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The Best Military TV Shows

Updated February 4, 2021 53.1k votes 12.0k voters 829.8k views68 items

List RulesLive-action shows that have stories centered primarily around the military and military characters only.

From dramatic to darkly comedic, these are the very best military shows on television, ranked from best to worst. Popular military TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the best military show of all time is. Don't let your favorite military television programs fall to the bottom of the list and be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot, whether they're a military drama or a show that follows special ops.

Everything from M.A.S.H. to Band of Brothers, most of the shows in the NCIS universe, and even that old standby of military sitcoms, Hogan's Heroes, is included on this list. There are lots of military shows on TV—new army TV shows, and old armed forces series—so checking out this ranked list will help you decide which to watch... maybe during your next Netflix binge?

What is the best military show of all time? What are the greatest military shows? From Army TV shows to Navy TV shows and any other division of military shows you can think of, it's time to vote for the best of the best!

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Band of Brothers
Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis
Premiered: 2001
Network: British Broadcasting Corporation, HBO
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1,802
235
SEAL Team
David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot
Premiered: 2017
Network: CBS
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#7 of 48 The Best New CBS TV Shows of the Last Few Years#15 of 56 The Best Drama TV Shows Airing Now
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2,415
723
The Unit
Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor
Premiered: 2006
Network: CBS
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#115 of 253 The Best TV Shows Streaming On Hulu#61 of 119 The Best TV Shows That Never Got a Real Finale
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1,475
726
M*A*S*H
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers
Premiered: 1972
Network: CBS
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#3 of 43 The Best TV Shows That Lasted 10+ Seasons#27 of 98 The Best Dramedy TV Series
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1,072
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The Pacific
Hugh Ambrose, Ed Tracy
Premiered: 2010
Network: HBO
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#12 of 221 The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time#31 of 102 The Best HBO Original Series
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594
382
Combat!
Vic Morrow, Rick Jason
Premiered: 1962
Network: American Broadcasting Company
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#596 of 640 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch#22 of 44 The Best ABC Dramas of All Time
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1,796
661
The Last Ship
Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra
Premiered: 2014
Network: TNT
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802
150
The Brave
Mike Vogel, Anne Heche
Premiered: 2017
Network: NBC
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1,496
1,044
NCIS
Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly
Premiered: 2003
Network: CBS
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1,309
475
Strike Back
Sullivan Stapleton, Philip Winchester
Premiered: 2010
Network: Sky1
11
670
452
The A-Team
George Peppard, Mr. T
Premiered: 1983
Network: NBC
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#73 of 266 The Best Cult TV Shows of All Time#27 of 64 The Best Sitcoms of the 1980s
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786
560
Hogan's Heroes
Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer
Premiered: 1965
Network: CBS
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#97 of 140 The Worst TV Series Finales Ever#21 of 78 The Best CBS Shows of All Time
13
1,076
545
JAG
David James Elliott, Catherine Bell
Premiered: 1995
Network: CBS, NBC
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479
315
China Beach
Dana Delany, Michael Boatman
Premiered: 1988
Network: American Broadcasting Company
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#281 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time#61 of 89 The Best 1980s Primetime TV Shows
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638
267
Tour of Duty
Terence Knox, Stephen Caffrey
Premiered: 1987
Network: CBS
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#33 of 50 The Best 1980s Action TV Series#24 of 56 The Greatest Period TV Shows Set in the 1960s
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441
70
Jack Ryan
John Krasinski, Abbie Cornish
Premiered: 2018
Network: Amazon Video
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Black Sheep Squadron
Robert Conrad, Simon Oakland
Premiered: 1976
Network: NBC
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458
366
The Rat Patrol
Christopher George, Gary Raymond
Premiered: 1966
Network: American Broadcasting Company
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#76 of 98 The Best Action TV Series Of All Time#11 of 55 The Best War Drama Series Ever Made
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605
159
Six
Barry Sloane, Kyle Schmid
Premiered: 2017
Network: History
20
473
394
McHale's Navy
Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn
Premiered: 1962
Network: American Broadcasting Company
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#141 of 288 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History#34 of 59 The Best ABC Comedies of All Time
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220
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Valor
Matt Barr, Christina Ochoa
Premiered: 2017
Network: CW
22
373
224
The World at War
Laurence Olivier, Adolf Hitler
Premiered: 1973
Network: ITV
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#29 of 281 The Best Documentary Series & TV Shows#4 of 31 The Best British War Series Ever Made
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1,134
402
Generation Kill
Alexander Skarsgård, James Ransone
Premiered: 2008
Network: HBO
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#293 of 374 The 50+ Best War Movies Ever Made, Ranked#30 of 52 The Best HBO Dramas of All Time

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Mail Call
R. Lee Ermey
Premiered: 2002
Network: The History Channel
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361
237
Twelve O'Clock High
Frank Overton, Paul Burke
Premiered: 1964
Network: American Broadcasting Company