miniseries

American  

[min-ee-seer-eez] / ˈmɪn iˌsɪər iz /

noun

1. a short series of events or presentations.

2. Television. a program or film broadcast in parts, as the dramatization of a literary work.

   The novel was made into a four-part miniseries.

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miniseries British  

/ ˈmɪnɪˌsɪəriːz /

noun

1. a television programme in several parts that is shown on consecutive days or weeks for a short period

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• miniseries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of miniseries

First recorded in 1970–75; mini- + series

Example Sentences

Mr. King wasn’t crazy about the film and eventually paid Kubrick $1.5 million for the screen rights so that he could write his own 1997 TV miniseries adaptation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Perhaps the shocking recent news of Alex Murdaugh’s convictions being overturned will spark voter interest in the Hulu true-crime miniseries.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

My first thought upon learning that “Amadeus,” the award-winning play and film, had been made into a miniseries, premiering Friday on Starz, was “well, this could be interesting.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

When “Battlestar Galactica” was introduced as a miniseries in 2003, America was still reeling from 9/11.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Dozens of books, cartoons, movies, and miniseries have attempted to tell the story of everything that happened next, but every single one of them got it wrong.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline