Inside the Emmys Uproar Over ‘From the Earth to the Moon’ That Upended the Limited Series Category 25 Years Ago
variety.comMichael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Most of this year’s limited or anthology series Emmy frontrunners had several choices on where to compete. “Dahmer: Monster — The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is part of a new “Monster” anthology series, but it could have gone drama. “Beef” might have found a home in drama or comedy, but landed in limited (same goes for “Mrs.
Davis”). All of these series have a trailblazer to thank for the flexibility that comes with the limited/anthology category: HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon.” It’s been 25 years since that landmark miniseries was an Emmy contender — and it’s remarkable to look back at what a controversial decision it was at the time to even call it a “miniseries.” Of course, in hindsight, it was much more of a miniseries than, say, “Downton Abbey” or “The White Lotus” — two winners in the category that conveniently moved to the drama field after producers decided they weren’t one and done.
Close-ended “limited series” are a standard part of the TV landscape now. But in 1998, one-season dramas weren’t considered “miniseries” or “limited series” (that term wouldn’t even enter industry use for several years) — they were just considered dramas. “Miniseries,” on the other hand, were considered to essentially be multi-night TV movies.
They came out of the longform departments, aired on multiple nights over the course of one week and were events like “Roots.” At least, that was the conventional wisdom at the broadcast networks.
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