James Cameron’s Titanic Actually Sunk the 1996 Show of the Same Name

There’s never a bad time for bawling the eyes out while rewatching James Cameron ’s Titanic for a hundredth time, and Netflix viewers are currently proving this point.

More than twenty years since its theatrical release, the epic disaster film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as a couple that’s never meant to be together is trending in the streaming giant’s global top, to-date holding the second place in the top 10 chart.

The movie has undoubtedly become a must-watch for everyone intrigued by all the mysteries surrounding Titanic’s wreck, yet James Cameron’s highly acclaimed flick seemingly stole the light from a similar-themed series released just a year prior.

Ironically, the show in question does have some unintentional plot parallels with 1997 Titanic as well. Released back in 1996, the miniseries Titanic stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as wealthy woman Isabella Paradine who is traveling back home with her husband from the United Kingdom after attending her beloved aunt’s funeral.

On board, she suddenly encounters her former lover, Wynn Park, and their romance is eventually rekindled, sparking major controversies and unveiling Paradine’s darkest secrets that she kept from her family for years.

Meanwhile, Titanic’s other passenger Jamie Perce, just like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack in James Cameron’s movie, gets a lucky chance to board the largest ship the world has seen by that moment and falls in love with an Irish girl, though their slow-burn romance has to endure more hardships than just surviving the wreck before eventually receiving a happy ending.

Unlike James Cameron’s movie, the series was never meant to thrive for various reasons. Since it was set to be released ahead of the film that hit the theaters the following year, the production of 1996’s Titanic was rushed like never before, though the first part received a warm welcome from critics and viewers promising good ratings for the second part too.

However, the movie’s release thwarted all plans, and the show’s part 2 was completely crashed, with many historians and film professionals claiming that the necessity to wrap the production up as soon as possible caused a whole series of historical mistakes and inconsistencies, which later destroyed the series’ reputation successfully established by the first part.

Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Titanic is available for streaming on Tubi, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.