"Rich Man, Poor Man" was adapted into a highly successful ABC television miniseries with six 2-hour episodes shown for February 1 to March 15, 1976. The series ranked third in the seasonal Nielsens and garnered twenty-three Emmy nominations. A further adaptation, which Shaw had very little to do with, "Rich Man, Poor Man--Book II" was aired from September 21, 1976, to March 8, 1977. This was not as successful as the first. There was a third sequel "Beggar Man, Thief" in 1978, which belated included the Jordache's sister Gretchen who had been a prominent character in the original book.