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Mini Series' from yesteryear
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Am planning to rewatch a few of the greatest mini series from the 80s - the South African production Shaka Zulu, the US Roots and North & South.
Shaka Zulu I haven't watched since its original airing back in the 80s on Gibraltar TV when it was one of the most popular shows on the channel. I remember loving the show as a kid but don't actually remember much detail about the story itself. I expect the series to be quite dated by today's standards too. has anyone re-watched this recently??? Also, can't remember the series having been repeated since the 80s despite the many channels available! Anybody know different???
Also planning to watch the great Roots, which I saw as a kid, and then later on (many years ago now) in the early days of Sky One when their Primetime used to house many top mini series from the 80s and 90s. Will also watch for the first time, the Roots sequel and the third installment which was a "Christmas TV Movie" follow -up completing the story. Again, anybody watched recently?
And thirdly, am also planning to watch another great mini series from back in the day; North and South (the Civil War one not the Gaskell adaptation). again, remember really enjoying this when I was younger but have never watched as an adult. have only watched Books I and II and have never seen the third and apparently inferior Book III made in the 90s. Anybody watched recently?
In case you need a memory refresh or feel like a piece of TV nostalgia,
here is the Opening to Shaka Zulu;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBIOfx4wYBU&feature=related
and the one to Roots;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpLSkCirjWI
and the one to North & South
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHNd9HxruMU
We ocassionally get a few mini series nowadays after many years absence from TV, but we have never seemed to recover the "Epic Grand scale / Event" TV that was the mini series in the 70s and 80s! Nowadays we are getting many series with shorter runs getting called Mini Series (The Walking Dead, Spartacus prequel), but we don't seem to be getting any "Non-Serialised -into multiple seasons -Mini Series" like the ones from the 70s and 80s. It would be great to get this sort of TV back on air again! Stepehn King mini series were all the rage during the 90s too
Shaka Zulu I haven't watched since its original airing back in the 80s on Gibraltar TV when it was one of the most popular shows on the channel. I remember loving the show as a kid but don't actually remember much detail about the story itself. I expect the series to be quite dated by today's standards too. has anyone re-watched this recently??? Also, can't remember the series having been repeated since the 80s despite the many channels available! Anybody know different???
Also planning to watch the great Roots, which I saw as a kid, and then later on (many years ago now) in the early days of Sky One when their Primetime used to house many top mini series from the 80s and 90s. Will also watch for the first time, the Roots sequel and the third installment which was a "Christmas TV Movie" follow -up completing the story. Again, anybody watched recently?
And thirdly, am also planning to watch another great mini series from back in the day; North and South (the Civil War one not the Gaskell adaptation). again, remember really enjoying this when I was younger but have never watched as an adult. have only watched Books I and II and have never seen the third and apparently inferior Book III made in the 90s. Anybody watched recently?
In case you need a memory refresh or feel like a piece of TV nostalgia,
here is the Opening to Shaka Zulu;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBIOfx4wYBU&feature=related
and the one to Roots;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpLSkCirjWI
and the one to North & South
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHNd9HxruMU
We ocassionally get a few mini series nowadays after many years absence from TV, but we have never seemed to recover the "Epic Grand scale / Event" TV that was the mini series in the 70s and 80s! Nowadays we are getting many series with shorter runs getting called Mini Series (The Walking Dead, Spartacus prequel), but we don't seem to be getting any "Non-Serialised -into multiple seasons -Mini Series" like the ones from the 70s and 80s. It would be great to get this sort of TV back on air again! Stepehn King mini series were all the rage during the 90s too
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I disagree with what you say about the big, epic mini-series being gone. Gone from US network TV, yes. But HBO have kept them alive. Have you seen any of HBO's mini-series? Band Of Brothers? The Pacific? Generation Kill? John Adams? From The Earth To The Moon? You really must see those. All of them.:)
Aside from a slight theatrical air, the original series and TNG both stand up exceptionally well and could be one long series.
The Gift is more poorly made and didn't seem to add much and Queen was fine but without the impact.
But the first two mini series I could watch again in an instant. They are hugely moving and brilliant TV.
Knew you'd be among the first to post in the thread
Agree, had forgotten about HBOs minis! :eek: But it is true that they are now all but extinct on network TV. back in the day Mini Series were all the rage and each network would have their own big minis every year! I guess I would like to see more of this type of TV. I really loved them back in the day.
Have seen a few of the ones you mentioned. Have John Adams on my watch list!
American tv does seem to have polarised into tame, safe, unchallenging network tv and the cable channels doing more interesting, pushing the envelope type stuff.
The networks are still capable of good tv - House for instance and my personal favourite The West Wing (although no longer with us) but the cable channels are the ones making brave tv.
It's a pity cable tv doesn't do much sci fi. the networks have more or less abandoned this genre so hopefully cable will step in to this niche.
True and agree with you on Sci Fi, but US cable has also brough us brilliant shows IMO like Jeremiah (Showtime), The 4400 (USA), and watch out for Spielberg's alien invasion prpject, Falling Skies premiering this June on US TNT.
I think it went out on TNT a few years ago. I found it great and exactly the sort of epic television that the US can do so well.
Never watched this one, but I acquired it sometime back after someone recommended it to me. Its on my watch list too
North And South was also great, I thought, and a good insight into the events leading up to, and during the civil war. Having read the books too, I can also say it was a pretty faithful adaptation, with some notable exceptions, but none of them had any impact on the historical narrative.
I remember a mini series from yonks ago called Rich Man Poor Man, based on the book of the same title. That was also must watch tv, in it's day.
Of the latest offerings, I just finished watching "Pillars of the Earth," and also "Rome," which I would class as a mini-series, and found both to be highly enjoyable.
Cable TV in America is at the moment anyway very innovative. Some network TV(ABC) do interesting stuff still(Ugly Betty, Reaper, Lost, Desperate Housewives, etc).
Shogun
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/
Lonesome Dove
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096639/
Edit:
Looking forward to 'The Kennedys', if it gets picked up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kennedys_(TV_miniseries)
Looks like it is.
http://www.history.co.uk/shows/the-kennedys.html;jsessionid=C5ABECAF35FE18A7A3A1DC6F1C9A82C4?
(a) The Martian Chronicles
(b) Brave New World
I've tried to find Brave New World in the past but unsuccessfully so if you manage to find it then let me know. I remember watching it when I was in secondary school and it inspired me to read the book.