10 Best Miniseries of the 1970s & 1980s: ‘Shogun,’ ‘Roots’ & More
James Clavell’s 1975 novel Shogun was first made into a miniseries in 1980. FX on Hulu is bringing it back in its stunning new adaptation, also a limited series event.
With the Shōgun remake coming soon, we dived into some of the greatest limited series of all time. These 10 memorable miniseries from the 1970s and ’80s kept us tuning in night after night.
1. Roots
ABC aired this landmark series over eight consecutive nights in 1977, worried audiences wouldn’t embrace a grueling saga about the cruelties of slavery. The opposite occurred, breaking ratings records at the time as America became riveted to the multigenerational tale of kidnapped African slave Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton as a youth, John Amos as an adult) and his descendants, who never stopped yearning for freedom. (Tubi)
2. Lonesome Dove
By the late 1980s, the TV Western was considered dead. But over four enthralling nights in 1989, a robust adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel reminded viewers of the genre’s appeal. As former Texas Rangers, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones led an eventful and often tragic cattle drive from Texas to the plains of Montana. The finale is famous for making grown men weep. (Freevee, Peacock, Pluto, Tubi, Roku, Plex)
3. The Thorn Birds
The four-part 1983 romance based on Colleen McCullough’s bestseller confirmed Richard Chamberlain’s claim as “King of the Miniseries” (see page 12). He starred as ambitious, handsome priest Ralph de Bricassart, forever hot under the collar for Australian lass Meggie (Rachel Ward) as he rose through church ranks. The third episode, when Father Ralph and Meggie succumb to their passion, drew the largest audience. The United States Catholic Conference was not amused that the series aired during Holy Week. (Purchase on Prime Video or Apple TV)
4. Rich Man, Poor Man
Popularizing the “novel for TV” concept and airing 12 weekly chapters in 1976, the soapy adaptation of Irwin Shaw’s novel catapulted Nick Nolte to stardom as blue-collar black sheep Tom Jordache, whose brother Rudy (miniseries regular Peter Strauss) rose to corporate and political heights. (Available on DVD)
5. Holocaust
A groundbreaking 1978 World War II drama put a human face on the Nazi extermination of Jews through the harrowing story of the Weiss family from Berlin: Dr. Josef (Fritz Weaver), wife Berta (Rosemary Harris) and their offspring: Karl (James Woods), Rudi (Joseph Bottoms) and Anna (Blanche Baker). Michael Moriarty was a Nazi SS officer, and rising star Meryl Streep played Karl’s Christian wife, one of the Emmy-winning series’ few survivors. (Available on DVD)
6. Shogun
Exotic and entrancing, the 12-hour 1980 epic made history as the first American TV series to be filmed entirely in Japan, with much of the native cast speaking Japanese, often without subtitles—all the better to depict the disorientation of shipwrecked English navigator John Blackthorne (Chamberlain at his most heroic). (Available on DVD)
7. The Winds of War/War and Remembrance
It doesn’t get bigger than this double whammy of a historical drama, bringing Herman Wouk’s doorstop WWII novels to TV. Airing over 48 hours—18 for Winds in 1983, and 30 for Remembrance in 1988–89—this ambitious project followed the family of naval officer Victor “Pug” Henry (Robert Mitchum) through the conflict, including depictions of the Holocaust (filmed in Auschwitz) and the bombing of Hiroshima. The mammoth budget and colossal running time is credited with hastening the end of the long-form network miniseries. (Available on DVD)
8. The Jewel in the Crown
PBS anticipated the miniseries craze with multipart British imports, from 1970’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII into the ’80s with the exquisite Brideshead Revisited. The greatest Masterpiece of all was this absorbing 1984–85, 14-chapter gem adapted from Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet, depicting the last years of British occupation of India, with the rape of an Englishwoman as a catalyst for the drama. (PBS Passport)
9. Jesus of Nazareth
The Bible and its era have inspired many a miniseries, but director Franco Zeffirelli’s reverent treatment of the life of Jesus (Robert Powell) achieved instant icon status in 1977, when a cumulative U.S. audience of 90 million tuned in over two weeks (the second half aired on Easter Sunday). The international cast included the director’s former Juliet, Olivia Hussey, as Mary, with Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene. (Freevee, Peacock)
10. Centennial
James Michener’s historical tomes were made for the miniseries format, none more successfully than his epic of the American West, covering two centuries of Colorado lore over 26 hours in 1978-79. Everyone who was anyone showed up, including (who else) Richard Chamberlain as a Scottish trader, one of the area’s first white settlers. (Starz)
