10 Brilliant War TV Shows for When You're All Out of Movies (& Where to Watch Them)

10. North and South (1985)

Just how many personal and ideological differences can a friendship endure before it finally breaks apart?Two best friends find themselves and their families on opposing sides of the upcoming American Civil War: one from the South and one from the North, they try their best to keep their relationship, but it becomes increasingly hard.

You can watch North and South on Apple TV and Prime Video.

9. China Beach (1988–1991)

Even during the war, life goes on… Even in the warzone. Join the participants of the Vietnamese war: nurses, soldiers, officers, and civilians from both sides of the conflict in their new reality. Throughout the show, they try to live their lives and survive as their life stories revolve around the field hospital in China Beach.

You can watch China Beach on Prime Video.

8. Roots (1977)

Every family has centuries of history — but for some, their history was much darker. Roots follows a dynasty of Black people throughout eras: from their ancestors’ enslavement by the colonialists to the long period of suffering to their eventual liberation. Roots shows the history of a family with respect but without compromises.

You can watch Roots on Apple TV and Prime Video.

7. Vikings: Valhalla ( 2022–Now)

Ancient wars had fewer people dying but were much more brutal overall. Vikings: Valhalla follows the final years of the decline of the Viking Era. In England, the locals and the Norse are not on the best terms, and tensions rise; but the Danes also deal with internal conflicts as some of them turn Christian and others remain pagan.

You can watch Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

6. Turn: Washington's Spies (2014–2017)

Even little people can turn the tides of historical events if they try hard enough. An American farmer gathers his childhood friends and creates an unlikely group of spies to aid their country’s liberation as the British forces slay the insurgents. Together, they manage to turn the tides of the American Revolutionary War in their favor.

You can watch Turn: Washington's Spies on Apple TV and Prime Video.

5. Generation Kill (2008)

It’s hard to overestimate how the war changes people’s mentality. Following the American Invasion of Iraq, Generation Kill retells what an embedded reporter saw when he ventured into the foreign land with the Marines. War without glamor and lies, shown from the eyes of an outside spectator who risked his life to tell this story.

You can watch Generation Kill on Apple TV and Prime Video.

4. The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

Compromise is often the best way to end a war, but what if that compromise is also someone’s birthright? England is burning as the local population defends against the Norse conquerors. One man, a Saxon by blood and a Viking by culture, aims to bring an end to the slaughter by claiming what’s his by birthright: the power over both.

You can watch The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

3. Rome (2005–2007)

The Roman Empire was not built in one day; in fact, it was created from the Roman Republic through countless wars and conquests. Join Julius Caesar and his generals as they expand the borders of the first Empire, and see the events that unfolded 21 centuries ago through the eyes of both illustrious and ordinary Roman citizens.

You can watch Rome on Max, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

2. The Pacific (2010)

World War II was the largest, most brutal, and most devastating military conflict in history, involving dozens of countries all over the world. Follow three young American Marines fighting in the Pacific Theater as they try to survive and bring the Allies’ victory closer while stuck in the living hell of the Pacific War Theater.

You can watch The Pacific on Max, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

1. Band of Brothers (2001)

However terrible the war in the Pacific was, Europe was one enormous meatgrinder during World War II. Band of Brothers follows a small group of American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division as they undergo their training in the US, land in Normandy, and take part in the biggest war events until the Nazi’s capitulation.

You can watch Band of Brothers on Max, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.