How the miniseries became the coolest category in television

In the last 15 years, the Emmys have used the term "miniseries" to describe (and honor) a two-part network dramatization of the Anne Frank story, five incarnations of a 13-part horror bonanza, a six-hour movie version of America's most famous play, and a disaster of an eight-part Kennedys history which aired on the reality TV network Reelz. For a long time, it was basically a meaningless word in a mess of a category.
But as TV viewing habits and network practices have evolved, that's c