With Roots, proved Americans would schedule life around multi-night novel epics.
Why it matters
From the desk
Why Rich Man, Poor Man still plays
Open on a split: two brothers, opposite paths, postwar America as a novel that asked the country to clear the calendar. ABC's Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), a Novel for Television from Dean Riesner after Irwin Shaw's bestseller, makes Peter Strauss's Rudy the climber and Nick Nolte's Tom the brawler. Susan Blakely's Julie Prescott and Edward Asner's Axel Jordache complete the family weather. Hugely rated chapters. Class war as family plot. Glamorous misery as made-for-TV epic. If you came for an open-ended soap, you are in the wrong form. This is appointment chapters.
Craft first. With Roots, the miniseries proved Americans would schedule life around multi-night novel epics and helped ignite the 1970s–80s boom. That is structure, not a ratings anecdote. Chapter 1 opens the Jordache split. Chapter 9 is mid-novel density — money already weekly weather, not a single movie night. Book II's Chapter 1 is the afterlife premiere: the form extending the war as a franchise. Chapter 14 keeps class war a family plot. Chapter 22 is the catalog tail, a closed book. Thirty-four hours across two seasons. Nolte became a star; Asner won another Emmy. Breakout swagger is extra-textual heat. The novel actually fitting the nights is the argument.
Gossip will tell you about Nolte's breakout and the misery that photographed as glamour. Fine. Footnote. The blotter will want a leak from the saga. The cut says the form is the story: event television that ends, then dares a sequel season without pretending it was always a grind. People treating television like a crime blotter will miss that the calendar-clearing habit is the craft. A 1976 event, not a decade-long lease.
Watch it as chapters, not as a soap you can enter at any barbecue. Come for the climb and the brawl; stay because the novel fit. Sample the 1976 nights if you only have a weekend. Book II is graduate school, not a correction of the thesis. You are allowed a complete thought when the book closes.
Verdict: Rich Man, Poor Man remains the cleanest case that a network could teach America to show up for a novel. It is for viewers who will let class be a family plot. It is not for anyone who needs a perpetual next episode. The scandal of the boom will outlive half the prestige-miniseries discourse. That is, unfortunately, also part of television history. The crossword still has an answer key. It is the Jordache split. Everything after is extra credit.
Episode guide
How this series is filed
TV Flash files Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) on ABC as the episode guide: 34 listed hours across 2 seasons, 1976-02-01–1977-03-08 from “Chapter 1” (S01E01) to “Chapter 22” (S02E22).
Open the episode guide · S01E01 Chapter 1 · S02E22 Chapter 22
Essential episodes
Jordache appointment chapters: Strauss climbing, Nolte brawling, ABC proving America would clear the calendar for a novel. Filed by Julian Hart (The Binge Brief).
- S01E01 Chapter 1
Chapter 1 opens Irwin Shaw as appointment television. The Jordache brothers already splitting class war into climb and brawl: ABC's 1976 miniseries asking America to clear the calendar.
- S01E09 Chapter 9
Chapter 9 is mid-novel density. Multi-night novel craft: Strauss climbing, Nolte brawling, glamorous misery of money already the weekly weather, not a single movie night.
- S02E01 Chapter 1
Book II's Chapter 1 is the afterlife premiere. The miniseries that proved the form now extending the Jordache war: appointment chapters as a franchise, breakout swagger included.
- S02E14 Chapter 14
Chapter 14 is late Book II serial weather. Class war still a family plot: the calendar-clearing habit ABC minted in 1976, now a continuing novel rather than a four-night event.
- S02E22 Chapter 22
Chapter 22 is the catalog tail. The Jordache novel as a closed book: miniseries swagger that taught networks America would show up for chapters, then stay for a sequel season.
At a glance
Two brothers take opposite paths through postwar America in a sprawling adaptation of Irwin Shaw's bestseller. ABC's Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), a Novel for Television from Dean Riesner, made Peter Strauss's Rudy the climber and Nick Nolte's Tom the brawler, with Susan Blakely's Julie Prescott and Edward Asner's Axel Jordache in the family weather. Hugely rated chapters: Nolte became a star; Asner won another Emmy. Class war as family plot, glamorous misery as made-for-TV epic. Appointment television that asked America to clear the calendar — a 1976 event, not a decade-long grind.
Network & studio
- ABC — broadcast network
Why watch now
The Jordache brothers turn an Irwin Shaw novel into appointment chapters: Peter Strauss climbing, Nick Nolte brawling, class war as family plot. ABC's 1976 miniseries proved America would clear the calendar for a multi-night novel. Breakout swagger plus the glamorous misery of made-for-TV epic.
Cultural impact
With Roots, Rich Man, Poor Man proved Americans would schedule life around multi-night novel epics and helped ignite the 1970s–80s miniseries boom. Hugely rated ABC chapters made Nolte a star and handed Asner another Emmy. Class war as family plot became event television, not an open-ended soap — a novel that actually fit the nights.
Creators
Dean Riesner
Key cast
- Peter Strauss as Rudy Jordache
- Nick Nolte as Tom Jordache
- Susan Blakely as Julie Prescott
- Edward Asner as Axel Jordache
Flash facts
- Hugely rated 1976 ABC Novel for Television, adapted from Irwin Shaw's bestseller.
- Peter Strauss starred as Rudy Jordache opposite Nick Nolte as Tom Jordache.
- Susan Blakely played Julie Prescott; Edward Asner played Axel Jordache.
- Nick Nolte became a star; Asner won another Emmy.
- Helped ignite the 1970s–80s miniseries boom.
FAQ
Is this a series or a miniseries?
A 1976 ABC Novel for Television — multi-night chapters, not an open-ended weekly grind. Clear the calendar like an event.
Do I need Irwin Shaw's novel first?
No. The miniseries is the appointment version. The book is a cousin; Strauss, Nolte, and the Jordache split are the television.
Strauss or Nolte?
Both paths are the point: climbing versus brawling, class war as family plot. Nolte's breakout is the gossip; the pair is the saga.
Soap or novel epic?
Made-for-TV novel epic. Glamorous misery in chapters — event scheduling, not daytime serial manners.
Official & further reading
External sites for further reading — TV Flash is not affiliated with these networks or studios.
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