This is absolutely a wonderful series.  Truly one of the best ever.  It's also a bargain, as the entire series on VHS cost just under $1,000.  Having just studied U.S. History in the period the series covers I understood even better just how well the producers and writers interwove real life events in with the stories of their characters, and best of all the characters are flawed and real and loveable and even gently amusing.  While there are some episodes (The Swedish Tiger) and some characters (Sarah) that I've never particularly liked, the series as a whole is superb.  (And as for video quality people are complaining about here, I don't get it, as I've only ever seen Up/Down on PBS and VHS copies from PBS and this looks just as it always did.)  Don't let this even bother you.  The series is worth it.