Why the limited series is so great: They offer a different kind of storytelling

The Boston Globe

The limited series/miniseries, says Matthew Gilbert, are "even better than series, in certain ways, because of their concision, their intrinsic resistance to overstaying their welcome, and their more straightforward path from start to finish. They absolutely count in any survey of TV’s best, and I don’t think I was cheating by including them (among my favorite shows of the year so far); but they offer a different kind of storytelling from what we generally think of as a 'TV show,' since the writers know exactly where they’re heading, and how they’re going to get there, from the get-go. So today I come in praise of miniseries, also known as limited series, and the brevity they have to offer. It’s relatively rare for a full-on series to achieve the kind of overall coherence and thrust of its shorter brethren. Most popular series stretch forward year after year, all middle section, the writers straining to keep the story alive and varied for as long as the ratings are there. I enjoy that kind of TV-making, of course, what with being a TV critic and all — but it’s far more open to the kinds of pointless detours and over-complication that can corrupt a show’s legacy. Even The Sopranos, my number one TV creation of all time, and Mad Men, another favorite, adopted filler plots on occasion to keep things moving."