List RulesVote up the best war drama shows that have aired on television.
The best military and war drama shows offer stories about real, historical, battles. The best military drama series ever shown on television bring the human and emotional elements into the forefront. If you’ve been looking for the best military and war dramas, this list will help you figure out what needs to go into your queue.
Most military and war TV series are also dramas - battles and conflict are a fraught and emotional thing that weighs heavily on the people involved. Shows like Band of Brothers and Resistance are period dramas that tell the stories of people directly involved in historical conflicts. Other shows are about the people left behind, such as Bomb Girls and Home Fires. Not all military dramas are about historical battles, some are simply about the people who are members of the army or special forces teams and how their jobs in the military affect their lives and interactions.
Which shows handle the emotion of conflict the best? Vote up the best war and military drama shows, vote down the shows that don't convey the emotion of war well, and add any dramatic military series that are missing. And if you love these series, check out our list of military shows.
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938Band of Brothers
Scott Grimes, Damian LewisPremiered: 2001
Band of Brothers is a 2001 American WWII drama miniseries based on historian Stephen E.... more2
619The Pacific
Hugh Ambrose, Ed TracyPremiered: 2010
The Pacific is a 2010 television series produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies,... more3
2611Generation Kill
Alexander Skarsgård, James RansonePremiered: 2008
This series is a British-American seven-part television miniseries produced for HBO, based on... more4
228M*A*S*H
Alan Alda, Wayne RogersPremiered: 1972
M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970... more5
208Tour of Duty
Terence Knox, Stephen CaffreyPremiered: 1987
Tour of Duty is an American drama television series on CBS. It ran for three seasons from... more6
144Combat!
Vic Morrow, Rick JasonPremiered: 1962
Combat! is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967.... more7
2417SEAL Team
David Boreanaz, Max ThieriotPremiered: 2017
SEAL Team (CBS, 2017) is an American drama series created by Ben Cavell. The drama follows the... more8
1818Vikings
Travis Fimmel, Katheryn WinnickPremiered: 2013
Vikings (History, 2013) is a historical drama television series created by Michael Hirst. A... more9
1312Vietnam
Nicole Kidman, John PolsonPremiered: 1987
Vietnam is a (1987) Australian TV mini-series.... more10
1210The Unit
Dennis Haysbert, Regina TaylorPremiered: 2006
The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focused on a top-secret military... more11
85The Rat Patrol
Christopher George, Gary RaymondPremiered: 1966
The Rat Patrol is an American action and adventure television series that aired on ABC between... more12
1112Turn: Washington's Spies
Jamie Bell, Angus MacfadyenPremiered: 2014
TURN: Washington's Spies is a period drama based on Alexander Rose’s book Washington's Spies:... more13
99Manhattan
Rachel Brosnahan, Michael ChernusPremiered: 2014
Manhattan is an American television series that premiered on July 27, 2014, on WGN America. It... more14
910Foyle's War
Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle WeeksPremiered: 2002
This series is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after WWII,... more15
79Black Sheep Squadron
Robert Conrad, Simon OaklandPremiered: 1976
Black Sheep Squadron is the 2-hour pilot film for the TV adventure series Baa Baa Black Sheep.... more16
810The Brave
Mike Vogel, Anne HechePremiered: 2017
The Brave (NBC, 2017) is an American drama series with showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord.... more17
810We'll Meet Again
Susannah York, Christopher MalcolmPremiered: 1982
We'll Meet Again is a British television drama set in the Second World War. It was produced by... more18
1014The Pillars of the Earth
Ian McShane, Matthew MacfadyenPremiered: 2010
The Pillars of the Earth (Starz, 2010) is an eight-part TV miniseries based on the 1989 novel... more19
1014Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
Robert Hardy, Tim Pigott-SmithPremiered: 1981
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years is an 8-part 1981 drama serial based on the life of... more20
58Das Boot
Vicky Krieps, Tom WlaschihaPremiered: 2018
Das Boot (Sky plc, 2018) is a German historical drama television series based on the... more21
1016Casablanca
Ray Liotta, David SoulPremiered: 1983
Casablanca was a TV program released on 3 April 1983....22
610Oppenheimer
Sam Waterston, David SuchetPremiered: 1980
Oppenheimer is a television miniseries about J. Robert Oppenheimer, produced by the BBC. It... more23
59By the Sword Divided
By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and... more24
26The Code
Anna Wood, Ato EssandohPremiered: 2019
The Code (CBS, 2019) is an American drama TV series. The military's brightest minds take on... more25
510The White Queen
Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda HalePremiered: 2013
The White Queen (BBC One, 2013) is a British historical drama television miniseries based on... more