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Glitzy TV mini series of the 1980s

TakaeTakae Posts: 13,555
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in US TV Shows #1
A couple of colleagues and I talked about the rags-to-riches / glitzy TV mini series of the 1980s including

Lace
Kane and Abel
Princess Daisy
Scruples
If Tomorrow Comes
I'll Take Manhattan
East of Eden (Australian)
Return to Eden (Australian)
The Thorn Birds (Australian)
A Woman of Substance (UK)

Those are the only ones we could recall. Can you remember any more?

Comments

  • CPW4EVERCPW4EVER Posts: 2,308
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    #2
    Sins and North & South were two that I was only discussing today in the Dynasty thread. Hollywood Wives was another of the super glitzy ones. TV Cream did a quite funny run down of the miniseries of the era http://tv.cream.org/lookin/bonkbusters/
  • Jimmy ConnorsJimmy Connors Posts: 117,813
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    #3
    'Hold The Dream' & 'To Be The Best' both followed on from 'A Woman of Substance' Although I think 'To Be The Best' was broadcast in the early '90s.
  • RebelScumRebelScum Posts: 16,008
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    #4
    Rich Man, Poor Man
    The Gangster Chronicles
  • dodradedodrade Posts: 23,811
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    #5
    Noble House
  • Jimmy ConnorsJimmy Connors Posts: 117,813
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    #6
    Roots
    The Winds of War
    War & Remembrance
  • MagicCoppeliaMagicCoppelia Posts: 21,012
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    #7
    Lucky Chances.
  • simongvs70simongvs70 Posts: 2,192
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    #8
    I always remember Master of the Game as it starred Maryam D'Abo, although I don't know if it was before or after she became a Bond Girl.
    I also had a particular weakness for Phoebe Cates back then, so Lace & Lace II were my favourites.
  • Metal MickeyMetal Mickey Posts: 1,606
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    #9
    "Rich Man Poor Man" was the first one of its type I think - it was certainly hugely hyped at the time, and "Roots" followed in its wake a year or so later...

    I was about to say I'm surprised the mini-series format died out, as it seemed like a reasonable mid-point between a TV movie and a full series, but I guess the recent "Houdini" was pretty much in the same vein...
  • Sweaty Job RotSweaty Job Rot Posts: 2,031
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    #10
    Mistrals Daughter
  • gaz141gaz141 Posts: 1,049
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    #11
    not really a mini-series, but Paper Dolls was very glitzy
  • gaz141gaz141 Posts: 1,049
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    #12
    forgot to add the intro

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma0QZpPpkKg
  • MagicCoppeliaMagicCoppelia Posts: 21,012
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    #13
    gaz141 wrote: »
    forgot to add the intro

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma0QZpPpkKg

    Hehe god I miss the eighties!.

    Richard Beymer out of West Side Story and Twin Peaks was in it too!.:)
  • oranges71oranges71 Posts: 1,140
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    #14
    Anyone remember 'If Tomorrow Comes'?

    Also, 'Fields of Fire', 'Deceptions'
  • Lily_MLily_M Posts: 1,328
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    #15
    Oh Scruples! Absolutely loved it, and I had such a humungous crush on Spider Elliott (Barry Bostwick). Well, I was only a teenager at the time. I actually re-bought Judith Krantz's original book in a charity shop the other day because I had a sudden 80s nostalgia moment and fancied reading it again and I'd got rid of my copy years ago.

    The Woman of Substance trilogy was shown fairly recently on the Drama channel, I think. I saw a bit of To Be The Best not long ago. Anthony Hopkins was in it, acting everyone else off the screen by doing his usual under-stated style of acting while everyone else was doing typical over-the-top melodramatic 80s mini-series acting.:D
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