Scripted series · ABC
North and South
…And now it begins
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
James Read
George Hazard
15 eps
Lesley-Anne Down
Madeline Fabray LaMotte
15 eps
Patrick Swayze
Orry Main
15 eps
Philip Casnoff
Elkanah Bent
11 eps
Jonathan Frakes
Stanley Hazard
13 eps
David Carradine
Justin LaMotte
8 eps
Kyle Chandler
Charles Main
3 eps
Lewis Smith
Charles Main
10 eps
Terri Garber
Ashton Main Huntoon
12 eps
Cathy Lee Crosby
Judith Main
3 eps
Mariette Hartley
Prudence
3 eps
Rya Kihlstedt
Willa
3 eps
Tom Noonan
Will Fenway
3 eps
Jim Metzler
James Huntoon
8 eps
Stan Shaw
Isaac
3 eps
Rip Torn
Adolphus
3 eps
Morgan Fairchild
Burdetta Halloran
2 eps
Robert Wagner
Cooper Main
3 eps
Hal Holbrook
Abraham Lincoln
7 eps
Billy Dee Williams
Francis Cardozo
3 eps
Jean Simmons
Clarissa Main
11 eps
Cliff DeYoung
Gettys
3 eps
David Ogden Stiers
Rep. Sam Greene
7 eps
Gary Grubbs
Lt. Pickles
3 eps
Inga Swenson
Maude Hazard
11 eps
Chris Burke
Jim
3 eps
Forest Whitaker
Cuffey
8 eps
Gregory Zaragoza
Scar
3 eps
Peter O'Toole
Sam Trump
3 eps
Parker Stevenson
Billy Hazard
6 eps
Sharon Washington
Jane
3 eps
Erica Gimpel
Semiramis
9 eps
Ann Dowd
Maureen
3 eps
Lou Felder
Thaddeus Stevens
6 eps
Darryl Theirse
Titus
3 eps
Cameron Finley
Gus
3 eps
Brad Leland
Beaufort
3 eps
Julius Tennon
Micah
3 eps
Michael McClendon
Corporal Owens
6 eps
Bernard Addison
Slave Caleb
6 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How North and South actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
North and South reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
The story of the enduring friendship between Orry Main of South Carolina and George Hazard of Pennsylvania, who become best friends while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point but later find themselves and their families on opposite sides of the American Civil War.
The run
Seasons
3 seasons · 15 episodes.
Season 0 · Complete
Specials
19852 episodes
Season 1 · Complete
Book I
19856 episodes
7.7IMDbTwo friends, one northern and one southern, struggle to maintain their friendship as events build towards the American Civil War.
Best episode · S01E01 Summer 1842 - Summer 1844
Season 2 · Complete
Book II
19866 episodes
7.5IMDbThe story of two friends and their families on opposite sides of the American Civil War.
Season 3 · Complete
Book III
19943 episodes
9.0IMDbThe Civil War has just ended, but things in the country aren't much better, especially in the south.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E03
Spring 1848 - Summer 1854
George and Orry's friendship is severely tested when one of the Mains' slaves escapes. Orry still travels to Pennsylvania for George and Constance's wedding, but when he hears a speech given by Virgilia Hazard at an abolitionist rally, he realizes the depth of their divisions. George's mother decides that he should assume full control at the family iron works, much to his older brother Stanley's dismay. Orry's father dies, and his first act as owner of the plantation is to fire the cruel slave overseer. Orry's cousin Charles finds himself challenged to a duel and Orry acts as his second. Orry's sister Ashton is something of a flirt and being pursued by lawyer James Huntoon. The Mains visit the Hazards for the summer, where Charles and George's younger brother Billy, who are both West Point-bound, become close friends. Orry's younger sister, Brett, takes an interest in Billy but he seems to prefer Ashton. Madeline's marriage to Justin continues to decline after he beats and whips her.
- Directed by Richard T. Heffron
- Written by Paul F. Edwards
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S00E02
The History of North and South
S03E03
Spring 1866 - Summer 1866
S03E02
Autumn 1865 - Spring 1866
S03E01
Summer 1865 - Autumn 1865
S02E06
March 1865 - April 1865
S02E05
December 1864 - February 1865
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Paul FreemanProducer
- Chuck McLainExecutive Producer
- Robert PapazianProducer
- David L. WolperExecutive Producer
- Hal GalliProducer
- Mark WolperExecutive Producer
Writing
- Paul F. EdwardsWriter
- Douglas HeyesWriter
- Kathleen A. ShelleyWriter
Direction
- Kevin ConnorDirector
- Richard T. HeffronDirector
- Larry PeerceDirector
Cinematography
- Stevan LarnerDirector of Photography
- Don E. FauntLeRoyDirector of Photography
- Jacques R. MarquetteDirector of Photography
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
The Civil War
1990
Power and consequence · Similar storytelling style
The Gray House
2026
Power and consequence
Roots
1977
Character-driven drama
Catch-22
2019
Power and consequence
Xica da Silva
1996
Character-driven drama
Queer as Folk
1999
Character-driven drama
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
Character-driven drama
Remington Steele
1982
Character-driven drama
Boston Legal
2004
Character-driven drama
The Slave Isaura
2004
Character-driven drama
Entourage
2004
Character-driven drama
BOYS OVER FLOWERS
2005
Character-driven drama
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
GuAn
2026
Keep the scale up — another series that spends its budget on screen.
Breaking Bad
2008
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
The Chosen
2019
Keep the scale up — another series that spends its budget on screen.
The Sopranos
1999
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
The Rookie
2018
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
Game of Thrones
2011
If the world-building is what held you, this is the next map to walk.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation