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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The 2002 miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken is a ten-part alien-abduction saga that follows three American families across more than five decades. Its scope is epic, but its most unsettling scenes lean into suspense and disturbing alien procedures—not the friendly wonder of E.T. This is Taken (2002), not the Liam Neeson action-film franchise.
What is Spielberg’s alien miniseries Taken about?
Created and written by Leslie Bohem, Taken follows the Keys, Crawfords, and Clarkes as alien encounters ripple through successive generations. The story reaches from World War II-era sightings and Roswell to government investigations, abductions, and the children left to live with their consequences. Amblin’s official synopsis describes it as a ten-night miniseries produced by DreamWorks Television for the Sci Fi Channel.
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Taken | $36.43 | Buy on Amazon |
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Steven Spielberg Presents Taken | $56.43 | Buy on Amazon |
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Taken | $108.85 | Buy on Amazon |
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![Steven Spielberg Presents Taken [DVD] [2003] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41V87QY9P9L._SL160_.jpg)
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Steven Spielberg Presents Taken [DVD] [2003] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] | $62.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The three family lines give the show its structure: the Keys are tied to recurring abductions, the Crawfords to military investigation and secrecy, and the Clarkes to an alien survivor and the question of belief. As time passes, descendants take center stage, so the story is less a single protagonist’s account than an evolving family chronicle.
Spielberg called it “a character story first and foremost,” according to a 2002 CBS/AP report. The phrase fits its emphasis on how people and families respond to the phenomenon, rather than treating alien encounters as isolated mysteries.
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Why is Taken so unsettling?
The miniseries combines a long historical sweep with scenes of abduction and invasive alien procedures. That contrast—ordinary family life alongside the unknown—creates much of its tension. In a 2002 review, Washington Post critic Tom Shales singled out a brain-surgery sequence as “the most terrifying I’ve ever seen in a movie made for television.” That is one critic’s reaction, not a consensus rating, but it conveys the kind of horror the show can deliver.
The same review warned that the violence and nightmarish material were unsuitable for little children. Rotten Tomatoes currently displays a TV-PG (V|L) label, but ratings and platform metadata can differ by service and territory. Families should weigh the described intensity, rather than relying on a label alone. The Washington Post’s assessment was that the show could be suspenseful and ambitious, though sometimes difficult to follow.
Rank #2
Bohem described alien-contact stories as “a modern mythology” in a Washington Post preview. The idea is reflected in the series’ treatment of sightings and abduction beliefs as a cultural backdrop for its characters; it is not evidence that alien abductions are established fact.
What Spielberg did—and did not do
Spielberg was an executive producer and the project’s presenting figure, but he did not direct the episodes. Bohem created and solely wrote the miniseries, while ten directors worked across its installments. A contemporaneous Washington Post review cautioned against assuming Spielberg produced it alone or directed it. His prominent name signals his role in presenting the project, not sole authorship.
Rank #3
How long is it, and how many episodes are there?
Taken has ten installments. The Sci Fi Channel broadcast them on ten consecutive weeknights, split across two Monday-to-Friday weeks, from December 2 through December 13, 2002. Contemporary coverage framed it as a 20-hour television event; that was a rounded promotional description, not an exact measured runtime. For comparison, Paramount Japan lists 878 minutes for its particular six-disc DVD edition.
| Original air date | Episode |
|---|---|
| December 2, 2002 | “Beyond the Sky” |
| December 3, 2002 | “Jacob and Jesse” |
| December 4, 2002 | “High Hopes” |
| December 5, 2002 | “Acid Test” |
| December 6, 2002 | “Maintenance” |
| December 9, 2002 | “Charlie and Lisa” |
| December 10, 2002 | “God’s Equation” |
| December 11, 2002 | “Dropping the Dishes” |
| December 12, 2002 | “John” |
| December 13, 2002 | “Taken” |
Rotten Tomatoes’ episode listing provides the installment titles and dates. The ten-night format makes this a complete miniseries rather than an ongoing show.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you watch Taken?
Streaming access is not settled globally. A BGR article published January 21, 2026, said the series had not found a streaming home at that time; that dated report is not a guarantee about availability now or in every country. Google Play’s indexed title description does not establish current purchase availability either.
Physical releases are documented. Paramount Japan lists a complete six-disc DVD box with all ten episodes, English and Japanese audio, Japanese and English subtitles, and an approximately 43-minute bonus feature; those details apply to that Japanese edition. Paramount Japan’s listing is the primary source for its contents. Blu-ray.com catalogs a six-disc US DVD release dated October 21, 2003. Check the specific edition’s region compatibility, condition, and contents before buying.
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Is Taken worth watching?
Choose it if you want a long-form alien story built around families, generational change, government secrecy, and abduction horror. It is a different proposition from a compact invasion thriller or a case-of-the-week series: its ten installments build a shared history, and its changing generations make the ensemble part of the point. Viewers seeking gentle extraterrestrial wonder may find the unsettling procedures and violence a poor fit.
Calling the miniseries “underrated” is a judgment, not a measurable verdict. Rotten Tomatoes currently shows fewer than 50 audience ratings, a 100% Popcornmeter score, and zero critic reviews—a small, changing sample that cannot establish broad acclaim. The grounded case for revisiting Taken is its unusually expansive family structure and darker take on alien mythology.
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