Three sign on for 'Pillars of the Earth'

11:34 AM PDT 6/8/2009 by Elizabeth Guider, Scott Roxborough

Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland in miniseries

A new TV maxi-series is trying to buck the trend and bring back appointment viewing for fictional sagas, a la "The Thorn Birds" or, more recently and modestly, "Angels in America" or "Broken Trail." Most of the big Euro stations have lined up to air "The Pillars of the Earth," but so far there are no broadcast takers in the U.S. or the U.K.