Has a feature-quality 'look' to it

And not just because the home-video version has a 1:85:1 aspect ratio. Carpenter also takes pains to avoid the zoom shots that were so common to the era and he doesn't overdo it with the close-ups, either.

And the lighting is better and more atmospheric than most MOWs.

Long story short, he made it look like a "real" movie and not a TV movie.

And the network let him.

Amazing.