I watched this 1994 mini-series this weekend for the first time. Wanted to see this one first before getting to the new one. In the book my favorite character was Nick Andros. Just like you said, Stu was a bit too perfect. In the series though it was impossible not to root for Gary Sinise, he is great actor!

Nick from the book, his disabilities and genuine kindness were more intriguing for me, as I knew from my own experience what it means to be deaf. Rob Lowe didn't quite appeal to me, or better said, he wasn't so convincing. For a deaf-mute person he often didn't stand across people with whom he was speaking to, to read from their lips properly. Ironically, as I read later he himself is really deaf in one ear too, and should have known better!

I just saw this again (which is so much better than the new version - even with some cheap special effects), and my favourite character was Larry Underwood.

He had the most interesting background and also seemed the most flawed in the committee. The only thing I didn't like about him in this version was his borderline abuse to Nadine. Otherwise I felt he was quite rational that realistically questioned things like I probably would have (sending spies, leaving Stu).

@cpheonix said:

I just saw this again (which is so much better than the new version - even with some cheap special effects), and my favourite character was Larry Underwood.

He had the most interesting background and also seemed the most flawed in the committee. The only thing I didn't like about him in this version was his borderline abuse to Nadine. Otherwise I felt he was quite rational that realistically questioned things like I probably would have (sending spies, leaving Stu).

A lot of people feel that Lary grew the most during the course of the story. King presented him as an almost completely amoral man especially at first so that for him to come up to the same moral level as the rest of the Committee he had to do the most growing. At first. he used everyone he could: witness his pursuit of Nadine while using Lucy for sex, and then his rejection of Nadine after the first mass meeting. By this time he had already committed to Lucy, so having sex with Nadine would be unfaithful to her.

There are undoubtedly other examples, but this is the best one that I can think of. The old Larry would have seized the opportunity to sleep with Nadine, but the new Larry, now knowing and loving Lucy, would not.