A huge favorite with college students and adults. People quickly formed parties around the series. It was an amazing part of television history. People talked about the show all week long waiting for the next installment. The use of established stars and new faces created a great deal of believability in the story line. Shows like Dallas, Dynasty, and other miniseries like Roots owe their success to Rich Man, Poor Man. America was glued to the miniseries format. The use of real historic events created the feeling that the author was relating true events to you through the characters. Successful television shows and movies, such as Wonder Years and Forrest Gump, have applied this format.