Remember that show about alien abductions that shows what happens to three generations of three different families and how they are affected by the abductions.
The mini series is also known as 'Steven Spielberg presents Taken', which had 10 episodes, each running nearly 2 hours long. Althought each episode was equivalent to watching a feature length film, every episode continued the story about three families and how they were affected or connected to the aliens. Spanning decades, characters came and went, with only Dakota Fanning's character Allie narrating each episode but only on screen appearing in the last 4 episodes. Starting in 1944 as a year before World War II ends and ending in present day (back then it was 2002).
Beginning in 1947 with the UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, this triggers ambitious Air Force Captain Owen Crawford into changing his way of thinking and becomes a shady government conspirator, who freely murders whoever might be in his way. The Crawford family become the main antagonists throughout the years of the show.
In 1944 pilot Russell Keyes and the rest of his crew are abducted by aliens and are experimented on. As a fighter Russell fights and kills the aliens who had disguised themselves as German doctors. Intrigued by his resilience and ability to survive the experiments, the aliens save him but continue to come for him. Scared that they'll come for his son Jesse, he becomes a drifter hoping the aliens won't find him. The Keyes family are the fighters but end up traumatised by their experiences.
In the same year as the UFO crash, Sally Clarke, a lonely waitress with two children and a husband who is always out of town, meets 'John' the supposed survivor alien from the crash. They share a special bond and she becomes pregnant by him and Jacob is born (played by a very young talented Anton Yelchin) The Clarke family are those who seem to experience the gentler side to aliens.
Over decades and years of experiements, the aliens plan to breed a being that will help them ends with Allie Keyes who is the daughter of Charlie Keyes and Lisa Clarke. She has great powers and is wise beyond her years. The epic last 4 episodes of the series are the best as there are showdowns, characters meeting for the first time and it all links in together.
It's a show that I think has been forgotten about, maybe because the episodes were really long or it was on TV at the same time as the first season of '24' (my sister and I had fights over who got to record their show) or maybe the show is over looked as 'just another alien abduction story', but this saga is brillaintly crafted with a standout cast and it does indeed have that Spielberg touch, which is a good things this time. I'm hoping it will have its time again in the spotlight and used as an example on how to craft gripping and well crafted TV but until that day, I'll keep talking about it and correct people and say 'no not the spin of the Liam Neeson films, the one about the alien abductions!'