A forgotten three-part war series that premiered in 1985 and ran for 15 episodes until the finale in 1994 is worth watching for the setpiece battles if not for the storylines. It’s only recently that we’ve regularly gotten to see large-scale battles on the small-screen, and even then, it’s usually only for big event episodes.
Even in shows like House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, big battles are saved for critical moments, with some seasons saving up for one momentous battle. They’re expensive sequences, so it’s not all too surprising that it’s only been in the age of streaming, where money seems like less of an issue, that battles have become a bit more commonplace.
Still, plenty of older shows have some fantastic setpiece battles. North and South is a three-part series about the American Civil War, and its battles are as well done as any you’ll find in the modern era. The historical drama is based on John Jakes’ 1980s novel trilogy of the same name, which forms the outline for the three seasons of the show.
It took quite a long time for each season of North and South to be made. While part 1, North and South, came in 1985 and part 2, Love and War, arrived a year later in 1986, the third and final part, Heaven and Hell, only premiered in 1994. The series is set before, during, and after the Civil War.
North and South primarily focuses on the relationship between Orry Main of South Carolina (Patrick Swayze) and George Hazard of Pennsylvania (James Read), beginning with their entrance into West Point at the start of the show. Despite their different backgrounds, they become quick friends, but the Civil War quickly forces them to take sides against each other.
North And South Is Worth Watching For The Historical Battles Alone
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North and South seasons 1 and 2 were praised and acclaimed, and though season 3 was panned, it’s still an important finale to an impressive series. In season 2, the battle sequences are particularly remarkable, with several notable engagements featuring throughout the season’s six episodes.
That season came out seven years before 1993’s Gettysburg, the high watermark for realistic Civil War-era battles, but where that film obscures heavy violence to showcase a wider breadth of tragedy and loss, North and South is unafraid to showcase the more visceral results of Civil War battles.
They are massive events in the show with sequences that include the Battle of Antietam, Fort Sumter, the Battle of Mont Royoal and more. North and South is epic in its scope with fantastic costuming and staging that makes every battle feel real and desperate, and is enough of a reason alone to watch.
North And South Features A Cast Stacked With Familiar Faces
North and South also has a pretty stacked cast that is worth sticking around for. Swayze and Read are obviously big stars, but some other members of the main cast include Kirstie Alley, David Carradine, Tom Noonan, Rip Torn, and Billie Dee Williams, just to name a few.
In the supporting cast, there are a surprising number of special guest stars, like Robert Guillaume, Johnny Cash, Hal Holbrook, Gene Kelly, Jean Simmons, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O’ Toole, James Stewart, and Nancy Marchand. North and South isn’t the greatest historical series of all time, but there are some unique aspects of the show that few other series can claim.
North and South
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