1980s Miniseries Were Must See TV (and most of them are now free on YouTube) 

I know, no Shogun. I was only 2 when it came out and I never saw it as a kid. I’m so sorry!! Next list I’m gonna have to do honorable mentions. Please forgive me! 🙏

The 1970s were the real deal for TV mini-series. "Roots", "Rich Man Poor Man" and "Salem's Lot" were among the biggest and best of them.

Man, the 80s and early 90s were the best. TV events like this were epic in a way people today will never be able to grasp. Thank you for taking us back to this special era in TV.

Winds of war and war and remembrance I watched religiously

Although not a miniseries, the made for TV movie The Burning Bed also features the impactfulness of Farrah Faucett's acting skills. Her portrayal was so real and so powerful.

I got goosebumps when "I Know My Name is Steven" came up. That whole thing was such a tragedy. That poor family.

Growing up in the 80s I had no business watching all these mini series however I was Obsessed 🤩 Thanks for posting

North and South should be ranked higher in my opinion.

I do miss the old miniseries and made for TV movies. The Day After scared the crap out of me.

I was born in 1973 and watched most of these with my mom. Thornbirds was massive. I also remember Lace and Lace 2. Centennial (1978) was by far my favorite, but wrong decade 😊.

51 year old gen Xer here. Excellent video and recommendations. V, Fatal Vision and others were a family event i recall. I will watch The Thorn Birds now! Subscribed!

As someone who watched some of these miniseries, I'm surprised James Clavell's SHŌGUN is not mentioned.

Ah Richard Chamberlain. He was the GOAT of 1980s miniseries: Shogun, The Thornbirds, Centennial..sigh swoon. ❤

The sad thing is that a lot of these TV movies were better than what is showing in theaters nowadays

"Masada," from 1981, is another highly-rated miniseries.

“East of Eden” with Jane Seymour was my all time favorite mini series. Her performance was incredible, and it was very true to the Steinbeck novel.

I was thinking "Roots"... That's a 70s mini series! Time flies

Lace and Lace II starring Phoebe Cates and Queenie (1987) starring Mia Sara were favorites of mine.

You put "V" at number 2, and that's fair. I remember being glued to the tv for the last few episodes. "The Thorn Birds" was huge, so it deserves #1. My mother and sister LOVED it. 11 year old me was like,"Yawn. Please." But "V?" Oh yeah. I bought a disc copy of it in 2013 and watched it, again and again.

This was a walk down memory lane, as I am in my 50s and remember several of these miniseries. I miss the concept of miniseries in general. Shows like these were an event that viewers looked forward to. I miss the days when everyone would be talking about the same show the next day because there weren't all the viewing options we have today. Thanks for the video!

I can vividly remember watching I Know My First Name is Steven. My mother used it as a lesson for us. I remember watching Small Sacrifices and Farrah Fawcett was stellar. I remember the crazy popularity of Lonesome Dove. Nostalgia is a wild thing but I remember as a kid sitting in front of the TV waiting for the movie of the week. Some were obviously not for kids but if my parents were watching I would watch too. Seeing all the classic TV stars was so familiar a feeling. It's something I dont know we'll ever have again.

The hairspray budget for "Hollywood Wives" must've been through the roof. (Or through the ozone layer, lol!)

Anne of Green Gables didn’t make this list? It’s one of the only 80’s miniseries to get multiple television releases as reruns (and still does) showing it stands the test of time and breaking the generation gap(s).

Seeing Robert Urich reminds me of how ubiquitous he was on television.

Absolutely loved the Thorn Birds. It gives me great pride as an Aussie and I bought it on DVD about a decade ago, so now I don’t need a VCR to rewatch it. Storytelling at its best ❤

Lonesome Dove is my all time favorite mini-series. The casting was spot on and they really enhanced the book rather than the opposite like most do. The things that were eliminated and characters they combined made sense and did not detract from the narrative and the cattle drive scenes really were so much more vivid than I pictured them in my head as I was reading.

Anne of Green Gables

Rest in Peace Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley ,North and South will always have a special place in my heart , they can't make series like that anymore , Today Confederate soldier can not be the hero of the story .

The Winds of War was my favorite. Based on one of the best historical fiction novels ever. The seamless blend of the fictional Henry family with real life persons and events is second to none.

V and V the Final Battle had us HOOKED!!

The mini-series actually started in the 70’s. Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots, Holocaust, Centennial, Eleanor and Franklin, The Bastard.

I rewatched the Thornbirds as a middle aged person in 2012, and during the pandemic. I realized Ralph was a real jerk. Funny how you see things as an adult, versus a teen. I recall V too. The birth of the alien baby really freaked me and my high school classmates.

Some honorable mentions from the 80's: "The Last Days of Pompeii" , "Anno Domini (AD)", "Evergreen", "Beulah Land", and "The Blue and the Gray" -- loved these. There were a few from the '70s that I vaguely remember, like "The Captains and the Kings". And pretty much anything by Judith Krantz. I loved this video, thank you!

How could you not have The Winds of War on this list?

OMG these are good choices. I’m old enough to have seen all of these IRL. Lonesome Dove and North &South were so good!!! The best thing about most of these miniseries is they were adapted from or had books written about the story. So like Harry Potter or Dune, you could watch’s the miniseries and stay in that world via the books. ❤

I remember sitting with my roommate as we sobbed while watching The Thornbirds. The story had so many layers and was beautifully acted and written. I would love to sneak in Captain and Kings starring the late and great actor, Richard Jordan. There were so many great performances in this series but it aired in 1976 and I know you were focusing on the 80s. Thanks for a great video.

Watching the thorn birds on DVD, courtesy of my library, a decade ago was a delight. Roasting Father Ralph the entire show really never stopped being fun because he was always out here going “but I love god MORE” and immediately breaking his vows

Being from the UK, there were some of these mini series we got and are classics, but there are some I didn't know existed and will now be scouring RU-vid for. Thanks for this. It was a great video.

I was obsessed about V! It was THAT good! Still holds pretty good! Also, North and South! It has such an epic cast!

I know my name is stephen is a personal one for me. It was one my mum actively looked for here in the uk on sky television. She passed away on may 2nd. Im glad you placed this mini series / movie on this last. Great work.

My dad was an extra in Lonesome Dove for two seasons. He was in his mid 60’s and had an amazing time. It was filmed just outside of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, my home city. 😊

V better be #1, just saying

Kane and Abel mini series was also powerful. Starring Sam Neill and Peter Straus

1983's Chiefs was an outstanding miniseries, featuring great performances by Brad Davis and Keith Carradine.

There were so many memorable mini series productions back then and I so enjoyed Mistral's Daughter as well.

That feeling you get when you see imagery that you haven't seen in decades, since you were a little kid. Crazy. I watched several of these miniseries, but V stands out to me, I was nine. Not on the list because it wasn't a miniseries, but you referenced it in the vid... The Day After *terrified* me. I would lie awake at night after that, wondering if all the buttons had just been pushed. Anyway, great nostalgia, thanks!

I watched "Guyana Tragedy" as a kid. (Nobody really paid attention in those days) Maaaan 🥺🥺🥺

In 1985 my roommate got the videos for The Thornbirds, which I had not seen when it aired on television. We started watching at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night and finished the whole thing at 4:03 am. It was outstanding. It was so good, that I watched it again that same afternoon (back-to-back viewings). The acting was exceptional and the story was riveting, but also heartbreaking!

The scene that always stuck with me from Small Sacrifices was when she was on the stand and they started playing Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran. The way she reacted was so twisted. Farrah was a damn good actress who didn't get the respect she deserved because she worked so much in TV movies like this.

I am so happy I found your video! I am a millennial, but I love watching these type of shows because they remind of the time my mama and I spent together. Thank you so much 🥹❤️

You did a great job - big fan of the mini-series growing up - much thanks

Both "North & South" and "The Thornbirds" are special to me. The former had parts filmed near both my home and high school walking distance away. My classmates and I got to watch some of the filming, see and meet some of the actors and actresses in it like Patrick Swayze, Liz Taylor, Morgan Fairfield and others. We would spend free period watching. The high school I attended was Catholic. That made the "Thornbirds" special and cool. It became the topic of discussion so much after its first night, my religion class teacher, who was a nun, decided to make it homework. It was mandatory to watch and she ditched her plan during its airing! The guys all were smitten over Rachel Ward just like the ladies were over Richard Chamberlain! I remembered Rachel Ward from "Sharkey's Machine." Richard Chamberlain was the king of the mini-series! I remembered him from both "Shogun" and "Tai Pan" (forgive the spelling on the title. The movie "O" was filmed in my HS before it was torn down.

Nothing is better than Lonesome Dove. Nothing. I read the novel first and expected to be disappointed. The choice of actors was spot on. Excellent adaptation from novel to small screen.

The North and the South was my favorite. This clip brought back so many memories. Thanks for sharing.

In my opinion, Lonesome Dove is the finest television production of all time. I’ve watched it dozens of times times since first seeing it when it originally aired in 1989.

There were do many mini series that I enjoyed in the 70's-80's. Thorn birds, rich man poor man, east of eden, lace and lace 2, Master of the Game, and Princess Daisy Roots original, Centennial and of course, Jesus of Nazareth. There were so many everyone had their favorites. Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I miss these great stories.

The thing about the murder Mini-Series events is that back then, stories like that (a mother killing her children, a soldier killing his whole family) were so huge on TV because they did not happen often! And no,it isn't because we just didn't know about them because we didn't have the internet. Nowadays multiple family murders and children murders happen daily.

I both read the Thorn Birds and loved the mini-series. All I can say..... Barbara Stanwyck. Wow

“The Thorn Birds” & “Lace” were my favorite 80s miniseries on VHS, as a kid. I liked “North & South” a lot, too. (The Jim Jones one was the creepiest…still.) I’ve never seen Lonesome Dove…and it’s my brother’s favorite. 😬

I'll take Manhattan with Valerie Bertinelli should've been a honorable mention

Great to see five of my favourite miniseries in this list. Another RU-vid free-to-watch is 'Victims for Victims', the true story of Raging Bull actress Theresa Saldana and her struggles after suffering a savage attack by a crazed stalker.

Great list, loved one that was not included was Chiefs 1983, Peter the Great 1986 was a masterpiece, loved George Washington 1984 and its sequel in 1986. with Barry Boswick. I remember a bad one, Dream West 1986, it was fun.

The Deliberate Stranger with Mark Harmon from 1986. Celebrity with Michael Beck and Joseph Bottoms from 1984. The Long Hot Summer with Don Johnson, Jason Robards, and Cybill Sheppard from 1985. Robin Cook's Invasion, despite being broadcast during the 1990's. It was interesting to see Luke Perry transition into an alien over the course of the miniseries. There's a few miniseries from the 1970's which were influential to the genre. 1976's Rich Man Poor Man which is considered network TV's first miniseries, the granddaddy of all miniseries Alex Haley's Roots from 1977 and the 1979 followup Roots the Next Generations. Those deserve honorable mention. I highly recommend watching the above miniseries.

Shocking you did not mention (possible you didn't know) about the chilling irony about little Judith Barsi's appearance in Fatal Vision. ICYDK, Judith Barsi was a prolific child actress between 1983 and 1988. An abnormally petite little angel, she appeared in dozens of commercials, multiple tv show guest appearances, and three big name movies, however her first REAL (non-commercial) role was as Kimberly McDonald (one of the murdered daughters) in flashback scenes in Fatal Vision. Shes best remembered for Jaws 4 the revenge, as well as voicing "Ducky" in The land Before Time, and the little girl in All Dogs Go to Heaven. Both the animated movies had completed her voice work but not fully finished with production when little judith was shot in the head by her father while she slept, before he shot her mother and later himself. Little Judith was 10 years old, and her mither and she had been a victim of physical and severe psychological abuse from him for years. So yeah, its chilling that her first real tv role was as a victim of murder by her father, foreshadowing what would come only about 4 years later.

North and South Book 1 and 2 are my all times favorites. I've seen them both several times. I've seen pretty well all the 80's mini series when they aired, but those are my favorite ones. Before we had a VCR, I can recall every night watching The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Running to the bathroom on commercials only, lol. Those were the days! Whole family events. The Thorn Birds as well.

My favorite, by far, is "Centennial," but it came out in 1978-79.

I love your videos. Small Sacrifices is one of my favourites . I only watched it recently. :)

They don’t make TV like this anymore

The two V mini series were amazing. Thrilling, scary and amazing production values. Great cast as well.

I really miss 80's and 90's TV. It was all about the story back then.

Fatal Vision! Such a sad case, but so well-written and acted. I was only two months old when it aired, but I saw years later on Lifetime.

We didn’t have money for cable or for going to the movies, so when these would come out I was excited since it was like seeing a movie. Thank you for reminding me. We also enjoyed Shogun and Roots.

*V* was so scary to me as a little little kid but I couldn't get enough! It was so good!

For your honorable mentions list: The Atlanta Child Murders. HBO later produced a 2020 documentary titled ‘Atlanta's Missing And Murdered: The Lost Children.’

I would had included "Mistral's Daughter". It had all the drama you could ask for and gorgeous backdrops.

North and South is and was epic. I own the dvd and watched the VHS tape we had when I was kid, when my parents had taped it off tv. I made my exes watch it, my friends, roommate, my husband and now my kids. Everyone I showed it to, loved it.

Just found your channel with this video. Fellow Gen-X er here! :D Ah, mini-series! They really were major TV events back in the day. The first one I have a memory of is Masada...and I don't think I even saw it! I just remember all the commercials for it! I do remember watching North & South, V (including the series!), Lonesome Dove, and The Thorn Birds. Some of my favorites were The Winds of War and it's sequel, War And Remembrance, Shogun, The Last Days Of Pompeii, and Fresno. But my all-time favorite has to be 1982's Marco Polo. It captured my imagination like nothing else with it's adventure, culture, and travel to far-off lands. Sadly it's very difficult to find online (it's always all the later Marco Polo series - bleh!). I did manage to watch it on RU-vid several years ago, but unfortunately it's no longer fully on YT anymore.

Thanks to this video I watched the thorn birds, what a story! I loved it ❤️ better than any series in Netflix

East of Eden, with Jane Seymour, the queen of television miniseries, back in 1981 should have been added. I also remember The Burning Bed with Farrah Fawcett.

just found your channel and as a fellow Gen-X’er from Australia, I’ve subscribed. North and South was my favourite mini-series and we had a really good one here called ANZAC’s which was about Australian troops fighting in Galipolli, Turkey and on the Western Front in France, it had Paul Hogan from Crocodile Dundee in it.

Shogun with Richard Chamberlin was the best. My sister loved North and South.

North and South is one of my favorites . I actually went to Boone Hall plantation in South Carolina where they filmed some of it . Sins with Joan Collins and Lace with Phoebe Cates are always favorites of mine . The 80’s were great times 😎😎😎

I’m Gen Z, but I love North and South and The Thornbirds! 😊 I’ll have to check out some more shows from this list

I would love to see someone do best miniseries of the 60's, 70's, 90's and 00's too.

V and Lonesome Dove are precious to me. They occupy the duality of my tastes in media.

What a wonderful trip down memory lane. It is a good list. A few of my favorite were Celebrity, Lace and Lace two, Master of the Game, and Scruples. Also I can’t recall if the Burning Bed was a mini series or just a single movie night, but Farrah Fawcett was great in that also. Looking forward to your next one.

“America’s first civil war”? How many have there been?

In the UK there was ‘A Woman of Substance’ and ‘Widows’. ‘Roots’ must have been earlier!

I don't know if "The Blue And The Gray" was popular in 1982, but I have it on dvd and do watch it at least once a year.

I came of age in the 80s. Thanks for this! I'll be rewatching a lot of these 😊

Loved the 1970's TV Movies and Mini-Series!

Love this so much. I remember watching these as a kid. Thanks for posting. ❤❤❤

V Thorn Birds North & South I remember those clearly. They were tv events!

Great list. North and South and V was my favorite as a kid. On PBS they had a miniseries called Anne of Green Gables and then it's sequel Anne of Avonlea. Totally loved those.

Like the list but you missed Salem’s Lot. And I really miss my vcr

V. Saw it originally when I was 8 yrs old and rewatch whenever I'm in the mood.

I say North and south is the best!

I remember a couple of these series starring Phoebe Cates and another with Genie Francis. Lace? Or hell, maybe they were in the same one! It's on the periphery of my memory - right there on it's edge 😂

The Day After Tomorrow scared the crap out of my childhood brain. V was great. The Winds of War was excellent. Truly event television. They literally don't make 'em like they used to.

North and South was the best! And we couldn’t get enough of V.