The 1970s were a pinnacle point for television series, as many new networks emerged and moved away from the traditional family sitcom and embraced a broader range of stories that resonated more with modern audiences. While there were many series that marked this crucial time in television content, miniseries also became a popular format of storytelling that expanded the possibilities of the small screen.
The decade introduced an array of new stories and themes with hit miniseries such as Roots, King, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, that set the standard and formula of limited television series. From the historical drama, The Awakening Land, starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Hal Holbrook, to the television version of From Here to Eternity, starring Natalie Wood and William Devane, these are the best miniseries of the 1970s, ranked!
15
‘Pearl’ (1978)
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Pearl is a 1978 historical drama that follows three couples residing in Hawaii in 1941 and details the events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the United States entering World War II. The three-part series features a star-studded cast including Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, and Dennis Weaver, and was one of the most watched prime-time shows of the week, earning over eighty million viewers.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant novelized the script, which was published by Dell Books several months before the show aired, and assisted in gaining viewer interest in the show’s upcoming premiere. The series remained fairly true to Silliphant’s original work, but the book contained more graphic imagery and storylines that never made it to the small screen. While some might be put off by the show’s historical subject matter, Pearl goes beyond just the facts and provides viewers with a more personalized and emotional perspective, making it far more than just a history lesson.
14
‘The Dark Secret of Harvest Home’ (1978)
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The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is a lesser-known horror miniseries based on the 1973 novel, Harvest Home, written by Tom Tyron, and stars Academy Award-winning actress and classic movie icon, Bette Davis. The series follows a husband and wife, Nick (David Ackroyd) and Beth Constantine (Joanna Miles), who, in an attempt to save their marriage, move with their fifteen-year-old daughter, Kate (Rosanna Arquette), to a small village in Connecticut. When the family arrives, they learn the tight-knit community is overseen by The Widow Fortune (Bette Davis), a midwife and herbal healer, who is as kind as she is strict.
The miniseries has a bewitching atmosphere that keeps viewers on edge, while Davis’ character serves as a constant source of curiosity and suspense. The Dark Secret of Harvest Home was praised for its authentic creepiness and overall performances, but the series does take a bit to pick up the pace and feels a little drawn out. Despite these minor qualms, The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is still a satisfying watch, making it one of the best miniseries from the 1970s.
13
‘Backstairs at the White House’ (1979)
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Backstairs at the White House is an essential historical miniseries based on the 1961 novel, My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House, written by Lillian Rogers Parks with Frances Spatz Leighton. Set during the 1900s, the series explores Maggie Rogers (Olivia Cole), a maid in the White House, and the rest of the staff’s relationships and experiences with eight different Presidents. The series features an all-star cast including Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Nielsen, Robert Vaughn, and Deadpool star Leslie Uggams.
The miniseries gives viewers a rare and insightful glimpse into the inner workings of the White House while also sharing a personal account that is full of heart and depth, ultimately setting it apart from other 1970s miniseries. Backstairs at the White House earned generally positive reviews for its performances and engaging story, but some cite it as more of a melodrama than a historical drama. The show earned eleven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, and went on to win for Outstanding Achievement in Make-Up.
12
‘Ike’ (1979)
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Robert Duvall stars as Dwight D. Eisenhower in the miniseries Ike, also known as Ike: The War Years, which explores General Eisenhower’s time as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during World War II, as well as his extramarital affair with his driver and secretary, Kay Summersby (Lee Remick). The series is based on the 1948 memoir, Eisenhower Was My Boss, as well as the 1975 autobiography, Past Forgetting: My Love Affair, both written by Summersby.
Ike was well received by both critics and viewers, who commended the historical focus of the series and its strong central performances by Duvall and Remick. Despite the underlying romance between Eisenhower and Summersby, Ike never strays from its main historical scope and manages to balance an emotional and dramatic tone without distraction. The three-part limited series received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Art Direction, and Outstanding Film Editing.
11
‘Once an Eagle’ (1976)
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Once an Eagle is an underrated war miniseries based on the 1968 novel of the same name written by Anton Myrer. The show centers around the professional and personal lives of two military men, Sam Damon (Sam Elliott) and Courtney Massengale (Cliff Potts), starting with the outbreak of World War I and ending with the aftermath of World War II. The series features a handful of familiar faces, notably Glenn Ford, Ralph Bellamy, Amy Irving, and Melanie Griffith.
The miniseries is another standout show from the 1970s that provides a humanizing view into a time of war and how it impacts the lives of those in the military as well as those around them. Once an Eagle was an overall success and earned positive reception for its epic scope, thrilling story, and Elliott’s powerhouse performance. The miniseries earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Television for Darleen Carr.
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‘The Awakening Land’ (1978)
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The Awakening Land is a 1978 miniseries based on Conrad Richter‘s series of novels and stars Elizabeth Montgomery as a pioneer heroine, Sayward Luckett. The three-part series follows Luckett and her family as they move from Pennsylvania after the American Revolutionary War to start over in the unsettled area of the Ohio Valley. After her mother dies and her father abandons her and her family, Luckett is left to raise her sisters and fend for themselves in the unpredictable wilderness and uncharted territory, but they manage to gradually build a new home and life for themselves.
The Awakening Land was a monumental success, earning immense praise from viewers and critics, who commended Montgomery for her riveting performance as well as the overall production as a sensational miniseries. The series went on to earn several Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Montgomery, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Hal Holbrook, and Outstanding Cinematography.
9
‘Captains and the Kings’ (1976)
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Captains and the Kings stars Richard Jordan as an ambitious Irishman, Joseph Armagh, who immigrates to the United States as a teenager with his family, only for his parents to die shortly after their arrival, leaving Armagh to care for his younger siblings. As Armagh struggles to provide for himself and his family, his investments in the rise of the oil industry eventually pay off and make him one of the wealthiest men in the country, elevating his family to notable social status and political power.
The eight-part miniseries, Captains and the Kings, is an adaptation of Taylor Cadwell‘s 1972 novel and was a part of NBC’s Best Sellers anthology series. The miniseries also features a cast consisting of major stars, including Patty Duke, Jane Seymour, Robert Vaughn, Henry Fonda, and Charles Durning. Captains and the Kings was a major success, earning various award nominations and wins. Both Duke and Seymour received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series, with Duke winning the award. Jordan also won the Golden Globe Award for his performance.
- The first film not in the English language to win Best Picture, in the Academy’s
92-year history to that point. - It took four Oscars in one night: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and International
Feature. - It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2019 by a unanimous jury vote, the first Korean film
to do so. - The Park family’s modernist house was not a location. It was built from scratch on an
outdoor lot.
- Seven Oscars, including three acting wins for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee
Curtis. - Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win Best Actress.
- The visual effects were handled by a team of fewer than ten people, most of them
self-taught. - Ke Huy Quan had all but left acting for two decades before this role brought him back.
- Seven Oscars, including Nolan’s first wins for directing and for Best Picture.
- Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. both took their first Academy Awards for it.
- Kodak engineered a black-and-white 65mm stock that did not previously exist so Nolan could
shoot those sequences on IMAX. - A three-hour, R-rated drama about theoretical physics that passed 950 million dollars
worldwide.
- Four Oscars, among them Best Picture and Best Director for Iñárritu.
- Emmanuel Lubezki’s win here was the middle of three consecutive cinematography Oscars,
after Gravity and before The Revenant. - Antonio Sánchez’s improvised drum score was ruled ineligible for the score category,
which caused a minor uproar. - The long-take illusion was built from a handful of extended shots joined by hidden cuts.
- Four Oscars: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.
- Adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel, with much of his dialogue carried over
intact. - Carter Burwell’s score runs about sixteen minutes and is nearly inaudible by design.
- Roger Deakins was nominated twice that year, for this and The Assassination of Jesse James,
and won for neither.
8
‘Eleanor and Franklin’ (1976)
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Eleanor and Franklin is a two-part biographical miniseries that takes an intimate look into the lives and relationship of the former President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Edward Herrmann), and his wife and former First Lady, Eleanor, played by Jane Alexander. After the death of her husband, Eleanor reflects on their life together, reminiscing about their early days as husband and wife and raising a family together to more strenuous obstacles such as marital problems and Franklin’s rise to political power that put their relationship to the test.
Eleanor and Franklin is a fascinating miniseries based on the biography of the same name written by Joseph P. Lash, who was Eleanor’s personal secretary and close confidant. The series depicts a detailed portrait of the couple’s personal and professional lives, essentially conveying a humanizing perspective on the husband and wife’s relationship. The following year, a sequel, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years, was released and went on to win eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie.
7
‘Holocaust: The Story of the Family Weiss’ (1978)
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Holocaust: The Story of the Family Weiss, starring Meryl Streep, James Woods, and Michael Moriarty, is a historical drama TV show that follows a fictional Jewish family who are living in Berlin during the rise of the Third Reich and highlights an array of crucial historical events leading up to World War II. The story is primarily told through the perspective of various members of the Weiss family as well as non-Jewish citizens who are forced to choose between their morality and survival during one of the most horrific times in world history.
The four-part miniseries earned generally positive reviews from audiences and critics, but there was some controversy surrounding the historical accuracy and depiction of the subject matter that didn’t sit well with some, notably Holocaust survivor and political activist Elie Wiesel, who felt the series to be untrue and offensive. Despite the mixed reception, the miniseries did prove to be influential in West Germany, sparking public debates and having an enormous impact on viewers around the world. The show went on to win several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Streep, and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Moriarty.
6
‘Rich Man, Poor Man’ (1976)
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Rich Man, Poor Man is an award-winning miniseries that follows two brothers, Rudy (Peter Strauss) and Tom (Nick Nolte), who are the sons of German immigrants and each take a drastically different path in life. Spanning from 1945 to the 1960s, Rudy becomes a successful entrepreneur whose business ventures lead him to build a corporate and political empire that overshadows his poor background and upbringing. Meanwhile, his brother, Tom, is not so fortunate and resorts to boxing in an effort to make ends meet.
Rich Man, Poor Man is an adaptation of the 1969 book of the same name written by Irwin Shaw, and also stars other noteworthy names, such as Ed Asner, Kim Darby, Talia Shire, Gloria Grahame, and Van Johnson. The miniseries was a major hit and earned rave reviews from both audiences and critics, earning a slew of award nominations and winning many of its nominations, including four Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Rich Man, Poor Man was also crucial in laying the groundwork for future miniseries based on books, spawning many critically acclaimed shows, notably Roots and the original 1980 miniseries, Shogūn.
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