Forty million dollars and a slew of protests later, the ABC television miniseries, "Amerika," finally reached its conclusion this weekend.

So far, only an ABC spokesman has admitted to liking the portrayal of life in a United States controlled by the Soviet Union. In Cambridge, it drew criticism from both those on the political right and left as well as those in between.

Few at Harvard say they watched the show. Some, like international relations expert Associate Professor of History Bradford E. Lee, "made a point of not watching it," while Russian historian Gurney Professor of History and Political Science Adam Ulam stuck it out for two minutes before pronouncing the series "unbearably dull."

Marshall Goldman, associate director of the Russian Research Center, said he watched only the first episode.

Only Baird Professor of History Richard Pipes, who as an expert on Russia advises the Reagan administration, said he watched and liked the whole film. "I expected something much cruder." Even he termed the plot "a little slow."

But even if these intellectuals did not take the time to examine current pop culture, grass-roots activists vehemently protested the 14-hour series even before it aired.

"Mass. Propaganda Alert," a coalition of activist groups, urged a boycott of the series, criticizing its ideology as Cold War-mongering. Spokesman Tony Palomba said the group consists of seven anti-war organizations and has received numerous endorsements from local political figures and anti-war spokesmen.

ABC spokesman James Butler said the protests were nothing unusual. "We're used to being picketed," he said, citing objections to past programs on abortion, gun control and racism. "Oh yes, and we were blustering liberal fools when we showed `The Day After'," Butler said, referring to a show on life after nuclear war.

There were those who both criticized the series and the protests, saying that it was wrong to encourage censorship and it was futile anyway since the show was so bad.

Goldman criticized left-wing attempts to suppress the film as both anti-democratic and pointless. "By Thursday night nobody will watch it," he said Tuesday. The film ended last night.

According to Nielsen surveys, 38 percent of television viewers turned to the 14-1/2-hour miniseries on Sunday night, but only 31 percent were still tuned on Monday night. The ratings fell to 26 percent on Tuesday, and 28 percent on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, spokesman Butler said Tuesday that the network was pleased with "Amerika's" ratings, which topped its average viewer share of 22 percent.

"I can only guess that Americans are bored with it," said Jeffrey Cohen, executive director of Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), a liberal watchdog group. "They're bored with the idea of a Soviet invasion. They've seen it over and over [in other films]--and they've outgrown it." He cited other recent movies on the subject, such as "Red Dawn," commenting, "It's a whole genre now."

Several professors at the Russian Research Center agreed that, beyond immediate rhetorical posturing, the film will not change superpower relations. Ulam said it was unlikely to influence public opinion because "the American people won't keep watching this thing."

Nothing Soviet General Secretary Mikhail S. Gorbachev's indignation over the show, expressed at a recent press conference, Pipes said the Soviets should be the last to complain. He said anti-U.S. films released in the Soviet Union have depicted American officials as villains and Nazi collaborators for years.