Cable resurrected the format in the 2000s. Regardless of what decade we're talking about, miniseries are a TV and streaming services staple.

By James Poniewozik James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The Times. When mini-series ruled prime time, their maxi-est star was Richard Chamberlain. Today we call them “limited series.” ...

But, in middle age, his career spiked again. Chamberlain became king of the 1980's TV mini-series: playing a western prisoner in Shogun and a catholic priest tempted by love in The Thorn Birds.