In case you were wondering how the Mojoholics voted in our poll, see the votes and entries here: watchmojo.com/suggest/Top%2010%20Mini-Series Note, of course, that viewer votes are just one of the hundreds of data points and variables that we consider and look at when we create our lists. Make sure to sign up and participate on future lists at www.WatchMojo.com/suggest
10) Lonesome Dove (1994) 09) Battle-star Galactica (2003) 08) From the Earth to the moon (1998) 07) The Odyssey (1997) 06) Gullivers Travels (1996) 05) V (1993) 04) Angels in America (1993) 03) Planet Earth (2003) 02) Roots (1977) 01) Band of Brothers (2001) Mentions: The Boys of St Vincent (2003) I, Claudius (1976) The Stand (1994) The Bible (2013) The 10th Kingdom (2000)
Vitaly Zakirov That's not even about research. They had the right date on the listing ... they HAD to have the information about the clips they used even if they never watched the show. Plus anyone with half-a-brain could tell the clips were 16x9, not the 4x3 that a show from 1983 would have been. Just pure lazy on their part.
Yeah, I thought they were showing it to just establish the title, but then... it never showed one bit of footage from the original series. I started to wonder if they actually meant the remake and simply got the wrong year (it's happened before), but evidently not since the reboot series didn't start off with a miniseries. So, yeah, I expect an address of this cock-up in a future video.
Band of Brothers definitely deserves that number 1 spot. The series was so amazing, anyone who hasn't seen it needs to. I've been watching it over and over for years. I can't believe I was only 1 when it came out. It doesn't seem as old as that.
Hayes FruglePants Bloody love that show! They showed it to us in Social Studies, hopefully going to get it soon so I can watch the whole thing! (they ended up not showing us anything after Germany and also cut out the German Officer's speech, which is one of my favorite scenes having now seen it.)
I was expecting BoB was in the first three places, it deserves its number one place, is an outstanding mini-series, but my heart is split in two with The Pacific.
From the minute I saw this video, I knew BoB HAD to be #1 (even without seeing the thumbnail). I absolutely love that series, and consider it one of, if not the best depiction(s) of warfare ever made.
Ben Brady I think it was less butt hurt shielded public (because I and everyone I know fucking love that show) and more bad pr for a war currently going on. The problem (not sure if problem is the right word, but it works I guess) is war weariness, you want the public seeing the cost of war as little as possible. So tons of media coverage and a series on HBO was bad.
Agreed. Truly, a fantastic series. However, I do think it appeals more to fans of The Wire than fans of war miniseries. (It's far too political to be compared to something like The Pacific or Band of Brothers.) Not that one is better than the other, just that they take on vastly different scopes.
Band of Brothers is the best mini-series of all time. Everything in its production is so respectful of its sources - the book and the actual troops - and that comes through in each frame. Truly remarkable and surprisingly humbling to watch. Shifty's my favorite.
"ROOTS" was ground breaking and if it wasn't for that masterpiece none of the others could have been done, for television before was onlt trashy novels made into mini-movies/mini-series...Roots opened doors and made major stars, it changed how television was perceived by the passes as a source of entertainment. Roots also sold worldwide and changed the world not just the damn American market!!!!!
I am beyond thrilled to see The 10th Kingdom featured in a Watch Mojo list, even if it's only in the honorable mentions. I don't often meet many people who have seen it and it deserves much more love. It mixes modern characters with high fantasy based on fairy tales. It's well written but doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just the right amount of campy to compliment the subject matter rather than detract from it
Band of Brothers, I had my mouth open, binge watching all the way through. After it was over, I felt like a crack addict, looking for another fix.... I wanted more. Great series.
Because of the mistake that Watch Mojo made with the V clip in this top ten and the recent withdrawal and reposting of the National Anthems top ten, An appropriate list would be "Top Ten Watch Mojo Gaffes".
Yes, we do those once a year: Top 10 WatchMojo Top 10s of 2013 vote for this year's list: watchmojo.com/suggest/Top%2010%20Memorable%20WatchMojo%20Videos%20of%202014 We can make fun of ourselves... ;) Signed Mr X
You forgot the one that started it all, "Rich Man, Poor Man" starring Peter Strauss, and a young, sane Nick Nolte. With the exception of "V" you were pretty much spot on..
For all of you out there hating on Band of Brothers and America, pay attention.... Originally it was a book written by Stephen E. Ambrose in 1992. It covers the history of "Easy" Company of the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It covers their jump training in Georgia through VE Day in 1945. The miniseries aired by HBO is a film adaptation of Ambrose' book. In no way does it glorify the United States, war, and nor is it overly patriotic. It also doesn't downplay the roles that other nations played in the Second World War. It honors THE GREATEST GENERATION - meaning both the soldiers and the civilians of the Allied countries. So before all of you haters out there on RUclips go hating on the United States, Band of Brothers, and any other American documentary on the Second World War; why don't you go watch Band of Brothers, read the book, and do your freaking research! And also not to mention, some members of the cast weren't Americans... such as Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, and Damian Lewis (I'm sure of others, but I don't know who off the top of my head).
Non-American Cast Members (13): - Damian Lewis - Robin Laing - James McAvoy - Michael Fassbender - Shane Taylor - Tom Hardy - Matthew Leitch - Peter Youngblood Hills - Ross McCall - Dexter Fletcher - Rick Warden - Nolan Hemmings - Philip Barantini
Ok, all of these barring the documentary are American. I think you should do anotger one with English miniseries. Pride and Prejudice, Edge of Darkness, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the awesome Shogun!
I'm really surprised that you didn't have anything from Ken Burns on this list. At first I thought that his "mini series" may not have fit the criteria of this list because most of these selections are "story based" and not "documentary style", but then you had the "Earth Series" on the list at number 3. Ken Burns "Civil War" and "Baseball" are some of the best ever, so I'm not sure how you missed those two.
It's length may have disqualified it, however, it had a pre-determined length, which should qualify it. The original wasn't canceled either, it similarly had a pre-determined amount of episodes.
Band of Brothers was a no-brainer. I actually thought The Pacific was better though because it follows the 3 main characters home and you see what the war did to these people. Sledge having nightmares and his father sitting outside his door listening but having no way to help him is brutal. Sledge clearly suffering from PTSD and having a full on panic attack when he tries to go hunting with his father once he's home is even worse. Band of Brothers couldn't really do that because the book didn't cover it but The Pacific allowed for the characters to become more than soldiers in a unit, they're people who have been forever changed by the war and how it doesn't just effect them but their entire family as well.
Christafarianism What? No way. Pacific was epic. Peleliu & Okinawa were incredible to watch and they did how it affects them which bob couldn't really do
Meh- there was too much inane in-between stuff for my liking. When it was good it was awesome, but it just wasnt as consistently gripping as BoB in my opinion.
Paul Cipollini This stuff kinda deters my interest. I prefer when it follows fewer number of characters. I was annoyed by Return of the King, in its constant switching between subplots, from Frodo, to Aragorn and co., to Gandalf at the white city. It felt like I was watching a TV series. Just when I was getting into a scene it would switch. My favourite of the trilogy was Fellowship, as it felt like the viewer was going along on this adventure with them, not missing even a second, for the most part.
'I, Claudius' deserves more than an honourable mention. The series is 40 years old, made on a relatively low budget with some laughable special effects and yet it is still riveting drama.
Should have been number one! It's the grandfather of ALL modern miniseries. The production values are hilarious, but it's arguably one of the greatest casts assembled for any mini-series.
Actually so happy that the 10th kingdom got an honorable mention. I thought it was really good but I didn't think that many people heard about it! So happy it's mentioned.
I think one thing that makes Band of Brothers so damn good is the fact that it actually showed the real veterans themselves and, of course, Spielberg and Hanks..... The Pacific's pretty good too, but it's nowhere near as good as BoB. I don't get why people criticized the character developments, because I think they did a fine job at it.
The Pacific should have been number #1. Not saying one is better then the other, but more people, including myself, liked liked The Pacific more because of how the plot was more focused on the personal stories of three individual marines, showing the personal endeavors of a front linesmen on a much higher level then BoB. Still love both, bit I think The Pacific deserved BoB place, though BoB should still be high on the list.
From watching the Pacific, I didn't remember a single character (perhaps 1 when i watched it), then compare that to BoB where I was able to name the majority of the cast(lead characters) from my first viewing. That should say something regarding the series, each to their own, but The Pacific didn't live up to BoB imo, it was good, but not as good, I'd argue and say BoB is one of the best series ever made, sure some would argue, but eh.
Like you guys said, to each their own opinion, but all I've ever heard from the people I talk to (NYC over here and some sources on internet) that it was better then BoB. For me, I could name The Pacific characters better then BoB, but again to each their own.
+Jibriltz over there is another decent mini series that is on the Iraq/Afghanistan war has a few more hard hitting topics in it that are close to home for many families of servicemen and servicewomen
The 1985 canadian mini-series, "Anne of Green Gables", starring Megan Follows as Anne is really good if you're a fan of the novels or just looking for something not gritty and action-packed. The first two installments are the best, the third is okay. Didn't bother with the fourth because the cast was changed completely.
Why the fuck would they replace David Attenborough's amazing narration with Sigourney Weaver?! I have the Planet Earth box set, and I just can't imagine why anyone would not want the silky voice of Mr. Attenborough.
Because 'murica. Whenever a great english tv show gets remade in america they have to butcher it in some way & in this case it was done by replacing david!
Balthier -leading man I really can't blame them because they actually have trouble understanding the accent. I was in the US recently and I occasionally had to repeat myself because of my accent.
Michealkinane I'm an American and I have the version with David Attenborough on Blu Ray. Personally I don't find your accent hard to understand. Some people probably ask you to repeat yourself because they aren't used to how you pronounce some words because we use different vowel sounds in a common word. Methane for example in US: meth-eyn and Britain: mee-theyn
No mention of The Shining? It's an amazing mini-series that is scarier than Kubrick's movie and nearly 100% accurate to Stephen King's novel. It definitely deserved to be in the top 5 at least.
That mini series was boring as hell and had no scares what so ever. The kid was annoying and most of it was just boring talk. The only thing done better was the character of Jack because let's face it in kubricks you can tell jack Nicholson would go crazy. At least in the mini series the change was more subtle
***** Also, the actress that played Wendy was much bettr because Shelly Duvall can't act. The girl in the bathroom was much creepier. Kubrick's movie had no scares either. Most of the book is 'boring' talk.
***** yes but what is scary and great on the page doesn't always transfer well to the screen. With a book your forced to tell the story through dialog. With movies you can also show us. Kubricks was superior in almost every way except for the two main leads. But when it came to scares Stephens fell flat. To quote nostalgia critic "ahhhhhhhh a door closed"
They added the wrong "V", that was the miserably failed TV show remake and not the classic mini series w/ Marc Singer from 1983 and where is the HATFIELDS AND McCOYS?
Ugh. Did someone from our research dept really make that mistake? Man. The 1983 was epic and scary. This stuff happens once in a while. Let me tear off the skin off my face and go unleash hell. Our sincere apologies, someone will be pushed off the plank for this egregious error. Signed Mr X
I watched the Odyssey so many times as a teen ager. It was my favorite thing. Never read the book though. And I LOVED Gulliver's travels. I watched a lot. I don't even know why.
***** No they don't. The 1983 one was a miniseries. The 2009 one was a series that lasted for two years and got cancelled. They even LIST "1983" as the date for the entry. I am dumbfounded at how this mistake was made and can't believe more people aren't pissed off at this.
EssentialPedagogy If accuracy is all you're looking for, you should read The Things They Carried. It completely disproves any wishful thinking about "accuracies," in war stories. The only flaws in The Pacific were in its first and possibly fourth episodes, both of which were thematically necessary. It was jarring to be dropped into the war after only twenty minutes, but The Pacific isn't Band of Brothers In The Pacific. It isn't illustrating the account of an entire company. It is about three soldiers. Honestly, The Pacific's weakest episode (Part One) is better than Band of Brothers' weakest episode (Carentan). And, The Pacific's best episode (Part Eight) is every bit as good as Band of Brothers' best episode (Bastogne). It's a better series, overall.
You seemed to have forgotten Ken Burns' "The Civil War," which revolutionized documentaries, and BBC's "Pride and Prejudice," which launched the career of Colin Firth.
No Shogun, The Thorn Birds or North and South???? Not even in the honorable mention category??? I know we all have our favorites but clearly this list was made by somebody under the age of 30! To have a list of top mini series that doesn't include Richard Chanberlain, John Jakes, James A Michener, or James Clavell is an absolute joke!
I have watched band of brothers in its entirety maybe 5 or 6 times over the last 10 years or so and just absolutely love it. It really helped you understand what it must have been like for those soldiers. It was a real shame 'The Pacific' didn't have the same impact as band of brothers.
I know! They were even talking about the original, not the reboot. The uniforms in the ORIGINAL had the parallels to WWII and the Nazis, not the new one. What the hell?
dan theman Acually, the second season was 10 episodes, compared to the first one with 12. Not really half. And it was not made due to popular demand, they simply had to rush it once they started filming it.
MetaphorInVain The episodes were shorter and yes it was made due to popular demand. Rome was made as a 1 off mini series which is why the first season is 12 episodes and spans just over 5 years in the characters lives, while season 2 is 10 episodes and spans nearly 20 years. Clearly they didn't plan or even want to make season 2, which is why its so poor compared to the first season.
dan theman Well, I've heard that they actually planned to make 3-4 seasons in total, but due to how expensive it was, and the low viewing figures, they had to mash the final few seasons into one.
I think that the CNN television series "The Sixties" was great and not only discussed important events during the 60's from the amazing events like the Space mission to the everyday change in music. I loved it.
I've got nothing whatsoever negative to say about Roots or Band of Brothers. Both deserve high spots on this list. Overall, however, there seems to be a clear bias towards newer mini series. Classics like Shogun, The Thornbirds, and Winds of War didn't just miss the list, they didn't even garner an honorable mention. How is that even possible?
***** oh please...these were adapted from classic novels. Have you ever read Parade's End? It's one of the greatest british novels ever. The mini-series a very intelligent and much better than a lot of this american shit. "I presume you are casual" . you don't know me dear...so don't judge people after one single sentence.
I'm glad they chose Band of Brothers as #1. It is an incredible series that everyone should watch and it deserves the number one spot. Heart pounding and heart wrenching at the same time. Every scene was completely believable, besides a handful of dramatizations in order to best tell the true story of Easy Company. It puts us right in the boots of our grandfathers, all amazing men. You don't need super powers to be a super hero.
Before anyone bad mouths BoB, Go watch it please, all your points are in-valid before and after watching it, unless you are promoting it. By far the best Mini-series in history, i have watched it all about 6 times in my life time and each time i have a wonderful experience and learn something new about the characters.
Anyone who's seen Band of Brothers knows that it's destined for no.1. It's just fantastic, and that's still cutting it short.
Watching the German series generation war.... It's amazingggggg
generation kill
Aint no way you can put Band of Brothers on the list without including The Pacific
In case you were wondering how the Mojoholics voted in our poll, see the votes and entries here:
watchmojo.com/suggest/Top%2010%20Mini-Series
Note, of course, that viewer votes are just one of the hundreds of data points and variables that we consider and look at when we create our lists. Make sure to sign up and participate on future lists at www.WatchMojo.com/suggest
Wrong V.
Like seriously, I just checked, the original series is out on DVD, so there's really no excuse.
You show a clip of Hatfields and McCoys yet it doesnt even get an honorable mention?
August tsutsumi That's not even CLOSE to the problem with this video. If we don't focus on it, they won't change it.
Some ideas:
Top ten billy Joel songs
Top ten infamous court cases
Top ten Supreme Court cases
Top ten mel brooks movies
Top ten biography books
The entire time, I'm thinking to myself, "I swear to God, if Band of Brothers ain't number 1- oh thank God, there it is."
Same here.
Wow! I was thinking the exact same thing the entire time! Band of Brothers is undoubtedly the GREATEST MINI SERIES OF ALL TIME!!!!!
Lulu Martin Greatest program to ever air on TV in fact.
Agreed!
haha i was doing the same
Just came here to see if Band of Brothers was 1#
same here
Same
+menknurlan yup, count me in!
+menknurlan me too
Curahee!
needs to be updated...since chernobly came out this year lol!!
God it was amazing
band of brothers is superior
Yeah I agree with you. But its still not better than Band Of brothers
@@aryanrabbani119 yeah still to be in top 5
@@samoptimus4228 of course
10) Lonesome Dove (1994)
09) Battle-star Galactica (2003)
08) From the Earth to the moon (1998)
07) The Odyssey (1997)
06) Gullivers Travels (1996)
05) V (1993)
04) Angels in America (1993)
03) Planet Earth (2003)
02) Roots (1977)
01) Band of Brothers (2001)
Mentions:
The Boys of St Vincent (2003)
I, Claudius (1976)
The Stand (1994)
The Bible (2013)
The 10th Kingdom (2000)
Thanks, man.
You, dear sir, are a saviour
Talking about V (1983) [w two part mini series] while showing V (2009) [a series] is a huge error that I can't figure out how it was made...
+1. You should do better research, WatchMojo!
Vitaly Zakirov That's not even about research. They had the right date on the listing ... they HAD to have the information about the clips they used even if they never watched the show. Plus anyone with half-a-brain could tell the clips were 16x9, not the 4x3 that a show from 1983 would have been. Just pure lazy on their part.
the part with the flat screen also is epic.
Yeah, I thought they were showing it to just establish the title, but then... it never showed one bit of footage from the original series. I started to wonder if they actually meant the remake and simply got the wrong year (it's happened before), but evidently not since the reboot series didn't start off with a miniseries. So, yeah, I expect an address of this cock-up in a future video.
I saw that, Good to know it was just me!
The Pacific and Generation Kill both deserved an honorable mention at least
Hell yeah
The only reason they aren’t ever on lists is because they’re always compared to BOB.
Band of Brothers definitely deserves that number 1 spot. The series was so amazing, anyone who hasn't seen it needs to. I've been watching it over and over for years. I can't believe I was only 1 when it came out. It doesn't seem as old as that.
God bless the Easy Company 506th Infantry Regiment.
Nope prison break is the besssssst
Band of Brothers deserves the #1 pick,If you haven't seen this masterpiece ,do so.
Its great, the pacific was bad
I swear if Band of Brothers isn't on here...
HOLY SHIT IT'S NUMBER 1!!!!!!!
Hayes FruglePants Bloody love that show! They showed it to us in Social Studies, hopefully going to get it soon so I can watch the whole thing! (they ended up not showing us anything after Germany and also cut out the German Officer's speech, which is one of my favorite scenes having now seen it.)
I was expecting BoB was in the first three places, it deserves its number one place, is an outstanding mini-series, but my heart is split in two with The Pacific.
javierperezlince the first time i ever watched BoB was while i was in Iraq. Praise the USA!
From the minute I saw this video, I knew BoB HAD to be #1 (even without seeing the thumbnail). I absolutely love that series, and consider it one of, if not the best depiction(s) of warfare ever made.
band of brothers is so good
Do you like the pacific?
AppocolyptoRachet it was good but not as good as the band of brothers
Amen to that!
+AppocolyptoRachet I liked the pacific nut it was more of a 'younger' take on their war experience. I love Remi Malik though he's awesome.
+Kelly Anne Yeah I like how they focused on family stuff and balanced it with battles. But band of brothers is also really well made.
Band of Brothers definitely deserved number 1, the series made me cry many times. It was and will always be a masterpiece!
coming back here again after my yearly tradition of rewatching band of brothers
I Know My First Name Is Steven was a mini series that should of been on this list and is one of my favorites!
Where's Generation Kill? Not even an honorable mention?
Great show
But it caused too much butthurt among the shielded public
Ben Brady I think it was less butt hurt shielded public (because I and everyone I know fucking love that show) and more bad pr for a war currently going on. The problem (not sure if problem is the right word, but it works I guess) is war weariness, you want the public seeing the cost of war as little as possible. So tons of media coverage and a series on HBO was bad.
Fair point
I just know that some people I know still think its satanical to say 'fuck' hahaha
Fuck those people. lol
Agreed. Truly, a fantastic series. However, I do think it appeals more to fans of The Wire than fans of war miniseries. (It's far too political to be compared to something like The Pacific or Band of Brothers.) Not that one is better than the other, just that they take on vastly different scopes.
Band of Brothers is the best mini-series of all time. Everything in its production is so respectful of its sources - the book and the actual troops - and that comes through in each frame. Truly remarkable and surprisingly humbling to watch. Shifty's my favorite.
Band of brothers was absolutely outstanding, it brought tears to my eyes and my dads. No wonder it is so expensive for a box set.
"ROOTS" was ground breaking and if it wasn't for that masterpiece none of the others could have been done, for television before was onlt trashy novels made into mini-movies/mini-series...Roots opened doors and made major stars, it changed how television was perceived by the passes as a source of entertainment. Roots also sold worldwide and changed the world not just the damn American market!!!!!
Band of Brothers is one of three things that actually made me cry. Love it, saw it like twenty times and I still love it. Pacific was very good too.
Tom Hanks could narrate the history of accounting and I would still give it a shot.
Literally I’d watch him narrate the phone book staring Damien Lewis
Band of Brothers was legit one of the best War series to ever be made in history, I felt like I was in the middle of that war just watching it.
NicaGeneGaming have u seen the pacific
The number of people who don't know the difference between a mini-series and a series is too damn high
Hatfeilds and MCoys? Yes I know they were in the credits but they deserved to be on the list.
I am beyond thrilled to see The 10th Kingdom featured in a Watch Mojo list, even if it's only in the honorable mentions. I don't often meet many people who have seen it and it deserves much more love. It mixes modern characters with high fantasy based on fairy tales. It's well written but doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just the right amount of campy to compliment the subject matter rather than detract from it
I am so happy Band Of Brothers was number 1 for once I totally 100% agree with this list
generation kill one of the best mini series
Дмитрий Тронин that and band of brothers
That "V" footage couldn't have been from anything aired in 1983.
WatchMojo.com , I would like know why footage shown in this list for V was from the reboot series and not the original mini-series?
James Boldock So *that's* what it was! I was like "Why is Alan Tudyk in this?"
Yeah i was confused too since the new V wasnt a mini series.
I am impressed! This is probably the first WM top 10 where I don't feel the compulsive need to berate the choices these guys picked.
What about 'North & South'? I think it deserves at least an honorable mention.
No "Generation Kill"?
THANK YOU! been scrollin for a while just to make sure I'm not delusional in thinking it belongs on this list lol
Generation Kill was fucking amazing.
I'd put GK over anything on this list, even Band of Brothers.
John Adams didn't get in to the Top 10...WTF?!?!?!?
Band of Brothers DESERVES to be #1 and for good reason.
Band of Brothers, I had my mouth open, binge watching all the way through.
After it was over, I felt like a crack addict, looking for another fix.... I wanted more.
Great series.
+Jason Johnson THe pacific
+Jack Wang Not as good as Band of Brothers. I struggled to watch it and never identified or cared about the characters.
Justin Lee Love it, and how the hell can you not ID eugene or snafu or burgins or leckie
Jason The Pacific is better
The Pacific didn't make the list??
Not even an honorable mention!!! Like wtf
+Brandon Sheetz that's what I though I thought It was an amazing mini series
Brandon Sheetz I'm shook. Such a good show I would put it right behind band of brothers
Right????!!!!
The pacific was a tv show though wasnt it
I've been waiting for this for so LONG!
Centennial? Shogun? Masada? The Thorn Birds? Rich Man Poor Man? There are some surprising omissions here.
+Brad Filippone Surprising or just lazy? Damn, I forgot about Shogun and Masada, though I did remember Centennial. Those three should be in the top 5.
I think the creators in this video were too young to remember them.
it's not a list of 100. Some of you are just so stupid to not understand that you can't list everything in a list of ten
Because of the mistake that Watch Mojo made with the V clip in this top ten and the recent withdrawal and reposting of the National Anthems top ten, An appropriate list would be "Top Ten Watch Mojo Gaffes".
Yes, we do those once a year:
Top 10 WatchMojo Top 10s of 2013
vote for this year's list:
watchmojo.com/suggest/Top%2010%20Memorable%20WatchMojo%20Videos%20of%202014
We can make fun of ourselves... ;)
Signed
Mr X
You forgot the one that started it all, "Rich Man, Poor Man" starring Peter Strauss, and a young, sane Nick Nolte. With the exception of "V" you were pretty much spot on..
For all of you out there hating on Band of Brothers and America, pay attention.... Originally it was a book written by Stephen E. Ambrose in 1992. It covers the history of "Easy" Company of the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It covers their jump training in Georgia through VE Day in 1945. The miniseries aired by HBO is a film adaptation of Ambrose' book. In no way does it glorify the United States, war, and nor is it overly patriotic. It also doesn't downplay the roles that other nations played in the Second World War. It honors THE GREATEST GENERATION - meaning both the soldiers and the civilians of the Allied countries.
So before all of you haters out there on RUclips go hating on the United States, Band of Brothers, and any other American documentary on the Second World War; why don't you go watch Band of Brothers, read the book, and do your freaking research! And also not to mention, some members of the cast weren't Americans... such as Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, and Damian Lewis (I'm sure of others, but I don't know who off the top of my head).
Non-American Cast Members (13):
- Damian Lewis
- Robin Laing
- James McAvoy
- Michael Fassbender
- Shane Taylor
- Tom Hardy
- Matthew Leitch
- Peter Youngblood Hills
- Ross McCall
- Dexter Fletcher
- Rick Warden
- Nolan Hemmings
- Philip Barantini
John Adams should have been listed. Taught me a lot and got me to read the original book. But I am okay with Band of Brothers on the top spot.
"Over the Garden Wall" anyone?
+Zachary Robinson (GMOtheEMO) YEPPPPP
YES!
Where the hell is the best mini series ever?
Ok, all of these barring the documentary are American. I think you should do anotger one with English miniseries. Pride and Prejudice, Edge of Darkness, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the awesome Shogun!
Shogun is fantastic, but for the most part, American television tends to be superior. Pride and prejudice was rubbish.
House of Cards too!
Q
house of cards is american... and not a mini-series
Aaron Landau The original House of Cards was a BBC mini-series.
Aaron Landau That statement is chock full of fail.
I'm really surprised that you didn't have anything from Ken Burns on this list. At first I thought that his "mini series" may not have fit the criteria of this list because most of these selections are "story based" and not "documentary style", but then you had the "Earth Series" on the list at number 3. Ken Burns "Civil War" and "Baseball" are some of the best ever, so I'm not sure how you missed those two.
Agreed. I would put Civil War, Baseball, and the Roosevelts all in the top ten.
"Civil War" had the biggest impact of the four on popular interest in the Civil War, although I think "National Parks" is the best.
how the fuck did Cosmos not even get an honorable mention?!
Because Cosmos is/was an ongoing series and therefore doesn't qualify for the definition of a mini-series.
no, the series ended in june, so it is considered a miniseries
cosmos is a little long to be a mini series
The Original was good, the new one sucked. The animation was laughable
It's length may have disqualified it, however, it had a pre-determined length, which should qualify it. The original wasn't canceled either, it similarly had a pre-determined amount of episodes.
Band of Brothers was a no-brainer. I actually thought The Pacific was better though because it follows the 3 main characters home and you see what the war did to these people. Sledge having nightmares and his father sitting outside his door listening but having no way to help him is brutal. Sledge clearly suffering from PTSD and having a full on panic attack when he tries to go hunting with his father once he's home is even worse. Band of Brothers couldn't really do that because the book didn't cover it but The Pacific allowed for the characters to become more than soldiers in a unit, they're people who have been forever changed by the war and how it doesn't just effect them but their entire family as well.
WWIIAirborne Yeah I thought the Pacific was kinda lame in comparison, good but not great.
Christafarianism What? No way. Pacific was epic. Peleliu & Okinawa were incredible to watch and they did how it affects them which bob couldn't really do
Meh- there was too much inane in-between stuff for my liking. When it was good it was awesome, but it just wasnt as consistently gripping as BoB in my opinion.
Paul Cipollini This stuff kinda deters my interest. I prefer when it follows fewer number of characters. I was annoyed by Return of the King, in its constant switching between subplots, from Frodo, to Aragorn and co., to Gandalf at the white city. It felt like I was watching a TV series. Just when I was getting into a scene it would switch. My favourite of the trilogy was Fellowship, as it felt like the viewer was going along on this adventure with them, not missing even a second, for the most part.
Paul Cipollini it's not better
'I, Claudius' deserves more than an honourable mention. The series is 40 years old, made on a relatively low budget with some laughable special effects and yet it is still riveting drama.
Should have been number one! It's the grandfather of ALL modern miniseries. The production values are hilarious, but it's arguably one of the greatest casts assembled for any mini-series.
@@cethomas324 Nah Band of Brothers deserved the gold.
Shogun (1980) deserved a spot. Got an 8.1 on IMDB so I can't be the only person who liked it.
Agreed.
Pacific should be #2
I think Pacific should be three and Shogun should be 2.
All hail HBO
Yo Michael, did your new short film come out yet? Army men apocalypse 2.
Joe Harris it will be up when it's up, there are no confirmed dates yet.
I heard he said on Halloween. But it hasnt.
Actually so happy that the 10th kingdom got an honorable mention. I thought it was really good but I didn't think that many people heard about it! So happy it's mentioned.
I think one thing that makes Band of Brothers so damn good is the fact that it actually showed the real veterans themselves and, of course, Spielberg and Hanks..... The Pacific's pretty good too, but it's nowhere near as good as BoB. I don't get why people criticized the character developments, because I think they did a fine job at it.
The Pacific should have been number #1. Not saying one is better then the other, but more people, including myself, liked liked The Pacific more because of how the plot was more focused on the personal stories of three individual marines, showing the personal endeavors of a front linesmen on a much higher level then BoB. Still love both, bit I think The Pacific deserved BoB place, though BoB should still be high on the list.
Well, in my experience about 90 percent of people like Band of Brothers more, not sure who you`ve been talking to.
John MacNair more like 99%.. but that is his opinion
From watching the Pacific, I didn't remember a single character (perhaps 1 when i watched it), then compare that to BoB where I was able to name the majority of the cast(lead characters) from my first viewing.
That should say something regarding the series, each to their own, but The Pacific didn't live up to BoB imo, it was good, but not as good, I'd argue and say BoB is one of the best series ever made, sure some would argue, but eh.
Like you guys said, to each their own opinion, but all I've ever heard from the people I talk to (NYC over here and some sources on internet) that it was better then BoB. For me, I could name The Pacific characters better then BoB, but again to each their own.
I loved both, but I have to agree I liked the pacific a little more than I did band of brothers
I would have liked Generation Kill to have gotten a mention. It's arguably better than Band of Brothers - certainly closer to home.
Fight me
I don't think that Generation Kill is better but I think it should be on the second position.
+Jibriltz over there is another decent mini series that is on the Iraq/Afghanistan war has a few more hard hitting topics in it that are close to home for many families of servicemen and servicewomen
I've heard of it but thanks for the recommendation.
Jibriltz you seen band of brothers ? do you know what band of brothers is?
i wonder where "Pillars of the Earth"(2010) went... it's not even mentioned. anyway, i do recommend it.
Sad that The Pacific wasn't on here, that was a damn fine miniseries
can't belive you didn't even mention desperate romantics. that is gold!
The 1985 canadian mini-series, "Anne of Green Gables", starring Megan Follows as Anne is really good if you're a fan of the novels or just looking for something not gritty and action-packed. The first two installments are the best, the third is okay. Didn't bother with the fourth because the cast was changed completely.
Why the fuck would they replace David Attenborough's amazing narration with Sigourney Weaver?! I have the Planet Earth box set, and I just can't imagine why anyone would not want the silky voice of Mr. Attenborough.
Because 'murica. Whenever a great english tv show gets remade in america they have to butcher it in some way & in this case it was done by replacing david!
Balthier -leading man I really can't blame them because they actually have trouble understanding the accent. I was in the US recently and I occasionally had to repeat myself because of my accent.
Michealkinane really? Lol, are us english really that hard to understand?
Balthier -leading man Yeah, I suppose we are.
Michealkinane I'm an American and I have the version with David Attenborough on Blu Ray. Personally I don't find your accent hard to understand. Some people probably ask you to repeat yourself because they aren't used to how you pronounce some words because we use different vowel sounds in a common word. Methane for example in US: meth-eyn and Britain: mee-theyn
No mention of The Shining?
It's an amazing mini-series that is scarier than Kubrick's movie and nearly 100% accurate to Stephen King's novel.
It definitely deserved to be in the top 5 at least.
That mini series was boring as hell and had no scares what so ever. The kid was annoying and most of it was just boring talk. The only thing done better was the character of Jack because let's face it in kubricks you can tell jack Nicholson would go crazy. At least in the mini series the change was more subtle
*****
Also, the actress that played Wendy was much bettr because Shelly Duvall can't act.
The girl in the bathroom was much creepier.
Kubrick's movie had no scares either.
Most of the book is 'boring' talk.
***** yes but what is scary and great on the page doesn't always transfer well to the screen. With a book your forced to tell the story through dialog. With movies you can also show us. Kubricks was superior in almost every way except for the two main leads. But when it came to scares Stephens fell flat. To quote nostalgia critic "ahhhhhhhh a door closed"
The Mini series was Lame compared to the movie.
Philip Grindle
Well the acting was much better.
How dare you not add "The Pacific." on this list!
I'm so happy BOB was in first place! I've grown up with it and watch it every year during the summer holidays and I've never gotten sick of it
Shouldn't have "Rome" been at least mentioned in this list?...
They added the wrong "V", that was the miserably failed TV show remake and not the classic mini series w/ Marc Singer from 1983 and where is the HATFIELDS AND McCOYS?
Ugh. Did someone from our research dept really make that mistake? Man. The 1983 was epic and scary. This stuff happens once in a while. Let me tear off the skin off my face and go unleash hell. Our sincere apologies, someone will be pushed off the plank for this egregious error.
Signed
Mr X
WatchMojo.com it's all good :)
+bigbabysld i guess we are all only human?
OR ARE WE? (playing X-file music in background)
+bigbabysld no we are Illuminati
I'd argue that Pride and Prejudice (1995) is better than most of the list...
I watched the Odyssey so many times as a teen ager. It was my favorite thing. Never read the book though. And I LOVED Gulliver's travels. I watched a lot. I don't even know why.
You need to make an updated version of this
6:44
I think you made a mistake, there's no possible way that in 1983 that CGI would look that good... let alone the camera quality...
hax
It's a remake
It's a glitch from the matrix...
for V you mentioned its in 1983 but yet you showed the 2009 version of it....
OK that explains a lot, I was thinking what the hell if what they are showing is from 83 that show was really ahead of its time in video quality.
The 1983 version of V was better!
***** No they don't. The 1983 one was a miniseries. The 2009 one was a series that lasted for two years and got cancelled. They even LIST "1983" as the date for the entry. I am dumbfounded at how this mistake was made and can't believe more people aren't pissed off at this.
***** that's an excellent profile picture you got there Chef.
***** you watch Ashens?
The Pacific, although not as good as BoB should also be on this list! Looking forward to the new series Masters of the Air!
The Pacific was pretty bad.
The pacific should have defenetly been at least a honorable mention
EssentialPedagogy What show were you watching?
The crappy Pacific. Full of flaws and inaccuracies.
EssentialPedagogy If accuracy is all you're looking for, you should read The Things They Carried. It completely disproves any wishful thinking about "accuracies," in war stories.
The only flaws in The Pacific were in its first and possibly fourth episodes, both of which were thematically necessary. It was jarring to be dropped into the war after only twenty minutes, but The Pacific isn't Band of Brothers In The Pacific. It isn't illustrating the account of an entire company. It is about three soldiers. Honestly, The Pacific's weakest episode (Part One) is better than Band of Brothers' weakest episode (Carentan). And, The Pacific's best episode (Part Eight) is every bit as good as Band of Brothers' best episode (Bastogne).
It's a better series, overall.
Chernobyl deserves a spot here.
The Pacific definitely deserves to be on this list
wow how was the pacific not on the list? one of my favorite series of all time, like seriously not even an honorable mention?
Where the hell is Fargo?!?!
too new to be appreciated I suppose. Shame, it was unexpectedly good.
oh yeah, same reason with True Detective I think, they announced Fargo season 2 lol
Loved The Pacific
You seemed to have forgotten Ken Burns' "The Civil War," which revolutionized documentaries, and BBC's "Pride and Prejudice," which launched the career of Colin Firth.
I really liked Merlin with Sam Neill.
No Shogun, The Thorn Birds or North and South???? Not even in the honorable mention category??? I know we all have our favorites but clearly this list was made by somebody under the age of 30! To have a list of top mini series that doesn't include Richard Chanberlain, John Jakes, James A Michener, or James Clavell is an absolute joke!
Yeah what about Centennial
I have watched band of brothers in its entirety maybe 5 or 6 times over the last 10 years or so and just absolutely love it. It really helped you understand what it must have been like for those soldiers.
It was a real shame 'The Pacific' didn't have the same impact as band of brothers.
Why were all the "V" clips from the 2009 series rather than the 1983 miniseries?
They dont know about it apparently
probably didn't get the rights to it.
That does seems odd, as the original was so well liked they made a follow up mini-series, then an actual series, while the reboot was cancelled.
I know! They were even talking about the original, not the reboot. The uniforms in the ORIGINAL had the parallels to WWII and the Nazis, not the new one. What the hell?
Hbo's Rome should have been number 1 but it didnt even get an honourable mention. Oh Mojo!
It was not a mini series, it had two seasons!
toreswe The second season was a honourary add on that was only made due to popular demand. lt was rushed and only half as long.
dan theman Acually, the second season was 10 episodes, compared to the first one with 12. Not really half. And it was not made due to popular demand, they simply had to rush it once they started filming it.
MetaphorInVain The episodes were shorter and yes it was made due to popular demand. Rome was made as a 1 off mini series which is why the first season is 12 episodes and spans just over 5 years in the characters lives, while season 2 is 10 episodes and spans nearly 20 years. Clearly they didn't plan or even want to make season 2, which is why its so poor compared to the first season.
dan theman Well, I've heard that they actually planned to make 3-4 seasons in total, but due to how expensive it was, and the low viewing figures, they had to mash the final few seasons into one.
Return To Eden and V from the 80s
Now that "The Night Manager" happened, we need an update!
I think maybe Shaka Zulu warrants a place on this list. Breathtaking scope and very well produced despite its origins
Wow, Generation Kill doesn't even get an honorable mention?
Yes. Thank you, loved the shit out of that series.
I think that the CNN television series "The Sixties" was great and not only discussed important events during the 60's from the amazing events like the Space mission to the everyday change in music. I loved it.
would be nice to see an updated version
What about The Pacific? That should have at least been an honorable mention.
The Pacific should have been number 1 -.-
idk about number 1 but definitely a mention at least. band of brothers in my opinion was a bit better than the pacific but both amazing things
I think it was like a co 1st since they were kinda sister series
The pacific was nowhere near as good as band of brothers lets be honest here...
HATCHETxKINGx25 I agree.
naw the pacific was very good but B.O.B was a little better yes
Reading the title then seeing the thumbnail thinking 'Band of Brothers #1'
I've got nothing whatsoever negative to say about Roots or Band of Brothers. Both deserve high spots on this list. Overall, however, there seems to be a clear bias towards newer mini series. Classics like Shogun, The Thornbirds, and Winds of War didn't just miss the list, they didn't even garner an honorable mention. How is that even possible?
Missing: "North and South" and "It" thank you very much
Kinda sloppy they used 1 shot from the original V series and then the rest from the remake but they never mentioned there was a remake.
C'mon, people! Get pissed!
I think the pacific is one of the best mini series, its probably one of (if not the) best representation of the pacific war
Not really considering it doesn't show the British and Australians and others that fought there.
I believe "letters from Iwo Jima was also a great representation. Showing both sides in two separate movies.
Jared Hawken My apologies, one of (if not) the best representation of the us marines island hopping campaign
Jared Hawken
There is as just as many British and other nations OWN films ...so step the fuck off!
Nothing from the BBC??
Erm... Planet Earth as narrated by David Attenborough was #3...
DoomHK yeah but what about Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, North & South, Little Dorrit, Parade's End and many more.. This is a typical american list...
***** oh please...these were adapted from classic novels. Have you ever read Parade's End? It's one of the greatest british novels ever. The mini-series a very intelligent and much better than a lot of this american shit. "I presume you are casual" . you don't know me dear...so don't judge people after one single sentence.
i like how people will label everything as "typical american list" if they dont agree with the top 10
Well most of the voters are American so, encourage more internationals to subscribe n vote, :)
Needs to be updated since “The queen's gambit” came out this year ♟
I'm glad they chose Band of Brothers as #1. It is an incredible series that everyone should watch and it deserves the number one spot. Heart pounding and heart wrenching at the same time. Every scene was completely believable, besides a handful of dramatizations in order to best tell the true story of Easy Company. It puts us right in the boots of our grandfathers, all amazing men. You don't need super powers to be a super hero.
I Claudius should have been number one. It certainly should have been on the list.
You should do another list so you can include Steven Spielberg miniseries taken
No Shogun. Winds of War. War and Remembrance. You guys aren't even trying.
marcboss6 I'd definitely slot all three of those in in place of V and BSG (you could combine the two Herman Wouk ones I think).
I thought Showgun should have been on as well.
I know..skipping shogun is unforgivable.
Before anyone bad mouths BoB, Go watch it please, all your points are in-valid before and after watching it, unless you are promoting it.
By far the best Mini-series in history, i have watched it all about 6 times in my life time and each time i have a wonderful experience and learn something new about the characters.
The Pacific should at least be a honorable mention. That show was phenomenal.