The Thorn Birds

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.

The Thorn Birds (1983) is an American television miniseries created by Lee Stanley and Carmen Culver for ABC, adapted from the novel by Colleen McCullough. Spanning several decades, it follows the Cleary family across a sheep station in the Australian outback. Rachel Ward plays Meggie Cleary, whose lifelong bond with Father Ralph de Bricassart, played by Richard Chamberlain, is the emotional core of the story. Ralph is a gifted priest torn between his sacred vows and a love he cannot openly claim, and that tension drives every turn of the narrative. Christopher Plummer plays the ambitious Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese, whose power over Ralph's career adds political pressure to the personal conflict. Bryan Brown and Barbara Stanwyck round out a cast of rivals, benefactors and family members whose choices ripple through the years. The four-episode run unfolds as a sprawling family saga, with long stretches of drought, ambition and faith giving way to aching romance. Its tone is melodramatic and lush, mournful and sincere, the kind of emotional epic that rewards patient viewing. Fans of Outlander, Gone with the Wind and Brideshead Revisited will find resonance in its blend of forbidden passion, sweeping landscapes and doomed devotion across generations.

Audiences broadly regard the miniseries as a sweeping, emotionally powerful romance whose lush family saga and lead performances carry its melodramatic material.

• Outlandershared sweeping multigenerational family saga with forbidden romance and religious conflict
• The Thorn Birds (1983)shared Australian outback family saga with doomed love across decades
• Gone with the Windshared melodramatic forbidden love and sprawling family saga tone
• Brideshead Revisitedshared tragic forbidden romance set against church and social constraints

Created by

Lee Stanley, Carmen Culver

Release Date

1983-03-27

Episode runtime

121 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (136)

What is The Thorn Birds about?

A torn priest and a headstrong woman carry a forbidden love across decades of one Australian family's life.

What is The Thorn Birds like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Thorn Birds as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Thorn Birds violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Thorn Birds as mild.

What did critics think of The Thorn Birds?

Audiences broadly regard the miniseries as a sweeping, emotionally powerful romance whose lush family saga and lead performances carry its melodramatic material.

Which shows are like The Thorn Birds?

Shows with a similar feel include Outlander, The Thorn Birds (1983), Gone with the Wind, and Brideshead Revisited.

How long is The Thorn Birds?

The Thorn Birds: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is The Thorn Birds still running?

No, The Thorn Birds has ended.

Where can I watch The Thorn Birds?

In United States, The Thorn Birds is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home.