to help the children of incarcerated parents. In real life, both the program and Gambrell were featured on an episode of the ABC reality series "Secret Millionaire."
#19. Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story (2008)
- Director: Paul A. Kaufman
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 89 minutes
This fact-based melodrama has all the ingredients for a formulaic Lifetime movie, including a missing child and a desperate mother. What's surprising is the earnest and authentic delivery, according to one Hollywood Reporter review. It's based on the shocking true story of Delimar Vera, a baby who was presumed dead in a fire but actually kidnapped.
#18. Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012)
- Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 86 minutes
Culling from another true abduction story, this drama puts a slight twist on the standard template. Instead of focusing on the mother, it centers on the kidnapped baby turned young adult. It's only 23 years later when Carlina White realizes the people who raised her aren't her biological parents.
#17. The Wronged Man (2010)
- Director: Tom McLoughlin
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 85 minutes
Based on a magazine article of the same name, this legal drama depicts the 22-year battle to clear an innocent man of false rape charges. The man's name is Calvin Willis, and he's played by then-rising star Mahershala Ali. For both Willis and his pro bono paralegal (Julia Ormond), it's a life-changing journey from which an unbreakable friendship is forged.
#16. No One Would Tell (1996)
- Director: Noel Nosseck
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 96 minutes
Sitcom stars Fred Savage and Candace Cameron Bure headline this made-for-TV drama, which chronicles an abusive high school relationship. What starts as an unlikely romance takes on deadly dimensions when the boyfriend (Savage) reveals his darker side. Lifetime updated the movie with a 2018 remake starring Shannen Doherty and Mira Sorvino.
#15. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008)
- Director: Mick Jackson
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 90 minutes
One of Lifetime's most ambitious efforts adapts a bestselling novel and stars Dermot Mulroney as Dr. David Henry. Upon discovering that one of his twin babies has Down syndrome, David gives her away to a nurse (Emily Watson) in 1964. The following story takes place over decades as he tries to reconcile with both his abandoned daughter and his selfish deed.
#14. Mom at Sixteen (2005)
- Director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 90 minutes
Lifetime once again explores teenage pregnancy in this 2005 film about 16-year-old Jacey Jeffries (Danielle Panabaker). After giving birth, Jacey attends a new high school and tries to blend in with the local populace. To hide her secret, she pretends that her daughter is actually her younger sister.
#13. Cleveland Abduction (2015)
- Director: Alex Kalymnios
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Runtime: 88 minutes
This merciless outing tells the true story of Michelle Knight, who was held captive by rapist Ariel Castro for over 11 years. Taryn Manning plays the struggling survivor and Raymond Cruz her sadistic abductor. Variety critic Brian Lowry called it "ugly, brutal, and hard to watch."
#12. Dawn Anna (2005)
- Director: Arliss Howard
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Runtime: 88 minutes
Debra Winger plays real-life mother Dawn Anna Townsend in this harrowing drama. While recovering from a deadly brain disease, Dawn loses one of her daughters to the Columbine High School massacre. Be sure to bring out the tissues for this one.
#11. Living Proof (2008)
- Director: Dan Ireland
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Runtime: 125 minutes
Clocking in at over two hours, this biographical drama follows Dr. Dennis Slamon (Harry Connick Jr.) on his quest to cure breast cancer. The real-life Dr. Slamon hoped that the viewers took away the importance of philanthropic donations and trial volunteers. Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Bynes, Tammy Blanchard, and Angie Harmon co-star.
#10. Buried in Barstow (2022)
- Directors: Howard Deutch, Hiro Koda
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Runtime: 85 minutes
She's a former assassin. She's a single mom. She's Angie Harmon of "Law & Order" playing Hazel King, a woman who just wants to leave her murdering days behind but keeps getting pulled back in.
#9. The Gabby Douglas Story (2014)
- Director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Runtime: 86 minutes
Meet Gabby Douglas (played by Imani Hakim and Sydney Mikayla at different ages), the first woman of color to win gold in the women's all-around gymnastics competition in the Olympics. This acclaimed biopic highlights the sacrifices she made when going from gifted prodigy to global champion. It was nominated for four NAACP Image Awards.
#8. The Trip to Bountiful (2014)
- Director: Michael Wilson
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Runtime: 102 minutes
The late Cicely Tyson received an Emmy nomination for her performance in "The Trip to Bountiful" as the elderly and overprotected Carrie Watts, who makes an impromptu journey to her former hometown. Both this movie and a previous Oscar-winning film are based on Horton Foote's 1953 play of the same name.
#7. Amish Grace (2010)
- Director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Runtime: 89 minutes
When a school shooting harms a small Amish community in 2006, resulting in the death of five young girls. Rather than demonstrate hatred, the community showed compassion and forgiveness instead. The film, starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley as a grief-stricken mother, tells their story.
#6. For the Love of a Child (2006)
- Director: Douglas Barr
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Runtime: 80 minutes
This historical drama tracks the creation of Childhelp USA, a real-life charity that helps victims of child abuse. Through a series of flashbacks, it tells the story of two world-travelling entertainers turned nonprofit pioneers. Also depicted is the journey of Jacob Fletcher, who comes to the organization seeking help as a young boy.
#5. Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)
- Director: Peter Levin
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Runtime: 104 minutes
Based on the real-life exploits of its title character, this inspiring biopic follows Liz Murray (Thora Birch) as she flees from an abusive home and lives on the streets. After losing her mother due to complications from AIDS, Murray turns her life around for good. Not only does she complete high school, but she ends up getting into one of the country's most prestigious universities.
#4. Speak (2004)
- Director: Jessica Sharzer
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Runtime: 89 minutes
A pre-"Twilight" Kristen Stewart stars alongside Elizabeth Perkins in this award-winning drama. Based on a bestselling YA novel, it follows a selective mute teenager (Stewart) as she comes of age in the wake of a traumatic event. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before arriving on the Lifetime Network.
#3. Miracle Run (2004)
- Director: Gregg Champion
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Runtime: 120 minutes
This Emmy-nominated drama finds a single mother (Mary-Louise Parker) struggling to raise two autistic twins. Her personal ordeal provides a broader examination of the stigmas surrounding autism. Zac Efron stars as twin Stephen Morgan, one of his earliest screen roles.
#2. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006)
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Runtime: 88 minutes
This prescient and tragic drama tells the true story of Gwen Araujo, portrayed here by JD Pardo. A transgender teen, Araujo was brutally murdered by four drunken men in 2002. The film won Outstanding Movie for Television at the 2007 GLAAD Media Awards.
#1. Gracie's Choice (2004)
- Director: Peter Werner
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Runtime: 90 minutes
When their mother is sent to jail, 17-year-old Gracie (Kristen Bell) does whatever it takes to keep her remaining family intact. Her turbulent story is partially based on a Reader's Digest article about a real-life person. Anne Heche earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for her performance as the drug-addicted mother.
