Rich Man, Poor Man on ABC

A superb 12-hour adaptation of Irwin Shaw's novel, chronicling the widely divergent values and paths of two brothers over 20 years. The compelling story of familial jealousy and heartbreak was an extraordinarily successful miniseries, garnering a record 23 Emmy nominations (it won four), and helped launch the career of Nick Nolte, who plays the free-spirited and unruly Tom Jordache.