I don't watch too much TV as an adult, but I can remember some made for TV mini-series that had a profound affect on me when I was younger. Thinking back on these, I forgot how many really great actors used to be involved with these movies - TV was king back in the late 70's & early 80's. Here are my favorites - although some might not count because of the caliber of actors in them:
Peter the Great (1986) - starring Maximilian Schell as Peter, Vanessa Redgrave as the Regent Sophia and everyone from Omar Sharif to Sir Laurence Olivier sprinkled throughout. After seeing this mini-series I rushed out and bought the Robert Massie book that it was based on and was just floored by it. It turned my into a real Russophile. I ended up going to Russia and few years later, studied Russian in college and even lived in Russia with a Russian family one summer. Good times.
Marco Polo (1978) - starring Ken Marshall as Marco, F. Murray Abraham as Jacopo, and Anne Bancroft as Marco's mother. It's been so long that I don't remember much about this mini-series, except that it had me running out to the library to find all I could on Marco Polo - and incited my desire to travel and see the world.
The Bastard (1978) - starring Andrew Stevens as Philip Kent, Tom Bosley as Benjamin Franklin, and everyone from Lorne Greene, Buddy Ebsen, and Harry Morgan to William Shatner (as Paul Revere, no less). This mini-series had me buying every John Jakes book I could get my hands on. Loved Jake's historical fiction. (I thought that the North and South mini-series based on his books was good too.)
Nobel House (1988) - starring Pierce Brosnan as Ian Dunross. Several people mentioned the Clavell's Shogun was their favorite (and it was excellent), but my favorite Clavell book is Noble House and I thought that did a great job with the mini-series adaption of it.
-Luthie