The Godfather is one of the most popular mobster movies ever. The cast list is like a laundry list of famous celebrities both of the time and today:  Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, and Talia Shire.

The Godfather: A Novel for Television, The Godfather: The Complete Novel For Television or The Godfather Saga is a TV miniseries that combined the first two The Godfather movies into one event. NBC originally aired the miniseries in 1977, in one three hour episode and three two hour episodes.

Reportedly Francis Ford Coppola asked Editor Barry Maklin to create the miniseries to raise money for the drastically over-budget Apocalypse Now. The Miniseries version of The Godfather was placed in chronological order, interweaving the two film together seamlessly.

Some of the more offensive parts were cut for the TV version, like the sex, violence and language. The TV version has about 75 more minutes of footage than the two original films.

The Miniseries was criticized widely and did not receive high ratings among viewers.  Most critics said the TV version was clunky and did not flow well. Others said the movies were already long enough there was no need to add in the extra scenes. The video and DVD releases are incomplete with parts cut out for TV airing.

The miniseries begins as the head of a New York Mafia, Don Vito Corleone, oversees his daughter’s wedding. The Don’s son Michael has come home from the war and wants nothing to do with his father’s business. We watch as Don Vito lives his life and manage his business. Some of his employees don’t want to follow the old ways anymore. A rival of the family arrives and starts selling drugs in New York.

This miniseries is a great way to remember The Godfather in all its greatness. I enjoyed both the original movies and the miniseries. However,  I would suggest that you don’t try to watch the entire miniseries in one setting.