It was 1977. For eight consecutive nights on ABC. It felt like the entire USA was watching ROOTS. I was only 17, and the story was haunting, following a man from West Africa to the United States as a slave, along with his family and all the things that happened along the way.
At the time, television consisted of movies, sitcoms and one hour dramas. The miniseries was something we hadn't encountered before. It felt like a long drawn out soap opera and we became fully immersed!
Now with streaming services having their own programs, they have started doing something similar. I'm currently watching "I Will Find You", from a book by Harlan Coben, on Netflix. And I like it!! ( I am limiting myself to watch 1 episode per day .... anticipation makes it sweeter!)
Longer and a little more involved than movie, but not endless. When a book becomes a movie, part of the problem is losing details when you have to shove it all into 120 minutes or less. But make it into a short series 10 episodes, 42 mins each, and a much better version comes to life on screen!!
Thanks, Netflix! This brings something more exciting than network TV into my summer!
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