# "V" the original two mini-series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704 "2004-12-19T23:26:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/41 "2004-12-21T14:47:49Z")
What is with all that tv-series, mini-series and Christmas specials? I can only remember the 2 seasons of mini-series that are released on DVD. Was there another series as well? And where can I get that Christmas special, it sounds hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/42 "2004-12-21T14:57:57Z")
A bit of trivia: I guess the mini-series was loosely based on the 1935 Sinclair Lewis book [It Can’t Happen Here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here). Supposidly, the director/producer of the mini-series wanted to make a movie based on the book and pitched his idea to NBC. NBC claimed that if a miniseries was made it would be too “smart” for people and suggested he change the fascists to aliens. But from what I remember of my reading the book lately, President Windrip never ate a guinea pig. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/43 "2004-12-21T19:20:56Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I loved the show. It was a good/bad sort of thing. It was bad, but you loved it anyway. Ham Tyler was my favorite. > > I’ll quote what I said about one of the series’ episodes (timely enough, it was the Christmas episode, or as I like to think of it, **The WORST Episode _Ever_** : > You know, I loved Ham Tyler, but the character took a serious nose dive in that episde; I tried to purge it from my mind so I could still respect him. Maybe that’s why in this [publicity photo](http://www.ghostofaflea.com/archives/004003.html) he has such a look of disgust. Maybe it’s his sorry attempt to look menacing but it sure looks like disgust. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/44 "2004-12-21T19:23:30Z")
Found photo’s of the Xmas episode [here](http://www.scorpion.clara.net/ham13.jpg) and [here](http://www.scorpion.clara.net/ham12.jpg). The nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704/45 "2004-12-21T19:57:39Z")
> [@vinryk](#): > > What is with all that tv-series, mini-series and Christmas specials? > I can only remember the 2 seasons of mini-series that are released on DVD. > Was there another series as well? > And where can I get that Christmas special, it sounds hilarious. It’s started out as three-part mini-series in 1983: “V” which ended as a cliffhanger. In 1984 they had a second three-part mini-series: “V: The Final Battle” which has the human triumph over the aliens. Then there was “V: The Series” which ran from 1984-1985" and it picked up where the mini-series left off… but not well. One of the main writers of teh TV series was David Ambramowitz who also alter wrote for the Highlander TV series. The Christmas thing was NOT a “Christmas Special” it was just the last episode that aired in December before the holidays, so it was a Christmas-themed episode of the series. (Kind a like the way all TV sitcoms at some point do a version of either Scrooge or It’s a Wonderful Life.) The two original mini-series were actually okay. For 1980s sci-fi, actually not bad at all despite some painfully cheesy moments. The first “V” in 1983 would have lent itself better as a series pilot episode. It was awkward starting the series after the second mini-series in 1984. (Duh! Hello! It was “V: The FINAL Battle”, gah!) They had to rely on contrivances that undermined the original two minis. Basically the two mini-series weren’t great, but you could have shameless fun rooting for the humans, and watch the humans and aliens shoot at each other. Yay! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-the-original-two-mini-series/280704.md?page=2)