Issue 28: Summer edition ☀️

An ABC novel for television

“You’re probably the first real Southern I’ve ever met.” -George Hazard (North and South)

“You’re my first damn Yankee.” -Orry Main (North and South)

It was a simpler time. There were only three networks and what we call “binge television” or “content” today were epic “miniseries” or in the case of this week’s movie, “a novel for television.” Everything was grander in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

My history with North and South is so disjointed and piecemeal that it could be the subject of its own melodrama. I watched the first episode of the first miniseries by accident and fell in love with it, even though I was far younger than the target audience. I missed most of the subsequent episodes but managed to tape the last one. While I had a huge narrative gap, I was enthralled by Book I’s finale such that I decided to tape all of Book II when it aired the following year. From there, my appreciation for the show was like reading a gripping novel with several chapters missing. I would regularly revisit Book I, episode 6, then all of Book II.

I eventually got to experience the entirety of Book I the summer before college as it was finally released on home media. On top of that, Book III came out winter ‘94 during my freshman year and the rest is as they say history. So as you’re bingeing your favorite show on Netflix, Prime, Hulu or Max with a click of a button just know that back in the day, this required a lot more effort with a greater risk of not just FOMO but MO.

-John

Moving Forward

Episode 477: Summer movie series: North and South Trilogy (1985-1994)

Catch this week’s episode on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

2024 Summer movie series

North and South Trilogy (****)

North and South: Book I (1985) (*****)

The first series is the best of the on screen adaptations of Johns Jakes North and South novels. Book I runs six episodes, spanning 20 years from the 1840s all the way up to 1861: the eve of the Civil War. The story follows two patriarchs, George Hazard, a wealthy industrial magnate from Pennsylvania and Orry Main, the son of a South Carolina cotton plantation and slave owner. We follow their journeys and that of their families as the country becomes divided over the issue of slavery. The series is a standout with gorgeous cinematography showcasing the ambitious scope of the story, stellar performances from a stacked cast, and a brilliant score by Bill Conti. The series seamlessly mixes fictional characters who come to life through the talents of its leads, including Read, Swayze, Alley alongside real life historical figures portrayed by a veritable who’s who of character actors and performers from the ‘80s. Book I also doesn’t pull punches in showcasing the horrors of slavery as the ultimate hypocrisy and contradiction to our nation’s promise of freedom and liberty. North and South is a remarkable show that holds up to this day; one that will keep you engrossed, and eager to binge the next episode.

North and South: Book II - Love and War (1986) (**** 1/2)

The second series, also six episodes, covers the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 as the country finds itself torn apart with the Hazards and Mains on opposite sides. As with the first series, the second is ambitious in scope showcasing the war in painstaking detail. Like its predecessor, the sequel features beautiful cinematography, a rousing score by Bill Conti, and outstanding performances making it a worthy follow-up and a seamless continuation of the saga. While some of the battle scenes drag slightly in the middle, the six episodes will keep you engaged with its gripping drama, multiple character arcs, and fictional storylines interwoven with historical events. Book II also boldly deviates from the novel, ending on a more satisfying and optimistic note.

North and South: Book III - Heaven and Hell (1994) (*** 1/2)

The weakest of the trilogy, covering the post-war Reconstruction period as the Hazards and Mains pick up the pieces of their shattered lives following the end of the war. Given that it came out eight years later, Book III feels the most disconnected from the franchise. At three episodes, it suffers from being simultaneously too short and too long as it eliminates many characters from prior installments while not giving enough story time to those who return only for a brief scene or two. Moreover, this series is the most incongruous, inexplicably contradicting its own history by retconning past events while introducing random characters and clumsily killing off others. On the plus side the cinematography of scenes in the plains and midwest are breathtaking, and the performances of series regulars, including Read, Down, and Casnoff are solid as are many of the supporting cast. Overall, this one is a mixed bag that undoes the hopeful ending of Book II with a less satisfying conclusion to the trilogy as a whole.

Cast:

• James Read as George Hazard

• Patrick Swayze as Orry Main

• Kirstie Alley as Virgilia Hazard

• Lesley-Anne Down as Madeline Fabray Lamotte Main

• Wendy Kilbourne as Constance Flynn Hazard

• Terri Garber as Ashton Main

• Genie Francis as Brett Main Hazard

• Lewis Smith as Charles Main (Books I, II)

• Kyle Chandler as Charles Main (Book III)

• John Stockwell as Billy Hazard (Book I)

• Parker Stevenson as Billy Hazard (Book II)

• Philip Casnoff as Elkanah Bent

Supporting cast:

• Jonathan Frakes as Stanley Hazard

• Erica Gimpbel as Semiramis

• Forest Whitaker as Cuffey

• David Carridine as Justin Lamotte

• Hal Holbrook as Abraham Lincoln

• Andy Stahl as Ned Fisk

North and South (Books I-III) rarely airs but has appeared on Starz and Tubi. Check your local library for physical or digital copies. You can also purchase the North and South trilogy on physical or digital media from Amazon (affiliate paid link). North and South (affiliate paid link) is based on the best-selling novels by John Jakes.

2024 Summer movie series

North and South Book III: The Lost Opportunity

[Warning: spoilers for North and South Books II and III.]

When North and South Book III was first announced, I was equal parts excited, nervous, and nervous. As noted, Book II boldly deviated from the books. While Orry Main, the co-protagonist of the series, was killed on the battlefield in the second novel, the show let him live to the end of the war. The second series ends with him and George standing in front of a burned out Mount Royal as they put together a ten dollar bill that they tore apart for a bet during their West Point days; pledging to reunite their families. Additionally, the show’s main antagonist, Elkanah Bent, was killed in an explosion in episode five of Book II even though the character continued to wreak havoc in the third novel. The Book II miniseries had a satisfying ending that wrapped the saga nicely, negating the need for a third installment. That’s where the 2 / 3s nerves come in. How was the next series going to handle Orry surviving Book II and Bent getting his ultimate comeuppance?

Unfortunately, they simply and sloppily rush-retconned both events. Book III opens with a recap of the first two series narrated by author John Jakes himself. We see clips of the prior shows interspersed with new footage of a different actor taking over as Charles Main, and some tinkering with past events. This all leads up to what is arguably the earliest incarnation of a multiverse on screen as it’s revealed that Bent somehow miraculously survived. Then in the opening scene, he quickly kills off Orry, portrayed by a Patrick Swayze body double whose resemblance is apparent only if you happen to be severely nearsighted. This leaves a dour residue over the rest of Book III, from which it never recovers. Whenever I introduce friends to North and South, I always advise them to carefully weigh whether to venture into the third installment.

The biggest issue with Book III is that it attempts to adhere itself strictly to the novel, completely missing the lesson of its predecessors that were more at ease making changes that served the story and the characters better on screen. The novels are wonderful in their own right but given that each are as long as telephone books, they are extremely difficult to adapt for television. The first two series did a masterful job conveying the broad strokes of the narrative, streamlining and combining book characters such as Orry and his brother Cooper into Swayze’s interpretation of the former. Thus it’s bizarre and jarring that Book III felt compelled to ignore all of that by cramming in Cooper while killing off Orry.

The missed opportunity for the producers and writers was to adapt the themes of Book III while taking the baton that Book II handed them. In that regard, the third miniseries should have focused on Orry’s journey of self-actualization with respect to his outmoded and contradictory beliefs, exploring whether he could truly change in a post-war reality. Moreover, a major through line in North and South is the close bond that develops between the Hazards and Mains that derives from Orry and George’s friendship. Book II carried this further by testing the bounds of that friendship amidst a war that separated the families across geographical and ideological lines. Logically, the third installment should have bookended this thread by having the families reunite while navigating the trials and tribulations of the Reconstruction period. This is something we never really get in the Book III miniseries.

The ultimate irony is that Book III’s handling of Orry’s death was so rushed and haphazard it left the door open for the character to return in a future story. In my head-canon, I imagine Ned Fisk, a fellow cadet from West Point who had an uneasy coexistence with George and Orry, and later a begrudging respect for the two, discovered Orry’s injured body and took him to a Union field hospital where he was bedridden with a soap-opera-induced-coma during the events of Book III. This could have set up an interesting storyline, filled to the brim with the show’s signature melodrama; leading to a more satisfying conclusion. Sadly, the window has long since closed given the passage of time and the untimely loss of Patrick Swayze.

If there’s one series that I both hope gets remade and never remade, it’s this one. In many ways, it’s perfect as it is, flaws and all. Though part of me is curious to see how a different creative team would approach adapting Jakes’ heady material for the screen. Regardless, North and South remains poignant, thought provoking, and relevant. Curiously, it has never streamed on Max, which is owned by the studio that produced North and South. My hope is that a major streaming platform will give it a permanent digital home so that it can be embraced by a new generation of fans.

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

The “supporting characters” who appear in North and South

Quirky reads 📚

Some great books to fill your summer hours. 

[Affiliate disclosure: these are affiliate links to Amazon through which I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.]

• The Two-Parent Privilege by Melissa S. Kearney (****)

Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations and to see what else I’m reading.

Upcoming Fall

Declutter your home and free your life!

Upcoming Fall

Once you’ve decluttered your home, you’ll be ready to write your first book!

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

Support the newsletter and podcast

“What are you selling?!?” -actual quote from a b-school classmate

• Books! Check out my used bookstore on Pangobooks.

• Try out Audible (affiliate paid link).

• Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate paid link)

Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.