10 Best Network TV Miniseries of All Time, Ranked: Events That Changed Television
Miniseries Become Major Events
In the era when three major broadcast networks dominated television, miniseries offered an alternative to long-running series and made-for-TV films. Their shorter format gave literary adaptations and historical epics more room to develop.
Networks also used these productions to compete during sweeps ratings periods, build prestige and address controversial issues. The format could make a story into a shared national event.
The Winds of War’s Scale
ABC’s 1983 adaptation of Herman Wouk’s novel follows U.S. Navy Commander Victor “Pug” Henry from spring 1939 through the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. As he observes Nazi Germany, his wife and children face their own personal, military and romantic challenges around the world.
Produced and directed by Dan Curtis, the seven-part series had a budget exceeding $40 million and was filmed across 267 locations in six countries and two continents. It incorporated documentary footage and historical figures, won three Primetime Emmy Awards, and earned multiple Golden Globe nominations.
V Blends Science Fiction, Politics
NBC’s V depicts an alien arrival presented as peaceful, with promises of advanced technology and medical breakthroughs. Cameraman Mike Donovan and medical student Juliet Parrish discover that the Visitors are reptilian humanoids seeking Earth’s water and planning to harvest people for food.
Kenneth Johnson first conceived the story as an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’ anti-fascist novel It Can’t Happen Here before giving it an alien premise. The 200-minute, two-part event drew roughly 40% of the U.S. television audience and led to V: The Final Battle and a weekly series in 1984.
Key points
- The Winds of War traced events from 1939 to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
- The Winds of War used 267 locations across six countries and two continents.
- NBC’s V drew roughly 40% of the U.S. television audience.
- V used an alien invasion story to explore collaboration, apathy and resistance.