The project was originally developed as a feature film with Ed Lewis attached as producer and Ivan Moffat writing an early draft of the script, before it was eventually turned into a miniseries.

Herbert Ross was the first director attached to the project and considered Christopher Reeve for the lead role.

Peter Weir later became attached to direct with Robert Redford as the favourite choice for the lead, but Weir dropped out and Arthur Hiller was then set to direct with Ryan O'Neal mooted as the star.

The role of Meggie Cleary became the most sought-after role of the production, with many actresses campaigning for it over a long pre-production period, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jane Seymour, Olivia Newton-John, and Kim Basinger.

British actress Lynne Frederick heavily campaigned for the role of Meggie Cleary and even dyed her hair red to showcase herself for the part.

The miniseries was the second most widely watched television miniseries in history at the time of its broadcast, behind Roots, scoring a 41.9 rating and 59 percent audience share.

The Thorn Birds was nominated for sixteen Emmy Awards and won six.

A sequel miniseries, The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years, was broadcast by CBS in 1996, depicting events from the nineteen-year time gap left unaccounted for in the original story.