I know, no Shogun. I was only 2 when it came out and I never saw it as a kid. I’m so sorry!! Next list I’m gonna have to do honorable mentions. Please forgive me! 🙏

The 1970s were the real deal for TV mini-series. "Roots", "Rich Man Poor Man" and "Salem's Lot" were among the biggest and best of them.

Some Thornbirds trivia: Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown fell wildly in love during production. They married, had three kids, and live happily together in Sydney to this day, some 40 years later.

Winds of war and war and remembrance I watched religiously

I got goosebumps when "I Know My Name is Steven" came up. That whole thing was such a tragedy. That poor family.

The sad thing is that a lot of these TV movies were better than what is showing in theaters nowadays

Lace and Lace II starring Phoebe Cates and Queenie (1987) starring Mia Sara were favorites of mine.

I was thinking "Roots"... That's a 70s mini series! Time flies

Man, the 80s and early 90s were the best. TV events like this were epic in a way people today will never be able to grasp. Thank you for taking us back to this special era in TV.

As someone who watched some of these miniseries, I'm surprised James Clavell's SHŌGUN is not mentioned.

Lonesome Dove is my all time favorite mini-series. The casting was spot on and they really enhanced the book rather than the opposite like most do. The things that were eliminated and characters they combined made sense and did not detract from the narrative and the cattle drive scenes really were so much more vivid than I pictured them in my head as I was reading.

"Masada," from 1981, is another highly-rated miniseries.

North and South should be ranked higher in my opinion.

V and V the Final Battle had us HOOKED!!

“East of Eden” with Jane Seymour was my all time favorite mini series. Her performance was incredible, and it was very true to the Steinbeck novel.

Although not a miniseries, the made for TV movie The Burning Bed also features the impactfulness of Farrah Faucett's acting skills. Her portrayal was so real and so powerful.

I do miss the old miniseries and made for TV movies. The Day After scared the crap out of me.

Rest in Peace Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley ,North and South will always have a special place in my heart , they can't make series like that anymore , Today Confederate soldier can not be the hero of the story .

I was born in 1973 and watched most of these with my mom. Thornbirds was massive. I also remember Lace and Lace 2. Centennial (1978) was by far my favorite, but wrong decade 😊.

The Winds of War was my favorite. Based on one of the best historical fiction novels ever. The seamless blend of the fictional Henry family with real life persons and events is second to none.

Growing up in the 80s I had no business watching all these mini series however I was Obsessed 🤩 Thanks for posting

The mini-series actually started in the 70’s. Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots, Holocaust, Centennial, Eleanor and Franklin, The Bastard.

How could you not have The Winds of War on this list?

I was thrilled to see The Thorn Birds claim #1 spot, as I loved it as well. A scene that I've never forgotten was when Barbara Stanwyck's character, elderly and at the end of her life, asks Father Ralph to kiss her. Her speech about how her body is old but inside her body she's still young, still wants... It made a huge impression on me as a young person, who, in the way of youth, never gave much thought to getting old. It was a powerful speech.

This was a walk down memory lane, as I am in my 50s and remember several of these miniseries. I miss the concept of miniseries in general. Shows like these were an event that viewers looked forward to. I miss the days when everyone would be talking about the same show the next day because there weren't all the viewing options we have today. Thanks for the video!

1983's Chiefs was an outstanding miniseries, featuring great performances by Brad Davis and Keith Carradine.

I both read the Thorn Birds and loved the mini-series. All I can say..... Barbara Stanwyck. Wow

The hairspray budget for "Hollywood Wives" must've been through the roof. (Or through the ozone layer, lol!)

You put "V" at number 2, and that's fair. I remember being glued to the tv for the last few episodes. "The Thorn Birds" was huge, so it deserves #1. My mother and sister LOVED it. 11 year old me was like,"Yawn. Please." But "V?" Oh yeah. I bought a disc copy of it in 2013 and watched it, again and again.

Seeing Robert Urich reminds me of how ubiquitous he was on television.

V and Lonesome Dove are precious to me. They occupy the duality of my tastes in media.

In my opinion, Lonesome Dove is the finest television production of all time. I’ve watched it dozens of times times since first seeing it when it originally aired in 1989.

In 1985 my roommate got the videos for The Thornbirds, which I had not seen when it aired on television. We started watching at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night and finished the whole thing at 4:03 am. It was outstanding. It was so good, that I watched it again that same afternoon (back-to-back viewings). The acting was exceptional and the story was riveting, but also heartbreaking!

I’m Gen Z, but I love North and South and The Thornbirds! 😊 I’ll have to check out some more shows from this list

Absolutely loved the Thorn Birds. It gives me great pride as an Aussie and I bought it on DVD about a decade ago, so now I don’t need a VCR to rewatch it. Storytelling at its best ❤

I can vividly remember watching I Know My First Name is Steven. My mother used it as a lesson for us. I remember watching Small Sacrifices and Farrah Fawcett was stellar. I remember the crazy popularity of Lonesome Dove. Nostalgia is a wild thing but I remember as a kid sitting in front of the TV waiting for the movie of the week. Some were obviously not for kids but if my parents were watching I would watch too. Seeing all the classic TV stars was so familiar a feeling. It's something I dont know we'll ever have again.

The two V mini series were amazing. Thrilling, scary and amazing production values. Great cast as well.

V. Saw it originally when I was 8 yrs old and rewatch whenever I'm in the mood.

I remember sitting with my roommate as we sobbed while watching The Thornbirds. The story had so many layers and was beautifully acted and written. I would love to sneak in Captain and Kings starring the late and great actor, Richard Jordan. There were so many great performances in this series but it aired in 1976 and I know you were focusing on the 80s. Thanks for a great video.

I rewatched the Thornbirds as a middle aged person in 2012, and during the pandemic. I realized Ralph was a real jerk. Funny how you see things as an adult, versus a teen. I recall V too. The birth of the alien baby really freaked me and my high school classmates.

My favorite, by far, is "Centennial," but it came out in 1978-79.

That feeling you get when you see imagery that you haven't seen in decades, since you were a little kid. Crazy. I watched several of these miniseries, but V stands out to me, I was nine. Not on the list because it wasn't a miniseries, but you referenced it in the vid... The Day After *terrified* me. I would lie awake at night after that, wondering if all the buttons had just been pushed. Anyway, great nostalgia, thanks!

There were do many mini series that I enjoyed in the 70's-80's. Thorn birds, rich man poor man, east of eden, lace and lace 2, Master of the Game, and Princess Daisy Roots original, Centennial and of course, Jesus of Nazareth. There were so many everyone had their favorites. Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I miss these great stories.

Lonesome Dove was incredible. My whole family watched it together, which was rare after we got an upstairs tv with a cable box.

Shocking you did not mention (possible you didn't know) about the chilling irony about little Judith Barsi's appearance in Fatal Vision. ICYDK, Judith Barsi was a prolific child actress between 1983 and 1988. An abnormally petite little angel, she appeared in dozens of commercials, multiple tv show guest appearances, and three big name movies, however her first REAL (non-commercial) role was as Kimberly McDonald (one of the murdered daughters) in flashback scenes in Fatal Vision. Shes best remembered for Jaws 4 the revenge, as well as voicing "Ducky" in The land Before Time, and the little girl in All Dogs Go to Heaven. Both the animated movies had completed her voice work but not fully finished with production when little judith was shot in the head by her father while she slept, before he shot her mother and later himself. Little Judith was 10 years old, and her mither and she had been a victim of physical and severe psychological abuse from him for years. So yeah, its chilling that her first real tv role was as a victim of murder by her father, foreshadowing what would come only about 4 years later.

Being from the UK, there were some of these mini series we got and are classics, but there are some I didn't know existed and will now be scouring KZfaq for. Thanks for this. It was a great video.

Great list, loved one that was not included was Chiefs 1983, Peter the Great 1986 was a masterpiece, loved George Washington 1984 and its sequel in 1986. with Barry Boswick. I remember a bad one, Dream West 1986, it was fun.

I'll take Manhattan with Valerie Bertinelli should've been a honorable mention

I remember watching V in my first apartment. 19in tv. Now I have it and the sequel. I also have Thornbirds.

V better be #1, just saying

Both "North & South" and "The Thornbirds" are special to me. The former had parts filmed near both my home and high school walking distance away. My classmates and I got to watch some of the filming, see and meet some of the actors and actresses in it like Patrick Swayze, Liz Taylor, Morgan Fairfield and others. We would spend free period watching. The high school I attended was Catholic. That made the "Thornbirds" special and cool. It became the topic of discussion so much after its first night, my religion class teacher, who was a nun, decided to make it homework. It was mandatory to watch and she ditched her plan during its airing! The guys all were smitten over Rachel Ward just like the ladies were over Richard Chamberlain! I remembered Rachel Ward from "Sharkey's Machine." Richard Chamberlain was the king of the mini-series! I remembered him from both "Shogun" and "Tai Pan" (forgive the spelling on the title. The movie "O" was filmed in my HS before it was torn down.

The North and the South was my favorite. This clip brought back so many memories. Thanks for sharing.

I grew up in the 80's, and I have not heard of all of these miniseries. Thank you so much for this video! I see some guilty pleasure miniseries here that I need to check out. V the Miniseries was the rare tv event that my family watched together, so it will always have a place in my heart. It was the water cooler show of many schools and workplaces at the time. I vaguely remember the marketing campaign for it, where you would see random posters of smiling Visitors saying that they come in peace or want to be friends. It was brilliant marketing. The Thorn Birds will also hold a special place for me. It (and North and the South) were my mom's favorite miniseries. I had never watched The Thorn Birds, so we got to watch it together shortly before she died. Man, what an amazing series, and I am so glad that I got to watch it with my mom.

I am so happy I found your video! I am a millennial, but I love watching these type of shows because they remind of the time my mama and I spent together. Thank you so much 🥹❤️

I know my name is stephen is a personal one for me. It was one my mum actively looked for here in the uk on sky television. She passed away on may 2nd. Im glad you placed this mini series / movie on this last. Great work.

North and South is and was epic. I own the dvd and watched the VHS tape we had when I was kid, when my parents had taped it off tv. I made my exes watch it, my friends, roommate, my husband and now my kids. Everyone I showed it to, loved it.

Shogun with Richard Chamberlin was the best. My sister loved North and South.

V as a kid was my jam! In the late 90s I special ordered it on two VHS tapes, took off work, and binged it. I was shocked to find it was widescreen because they shot it on film. Great stuff. 👍 The Day After was also crazy. It definitely left a lasting impression. 😮 And seeing that ending of the Jim Jones film at like age 5 haunted me! 😢😂 You missed a good one though. The Billionaire Boys Club 1987! Judd Nelson, Brian McNamara, and Ron Silver! Thanks for the vid. 👍

Good and Old school. These series age like fine wine! North and South! V! The only V IS the original! Damn straight! When she said the THORN BIRDS I almost cried.

I have a lot of these on dvd and have been watching them lately. 70s and 80s miniseries were great.

The thing about the murder Mini-Series events is that back then, stories like that (a mother killing her children, a soldier killing his whole family) were so huge on TV because they did not happen often! And no,it isn't because we just didn't know about them because we didn't have the internet. Nowadays multiple family murders and children murders happen daily.

Fatal Vision! Such a sad case, but so well-written and acted. I was only two months old when it aired, but I saw years later on Lifetime.

Loved these things, even though some of them were kind of boring (mainly drama because my mom loved VC Andrews paperbacks), but my mom ran the TV in the evening, so I saw a bunch of these. V was definitely top of the list for the ones I was actually into. When my wife and I moved into a first house in 2011, we didnt have cable or internet, so we busted out the VHSs of Centennial, and North & South. The two miniseries that her family watched.

Great video and the links were much appreciated! I remember watching so many of these.

You asked at the end of this video if we agree with your picks. I looked at my collection and realized, I own several of the miniseries on your list!! Thank you for this video!!

The Day After Tomorrow scared the crap out of my childhood brain. V was great. The Winds of War was excellent. Truly event television. They literally don't make 'em like they used to.

You did a great job - big fan of the mini-series growing up - much thanks

8th grade me was over the moon for The Thorn Birds - - - read the book, watched the mini-series, LOVED it!! Gonna have to go back and rewatch - - haven't seen it since we had it on VHS years ago....

Oh how nice to see the young Sam Neill. I saw him in his first NZ movie when I was a university. He recently published his bio…an amusing ramble down movie memory lane.

Loved the 1970's TV Movies and Mini-Series!

I would had included "Mistral's Daughter". It had all the drama you could ask for and gorgeous backdrops.

North and South Book 1 and 2 are my all times favorites. I've seen them both several times. I've seen pretty well all the 80's mini series when they aired, but those are my favorite ones. Before we had a VCR, I can recall every night watching The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Running to the bathroom on commercials only, lol. Those were the days! Whole family events. The Thorn Birds as well.

You are so right with the Thornbirds. It was so classic, and I love it when Meggie leaves the old, frail Father Ralph crying at the cemetary. He reaches out to her ballinghis eyes out, andshe ignores him!

Just found your channel with this video. Fellow Gen-X er here! :D Ah, mini-series! They really were major TV events back in the day. The first one I have a memory of is Masada...and I don't think I even saw it! I just remember all the commercials for it! I do remember watching North & South, V (including the series!), Lonesome Dove, and The Thorn Birds. Some of my favorites were The Winds of War and it's sequel, War And Remembrance, Shogun, The Last Days Of Pompeii, and Fresno. But my all-time favorite has to be 1982's Marco Polo. It captured my imagination like nothing else with it's adventure, culture, and travel to far-off lands. Sadly it's very difficult to find online (it's always all the later Marco Polo series - bleh!). I did manage to watch it on KZfaq several years ago, but unfortunately it's no longer fully on YT anymore.

Nothing is better than Lonesome Dove. Nothing. I read the novel first and expected to be disappointed. The choice of actors was spot on. Excellent adaptation from novel to small screen.

I watch "V" at least twice a year! Thanks for this awesome list,I had completely forgotten some of these! I would also recommend If tomorrow comes and Lace 1/Lace 2.

V Thorn Birds North & South I remember those clearly. They were tv events!

Amazing looking back and FINALLY realizing television (TV) was really entertaining,educational, informative, and excellent!!!!!

I absolutel loved the Thorn Birds. I even got the flute sheet music for the theme. It was such a beautiful love story.

In the UK there was ‘A Woman of Substance’ and ‘Widows’. ‘Roots’ must have been earlier!

East of Eden, with Jane Seymour, the queen of television miniseries, back in 1981 should have been added. I also remember The Burning Bed with Farrah Fawcett.

They don’t make TV like this anymore

51 year old gen Xer here. Excellent video and recommendations. V, Fatal Vision and others were a family event i recall. I will watch The Thorn Birds now! Subscribed!

V was a favorite in my family! I remember my father taping it in VHS and watching it all the time.

I still have LOnesome Dove on VHS at my cabin and watch it almost yearly

I watched "Guyana Tragedy" as a kid. (Nobody really paid attention in those days) Maaaan 🥺🥺🥺

Thank you for the discussion, plus the links. I watched these then as a kid too, and yeah, they were moments that won't be recaptured today.

I came of age in the 80s. Thanks for this! I'll be rewatching a lot of these 😊

*V* was so scary to me as a little little kid but I couldn't get enough! It was so good!

Some 80s mini-series I remember enjoying that aren't on your list: The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, Shogun (1980), Lace (1984) starring Phoebe Cates, Something Is Out There (1988) SF mini-series turned into a weekly series, East of Eden (1981) starring Jane Seymour, Pride and Prejudice (1980) BBC mini-series (I liked this Lizzie Bennet better than the 1995 version, The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) starring Jane Seymour, All the Rivers Run (1983) an Australian mini-series, Elvis and Me (1988). Here are a few I remember from the 70s: Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) starring Jane Seymour, Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), Roots (1977), I, Claudius (1976), Salem's Lot (1979), From Here to Eternity (1979) starring Natalie Wood, and Dallas (1978) originally broadcast as a 5 part mini-series it was so popular it became known as the first season of the 14 season show. The Day After (1983) was especially impactful as I lived in Kansas City which was a big focus of the movie. Another TV movie I remember involving an atomic explosion was the TV movie Special Bulletin (1983) about a terrorist nuclear bomb destroying Charleston, South Carolina.

Thank you so much for this list! There are several I haven't seen that I definitely want to check out. And I HAVE to rewatch The Thorn Birds!! 😊💜

Thanks for including so many links!

North and South and Shogun...my favorites.

“America’s first civil war”? How many have there been?

Great to see five of my favourite miniseries in this list. Another KZfaq free-to-watch is 'Victims for Victims', the true story of Raging Bull actress Theresa Saldana and her struggles after suffering a savage attack by a crazed stalker.

Great post - Thank you 👍👍👍

I loved this video. I was a junky for these growing up in the seventies and eighties. Was just considering a watch of Amerika since I remember the hype, but didn't see it back in the day. Glad you dismissed the Jackie Collins critique of Hollywood Wives. I remember that being a blast and where else can you see Andrew Stevens sharing top billing with Anthony Hopkins. I totally adore V as a kid, and that's probably my favorite of the bunch. I remember The Deliberate Stranger with Mark Harmon also being awesome. Some cool ones here I haven't seen, and will check out. This was the true golden age of TV.

The Thorn Birds my absolute favorite! ❤️

Thanks for the memories.

AWESOME! Thanks for the flashbacks!!! 💜😎