# The best mini series in TV history? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453 "2005-04-08T03:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/1 "2005-04-08T03:55:17Z")
_Quatermass and the Pit_ ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/2 "2005-04-08T05:28:04Z")
For me, there is no question: **Band of Brothers**. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/3 "2005-04-08T05:35:11Z")
I thought **Taken** was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Maera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maera/32/3190_2.png) [@Maera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maera)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/4 "2005-04-08T05:44:48Z")
_ **Lonesome Dove** _ is my all time favorite! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/5 "2005-04-08T05:50:46Z")
_I, Claudius_ _From the Earth to the Moon_ _Jesus of Nazareth_ _V_ (sorry) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/6 "2005-04-08T06:02:28Z")
> [@andros](#): > > _I, Claudius_ Another vote for _I Claudius_. Excellent viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/7 "2005-04-08T06:06:21Z")
TEN POINT FIVE!!!111 > [@andros](#): > > _V_ (sorry) Hey, when was that? I vaguely remember watching it (and covering my eyes during some parts) and I’m sure I was pretty young at the time, but I’d like to know how young. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/8 "2005-04-08T06:50:17Z")
Roots. ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/9 "2005-04-08T07:01:09Z")
I’d vote for Roots, Holocaust, I, Claudius, Band of Brothers, From Earth to the Moon, Jesus of Nazareth, and while I’ve enjoyed others, they’ve just not had the impact of the others. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/10 "2005-04-08T07:04:25Z")
I’m going to second **Lonesome Dove** and throw in **The Thornbirds**. Now, I’m not saying it was as great as the examples already listed, but in my rather informal polling, I found that the **The Thornbirds** has done more to shape and form kinks in girls of my generation than any other film. Or maybe me and my friends are just special. I’d prefer to think it wasn’t just us… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/11 "2005-04-08T07:22:42Z")
_Winds of War_ and _War and Rememberance_, I tells ya. There’s nothing like having a fictional character created in 1971 casually meeting with FDR and Churchill and telling them how to win the war. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/12 "2005-04-08T07:46:22Z")
Honestly, I wouldn’t call _Band of Brothers_ or _From the Earth to the Moon_ mini-series. ---
**Author:** ![Abe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f1d935/32.png) [@Abe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/13 "2005-04-08T10:46:37Z")
**Secret of the Sahara** It’s nicely filmed with some really nice imagery. It’s reminiscent of Indiana Jones for TV, but has much better values than most TV productions. And it has an excellent soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. OK, so the end is a let-down, but the rest is highly watchable and makes for unusual television. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/14 "2005-04-08T12:12:48Z")
I was going to say _I, Cladius_, but since that’s already been mentioned, I will add _Brideshead Revisited_. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/15 "2005-04-08T14:15:38Z")
Another I CLAVDIVS here. Seriously, it’s one of the greatest miniseries ever put on television. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/16 "2005-04-08T14:23:18Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > Hey, when was that? I vaguely remember watching it (and covering my eyes during some parts) and I’m sure I was pretty young at the time, but I’d like to know how young. [V (1983)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085106/) [V - The Final Battle (1984)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086823/) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/17 "2005-04-08T14:47:32Z")
No question for me – Jewel in the Crown Brideshead Revisited – the best adaptations of novels I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/18 "2005-04-08T14:58:17Z")
**Upstairs, Downstairs** , by a landslide. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/19 "2005-04-08T15:01:40Z")
**Lonesome Dove** –no doubt about it. It captures the spirit of McMurtry’s books and was also filmed beautifully. Plus, the characters are so well-done that they looked almost exactly as I had imagined them while reading the book. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453/20 "2005-04-08T15:12:57Z")
_To Serve Them All My Days_ old, cheap, truly a miniseries and one of the few I have sat through without thinking it too long. Maybe I could count some of the infrequent Helen Mirren _Prime Suspect_ shows, where a single story was told over several episodes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-mini-series-in-tv-history/298453.md?page=2)