'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' & 4 Other Best TV Series About War, Ranked by RT
These shows fearlessly explore the moral dilemmas faced by soldiers and commanders, asking uncomfortable questions about the nature of conflict.
War series often go unnoticed. Almost any viewer can easily name a feature film about a major military conflict, ranging from Saving Private Ryan to 1917.
However, people hesitate before recalling even one multi-episode project. Yet, television shows are full of stories that rival their feature-length counterparts.
5. 'Masters of the Air', 2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
The nine-part TV series centers on two best friends and pilots of the 100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth: Majors Gale "Buck" Cleven and John "Bucky" Egan.
In 1943, these pilots regularly risked their lives by destroying Nazi troops and structures from the sky. They faced extreme cold, oxygen deprivation, anti-aircraft fire, and enemy aircraft.
Despite all these difficulties, the pilots persistently carried out their assigned missions.
4. 'Generation Kill', 2008
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright was assigned to the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion and recounts his experiences during the first wave of the 2003 Baghdad assault.
The story centers on a diverse group of Marines – a group of individuals who are very different from one another, yet still manage to carry out their assigned missions. This perfectly demonstrates how absurd and terrifying war can be.
In 2008, HBO created a television series about the Iraq War similar to Band of Brothers. The project was produced by The Wire creators David Simon and Ed Burns.
3. 'The Pacific', 2010
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Based on the memoirs of participants, the TV series recounts the experiences of three Marines who fought in the Pacific Theater.
From the first battle against Japan on Guadalcanal through the sands of Iwo Jima and the horrors of Okinawa, we follow the terrifying, death-filled journey of Privates Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge and Sergeant John Basilone to their final triumphant return after V-J Day.
2. 'Band of Brothers', 2001
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the team behind Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers draws heavily from its feature-length counterpart. The series candidly portrays all aspects of the conflict, striking a balance between the heroism and horrors of war.
When it was released in 2001, it became the most expensive miniseries in television history. This allowed the creators to depict the events with the greatest scope and realism.
1. 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North', 2025
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
The dramatic show chronicles three stages in the life of Dorrigo Evans. In 1940, Evans, a young medical student from Tasmania, joined the Australian Army and went to the front, leaving his girlfriend, Ella, behind.
Two years later, Dorrigo was captured by the Japanese. Along with other prisoners of war, he was forced to work on the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway, where many of his friends died.
Decades later, an elderly Dorrigo, now a war hero and revered surgeon, recalls these events with sadness and horror.
