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{{about|television miniseries|comic book miniseries|limited series (comics)}}

A '''miniseries''' (or '''mini-series''', also known as a '''serial''' in the UK) is a [[television program]] that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of [[episode]]s.

==History==
A miniseries is distinguished from an ongoing television series, which do not usually have a predetermined number of episodes and may continue for several years. Before the term was coined in the USA in the early 1970s, the ongoing episodic form was always called a "[[Serial (radio and television)|serial]]", just as a novel appearing in episodes in successive editions of magazines or newspapers is called a serial. In Britain, miniseries are often still referred to as serials.

Several commentators have offered more precise definitions of the term. In ''Halliwell's Television Companion'', [[Leslie Halliwell]] and [[Philip Purser]] argue that miniseries tend to "appear in four to six episodes of various lengths",<ref name=MBC>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/miniseries.htm |publisher=Museum of Broadcast Communication |title=Miniseries |accessdate=March 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>Halliwell, Leslie, and Peter Purser, ''Halliwell's Television Companion'', London: Paladin, 1987</ref> while Stuart Cunningham in ''Textual Innovation in the Australian Historical Mini-series'' defines a miniseries as, "a limited run program of more than two and less than the 13-part season or half season block associated with serial or series programming."<ref name=MBC/><ref>Cunningham, Stuart. "Textual Innovation in the Australian Historical Mini-series", chapter in ''Australian Television: Programs, Pleasures and Politics'', Sidney: Allen and Unwin, 1989</ref> Still, with the proliferation of the format in the 1980s and 90s, television films broadcast over even two or three nights were commonly referred to as miniseries.<ref name="NYT Sins">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/31/arts/joan-collins-in-sins-a-mini-series.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=John|last=Corry|title=Joan Collins In ''Sins'', A Mini-Series|date=January 31, 1986 |accessdate=March 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Variety Jewels">{{cite web |url=http://variety.com/1992/tv/reviews/nbc-movie-of-the-week-danielle-steel-s-jewels-1200430797/ |title=Review: NBC Movie of the Week Danielle Steel’s ''Jewels'' |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |first=Tony |last=Scott |date=October 16, 1992 |accessdate=March 8, 2015}}</ref>

In ''Television: A History'', [[Francis Wheen]] states, "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, middle, and end (as in a conventional play or novel), enabling characters to change, mature, or die as the serial proceeds."<ref name=MBC/><ref name=Wheen>Wheen, Francis; ''Television: A History'', London: Century Publishing, 1985</ref>

===North America===
According to Francis Wheen, it was the American success in 1969–1970 of the British 26-episode serial ''[[The Forsyte Saga (1967 series)|The Forsyte Saga]]'' (1967) that made US TV executives realize that finite stories based on novels could be popular and could provide a boost to weekly viewing figures.<ref name=MBC/><ref name=Wheen/> In North America the form began in the spring of 1974 with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s eight-part serial ''[[The National Dream (miniseries)|The National Dream]]'', based on [[Pierre Berton]]'s novel, and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s three-part ''[[QB VII]]'', based on the novel by [[Leon Uris]]. Following these initial forays, broadcasters used miniseries to bring other books to the screen. ''[[Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)|Rich Man, Poor Man]]'', based on the novel by [[Irwin Shaw]], was broadcast in 12 one-hour episodes in 1976 by ABC. [[Alex Haley]]'s ''[[Roots (1977 miniseries)|Roots]]'' in 1977 can fairly be called the first [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] success of the format. Its success in the USA was partly due to its schedule: the 12-hour duration was 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 11–17, 1987) called 1977's ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' "the best miniseries of all time" and "unparalleled television". ''[[North and South (miniseries)|North and South]]'', the 1985 adaptation of a [[North and South (trilogy)|1982 novel]] by [[John Jakes]], remains one of the 10 highest rated miniseries in TV history.<ref name="TS 2007-08">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribstar.com/news/lifestyles/john-jakes-journey-to-new-york-times-bestseller-list-included/article_8a3877e1-8e78-593d-9de8-b878d396254a.html|title=John Jakes' journey to ''New York Times'' bestseller list included boyhood years in Terre Haute|last=Bennett|first=Mark|date=August 11, 2007|work=[[Tribune-Star]]|publisher=TribStar.com|accessdate=March 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name="P&C 2002">{{cite web|url=http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=11968|title=Bestselling novelist penning saga of fictional Charleston family|last=Thompson|first=Bill|date=March 18, 2002|work=[[The Post and Courier]]|publisher=Excerpted at DePauw.edu|accessdate=January 7, 2010}}</ref><ref name="JJCC">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Mary Ellen|title=John Jakes: A Critical Companion|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]]|date=November 30, 1996|page=3|chapter=The People's Author: The Life of John Jakes|isbn=0-313-29530-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2pzmvCXfuoAC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=highest+rated+miniseries+jakes&source=bl&ots=wMhwmYz79n&sig=gnjdl2g_URPhmDLhAGaKOBqpgvI&hl=en&ei=1VlFS9SuFZKuNtCCle0C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=&f=false|accessdate=January 7, 2010}}</ref>

Miniseries were popular through the 1990s on the [[Big Three television networks]], often as big-budget [[Nielsen Ratings|ratings]]-grabbing efforts scheduled for sweeps months; however, the use of the format declined quickly after approximately 2000 (coinciding with a similar collapse in producing made-for-TV movies) because of budgetary concerns and demands from viewers and the creative community to maintain a steady schedule for regular series. The format has made somewhat of a comeback on cable; [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History]], for example, has had some of its greatest successes with miniseries such as ''[[America: The Story of Us]]'', ''[[Hatfields & McCoys (miniseries)|Hatfields & McCoys]]'' and ''[[The Bible (miniseries)|The Bible]]''.

==Limited series==
Broadcast and cable television networks have since aired programs that are branded as "limited series" or "event series." Several television executives interviewed by ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' stated that the two aforementioned terms denote programs similar to the miniseries while others claim that the term "miniseries" has negative connotations to the public, having become associated with [[melodrama]]-heavy works that were commonly produced under the format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/heroes-24-whats-difference-between-683563|title='Heroes', '24': What's the Difference Between a 'Miniseries,' 'Limited' or 'Event' Series?|author=Lacey Rose and Lesley Goldberg|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|accessdate=February 25, 2015}}</ref>

The term "limited series" came to be adopted in the 2010s by the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] to refer to television series that are preconceived as being one-season shows with no intention of being renewed for additional seasons, or feature rotating casts and storylines each season, such as ''[[American Horror Story]]'', ''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]'' and ''[[True Detective (TV series)|True Detective]]''. This makes the self-contained season longer than a miniseries, but shorter than the entire run of the multi-season series. This terminology became relevant for the purpose of categorization of programs for industry awards.<ref name=TVGuide>Schneider, Michael (March 9, 2015). "Inside the Emmys' New Rules". ''[[TV Guide]]''. pp 8-9.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Television program|Television series]]
*[[Metaseries]]
*[[Telenovela]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Television drama series}}

[[Category:Television miniseries|*]]
[[Category:Television terminology]]

[[it:Fiction televisiva#Serialità debole]]

Miniseries - Revision history

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