Top Ten Favorite Miniseries

Below is a list of my top ten favorite miniseries of all time. This is not a list of what I consider to be the best miniseries. Merely my favorites:


TOP TEN FAVORITE MINISERIES


1. "North and South" (1985) - Based upon John Jakes' novel, this sprawling and melodramatic six-part miniseries followed the story of two families - the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina - during the years before the Civil War (1842-1861). The miniseries also spawned two sequels and starred Patrick Swayze and James Read.



2. "The Chisholms" (1979) - This excellent three-part miniseries followed the adventures of a Virginian family during their overland trek to California in the mid-1840s. Based upon Evan Hunter's novel, it starred Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris and Ben Murphy.



3. "Band of Brothers" (2001) - Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced this superb ten-part miniseries about a company of U.S. Army paratroopers during World War II. Based upon Stephen Ambrose book, the miniseries won both the Golden Globe and Emmy awards for Outstanding Miniseries.



4. "A Woman Called Moses" (1978) - Cicely Tyson starred in this two-part biopic about former slave and Underground Railroad conductor, Harriet Tubman. This excellent miniseries covered Tubman's years as a slave in Maryland and as a conductor for the Underground Railroad between 1838 and 1860.



5. "Taken" (2002) - Leslie Bohem and Steven Spielberg produced this superb ten-part miniseries about three families - the Clarkes, the Keys and the Crawfords affected by visiting UFOs and alien abductions between the years of 1944 and 2002. The miniseries won both the Golden Globe and Emmy awards for Outstanding Miniseries.



6. "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) - Based upon Bruce Catton's historical account of the American Civil War, this three-part miniseries followed two middle-class families - the Geysers of Virginia and the Hales of Pennsylvania - during the four-year conflict. This excellent miniseries starred Stacy Keach and John Hammond.



7. "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) - Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehrle co-starred in what I consider to be the best version of Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel. This version turned out to be a three-part miniseries that aired on the A&E Channel.



8. "John Adams" (2008) - Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney co-starred in this seven-part biopic about the second U.S. president, John Adams and his First Lady, Abigail between 1770 and 1826. Produced by Tom Hanks and based upon David McCullough's award-winning biography, it won the Outstanding Miniseries award for the Emmys.



9. "Centennial" (1978-79) - Based upon James Michener's 1973 novel, this twelve-part miniseries followed the history of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado from the late 18th century to the 1970s. Excellent miniseries marred by a slow and rather boring finale.



10. "Into the West" (2005) - Produced by Steven Spielberg, this sprawling six-part miniseries told the story of two families - one from Western Virginia and the other, Lakota, during the American expansion of the West between 1825 and 1890.