Epic Television Miniseries - A Critical History

by John De Vito & Frank Tropea

McFarland & Company (series)

To paraphrase silent movie queen Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, "The Epic Miniseries are Big! It's television that got small!" This is especially true when one compares such iconic epic miniseries as Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), Roots (1977), Holocaust (1978), Shogun (1980), The Winds of War (1983), and War and Remembrance (1988-89) to the formulaic sitcoms, hospital dramas, and reality shows making up today's television programming. This work traces the historical development, evolution, decline, and surprising rebirth of the epic miniseries. Topics include the role of HBO and other cable networks in reviving the miniseries genre; producer/director Dan Curtis's obsessive, decade-long quest to produce what is likely the ultimate American epic miniseries in The Winds of War and War and Remembrance; and the powerful influence of foreign miniseries on American productions, among others.