The Blue and the Gray is no longer available on Apple TV. It is only available to purchase on DVD via Amazon. Lace IS available for free on TH-cam! I finally found it! Links are in the description.
Anne of Green Gables is a classic - so, so good. Perfectly cast, beautiful cinematography, wholesome , but not cloying. A must see for the whole family - girl and boy alike.
Megan Follows was born to play Anne. Colleen Dewhurst was excellent as Marilla. I didn't think the guy that played Matthew looked like what I envisioned.
I absolutely agree. To me, the original Anne was nothing short of a TV miracle. I'm a man, and I was completely captivated by it. I don't remember ever seeing such a wonderful and charming television film or miniseries.
As a teen I adored Anne of Green Gables. I had just graduated HS, and could relate to Anne and her college worries. I met the late Jon Crombie who played Gil in 2008. I have read a few of the books, and I am currently reading Rilla of Ingleside, which focuses on Anne's daughter. I saw many of these mini series back in the day.
Same! I absolutely adored the entire series and devoured the books. It’s been a long time, though. Making this video made me realize it’s time to do it again.
Saved this so I could refer back and find the ones I don't have. lol Story about Anne of Green Gables, several years ago PBS played the whole series during one of their membership telethons. I didn't ask anyone to join me, my husband and daughter were busy doing their own things, so I got some popcorn and settled in. Twenty minutes in, my daughter sat down, a few minutes later my husband came in. It absolutely draws people in. We had the best weekend watching it, and my daughter (she was around 11) asked me to take her to the library so she could check out the entire book series. I swear, Anne's story is timeless.
One thing I wish you had addressed with both of these videos is the incredible impact these miniseries had at the time. 120 million+ people watched The Thorn Birds. I worked in fast food in high school and co-workers brough tiny televisions to work so they could watch it under the counter while we manned the registers! Shogun was watched by 145 million people. Those numbers are unheard of today.
Remember there was no streaming in the 80s, no net, only movies and tv .. in my country in the 80s we only had two Chanel’s, until end of 89 which we we got a third, so mini series were huge in nz . Massive viewers
If you missed a movie or special you might have to wait 6 months or more before they aired again! I oughta know, I missed that famous Jackson Five 25th Anniversary Special where he did the moonwalk for the first time. It wasnt until half a year later CBS re-ran it!! I was the only kid in my class who didn't see it! haahaa
I am curious, did your parents allow you to? My brother and I would get passes for "historical" fiction. I guess they thought history could be learned from any medium...
The 1980's were truly the heyday of the tv miniseries. Glad you included 2 of my favorites - "The Blue & The Gray" & "Winds of War / War & Remembrance".
Yay! Lace made the list this time around! I was a sophomore in high school when it came out. It was my all-time favorite that I recorded and watched over and over again.
One of my favorites is the 1989 Australian mini series Bangkok Hilton with a pre fame Nicole Kidman. It follows a woman unfairly sent to Thai prison. Love those mini series, but they rarely show up on Netflix or other online platforms, not even for rentals. Glad a few are here. The 1983 Return to Eden is very good too.
Core memory unlocked. The moment you said Lace... A series I haven't watched or thought of since the 80s... Yet I instantly remembered that iconic line 😊😊😊
Princess Daisy is another great gem- from the Judith Krantz novel- Airing in 1983- The orphan (Merete Van Kamp) of an American actress (Lindsay Wagner) and a Russian prince (Stacy Keach) goes on to fame as a New York model.
Thank you for including Kane and Abel, a very powerful miniseries with Sam Neill and Peter Strauss at their zenith. I also highly recommend Princess Daisy, which has an amazing cast and an interesting storyline.
I would say from living through the 80s, the biggest mini series from the 1980s was the north and south, and the thorn birds. Mininseries were big deals. I remember some mini series would air on a sunday night and then make you wait till the next sunday to see the second half. When a woman named jackie aired it wasnt the 80s but it was i think 90 or 91..I didnt get to watch the entire second half because my mom made me go to bed and i was so mad. I wanted to see the whole second half so bad, and it wasn't until 2002 that it aired on a cable channel, and i was able to record it. Now i can watch it anytime i want here on youtube. How easy things are accessed now, which makes me happy..but there was something about waiting. I remember anytime a danielle steele made for t.v movie would come on it was also a big deal. My favorite danielle steele was jewels. I wasnt into romance novels but i read the book and still have a copy because i loved the movie. There was a made for t.v movie called murder in the heartland i liked Charles starkweather. I also read poor little rich girl after watching the movie with farrah fawcette. Another favorite of mine was the two part series elvis and me. It was based off of priscilla presleys memoir and i loved that movie. I still watch that movie and think it was better in many ways then the recent movie priscilla. I also read the book after watching the movie. I was a reader when i was a kid and teenager. We didnt have a vcr until i was in my teens so in the 80s and early 90s if i wanted to watch a show on t.v i had to be there to see it and also i only had the one chance to see it. Donald sutherland passed away recently. It made me think of watching the last living Confederate widow tells all. This is such a long post but it brought back so many memories. Thank you for that.
Thank you for this, I remember some and forgot others. I just want to share that your local library has a good amount of these...Especially, Shogun, Anne of Green Gables and The Thornbirds for FREE....Supporting local libraries AND dip into nostalgia, ain't that so GEN X
I didn't see Blue & the Grey until later in the decade in school, but found I enjoyed it much more than North & South. My wife was a huge Anne of Greene Gables fan. Thanks again for the memories.
@@mysocalledgenxlife I didn't know that it was only one part! Believe it or not, I watched the Burning Bed in high school, I think health class, specifically. Since we watched it over a couple days, I just always assumed it was a miniseries. The more you know 🌠
Fun fact: my mom went to college with Harry Thomason, who co-produced The Blue and The Gray (it was filmed in their home state of Arkansas). He later married Linda Bloodworth and they went on to create Designing Women, another great 80s show!
I had forgotten some of these, but saw them back in the day. There was another called ‘Masada’, starring Peter O’Toole, but it ran at the same time as ‘Shogun’ on another network. which meant I was the only person watching it. It got lousy ratings thanks to the competition, but it was good. I would watch Peter O’Toole read the phonebook.
A foot note for you about Lace. It beat the broadcast premier of Star Wars (before it was added A New Hope to the title). Considering how cable was still in early stages that turned out to be a huge shock for the major networks.
That brings back memories. I completely forgot about The last Days of Pompeji. Shogun was so great. You are going to hate me, but I just remembered Shaka Zulu, which I think was created a year later. Thanks for the list. Lots to watch and rewatch!
I’ll Take Manhattan is my all time favorite mini-series then came The Thorne Birds, then Anne of Green Gables, then Lace! And you can’t leave out Mistral’s Daughter!
I loved Lace! I can still watch and enjoy it on a sleepy afternoon. I was going to see if someone already mentioned that Maxine Pascal was played by Arielle Dombasle, but that's a lot of scrolling so yes, she was. 😁
I remember watching The Deliberate Stranger and it scared me so much I couldn't sleep at night for a week! On the flip side, Anne of Green Gables was pure perfection. When you whizzed past the names of the miniseries of the 70's and mentioned Cenntenial, I had to chuckle. At its initial airing, I loved it, years later, I couldn't stomach it, the acting and make up were so bad...lol! Also in the 70's and available to stream on youtube was Eleanor and Franklin the true story of the Roosevelt's based on her diaries. If you haven't seen it, it holds up even today as remarkable. Edward Hermann of Gilmore Girls fame played Franklin. I'd love to see a 1970's list!
Ahh the blue and the grey, the mini series that got me into the civil war. While North and South gets all the attention when it comes to 80s civil war mini series, this one, in my opinion, is the better of the two. Sure, they took some historical liberties in regards to Jonah being around Lincoln for all those historical moments (the sharps rifle testing for example), but the actors in this were great, a lot of big names of the times. I was in 4th grade at the time I saw this , about 4 years after it came out. I watched it over and over again, because blockbuster had it on 2 vhs tapes, about 6 hrs total. I treated it like a movie, I would sit down and just watch it, the whole thing. I even remember my father dubbing it on a blank vhs tape, you could do that with 2 vcrs , so he wouldn’t have to keep spending the $2 to rent it for me. That theme song will get stuck in your head too, it’s a moving piece of music. The scene in Vicksburg, where Jon talks with his brother Mathew on the battlefield, during a pause in the fighting, makes me think of me and my brother, and it gets me every time. ❤ Thanks for making a part 2 and including the blue and the grey, Makes my gen x heart smile😊
Great vid! Late to the party but one that, I feel, is rather tragically forgotten is the excellent George Washington miniseries from 1983 - and IS available on YT. :)
Thanks for the follow-up! Born in '77 here and so many on this list are the ones I remember most.... Chiefs' big twist at the end, Anne of Green Gables on PBS and Shogun's cool factor are my favorites.
You should’ve added the Elvis and me mini series. As a fellow gen xer born in 1980 this is awesome what you do to remember all the old things that we grew up on. Keep up the good work
"Chiefs" was outstanding. And I doubt you could find a woman who grew up in the 1980's who won't tell you that "Anne of Green Gables" still lives in her heart.
Thank You so much for sharing this! I watched both of your mini series videos and it definitely brought back some memories of some series that I remember watching when they got rerun in places like TNT and Lifetime. it also reminded me of when War and Remembrance originally aired and my mother, very wisely, steered me away from watching it. Although I did watch that and The Winds of War as a teenager when they got rerun on the History Channel. I realize as an elder millenial (born is 81) I'm not quite your target audience 🙂but please keep the great videos coming!
My mom, sister, and I still reference Anne of Green Gables. When it would come on TV in the 80s and 90s (usually PBS) we'd stop everything to watch it as a family. I tried watching Netflix new version but only got 5 minutes in before I turned it off. The original is so sweet and innocent.
My faves on this list are Kane and Abel, Lace (I have both books nr. 1 and 2..found them in a second hand store and grabbed Queenie as well), Queenie...and If tomorrow comes my fave Anne of Green Gables is the one with Megan Follows, in my opinion...none of the other versions can beat that one ooh, I forgot Shogun...started to watch the new version of it but keep comparing it to the first one, which I have not finnished yet
Oh please do a 70s edition! I remember as a preteen watching all those series you talked about. My friends and I also watched Scruples with Lindsay Wagner because of the fashion. So you have to do 70s and look at the quality mini-series that were made during that time.
I loved LACE. I even read the book, which was even more bananas. Back when Oxygen was a channel for women, they played it fairly often. Sidney Sheldon was the Mary Higgins Clark prototype. He had deep ties to entertainment anyway. I always wanted The Stars Shine Down to be an 90s miniseries. It had that Lucky feel to it.
Winds of War and War and Remembrance should be on top, in my opinion. They both tell exceptional stories, the latter portraying much of the Holocaust. The director of War and Remembrance told ABC execs his plan for telling the story, and how explicit he would be. They said okay. It was a real punch to the gut, much as 'Holocaust' was the decade before. 80's TV at it's best.
I can still remember watching 'If Tomorrow Comes' back in the day. Watched 'Anne of Green Gables' on a re-run a few years after it originally aired on a little black and white TV at Christmas - perfect viewing...
I think it’s hard to watch them now and judge them based on then. You see in the early 80’s most didn’t have cable. Just a few channels. It was Cosby and Cheers. The miniseries were the best way to show a movie and still allow for commercials and the 10pm news. You had to commit to a few days in a row, or a week. News was only on a few times a day. IT WAS GLORIOUS. Programming got interrupted for a hijacking and it was just the facts. You youngsters do not know what you are missing. Ha.
I think the strangest things for kids to wrap their heads around is that TV stations stopped broadcasting at night. Just static. I’ve had to explain that part of the movie Poltergeist to my nieces and nephews. “If there’s no signal, why isn’t the screen blue? What’s that stuff on the screen?”
Ah, Anne of Green Gables! So many iconic shows from the 80s came from the States-so neat to see a Canadian show make the list! I always thought Megan Follows was cute anyway. But I have already read Anne by that point, so it was nice to see her on the screen. There was a British show from the 70s, but besides that, the only other one I recalled seeing at that point was the old movie (again from the States) from the 30s or 40s
Anne of Green Gables, Blue & The Gray and War & Remembrance are the ones I probably watched the most. Pierce Brosnan was in James Clavell's Noble House and Around The World In 80 Days. I taped those off TV for Mom when I was a kid.
Great job! I was hoping you'd mention Princess Daisy, based on the novel by Judith Krantz from 1983. It was pretty "steamy"...11 year old me had no business watching it, but I sure did watch it! 😁
I have my 7th grade geography teacher to thank for introducing me to Anne of Green Gables. One of those movies I saw in school that I liked so much I bought the DVD. And this paved the way for the series Avonlea - so thank you.
I was born in 1974, and a lot of these mini series I didn't watch until I was old enough to stay up past prime time television to watch them during the summer hiatus months when the networks didn't have any shows to fill the air, so they put on old mini series. Although, there were a few I snuck in to watch behind my mom's, and grandma's back.🤭
I remember a review of The Winds of War which complained that Robert Mitchum spent the whole series looking like he was suffering from narcolepsy. I can't unsee that to this day. 😅 The 1980s version of Shogun had no subtitles for the Japanese when it was broadcast. A lector at our church happened to have an exchange student from Japan staying with them when the series aired; he joked that his family was the only one in America who actually understood the show.
I love a good list. As a Canadian I LOVE that the 1985 version of Anne of Green Gables is on this list. It's my favourite version (as long as you don't count the sequel as they inappropriately aged her kids). Another mini series that we loved that hasn't appeared on either list is A Woman Of Substance. It's based on a book by Barbara Taylor Bradford. We LOVED the book and the miniseries did a good just of adapting it.
I was surprised that Lace wasn't included in your previous video so I'm glad to see it here - I have no idea how I was able to watch it since I was around nine at the time in 1985 or '86 (it took a year or so to reach New Zealand) and my parents weren't big on my brother and me watching TV in the evening but I can still remember my thrill at hearing that famous line - it was the first time I heard 'b**ch' on TV, maybe even ever - and Anne of Green Gables doesn't just hold a special place in the hearts of Gen-X women - this Gen-X man loved this series as a boy :)
Also from New Zealand. I noticed there was no mention of Kennedy starring Martin Sheen. It was made in 1983, but I seem to recall watching it in the mid 80s (must have been put on a slow boat out to New Zealand 🙄). I had to Google it to make sure I wasn't imagining it though I think was quite big at the time. Also one about Lilly Langtry starring Francesca Anis. Think it was called Lilly.🤔
Was The Carpetbaggers a tv series or a movie, I can't remember.. Thanks for these trips down memory lane, I've watched almost all of them when I was in high school, and read the books if they had them!
I was going to say the same thing, my mom watched that. I’ve looked up a lot of things that I thought were miniseries but have turned out to be movies or TV movies instead-The Betsy, Master of Ballantrae, How the West Was Won…
First I want to say what a wonderful job you have done with this. I do have a couple to mention though. Masada was a really amazing big story type mini-series starring Peter Otoole. And The Murder of Mary Phagen was a brilliant social commentary type mini-series starring Jack Lemmon. Check them out for what I am sure will be your third video. Which I am sure I will enjoy as much as I have enjoyed these two.
I remember that mini-series, hard to watch just like the one about John Walsh's kid. Still like George Washington mini-series, plus its sequel, and Peter the Great 1986.
I think we might have been assigned to watch Masada as homework, same as The Day After. I also remember a miniseries called World War III. The end of the world was a big thing.
Subscribed. Don't know if you're limiting yourself to North America, but I'd definitely add in "Smiley's People" from 1982. Absolutely fantastic - there are roles people were born to play, and George Smiley is Sir Alec Guinness'. As an Aussie, I'd add in "Anzacs". A pre-Crocodile Dundee Paul Hogan features.
Missed a few still : Other side of midnight Return to eden! Princess daisy Scruples Deceptions! There were defo more sidney sheldon and judith kranz ones and some Danielle Steeles Im sure! Great work love these vids x
For some reason, I remember Princess Daisy capturing my attention… but I don’t remember much about it now. Disney channel picked up the Anne series in the 90s, and my sister and I would stop to watch them every time they came on…. Disney later released the Tales of Avonlea - my sister adored it. I didn’t like the way the later books and novellas were adapted, but the 1st two were basically perfect!
Chiefs was amazing! So glad you have it on your list. An early depiction of a serial killer getting away with his crimes for decades on the backdrop of a southern town and its growth in the early half of the 20th century.
it is interesting how many of these were based on popular novels..... along with TV movies of the 70s and 80s there is a lot of these mini series that deserve to be rediscovered and either get a good DVD/Bluray release or to end up on a major streaming service....
Cool a list of new ones to check out. I for sure relate more to the first list as I don't remember most of these. But now you have given me something to go back to. Thanks!
It’s amazing how much things have changed since these mini series originally aired. Now TV is just another atomized aspect of modern society. We watch our own shows on our own at a time of our choosing.
I own the entire Anne of Green Gables box set. I feel in love with it as a kid and still holds up after all these decades. Truly the only version I will ever need.
Wow, I'm loving this. So many memories of my childhood seeing my mom tuning in! We almost starved when my aunt brought the VHS of the whole The Thornbirds series and they watched it right through while we had to eat snacks until they were finished with it. Good times! I also remember Sins (1986), Celebrity (1984), Princess Daisy (1983), A.D. (Anno Domini) (1985), Harem (1986) and I'll Take Manhattan (1987). Hmmm I think we might need a Part Three, lol. Thank you for the memories!
I'm glad you included Queenie in your honorable mentions! It was loosely based on the life of Merle Oberon and I believe the story was written by one of her nephews. I don't remember if "Scarlett" was from the 80's or 90's but I think it's also worth a mention. This was based on the officially licensed sequel for Gone with the Wind and stars Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler. I hope you do a 90's list one day
Another fabulous list. Thank you. I remember watching so many of these shows with my Mom or my friends. Another great Sidney Sheldon mini-series was Rage of Angels with Jaclyn Smith. You should try to find it if you can.
I liked "Anne of Green Gables" which aired on PBS here in the U.S as part of their"Wonderworks" series in 1985 and "Anne of Avonlea" that aired later on in the U.S. on the Disney Channel. There was a third mini-series that aired on PBS in 2000 but I didn't much care for that one.
The only critique I remembered was that Meghan Follows was too pretty to play gawky young Anne. However when I saw Anne of Avonleigh I understood the casting. She had to play a pretty young woman in the entire project. I still like that series the best of the three film attempts I recall. There was a Hollywood movie in the 30s starring Anne Shirley (yes same name) that is a 90 minute digest from orphanage to engagement. The 21st century one was too gritty, sexual and deuer for a subject that should be a teen girls coming of age series...like Little House.
Bravo for this list. I watched both parts. I was going to mention that you left out North and South but you did mention it in part 1 (I watch part 2 first). Bravo for mentioning Kane and Abel and The Deliberate Stranger. I also put on the list Pursuit (Twist Of Fate) and also (I almost forgot) Around the World in 80 Days mini series with Pierce Bronson.
The Blue and the Gray is no longer available on Apple TV. It is only available to purchase on DVD via Amazon.
Lace IS available for free on TH-cam! I finally found it! Links are in the description.
Yes I was going to say Lace I and II are there.
Good job. Celebrity deserves an honorable mention.
Glad to see you put Winds of War back in there. Your correction is noted. Well done. But having it at #2, is too low. That was #1.
I rewatched Lace via TH-cam about 10 years ago. Glad to hear it’s still lurking on the platform.
The Deliberate Stranger can be found on Facebook!!
Anne of Green Gables is a classic - so, so good. Perfectly cast, beautiful cinematography, wholesome , but not cloying. A must see for the whole family - girl and boy alike.
It is litteraly the BEST!
Well said yes!
Megan Follows was born to play Anne. Colleen Dewhurst was excellent as Marilla. I didn't think the guy that played Matthew looked like what I envisioned.
The “Anne of Green Gables” films are superb. They aren’t campy at all. Just great literary adaptations.
So much better than Anne With an E.
Apparently the longest running musical in Canada is Anne of Green Gables!
I think it super bad @kaylahensley1581
I absolutely agree. To me, the original Anne was nothing short of a TV miracle. I'm a man, and I was completely captivated by it. I don't remember ever seeing such a wonderful and charming television film or miniseries.
I watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea every year. They're classics to me.
As a teen I adored Anne of Green Gables. I had just graduated HS, and could relate to Anne and her college worries. I met the late Jon Crombie who played Gil in 2008. I have read a few of the books, and I am currently reading Rilla of Ingleside, which focuses on Anne's daughter. I saw many of these mini series back in the day.
Same! I absolutely adored the entire series and devoured the books. It’s been a long time, though. Making this video made me realize it’s time to do it again.
I was shocked when I learned that Jon Crombie died back in 2015, at the age of 48.
I just adored the show. I think that is what made me want to be a writer. Still not published but hopefully soon.
Anne FTW
Pity Jon liked it in the rear🤮
Saved this so I could refer back and find the ones I don't have. lol Story about Anne of Green Gables, several years ago PBS played the whole series during one of their membership telethons. I didn't ask anyone to join me, my husband and daughter were busy doing their own things, so I got some popcorn and settled in. Twenty minutes in, my daughter sat down, a few minutes later my husband came in. It absolutely draws people in. We had the best weekend watching it, and my daughter (she was around 11) asked me to take her to the library so she could check out the entire book series. I swear, Anne's story is timeless.
The author once said that if she knew she was going to write so many books, she wouldn't have killed off Matthew so soon. Points for honesty.
I can remember the first time I saw Anne of green gables air on PBS. It changed my life and I still say it's my favorite movie ever.
In my area PBS dedicated whole weekends to Anne of Green Gables by playing all the movies non-stop Saturday thru Sunday.
One thing I wish you had addressed with both of these videos is the incredible impact these miniseries had at the time. 120 million+ people watched The Thorn Birds. I worked in fast food in high school and co-workers brough tiny televisions to work so they could watch it under the counter while we manned the registers! Shogun was watched by 145 million people. Those numbers are unheard of today.
Remember there was no streaming in the 80s, no net, only movies and tv .. in my country in the 80s we only had two Chanel’s, until end of 89 which we we got a third, so mini series were huge in nz . Massive viewers
If you missed a movie or special you might have to wait 6 months or more before they aired again! I oughta know, I missed that famous Jackson Five 25th Anniversary Special where he did the moonwalk for the first time. It wasnt until half a year later CBS re-ran it!! I was the only kid in my class who didn't see it! haahaa
Shogun was amazing. Stayed up on school nights to watch it. Bought the dvd set. Such a wonderful series.
I am curious, did your parents allow you to? My brother and I would get passes for "historical" fiction. I guess they thought history could be learned from any medium...
Richard Chamberlain, again!
@@JerzCe73 I usually would stay with my Mamaw and could easily persuade her
to let me stay up. lol
Oh gosh Sydney Sheldon's mini series!! Now those were strong female characters! Loved them all.
The 1980's were truly the heyday of the tv miniseries. Glad you included 2 of my favorites - "The Blue & The Gray" & "Winds of War / War & Remembrance".
Limited series on the streaming services are nice, but the old school miniseries felt like an event.
Yep, at a time when if there was a mini-series on TV you could guarantee that everyone was watching it that night and talking about it the next day.
I still love LACE. I have it in my dvd collection to this day.
Yay! Lace made the list this time around! I was a sophomore in high school when it came out. It was my all-time favorite that I recorded and watched over and over again.
The memories! I’ve rewatched the Anne series a few years ago and it STILL holds up!
North And South was an epic.
One of my favorites is the 1989 Australian mini series Bangkok Hilton with a pre fame Nicole Kidman. It follows a woman unfairly sent to Thai prison.
Love those mini series, but they rarely show up on Netflix or other online platforms, not even for rentals. Glad a few are here.
The 1983 Return to Eden is very good too.
Seeing that NBC and CBS mini series logo come up brings back a lotta memories watching them with my Mom.
The best Anne of Green Gables adaption in my opinion (and boy did I have a crush on Gilbert) ❤
Same!
Have you seen the series Anne With an E? My daughter is obsessed with it.
Core memory unlocked. The moment you said Lace... A series I haven't watched or thought of since the 80s... Yet I instantly remembered that iconic line 😊😊😊
Princess Daisy is another great gem- from the Judith Krantz novel-
Airing in 1983- The orphan (Merete Van Kamp) of an American actress (Lindsay Wagner) and a Russian prince (Stacy Keach) goes on to fame as a New York model.
Thank you for including Kane and Abel, a very powerful miniseries with Sam Neill and Peter Strauss at their zenith. I also highly recommend Princess Daisy, which has an amazing cast and an interesting storyline.
I would say from living through the 80s, the biggest mini series from the 1980s was the north and south, and the thorn birds.
Mininseries were big deals. I remember some mini series would air on a sunday night and then make you wait till the next sunday to see the second half.
When a woman named jackie aired it wasnt the 80s but it was i think 90 or 91..I didnt get to watch the entire second half because my mom made me go to bed and i was so mad. I wanted to see the whole second half so bad, and it wasn't until 2002 that it aired on a cable channel, and i was able to record it. Now i can watch it anytime i want here on youtube. How easy things are accessed now, which makes me happy..but there was something about waiting.
I remember anytime a danielle steele made for t.v movie would come on it was also a big deal. My favorite danielle steele was jewels. I wasnt into romance novels but i read the book and still have a copy because i loved the movie.
There was a made for t.v movie called murder in the heartland i liked Charles starkweather. I also read poor little rich girl after watching the movie with farrah fawcette.
Another favorite of mine was the two part series elvis and me. It was based off of priscilla presleys memoir and i loved that movie. I still watch that movie and think it was better in many ways then the recent movie priscilla. I also read the book after watching the movie. I was a reader when i was a kid and teenager.
We didnt have a vcr until i was in my teens so in the 80s and early 90s if i wanted to watch a show on t.v i had to be there to see it and also i only had the one chance to see it.
Donald sutherland passed away recently. It made me think of watching the last living Confederate widow tells all.
This is such a long post but it brought back so many memories. Thank you for that.
Thank you for this, I remember some and forgot others. I just want to share that your local library has a good amount of these...Especially, Shogun, Anne of Green Gables and The Thornbirds for FREE....Supporting local libraries AND dip into nostalgia, ain't that so GEN X
Shaka zulu....my parénts were hooked on that one
Every year, right along with Zulu Dawn (Also a great film)
Great series
Oh yeah... What year was that..?
Shaka Zulu was required viewing by our Sophmore year history teacher. First (and last!) time network television allowed nudity!
@@juniorjames7076 first...?? which came out first? SZ or Roots..?
cos, i'm pretty sure they also did show some boobs in Roots.
i dunno....
I didn't see Blue & the Grey until later in the decade in school, but found I enjoyed it much more than North & South. My wife was a huge Anne of Greene Gables fan. Thanks again for the memories.
Yeah, THE BLUE & THE GREY was miles better than NORTH & SOUTH.
I agree
The Winds of War and War and Remembrance RULED. I still get chills to remember the scenes at the train station in WoW.
Oh yes .....I totally agree. Can't believe she forgot to include in her first part.
I can't believe you missed Scruples with Lindsey Wagner, and The Burning Bed with Farrah Fawcet!
Burning Bed was one night. Scruples would have been a good addition, just ran out of spots!
@@mysocalledgenxlife I didn't know that it was only one part! Believe it or not, I watched the Burning Bed in high school, I think health class, specifically. Since we watched it over a couple days, I just always assumed it was a miniseries. The more you know 🌠
Completely agree. Young me and old me would never watch war or historical series😂😂😂 Scruples....i wanted to live like that😂😂😂😂😂
Scruples had one of the most amazing casts ever for a movie or TV program. I'll have to watch that one again. 😆
Lindsay Wagner became queen of the TV movie -- I wonder who were in more her or Farrah
Fun fact: my mom went to college with Harry Thomason, who co-produced The Blue and The Gray (it was filmed in their home state of Arkansas). He later married Linda Bloodworth and they went on to create Designing Women, another great 80s show!
You should watch my video about Evening Shade, their other show. It’s all about Linda and Harry Thomason!
OMG I’m so glad you added “Lace” to this. My grandmother was OBSESSED with this miniseries!
I had forgotten some of these, but saw them back in the day. There was another called ‘Masada’, starring Peter O’Toole, but it ran at the same time as ‘Shogun’ on another network. which meant I was the only person watching it. It got lousy ratings thanks to the competition, but it was good. I would watch Peter O’Toole read the phonebook.
Masada was incredible! I have it on DVD and watch it regularly.
Loved Masada
Master of the Game is my favorite Sidney Sheldon book. I've actually been rereading all of his books this year. And I'm having a lovely time! 😊
Great follow-up video! So glad to see “The Winds of War” so close to the top of the list! ❤
Another good mini series was Deceptions. I remember it was about twin sisters switching places and a tragedy strikes. It was soooo good!!
A foot note for you about Lace. It beat the broadcast premier of Star Wars (before it was added A New Hope to the title). Considering how cable was still in early stages that turned out to be a huge shock for the major networks.
That brings back memories. I completely forgot about The last Days of Pompeji. Shogun was so great. You are going to hate me, but I just remembered Shaka Zulu, which I think was created a year later. Thanks for the list. Lots to watch and rewatch!
Oh wow! Yes! Shaka Zulu with that boss theme song!
I forgot about Shaka Zulu! Amazing series to watch.
Anne of Green Gables! Brilliant cast and timeless classic.
Such wonderful memories! All the Rivers Run was a memorable fav of mine tho it was on HBO.
Can attest: Gen X grew up watching Anne. Love her sass.
I’ll Take Manhattan is my all time favorite mini-series then came The Thorne Birds, then Anne of Green Gables, then Lace! And you can’t leave out Mistral’s Daughter!
I loved Lace! I can still watch and enjoy it on a sleepy afternoon. I was going to see if someone already mentioned that Maxine Pascal was played by Arielle Dombasle, but that's a lot of scrolling so yes, she was. 😁
Another informative and fun video. Don't let any negativity bother you. Great job and keep up the great work 👍
I remember watching The Deliberate Stranger and it scared me so much I couldn't sleep at night for a week! On the flip side, Anne of Green Gables was pure perfection.
When you whizzed past the names of the miniseries of the 70's and mentioned Cenntenial, I had to chuckle. At its initial airing, I loved it, years later, I couldn't stomach it, the acting and make up were so bad...lol! Also in the 70's and available to stream on youtube was Eleanor and Franklin the true story of the Roosevelt's based on her diaries. If you haven't seen it, it holds up even today as remarkable. Edward Hermann of Gilmore Girls fame played Franklin. I'd love to see a 1970's list!
I loved Eleanor and Franklin and just watched it again on TH-cam, both parts. Still great.
I also loved Paper Dolls and Celebrity. Nothing beats your number 1 on the previous list The Thorn Birds. 😊
Queenie is loosely based on the life of the actress Merle Oberon.
Ahh the blue and the grey, the mini series that got me into the civil war. While North and South gets all the attention when it comes to 80s civil war mini series, this one, in my opinion, is the better of the two. Sure, they took some historical liberties in regards to Jonah being around Lincoln for all those historical moments (the sharps rifle testing for example), but the actors in this were great, a lot of big names of the times. I was in 4th grade at the time I saw this , about 4 years after it came out. I watched it over and over again, because blockbuster had it on 2 vhs tapes, about 6 hrs total. I treated it like a movie, I would sit down and just watch it, the whole thing. I even remember my father dubbing it on a blank vhs tape, you could do that with 2 vcrs
, so he wouldn’t have to keep spending the $2 to rent it for me. That theme song will get stuck in your head too, it’s a moving piece of music. The scene in Vicksburg, where Jon talks with his brother Mathew on the battlefield, during a pause in the fighting, makes me think of me and my brother, and it gets me every time. ❤ Thanks for making a part 2 and including the blue and the grey, Makes my gen x heart smile😊
Great vid! Late to the party but one that, I feel, is rather tragically forgotten is the excellent George Washington miniseries from 1983 - and IS available on YT. :)
Thanks for the follow-up! Born in '77 here and so many on this list are the ones I remember most.... Chiefs' big twist at the end, Anne of Green Gables on PBS and Shogun's cool factor are my favorites.
I remember watching many of these with my Mom, growing up. I specially remember watching Chiefs and the Jim Jones one. Good times.
You should’ve added the Elvis and me mini series. As a fellow gen xer born in 1980 this is awesome what you do to remember all the old things that we grew up on. Keep up the good work
"Chiefs" was outstanding. And I doubt you could find a woman who grew up in the 1980's who won't tell you that "Anne of Green Gables" still lives in her heart.
Born in 1980, never seen a single Anne of Green Gables. Or Dirty Dancing.
I was 12 when Chiefs came out, and I loved it!
Thank You so much for sharing this! I watched both of your mini series videos and it definitely brought back some memories of some series that I remember watching when they got rerun in places like TNT and Lifetime. it also reminded me of when War and Remembrance originally aired and my mother, very wisely, steered me away from watching it. Although I did watch that and The Winds of War as a teenager when they got rerun on the History Channel. I realize as an elder millenial (born is 81) I'm not quite your target audience 🙂but please keep the great videos coming!
My mom, sister, and I still reference Anne of Green Gables. When it would come on TV in the 80s and 90s (usually PBS) we'd stop everything to watch it as a family. I tried watching Netflix new version but only got 5 minutes in before I turned it off. The original is so sweet and innocent.
My faves on this list are Kane and Abel, Lace (I have both books nr. 1 and 2..found them in a second hand store and grabbed Queenie as well), Queenie...and If tomorrow comes
my fave Anne of Green Gables is the one with Megan Follows, in my opinion...none of the other versions can beat that one
ooh, I forgot Shogun...started to watch the new version of it but keep comparing it to the first one, which I have not finnished yet
Oh please do a 70s edition! I remember as a preteen watching all those series you talked about. My friends and I also watched Scruples with Lindsay Wagner because of the fashion. So you have to do 70s and look at the quality mini-series that were made during that time.
Roots is my favorite, the 70s have their gems too.
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" has to make that list. Absolutely phenomenal TV. Sir Alec Guinness is the greatest George Smiley.
I loved LACE. I even read the book, which was even more bananas. Back when Oxygen was a channel for women, they played it fairly often.
Sidney Sheldon was the Mary Higgins Clark prototype. He had deep ties to entertainment anyway. I always wanted The Stars Shine Down to be an 90s miniseries. It had that Lucky feel to it.
Winds of War and War and Remembrance should be on top, in my opinion. They both tell exceptional stories, the latter portraying much of the Holocaust. The director of War and Remembrance told ABC execs his plan for telling the story, and how explicit he would be. They said okay. It was a real punch to the gut, much as 'Holocaust' was the decade before. 80's TV at it's best.
I totally agree. They would’ve been my number one and two.
I remember enjoying Winds of War very much, but War and Remembrance was so much more difficult to watch (in a good way). Stellar television!
As a Canadian I love Anne of Green Gables but my all time favorite is Shogun.
I can still remember watching 'If Tomorrow Comes' back in the day. Watched 'Anne of Green Gables' on a re-run a few years after it originally aired on a little black and white TV at Christmas - perfect viewing...
East of Eden deserves more than an honorable mention.
I think it’s hard to watch them now and judge them based on then. You see in the early 80’s most didn’t have cable. Just a few channels. It was Cosby and Cheers. The miniseries were the best way to show a movie and still allow for commercials and the 10pm news. You had to commit to a few days in a row, or a week. News was only on a few times a day. IT WAS GLORIOUS. Programming got interrupted for a hijacking and it was just the facts. You youngsters do not know what you are missing. Ha.
I think the strangest things for kids to wrap their heads around is that TV stations stopped broadcasting at night. Just static. I’ve had to explain that part of the movie Poltergeist to my nieces and nephews. “If there’s no signal, why isn’t the screen blue? What’s that stuff on the screen?”
Ah, Anne of Green Gables! So many iconic shows from the 80s came from the States-so neat to see a Canadian show make the list! I always thought Megan Follows was cute anyway. But I have already read Anne by that point, so it was nice to see her on the screen. There was a British show from the 70s, but besides that, the only other one I recalled seeing at that point was the old movie (again from the States) from the 30s or 40s
I need more of these from the 80’s please!
Anne of Green Gables, Blue & The Gray and War & Remembrance are the ones I probably watched the most. Pierce Brosnan was in James Clavell's Noble House and Around The World In 80 Days. I taped those off TV for Mom when I was a kid.
Great job! I was hoping you'd mention Princess Daisy, based on the novel by Judith Krantz from 1983. It was pretty "steamy"...11 year old me had no business watching it, but I sure did watch it! 😁
A+ video!
LOVE IT! Those mini-series look amazing!
I have my 7th grade geography teacher to thank for introducing me to Anne of Green Gables. One of those movies I saw in school that I liked so much I bought the DVD. And this paved the way for the series Avonlea - so thank you.
Don't feel bad. I was born in 1975 and I haven't or don't remember any of these. Love your channel
I was born in 1974, and a lot of these mini series I didn't watch until I was old enough to stay up past prime time television to watch them during the summer hiatus months when the networks didn't have any shows to fill the air, so they put on old mini series. Although, there were a few I snuck in to watch behind my mom's, and grandma's back.🤭
It’s crazy how miniseries were such huge events back in the 80s, with huge, big-name casts and budgets. But now… nothing.
They’re all on Netflix and Hulu now.
I remember a review of The Winds of War which complained that Robert Mitchum spent the whole series looking like he was suffering from narcolepsy. I can't unsee that to this day. 😅
The 1980s version of Shogun had no subtitles for the Japanese when it was broadcast. A lector at our church happened to have an exchange student from Japan staying with them when the series aired; he joked that his family was the only one in America who actually understood the show.
Still no Woman of Substance!!! And the sequels!! Love thesevids, some great memories :)
Gonna have to make another one!
The original is one of my favorites!
Yes! The book was also excellent!
I love a good list. As a Canadian I LOVE that the 1985 version of Anne of Green Gables is on this list. It's my favourite version (as long as you don't count the sequel as they inappropriately aged her kids). Another mini series that we loved that hasn't appeared on either list is A Woman Of Substance. It's based on a book by Barbara Taylor Bradford. We LOVED the book and the miniseries did a good just of adapting it.
Great videos, thanks for comprising! Fun to revisit. Lace was a good one, and I forgot about the Blue and the Gray. Also liked A.D. and Celebrity
I was surprised that Lace wasn't included in your previous video so I'm glad to see it here - I have no idea how I was able to watch it since I was around nine at the time in 1985 or '86 (it took a year or so to reach New Zealand) and my parents weren't big on my brother and me watching TV in the evening but I can still remember my thrill at hearing that famous line - it was the first time I heard 'b**ch' on TV, maybe even ever - and Anne of Green Gables doesn't just hold a special place in the hearts of Gen-X women - this Gen-X man loved this series as a boy :)
You’re so right! Everyone loves Anne ❤️
Also from New Zealand. I noticed there was no mention of Kennedy starring Martin Sheen. It was made in 1983, but I seem to recall watching it in the mid 80s (must have been put on a slow boat out to New Zealand 🙄). I had to Google it to make sure I wasn't imagining it though I think was quite big at the time.
Also one about Lilly Langtry starring Francesca Anis. Think it was called Lilly.🤔
Was The Carpetbaggers a tv series or a movie, I can't remember.. Thanks for these trips down memory lane, I've watched almost all of them when I was in high school, and read the books if they had them!
I was going to say the same thing, my mom watched that. I’ve looked up a lot of things that I thought were miniseries but have turned out to be movies or TV movies instead-The Betsy, Master of Ballantrae, How the West Was Won…
First I want to say what a wonderful job you have done with this. I do have a couple to mention though. Masada was a really amazing big story type mini-series starring Peter Otoole. And The Murder of Mary Phagen was a brilliant social commentary type mini-series starring Jack Lemmon. Check them out for what I am sure will be your third video. Which I am sure I will enjoy as much as I have enjoyed these two.
I remember that mini-series, hard to watch just like the one about John Walsh's kid. Still like George Washington mini-series, plus its sequel, and Peter the Great 1986.
I think we might have been assigned to watch Masada as homework, same as The Day After. I also remember a miniseries called World War III. The end of the world was a big thing.
Your mention of the Atlanta Child Murders made me think of two mini-series with mostly black casts, The Women Of Brewster Place and Shaka Zulu.
Subscribed. Don't know if you're limiting yourself to North America, but I'd definitely add in "Smiley's People" from 1982. Absolutely fantastic - there are roles people were born to play, and George Smiley is Sir Alec Guinness'.
As an Aussie, I'd add in "Anzacs". A pre-Crocodile Dundee Paul Hogan features.
Missed a few still :
Other side of midnight
Return to eden!
Princess daisy
Scruples
Deceptions!
There were defo more sidney sheldon and judith kranz ones and some Danielle Steeles Im sure!
Great work love these vids x
Deceptions and If Tomorrow Never Comes were 2 of my faves!
Richard Chamberlain is the king of the 80s miniseries ❤️❤️❤️
Please do the best 90s miniseries next! ❤❤❤
For some reason, I remember Princess Daisy capturing my attention… but I don’t remember much about it now. Disney channel picked up the Anne series in the 90s, and my sister and I would stop to watch them every time they came on…. Disney later released the Tales of Avonlea - my sister adored it. I didn’t like the way the later books and novellas were adapted, but the 1st two were basically perfect!
Shogun definitely deserves number one. It's been remade in 2024 but nothing beats the original.
Chiefs was amazing! So glad you have it on your list. An early depiction of a serial killer getting away with his crimes for decades on the backdrop of a southern town and its growth in the early half of the 20th century.
it is interesting how many of these were based on popular novels..... along with TV movies of the 70s and 80s there is a lot of these mini series that deserve to be rediscovered and either get a good DVD/Bluray release or to end up on a major streaming service....
Excellent Second video... I think lace and lace too should've been number one.. Other than that total redemption. Bravo
Cool a list of new ones to check out. I for sure relate more to the first list as I don't remember most of these. But now you have given me something to go back to. Thanks!
It’s amazing how much things have changed since these mini series originally aired. Now TV is just another atomized aspect of modern society. We watch our own shows on our own at a time of our choosing.
I own the entire Anne of Green Gables box set. I feel in love with it as a kid and still holds up after all these decades. Truly the only version I will ever need.
Wow, I'm loving this. So many memories of my childhood seeing my mom tuning in! We almost starved when my aunt brought the VHS of the whole The Thornbirds series and they watched it right through while we had to eat snacks until they were finished with it. Good times!
I also remember Sins (1986), Celebrity (1984), Princess Daisy (1983), A.D. (Anno Domini) (1985), Harem (1986) and I'll Take Manhattan (1987). Hmmm I think we might need a Part Three, lol. Thank you for the memories!
….,and there was, Scruples(1980) was another one that I remember being a big deal when I was a kid. Also a Krantz novel
@@denisegann6072 heard of the book, but never knew it was a miniseries too. But then I was a preschooler at that time.
@@reshabriellaLOL😂😆🤣
Well, I was a little older than that, but having 3 older sisters & my mom, who loved that book, I couldn’t avoid it.
I'm glad you included Queenie in your honorable mentions! It was loosely based on the life of Merle Oberon and I believe the story was written by one of her nephews. I don't remember if "Scarlett" was from the 80's or 90's but I think it's also worth a mention. This was based on the officially licensed sequel for Gone with the Wind and stars Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler. I hope you do a 90's list one day
"Scarlett" was filmed in the 1990s. :)
@@rebeccajunge2499 Good to know! Maybe we'll get a 90's list
I loved loved loved Anne of Green Gables. It was GREAT !!
Another good one, Princess Daisy
I had a crush on Meagan Follows... Don't tell anyone.
Who didn't? I was 14 when that came out, and to say I was in love with her was a massive understatement.
@@peteg475 I was 13... She was also great in Stephen King's Silver Bullet.
Another fabulous list. Thank you. I remember watching so many of these shows with my Mom or my friends. Another great Sidney Sheldon mini-series was Rage of Angels with Jaclyn Smith. You should try to find it if you can.
Would love to see a 70s top ten mini-series. Although I wouldn't envy anyone trying to decide between Roots and The Holocaust for top spot!
YES! You mentioned the blue and the grey. That was my favorite civil war miniseries.
I liked "Anne of Green Gables" which aired on PBS here in the U.S as part of their"Wonderworks" series in 1985 and "Anne of Avonlea" that aired later on in the U.S. on the Disney Channel. There was a third mini-series that aired on PBS in 2000 but I didn't much care for that one.
The only critique I remembered was that Meghan Follows was too pretty to play gawky young Anne. However when I saw Anne of Avonleigh I understood the casting. She had to play a pretty young woman in the entire project. I still like that series the best of the three film attempts I recall.
There was a Hollywood movie in the 30s starring Anne Shirley (yes same name) that is a 90 minute digest from orphanage to engagement.
The 21st century one was too gritty, sexual and deuer for a subject that should be a teen girls coming of age series...like Little House.
Bravo for this list. I watched both parts. I was going to mention that you left out North and South but you did mention it in part 1 (I watch part 2 first). Bravo for mentioning Kane and Abel and The Deliberate Stranger. I also put on the list Pursuit (Twist Of Fate) and also (I almost forgot) Around the World in 80 Days mini series with Pierce Bronson.
Chiefs was filmed in Chester, SC. My dad accidentally drove onto the movie set because the road wasn't closed. He got an autographed book.
Great list. My appetite for 80s miniseries is now sated. Anyone up for a list of favorite 80s serial killers?
😂😂😂same. It’s been a fun time with the miniseries, now it’s time to move on. That’s an interesting suggestion--gonna put that on my idea board!
@@mysocalledgenxlife
Or maybe favorite 80s mall stores? Sam Goodys, Babbages, Kay Bee Toys, Chess King, Orange Julius?
@@brenthays6539Spencer’s Gifts, Camelot Music, etc.
A 1984 TV mini series called Celebrity was pretty good and I remember seeing that one with my mom.
I told her about Celebrity in her last video. I thought that was a great one.