Miniseries · ABC
The Thorn Birds
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Richard Chamberlain
Ralph de Bricassart
4 eps
Rachel Ward
Meggie Cleary
4 eps
Christopher Plummer
Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
4 eps
Bryan Brown
Luke O'Neill
4 eps
Brett Cullen
Bob Cleary
4 eps
Stephanie Faracy
Judy
4 eps
Barry Corbin
Pete
4 eps
John de Lancie
Alastair MacQueen
4 eps
Barbara Stanwyck
Mary Carson
4 eps
Jean Simmons
Fiona 'Fee' Cleary
3 eps
Piper Laurie
Anne Mueller
3 eps
Earl Holliman
Luddie Mueller
3 eps
Philip Anglim
Dane O'Neill
3 eps
John Friedrich
Frank Cleary
3 eps
Stephen W. Burns
Jack Cleary
3 eps
Allyn Ann McLerie
Mrs. Smith
3 eps
Holly Palance
Miss Carmichael
3 eps
Bill Morey
Angus MacQueen
3 eps
Ken Howard
Rainer Hartheim
2 eps
Richard Kiley
Paddy Cleary
2 eps
Mare Winningham
Justine O'Neill
2 eps
Richard Venture
Harry Gough
2 eps
Dwier Brown
Stuart Cleary
2 eps
Antoinette Bower
Sarah MacQueen
2 eps
Sydney Penny
Young Maggie
1 eps
Vidal Peterson
Young Stuart
1 eps
Nan Martin
Sister Agatha
1 eps
Meg Wyllie
Annie
1 eps
Wally Dalton
Fair Barker
1 eps
Rance Howard
Doc Wilson
1 eps
Chard Hayward
Arne Swenson
2 eps
Lucinda Dooling
Martha
1 eps
Aspa Nakapoulou
Phaedre
1 eps
Dennis Falt
Enthusiastic church attendee (uncredited)
1 eps
Alan Bendich
Greek waiter (uncredited)
1 eps
Gini Holtzman
Holy Communion Girl (uncredited)
1 eps
Danny Nero
Motorist (uncredited)
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Thorn Birds actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Thorn Birds reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Serialized.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
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
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.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E01 · Signature episode
Part 1
When the wealthy but now elderly owner of a large sheep farm in the outback of Australia realizes that her affections towards a banished but ambitious young priest will never be returned, she sets out to manipulate his life and career from the grave once she discovers him giving his attention to her young niece instead.
- Directed by Daryl Duke
- Written by Carmen Culver
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E01 · Signature episode
Part 1
- Directed by Daryl Duke
- Written by Carmen Culver
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
- Stan MarguliesProducer
- David L. WolperExecutive Producer
- Edward LewisExecutive Producer
Writing
- Lee StanleyWriter
- Carmen CulverWriter
Direction
- Daryl DukeDirector
Cinematography
- Bill ButlerDirector of Photography
Music
- Henry ManciniOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
If you liked this
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Off Campus
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Another masterpiece of long-form storytelling, chosen to follow this one.
Game of Thrones
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Another invented world built with the same seriousness — start at episode one.
Dexter
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A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Flinderella
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A palate cleanser with real writing behind the jokes.
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
Breaking Bad
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A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Never stop watching
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