Two soldiers help an injured solider walk with their backs to the camera in Band of Brothers.Image via HBO
By
Ryan Heffernan
Published 19 minutes ago
Ryan Heffernan is a Senior Writer at Collider. Storytelling has been one of his interests since an early age, with his appreciation for film and television becoming a particular interest of his during his teenage years.
This passion saw Ryan graduate from the University of Canberra in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Film Production. In the years since, he has found freelance work as a videographer and editor in the Canberra region while also becoming entrenched in the city's film-making community.
In addition to cinema and writing, Ryan's other major interest is sport, with him having a particular love for Australian Rules football, Formula 1, and cricket. He also has casual interests in reading, gaming, and history.
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The landscape of television today is rife with limited series, with the advent of streaming platforms making the production and release of such shows a much more commercial venture than it was in years gone by. Additionally, miniseries also provide digestible doses of small-screen drama that viewers can embrace, knowing they will experience a resolution without having to wait years for ensuing seasons. However, before the format could be the juggernaut of entertainment that it is today, plenty of series had to pave the way against the odds.
Ranging from landmark moments in the context of television history that helped usher in a new age for the small screen to piercing stories that had a significant impact on viewers and even sparked new cultural trends, these miniseries broke new ground while delivering compelling drama for the masses. Every one of them stands among the greatest limited series television has ever seen, triumphs of the form that have become classics for their incredible craft as well as their innovative importance.
10 'Rich Man, Poor Man' (1976)
Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte) works the heavy bag in a boxing gym, training under the eye of his coach in 'Rich Man, Poor Man' (1976).ABC
The first true phenomenon of the miniseries format in America, Rich Man, Poor Man, captivated the nation with its 12-episode run, setting the platform for the boom in limited series throughout the late '70s and early '80s while exhibiting the dramatic heft of television. Based on Irwin Shaw’s 1969 novel, the story spans from the end of WWII to the mid-60s, following two German-American brothers, Rudy (Peter Strauss) and Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte), and the drastically different paths they take in life.
Compelling audiences with its multipronged narrative, strong performances, and its thorough exploration of complex themes in a grounded, real-world setting, Rich Man, Poor Man became a must-watch series, conjuring a sense of binge-worthy drama decades before the term became commonplace. It established the idea of what a limited series could achieve in the minds of American viewers, setting the framework for all miniseries that followed while also launching Nick Nolte’s career in the process.
9 'The Thorn Birds' (1983)
Richard Chamberlain cradling and almost kissing Rachel Ward's face in The Thorn Birds.Image via ABC
A landmark of audience interest and cinematic expression on the small screen, The Thorn Birds emerged towards the end of the miniseries boom of the late 70s and early 80s, but its impact on viewers and the form itself can’t be overstated. Based on Colleen McCullough’s novel of the same name, the decades-spanning story takes place in the Australian outback, focusing on the complexities of the budding May-December relationship between Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward), the daughter of a ranch hand, and Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a local priest determined to rise up the ranks of his order.
While elements of the story are dated now, The Thorn Birds made a noteworthy impact upon release, with its sweeping shots of the Australian landscape and its sublime star-studded cast imbuing it with a cinematic grandeur that enchanted the masses. It transfixed over 100 million viewers in America, becoming a huge cultural event to establish itself as an icon of the form.
8 'World on a Wire' (1973)
Image via Janus Films
Released in 1973, World on a Wire is an obscure German miniseries that broke new ground with its thematic examination of simulated reality, the intricacies of the human mind, and the process of scientific research. Released nearly 10 years before Tron and over 25 years before The Matrix, its story of corporate mystery and technological innovation questions reality with a compelling wrath and intrigue that is beautifully supported by its striking visuals and thought-provoking writing.
In terms of its impact on television, World on a Wire is a pioneer of ambition and style that, despite being seen by far too few, stands as one of the first miniseries to be directed by a major auteur, with Rainer Werner Fassbinder helming the project. As a high-concept sci-fi thriller, it continues to serve as one of the most piercing and influential series in the genre's history, a mesmerizing think-piece about virtual reality that has inspired some of the most iconic movies that science fiction has ever seen.
7 'Jesus of Nazareth' (1977)
Image via ITV
Another significant miniseries release from the 1970s, Jesus of Nazareth flaunted an ambitious sense of scale, grounded historical details, and impressive production value as its greatest artistic credentials, but its groundbreaking impact resided in its viewership. Undoubtedly made more enticing by its stellar cast and its use of modern production techniques and storytelling structures to conjure an artistic depiction of Christ’s (Robert Powell) life, the series drew in 91 million viewers in the U.S. alone and an estimated 130 million around the world.
Such comprehensive commercial success ensured the miniseries was not only a defining hit for ITV, but was a monumental achievement in the context of limited series releases as well. Also earning widespread critical approval, Jesus of Nazareth is one of the defining television titles of the late 70s. However, its cultural relevance has definitely diminished in recent decades even if its quality is enduring.
6 'Angels in America' (2003)
Three men talking to a woman in front of a fountain in "Angels in America" on HBO.Image via HBO
One of the boldest and most brilliant ventures HBO has ever embarked on, Angels in America is an essential though somewhat forgotten gem of early 2000s television that tackles the AIDS pandemic of the '80s and the breadth of its shameful social fallout. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, it explores the intersecting lives of six New Yorkers in 1985 while holding its focus on a gay AIDS patient who is visited by an angel.
With its all-star cast and its intense thematic gravitas, Angels in America proved to be a piercing series that both confronted and intrigued viewers with its use of grounded realism and fantasy to examine the impact of the AIDS crisis through several nuanced and tender LGBTQIA+ stories. The six-part miniseries is an instrumental title in the normalization of queer-focused storytelling in pop culture, one that also spread its thematic breadth to observe the political climate of Reagan-era America and the fear and paranoia that engulfed the nation amid the AIDS pandemic.
5 'Scenes from a Marriage' (1973)
Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann side by side in bed having a conversation in Scenes From a Marriage.Image via SVT
Perhaps the first miniseries handled by a true international icon of filmmaking, Scenes from a Marriage stands as one of Ingmar Bergman’s most introspective and in-depth stories. It focuses on the deterioration of the marriage between Marianne (Liv Ullmann) and Johan (Erland Josephson) after 10 years together. Lined with a mature sense of romantic drama and confounding yet brilliant character complexities, it examines the characters’ efforts to reconcile, their divorce process, and how they each fare in the aftermath of their relationship.
While the six-part original series didn’t initially grace American shores—the U.S. received the condensed, three-hour film released in 1974—the miniseries still made an immediate impression with its thought-provoking analysis of relationships and human desire. Its social and cultural impact was profound, while the significance of a director of Bergman’s caliber overseeing the production of a miniseries was in itself a pivotal moment for the form.
4 'I, Claudius' (1976)
An Ancient Roman woman and man reclining in 'I, Claudius'.Image via BBC
I, Claudius’ innovative brilliance came in the form of its boundary-pushing appetite for violence and nudity, content that was gradually becoming more prominent in film at the time but was still considered taboo on television. An adaptation of Robert Graves’s novel of the same name and its sequel, the ceaselessly magnificent historical drama transpires in the early Roman Empire, with Emperor Claudius (Derek Jacobi)—resigned to the fact that he will soon be assassinated—reflecting on the political turmoil he witnessed throughout his life from 24 BC up to 54 AD.
In addition to its daring and risqué material, I, Claudius also presents an engulfing immersion in ancient Rome rich with complex character work, sharp writing, and plenty of volatile turns. The BBC-produced series immediately shocked and amazed British fans, and it had much the same impact on American viewers when it was subsequently aired in the States. Not only a groundbreaking success for a limited series, but it also completely recalibrated the acceptable limits of television with its unflinching plunge into the depravity of ancient Rome.
3 'The World at War' (1973)
A still of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin sitting on a bench together, exchanging a laugh in 'The World at War' (1973-1974).Image via ITV
A historical account of the Second World War that was quickly branded the definitive documentation of the conflict due to the expansiveness and depth of its 26-episode run, The World at War bridged the gap between education and entertainment while establishing the framework that many major documentaries have emulated since. Utilizing archival footage, extensive interviews, and in-depth, analytical narration from Sir Laurence Olivier, the docuseries excels at broadcasting the magnitude of the conflict while exploring the profoundly human stories within it.
Within the context of war documentaries exclusively, The World at War stands as a pioneering feat of even-handed breadth as it eschews the jingoistic sentiments of earlier examinations of the war in favor of an all-encompassing approach that covers the political, social, economic, and logistical impact the war had around the world. Through this sense of scale, The World at War illustrated the medium’s greatest advantage over film, making it an essential landmark of television history and one of the most important and influential docuseries ever released.
2 'Band of Brothers' (2001)
Richard Winters (Damien Lewis) and Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingstone) sit together by a hill in 'Band of Brothers' (2001).Image via HBO
With regard to miniseries in the 21st century, there is no greater or more important series than Band of Brothers. Thriving with HBO’s budgetary commitment and the involvement of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the 10-part war series serves as a grueling immersion into America’s involvement in the conflict in mainland Europe, following the soldiers of Easy Company from their training and their drop into Normandy and through to their uneasy wait in Germany following V-E Day.
Imbuing the serialized, episodic format of television with cinematic-quality production value and a sense of grandiose scale, the limited series stands as one of the best and most impressionable depictions of WWII the screen has ever seen. Instrumental in pioneering television’s golden era while ensuring that HBO would be a major figure throughout the medium’s glory years, Band of Brothers is arguably the most pivotal series released this century. It remains unsurpassed as far as war television goes, standing enshrined as an ageless, agonizing masterpiece of war drama that illustrates the devastating scope of WWII and the heroism of those who served.
1 'Roots' (1977)
LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte with shackles around his hands is whipped in Roots.Image via ABC
A series of groundbreaking popularity and palpable cultural impact, Roots is among the most important and pivotal releases television has ever seen. Spanning generations, the original eight-episode run follows the life and lineage of Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), a Mandinka warrior torn from his wife and home and sold into slavery, where he ends up under the charge of a plantation owner in 18th-century Virginia. Beyond his life, the series explores the lives slaves endured through the early 19th century, during the Civil War, and in the period immediately following the war and the liberation of the slaves.
Marking the first time American slavery had been explored on screen from the perspective of a Black family, Roots engrossed the masses with its poignant drama and reflective punch, dismantling harmful myths about the nature of slavery while igniting a wave of interest in African-American history. Impressively, its narrative impact and execution are just as visceral and compelling today as they were almost 50 years ago. It stands as arguably the single most important television release of all time and is a pioneering icon for miniseries drama as we know it today.
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Release Date
1977 - 1977-00-00
Network
ABC
Showrunner
David L. Wolper
Directors
Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, Gilbert Moses
Cast
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John Amos
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Ben Vereen
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