Mini-Series of 1980s American Television Quiz

Answer: The Thorn Birds

"The Thorn Birds" was the mother of all mini-series when it was released in March, 1983. Its romantic storyline, appealing leads, and dramatic setting made for huge ratings for ABC and six Primtime Emmy Awards that year. Rachel Ward, who played the beautiful redheaded Meggie Cleary, fell in love not with her leading man but with an actor who played a supporting role, Bryan Brown.

They married later that year.

Answer: Shogun

After the smashing ratings and critical success of the 1977 mini-series "Roots," television networks began producing other large-scale epic stories, and "Shōgun" was one of these. It was ground-breaking television for its time for its graphic violence, including a beheading.

It also didn't include English subtitles for several scenes in Japanese; the producers believed the audience should be as confused as Blackthorne was in this exotic land.

Answer: Lace

Twenty-one year old Phoebe Cates was at the top of her game in "Lace," after a breakthrough role in the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." The melodramatic story appealed to audiences; "Lace" was one of the top mini-series of the 1983-1984 season. A sequel, "Lace II," released in 1985, was considered a flop.

Answer: Lonesome Dove

Larry McMurtry's original plan for the "Lonesome Dove" story was for it to be a feature film starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. When those plans fell through, McMurtry picked up the story and expanded it into a novel, which won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Based on that success, it was turned into a screenplay again, this time for television.

The 1989 series was nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Answer: Fresno

"Fresno" starred some major comic talent of the era, including Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, and Teri Garr. The overblown costumes were designed by Bob Mackie, who won a 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special.

Answer: Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story

Barbara Hutton was a beautiful, wealthy socialite who seemed to have it all, but, as the mini-series about her indicated, she was plagued by emotional problems caused in large part by her neglectful family. "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" won the 1987 Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series or Television Film, with Fawcett being nominated for Best Actress (Golden Globe Awards, 1987).

Answer: Winds of War

"Winds of War" was a huge undertaking that was closely monitored by author Herman Wouk, who wrote the books on which the series was based. It was filmed on locations in Germany, Italy, Croatia, U.K., U.S., and Australia. It won three Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for eight more. A sequel, "War and Remembrance," was broadcast in 1988.

Answer: Amerika

Producers expected "Amerika" to be eye-opening, and to some extent it was, but it received mixed reviews from critics, including a "TV Guide" reviewer's calling it "arguably the most boring miniseries in a decade". Nevertheless, it had strong ratings. It starred Kris Kristofferson as a freedom fighter and Sam Neill as a KGB colonel.

Answer: North and South

"North and South" was full of stars from both the small and the large screen, including Jonathan Frakes, Genie Francis, Swayze, Liz Taylor, Hal Holbrook, Gene Kelly, Robert Guillaume, and David Carradine. The 1985 series was successful enough to spawn two more sequels, one in 1986 and one in 1994.

Answer: V

"V" was more successful than predicted, drawing in over 40% of the viewing audience for its first of two nights. It received positive reviews, and spawned a sequel mini-series "V: The Final Battle." The magazine "Entertainment Weekly" rated it one of the ten best mini-series available on DVD (2005).