To paraphrase silent movie queen Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, "The epic miniseries are big! It's television that got small!" This is especially true when
one compares such iconic epic miniseries as Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), Roots (1977), Holocaust (1978), Shogun (1980), The Winds of War (1983), War and Remembrance (1988-89) and Angels in
America (2003) to today's ordinary television programming. This work traces the historical trajectory of the epic miniseries and delves into the character archetypes and themes that recur in
the genre, giving close critical attention to more than 40 miniseries. A filmography is included.
