Miniseries
Categories: Television miniseries | Comic book terminology
A miniseries, in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The term is often used in television and comic books. The limited series format is also used in comic books.
Contents |
Television
In television, the format dates back to at least a 1966 ABC broadcast of an adaptation of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, produced by David L. Wolper.
The term became well-established in the mid 1970s, particularly with the success of Rich Man, Poor Man in 1976. Alex Haley's Roots in 1977 can fairly be called the first blockbuster success of the format. Its success in the USA was 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. TV Guide (April 11-17, 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. The series The Prisoner was originally pitched by Patrick McGoohan for 9 episodes, and expanded to 17 due to studio concerns that such a short series would be difficult to sell. 'Miniseries' is however, used as a kind of exonym for British TV series in the United States, where the typical length of six episodes is considered short.
Comic books
In comic books, the format dates from the early 1980s, including The Phantom Zone published by DC Comics. These are also known as limited series, as opposed to one-shots or a trade paperback. Early miniseries were 3 or 4 issues in length, with longer series sometimes being termed "maxi-series". Sometimes a miniseries would be planned for a certain number of issues, but would run longer or shorter than originally planned. The series Sonic Disruptors was planned for 12 issues but was cancelled after #7.
See also
Sources
- A USC retrospective on the career of producer David L. Wolper.de:Miniserie