In a television age that’s dictated by the now shorter-than-ever attention span of viewers across North America, it’s good to know the miniseries format is still alive and well. I mean, the miniseries format has produced some of the best extended historical television of the past half-century. Shogun, Roots, North and South, Lonesome Dove, Band of Brothers - they were all big "must see" events that gave TV viewers highly entertaining and dramatic glimpses into history. Although it’s increasingly difficult to keep viewers on the hook for more than a couple of weeks much less a month, HBO deserves a ton of credit for debuting the seven-part, month-long John Adams miniseries back in March 2008. In terms of great miniseries events in the contemporary era, John Adams is the finest since Band of Brothers in 2001, another HBO produced hit.

The Miniseries:

With a price tag of over $100 million and a cast that includes Paul Giamatti (John Adams), Laura Linney (Abigail Adams), Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson), Danny Huston (Samuel Adams), David Morse (George Washington), Sarah Polley (Abigail "Nabby" Adams), and Tom Wilkinson (Ben Franklin), John Adams is ripe with high quality production value as it explores the life of America’s second president. However, as much as the miniseries focuses on life of John Adams, from his rise through the legal ranks as a lawyer to his patriotic exploits in Europe and back to America, the seven-part feature also explores the lives of Adams’ wife, four children, and America’s founding fathers as real people as compared to their legacy as statuesque historical figures. Both Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney skillfully transcend history to give both John and Abigail Adams beating hearts while also giving themselves, as actors, up to the dramatic chords of the couple’s emotional journey as husband and wife. Given Giamatti’s rise to prominence as one of Hollywood’s most consistent actors, the decision to cast him as John Adams proved to be nothing short of brilliance.

Produced by Tom Hanks, directed by Emmy Award winning Tom Hooper, and adapted for television from Pulitzer Prize winning author, David McCullough’s book of the same name by writer Kirk Ellis, the miniseries is a far-reaching epic filled with clever time-honored dialogue and the dreamy idealism that gave birth to the "American Dream" and much of what the United States stands for today - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Although such political greats as George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson (even Samuel Adams with his line of beer) seem to dominate the historical consciousness, it’s dramatically rewarding to see John Adams finally get his due on the small-screen. Unless you grew up in New England, John Adams might not be as significant across the country as some of America’s past leaders.

The Episodes:

As for John Adams on DVD, HBO delivers an impressively efficient 3-disc set in what could have easily been a bulkier release. All seven parts are spread across a trio of discs, chronicling the life of John Adams in detail while beginning at the most key moment in his life as a man on the rise. The first half of the set covers the events of the Boston Tea Party and his legal defense of British soldiers for murder, his election to the First Continental Congress, the creation of the Declaration of Independence, Adams’ trip to France with his son John Quincy and his journey to the Netherlands to drum up support for the Revolution, his appointment as the first US Minister to Britain, the Treaty of Paris, and his election as the Vice President of the United States. The second half the set delves deeper into John Adams’ many challenges in the Senate, enacting the Jay Treaty and his frustrating relationships with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton before Adams’ is elected as America’s second President. The final two parts deal with Adams’ tumultuous time in office and his clashes with the two camps led by Jefferson and Hamilton while also struggling with a strained relationship with his son, Charles, his retirement from the public eye, and life after the Presidency.

The Extras:

The big daddy of the special features comes in the form of a 40-minute HBO Films documentary called "David McCullough: Painting with Words," which explores how the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian dealt with the source material to bring John Adams to life in book form. Much like most HBO documentaries, the quality of the segment nearly equals that of that of the miniseries as McCullough takes a personal journey with John Adams throughout America, from winning the Pulitzer and writing history as an art form to the happiest times of his life working on John Adams. It’s the perfect compliment to expand on the miniseries since McCullough leaves no stone unturned while traveling to various historical locations.

The final disc also includes a typically great 28-minute HBO Films "Making Of" featurette hosted by Tom Hanks, who delves deep into the many challenges of bringing John Adams to life on TV, with expanded thoughts from author David McCullough, director Tom Hooper, actors David Morse and Tom Wilkinson, and a variety of creative crew members. While the longer David McCullough doc offers a broader scope from a historical standpoint, the "Making Of" divides the production into art direction, costume design, special effects, colonialism, historical accuracy, founding fathers, Abigail Adams, and more. Rounding out the special features is a pop-up text trivia selection for Part VI and Part VII, which expands upon the two parts with even more history and unknown facts, and a brief series index that highlights the historical focus in each of the seven parts. When it’s all said and done, the extras make up for over an hour’s worth of quality entertainment.

Final Thoughts:

Although John Adams didn’t send shockwaves across the television landscape in the same manner as Band of Brothers, the miniseries stands as one of the best of all-time, next to the greats of the past three decades. On DVD, each part looks and sounds fantastic while the extras provide fresh insight into the legacy of John Adams and the production. When it comes to keeping the miniseries alive in a competitive, attention deprived TV generation, HBO and Tom Hanks know how to do it right. John Adams is one of the best, most efficient DVD collections on the market.