The series was enormously successful, being the second most widely watched television miniseries in history at the time, behind Roots.

The Thorn Birds scored a staggering 41.9 rating and 59 percent of the audience, and was nominated for sixteen Emmys, winning six.

[1] It was followed by a sequel miniseries in 1996, The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years, showing some of what the characters experienced during the nineteen-year time gap in the original.

Eventually Weir dropped out and Arthur Hiller was going to direct; Ryan O'Neal was mooted as a star.

Other actresses who auditioned for the part included Michelle Pfeiffer, Jane Seymour, Olivia Newton-John, and Kim Basinger.