Best mini-series ever...

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-01-21 07:17am

Would have to go to I, Claudius- I've had it on VHS for years but the tapes had gone to shit, so I recently helped myself to the DVD version. Has anyone else seen this masterpiece? Probably the most entertaining take on the Julio-Claudian House (well it doesn't cover Nero in great detail; but no matter) anywhere (except the original book I'd warrant, but then again I haven't managed to get my hands on it).

EDIT: remarkable thing: Patrick Stewart stars as Sejanus (influential commander of the Praetorians under Tiberius)- with a full head of hair. Spooky.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-01-21 07:52am

How exactly does one define a mini series?

(bear in mind most british series only have runs of 6 episodes)

I'll go for The Stand right now, as I don't watch that many.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2004-01-21 08:20am

Have it on DVD. Great stuff I love anything that has to do with the romans

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-01-21 08:33am

InnerBrat wrote:How exactly does one define a mini series?

(bear in mind most british series only have runs of 6 episodes)

I'll go for The Stand right now, as I don't watch that many.

Meh, anything that comes in two DVDs of a total length of 600 minutes

Terminology shmerniology I say.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-01-21 08:47am

My favorite mini series would be Band of Brothers.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-01-21 09:41am

Vympel wrote:Meh, anything that comes in two DVDs of a total length of 600 minutes

10 hourse or less?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy owns them all.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-01-21 09:44am

The Hichhiker's Guide is so far the winner for me...given it's the only one on DVD I cared to get.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-01-21 10:08am

evilcat4000 wrote:My favorite mini series would be Band of Brothers.

i second that. i think that was one of the best television productions of any kind ever made.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2004-01-21 10:08am

BBC certainly has produced inumerous fine series, it would be difficult to single one out of them all.

But right now, just for the hell of it, I'm going with "Hornblower".

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-21 12:11pm

Following GR's criteria I have to say Ultraviolet

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-01-21 12:58pm

Warspite wrote:BBC certainly has produced inumerous fine series, it would be difficult to single one out of them all.

But right now, just for the hell of it, I'm going with "Hornblower".

Yeah, I'd have to say I really really liked the A&E/BBC's three Hornblower Miniseries. Excellent production, excellent casting, fine writing, and some really impressive sets and locations.

I'm not so sure I like how they are handling his marriage to Maria so far (for one thing Hornblower wasn't really the asshole to her in the books and she was a lot more... simple minded) and which has the potential to ruin things down the line. But for now they're doing pretty good even if they depart pretty far from the books in this last one.

Laird · Post by **Laird** » 2004-01-21 01:14pm

red vs blue season 1 on dvd.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-01-21 01:18pm

Band of brothers thirded. GREAT series.

I have the I, Claudius DVDs and you have to wonder what Roman politicians would be like in this day age and would they be able to out think and manuever someone like Bush.

Patrick Stewart with hair is very creepy indeed. The depiction of life under Caligula was very well done, Even I felt how awful it must have been with that psycho in power. There was a real sense of claustrophobia in those episodes.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2004-01-21 02:11pm

Vympel wrote:
InnerBrat wrote:How exactly does one define a mini series?

(bear in mind most british series only have runs of 6 episodes)

I'll go for The Stand right now, as I don't watch that many.
Meh, anything that comes in two DVDs of a total length of 600 minutes

Terminology shmerniology I say.

Technically the definition is a tv show shown on consecutive days or weeks for a short period.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-01-21 02:21pm

I'm tempted to go for either H2G2, Hornblower, Band Of Brothers, Shackleton or Ultraviolet.

I can't really decide.

Honourable mentions would be The Last train, Fields Of Gold, Conspiracy and Hitler: The Rise Of Evil.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-01-21 02:37pm

well Roots was pretty good also. It was Levar Burton's best acting performance by far.

El Moose Monstero · Post by **El Moose Monstero** » 2004-01-21 02:41pm

Hornblower, but indulging for a moment in the childish pleasures, I'd also have to include Don't eat the neighbours, a childrens tv program with extreme student watching capability, I mean, where else could you see a childrens program have a rabbit trying to catch Santa Claus on the roof, only to fall on his head and spend the rest of the episode believing he was Obi Wan Kenobi, or have a ridiculously camp fox scheming as only the best evil villains can and making jokes which only the older audience can appreciate.

I don't know how many there were of those shows, but not enough springs to mind...

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-01-21 02:53pm

It's very hard to say which miniseries is the best, because typically they are usually the more entertaining form of television. Though I can certainly say that Taken isn't up their with I, Claudius or Roots.
A lot of these I haven't seen and I ought to watch.

El Moose Monstero · Post by **El Moose Monstero** » 2004-01-21 02:55pm

Fawlty Towers, how could I forget Fawlty Towers? 12 episodes of pure gold...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-01-21 03:10pm

The_Lumberjack wrote:Fawlty Towers, how could I forget Fawlty Towers? 12 episodes of pure gold...

Technically that was a series as it wasn't 12 eps at one time, it was 6 one year, then 6 a year later. It was a tiny series.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2004-01-21 03:16pm

There's also the "Atomic Train" from a few years back, a runaway train with nukes goes Kaboom near Denver, for me, anything with trains is always good (except that excuse for a movie from Steven Segall).

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-01-21 03:27pm

Warspite wrote:There's also the "Atomic Train" from a few years back, a runaway train with nukes goes Kaboom near Denver, for me, anything with trains is always good (except that excuse for a movie from Steven Segall).

The Last Train may be your cup-o-tea then. A group of people are frozen by a special gas cannister by some female gov't agent as a commuter train enters a mountain tunnel just days before a suspected asteroid ploughs into Earth and wipes out a good chunk of life.

It was a great mini from ITV (same channel that shows Hornblower and a lot of other related company works) but beware the ending.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2004-01-21 04:44pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote: The Last Train may be your cup-o-tea then. A group of people are frozen by a special gas cannister by some female gov't agent as a commuter train enters a mountain tunnel just days before a suspected asteroid ploughs into Earth and wipes out a good chunk of life.

It was a great mini from ITV (same channel that shows Hornblower and a lot of other related company works) but beware the ending.

I gotta get hold of that, then... (thanks for the warning, though!

)

PrinceofLowLight · Post by **PrinceofLowLight** » 2004-01-22 01:29am

I haven't seen many mini-series. Does FLCL count?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-01-22 01:35am

I've only seen part of Band of Brothers, but it's pretty damn good. Who knew David Schimmer could act?