Binge Watching- Late 1970s

Part I - background.  In the 1970s and 1980s several networks ran miniseries, usually based on a book by a famous author. These were generally historical novels. The authors were experts as interweaving history with fictional characters.  

if you love history, specific industries,and vibrant characters, these books can be excellent reads.  And you may learn some history you did not know or about an industry you closely follow.  

Examples of historical novels converted to a miniseries are Captains and Kings; Roots; Shogun; Lonesome Dove; Rich Man,  Poor Man; The Winds of War; North and South; The Moneychangers; Backstairs at the White House, Washington: Behind Closed Doors; and Kane and Abel. 

Authors of historic novels included Arthur Hailey, Alex Haley, Taylor Caldwell, Jeffrey Archer, and Irwin Shaw.  These authors and others painstakingly researched specific eras and industries to give the reader a realistic picture.  

If you read the book, part of the fun was seeing who was cast in roles and did the casting make sense.  The other part was seeing how closely the miniseries followed the book.  Generally, from the books I read and the miniseries I watched, the writers and directors did a very good job keeping the the spirit of the book. 

Many younger actors actresses got a firm start in a miniseries. Several actors and actresses became miniseries stars, like Peter Strauss, Robert Vaughn, Lois Nettleton, and Richard Chamberlain.  Actors you recall from earlier movies and TV shows may show up in a miniseries cast in role you could not picture them in but each one carried it off superbly.   


Some miniseries were highly anticipated and watched by a lot of people. I recall that my dad would pick up my friend and me from Boy Scouts on a Monday evening so my friend's mom could watch each episode of Roots in its entirety.   

To young people this might sound odd. But back in the 70s and 80s taping shows could be a challenge and cable just gave you more channels.  So if you wanted to watch a specific miniseries, you had to be home when the show on at the advertised time to watch it.  

Part II - binge watching. Starz is running all of the Centennial episodes over two days. I have not seen any episode of the miniseries in decades.  So I am binge watching.  

Centennial is one of my favorite miniseries and book. The book is by James Michener. He was one of the best historical fiction writers to me. I read several of his books, including Centennial.  

The last binge watching I did was with my wife and we watched Ken Burns Civil War all day on a Sunday at least 20 years ago.  We even had popcorn. 

Oddly enough, I remember major parts of Centennial like it was yesterday. I am not sure if it was because I loved the book so much or the miniseries followed the book very closely.  I watched the miniseries with my parents.  

A fun piece of trivia, one of the key characters in Centennial played James Bond several years later.  You could see why in the miniseries.

The miniseries runs 12 episodes and starts with Indian tribes in Colorado and ends present day (when the novel was written). The miniseries was over 20 hours.  It ran over 4 months.  It has been a fun and different way to spend a weekend. 

Link to background on the book:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_(miniseries)