TV series
The Thorn Birds
Overview
Follows the Cleary family over several decades, focusing on the central, tragic romance between Meggie and Father Ralph, who is torn between his vows and his love for her.
Details
- First air date
- 1983-03-27
- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 4 episodes
- Genres
- Drama
- Network
- ABC
- Production
- Warner Bros. Television, David Wolper-Stan Margulies Productions, Edward Lewis Productions
- Country
- US
- Original language
- EN
Cast
- Richard Chamberlain as Ralph de Bricassart
- Rachel Ward as Meggie Cleary
- Christopher Plummer as Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
- Bryan Brown as Luke O'Neill
- Brett Cullen as Bob Cleary
- Stephanie Faracy as Judy
- Barry Corbin as Pete
- John de Lancie as Alastair MacQueen
- Barbara Stanwyck as Mary Carson
- Jean Simmons as Fiona 'Fee' Cleary
- Piper Laurie as Anne Mueller
- Earl Holliman as Luddie Mueller
Creators and crew
- Lee Stanley - Creator
- Carmen Culver - Creator
- David L. Wolper - Executive Producer
- Edward Lewis - Executive Producer
- Stan Margulies - Producer
- Daryl Duke - Director
Episodes
Episode 1: Part 1
When the wealthy but now elderly owner of a large sheep farm in the outback of Australia realizes that her affections towards a banished but ambitious young priest will never be returned, she sets out to manipulate his life and career from the grave once she discovers him giving his attention to her young niece instead.
Episode 2: Part 2
Having left Australia with a significant sum of holdings in hand willed to the Catholic Church by the wealthy socialite and sheep farmer Mary Carson, Father Ralph de Bricassart finds himself courted by power brokers within the Vatican. Meanwhile, the Drogheda Ranch suffers a devastating brush fire that spawns more tragedy in the Cleary family, and eventually leads to an uneasy reunion between Meggie and Father de Bricassart. However Meggie soon meets a young suitor who captures her heart.
Episode 3: Part 3
Now married, living on a sugar cane plantation, and working as a maid in Queensland, Meggie finds her new husband is more interested in his own work and dalliances than in her. She bears him a child but is still unable to change his ways. Meanwhile, Father de Bricassart has moved up in the Church hierarchy and eventually returns to Australia as a Cardinal. And in yet another uneasy reunion between himself and Meggie, he finally succumbs to temptation by consummating forbidden love and breaking his vow of chastity.
Episode 4: Part 4
Meggie has repeated the mistakes of her past by favoring her son over her daughter. She finally admits the truth about Dane's paternity to Ralph and reconciles with both her mother Fee and her daughter Justine.
More like this
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin
After a whirlwind romance, Olivia finds herself as the mistress of the imposing Foxworth Hall, where she soon discovers that the fairy tale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare.
Brothers and Sisters
The close-knit Walker family deals with struggles and triumphs.
Parenthood
The trials and tribulations of the very large, colorful and imperfect Braverman family.
Roots
The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley's ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots, was first told in his 1976 bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award, and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. history.
Lady Chatterley
After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.
The Fosters
Stef Foster, a dedicated police officer, and her partner Lena Adams, a school vice principal, have built a close-knit, loving family with Stef's biological son from a previous marriage, Brandon, and their adopted twins, Mariana and Jesus. Their lives are disrupted in unexpected ways when Lena meets Callie, a hardened teen with an abusive past who has spent her life in and out of foster homes. Lena and Stef welcome Callie and her brother, Jude, into their home thinking it's just for a few weeks, until a more permanent placement can be found. But life has something else in store for the Fosters.
SkyMed
Life, death and drama at 20,000 feet. The series weaves together intense character journeys and high-stakes medical rescues, as we follow the triumphs, heartbreaks and tribulations of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. They’re all in over their heads, and on their own, with no one to rely on but each other.
Days of Our Lives
The Horton and Brady broods endure the romantic trials of life in Salem, a Midwestern hamlet filled with evil geniuses, star-crossed lovers and a rich family history.
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War.
The Bible
The story of God's creation of the Earth and the landmark events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.