Miniseries

A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes.

Television

Although no strict rule exists which differentiate a miniseries from a "regular" series or serial there are some suggestions. Leslie Halliwell and Philip Purser argue in Halliwell's Television Companion that miniseries tend to "appear in four to six episodes of various lengths." whilst Stuart Cunningham defines them as, "a limited run program of more than two and less than the thirteen part season or half season block associated with serial or series programming."

One other important aspect, as Francis Wheen argues is that, "Both soap operas and primetime series cannot afford to allow their leading characters to develop, since the shows are made with the intention of running indefinitely. In a miniseries on the other hand, there is a clearly defined beginning, a middle and an end, (as in a conventional play or novel) enabling characters to change, mature or die as the serial proceeds..". Thus a series that is cancelled, or not renewed, after only a few episodes would not fall into the category of a miniseries.

In television, the format dates back to 1976, when Rich Man, Poor Man, based on the novel by Irwin Shaw, was broadcast in twelve one-hour episodes by ABC.

Alex Haley's Roots in 1977 can fairly be called the first blockbuster success of the format. Its success in the USA was partly due to its schedule: the twelve hours were split into eight episodes broadcast on consecutive nights, resulting in a finale with a 71 percent share of the audience and 130 million viewers, which at the time was the highest rated TV program of all-time. TV Guide (April 11-April 17 1987) called Jesus of Nazareth "the best miniseries of all time" and "unparalleled television."

In British television, the term "miniseries" is almost never used, except in reference to American imports. The term serial is preferred for short-run British television drama, which has been a staple of UK schedules since the early 1950s when serials such as The Quatermass Experiment (1953) established the popularity of the form. "Miniseries" is, however, used as a kind of exonym for non-miniseries British TV series in the United States, where the typical season length of six to thirteen episodes is considered short.

Additional notable miniseries

• Shogun
• The Thorn Birds
• North and South
• The Winds of War
• War and Remembrance
• Lonesome Dove
• Streets of Laredo
• The Stand
• It
• Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)
• Rich Man, Poor Man Book II

Comic books

Main article: Limited series

A miniseries or limited series is a common format for comic books, as it allows creators to tell a single specific story focusing on a character or set of characters, whether that story stands alone (Watchmen), or is heavily interlinked with other events in the same fictional universe (Civil War). Two to twelve issues is the usual length for a comic book miniseries (a story contained in a single issue is termed a one-shot). 52 is arguably the longest comic book miniseries to have been planned, as it was intended to last for fifty-two weekly issues. The alternative is an ongoing series.

Comic book series intended from the beginning to tell a complete story can become longer still, for example Sandman, which lasted 75 issues; these are not considered miniseries, partly because of their size and partly because no fixed number of issues is announced at the beginning. Similar to a canceled television series, a series intended to be ongoing, but which is discontinued after a dozen or fewer issues (usually due to poor sales), is not considered a miniseries, though they are sometimes described as such by the publisher after the cancellation is announced.

See also

• Television series

• Metaseries

References

• A USC retrospective on the career of producer David L. Wolper.

External links

• The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) - MINISERIES