Once in a LifetimeLists that rank the best shows and movies on one of the precious few networks that features programming geared toward a female audience and features women in lead roles.
Updated January 23, 2019 2.1K votes 651 voters 83.0K views
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Lifetime Movie Network fans - vote up the best LMN biopic.
Have you ever shouted out "I'M BORED! I'M SO BORED," from the comfort of your lawn chair aside your multi-million dollar pool? So has Elizabeth Taylor, at least according to the Lifetime Movie Network. When times of extreme boredom plague you, there's nothing better than watching the ill-conceived stories of LMN originals. But every so often, the Lifetime schedule blesses us with biographical features; a nice change of pace from the typical thrillers we have grown accustomed to. And in true Lifetime network fashion, these biopic movies somehow manage to take the mundane "true stories" of pop culture phenomenons and turn them into insanely crazy, borderline conspiratorial exposés. Some LMN biopics are better than others, but then there are some that really go the extra mile. With a recent influx of Lifetime biographical films, there doesn't seem to be any sign that the network will be putting a stop to these controversial, insider features anytime soon. For all those wary of how much more absurd a Lifetime Movie could truly get, here's a list of real Lifetime original biopics that you need to see in order to believe.
Another in Lifetime's string of biopics about music's biggest divas, Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, pulled a much more positive response than others, likely due to its less touchy topic. The Braxtons reportedly tweeted along to the film's debut, offering their perspective on key events and depictions.
On top of that, Lifetime pulled in killer ratings, which will only add fire to their desire to bust out more biopics about pop's biggest icons.
Anna Nicole Smith's death was, indeed, odd. But in typical Lifetime fashion, the network took Smith's strange death as opportunity to incite yet another conspiracy theory. While Anna Nicole manages to focus on Smith's rise to fame as a sex symbol, it also manages to insist that maybe Smith and her son were poisoned or infected.
Even creepier, throughout the film, Smith appears to herself as an adult version of herself when she is young and vice versa when she is older, both ages continually whispering "Annnnnaaaaa...." It's not clear what warranted such skin crawling symbolism, but it was not appreciated.
Lifetime is no stranger to taking on biopics about "true crime" murderers. But what confused and estranged the media and audiences about Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret was Lifetime's decision to begin production on the film eight months before Arias's trial even started.
Although not completely ruled awful, the Lifetime movie appeared incredibly insensitive in its eager attempt to exploit a real life murder trial, all in real, if not premature, time.
Surprisingly, Whitney was not exactly negatively received by critics. Instead, the Lifetime original was shrouded in major controversy, as Whitney Houston's family and estate consistently pushed back against the Lifetime Movie Network's right to produce the film. Although considered "positive" and "decent" for Lifetime's standards, Whitney always seemed to struggle with opposition from Houston's family members.
The controversy hardly held back its ratings; in fact, it only seemed to boost them.
Although Lifetime's undertaking of the Amanda Knox trial was viewed by many as a nuanced and unbiased endeavor, the victims' families did not exactly feel the same way. Appalled at Lifetime's decision to portray the murders, the victims' families made every effort to speak out against the controversial film.
Aside from some logistical errors and some head butting with those opposed to the film, this is by no means regarded as Lifetime's worst work.
One of Lifetime's most iconic "true crime" stories, The Craigslist Killer attempts to unveil the events of the real life Internet predator. The Craigslist Killer is a perfect embodiment of everything Lifetime: a "true crime" story, a heavily profiled murder case, a psychological thriller in which someone leads a double life, and plenty of drama and high stakes, life or death scenarios.
The Craigslist Killer somehow blends every Lifetime genre imaginable, simultaneously invoking the fear mongering that Lifetime loves to promote.
