I don't think anyone has brought this up, I've read in some U.K. magazines quotes from actors who were in Roswell,Firefly and some similar cancelled shows that the studios want to make a film of their shows.Point being if no-one watched the show for free on TV why would they go and pay at the cinema,or likewise the studios pay millions to do a feature film when they couldn't commit to a series.Any thoughts please!

The best example that comes to my mind is: Police Squad!.

It was a failed 6 episode run. Although hysterical and waaaay ahead of it's time, it didn't last long.

They ended up making three successful movies based on it: The Naked Gun series.

which came first .. MASH the movie or the TV show?

MASH the movie came first in 1970.

Also, there's the possibility of a Family Guy movie coming out direct-to-DVD.

It's also not usually the same sort of numbers--or even the same league. More people watch a moderately successful TV show then a fairly successful movie.

Too lazy to look around, but quite a few actors have been unprepared for the increased recognition they got after moving from movies to tv.

X-files is one that comes to mind.
All those inane cartoons on Nickelodeon i.e. Rugrats, recess, etc.
The saturday morning stuff - pokenmon, power rangers, Barney. Mostly, kid-oriented shows translate better in movies cos they are cheaper to make.

It's possible with different writer and script, a concept wouldn't work well in a TV series would actually work on a big screen. That's the only reason I can think of why a failed TV show is going to big screen.