7 Lesser-Known War Shows on Prime to Watch in November 2023, Ranked
There are still an awful lot of atrocities and war crimes in the world, caused by the political games of the powerful. These TV shows do a wonderful job of conveying the horror of war.
Whether they are tales of honor and dignity, parables about the horrors of war, or dispassionate documentaries, television series all have one thing in common — war never changes and never brings anything good but suffering. Amazon Prime Video has a particularly rich library of such shows.
Many people are familiar with such masterpieces as Band of Brothers and The Pacific, dedicated to the heroes of World War II, or Generation Kill, which touches on the realities of modern warfare. But Prime also has some lesser known (but no less profound and fascinating) war shows that we will talk about today.
7. The Halcyon (2017, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 60%)
While nothing can compare to the horrors of being on and near the battlefront, that doesn't mean people don't experience struggles on the home front. The Halcyon focuses on a London five-star hotel during the WWII years, exploring the story of the growing struggles between the working class and the elites, their consolidation, and their fight against the spies of the Third Reich.
6. Generation War (2013, miniseries, Rotten Tomatoes score 61%)
This German miniseries follows five friends from Berlin on the eve of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union who promised to meet the following year. But the meeting didn't happen until after the war, and only three of them were able to see each other again. Although some have criticized the show for glossing over many of the horrors of the concentration camps, Generation War remains blatantly honest and recounts the experiences of both Germans and Jews.
5. Spies of Warsaw (2013, miniseries, Rotten Tomatoes score 71%)
Warsaw, 1937. Jean-Francois Mercier (David Tennant), a French aristocrat and World War I hero, has been appointed French military attaché. The assignment is just a cover and an excuse for political connections, as he is tasked with building a spy network against the Reich. However, his inside information is not always well received in Paris, where pro-German collaborationists are in charge.
4. World on Fire (2019, 2 seasons, Rotten Tomatoes score 92%)
As we have said before, war is not only about politics and militarism, but also about the civilians who endure its horrors. World on Fire traces the lives of ordinary people on both sides of the conflict as their fates become intertwined with the outbreak of World War II.
3. The Vietnam War (2017, miniseries, Rotten Tomatoes score 96%)
To create this documentary series, the acclaimed filmmaking trio of Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick spent ten years collecting 79 interviews with Americans who fought in the war, anti-war protesters and Vietnamese from both North and South. The filmmakers deliberately avoided historians, politicians and influencers in order to present a frank and down-to-earth account of one of the bloodiest chapters of the 20th century, told through the voices of ordinary people.
2. My Grandparents' War (2019, miniseries, Rotten Tomatoes score 100%)
In 2019, Britain's Channel 4 launched a documentary series to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II. The series is a collection of stories told by famous British celebrities about their grandparents' experiences during WWII.
1. Home Fires (2015, 2 seasons, Rotten Tomatoes score 100%)
The Second World War affected not only the major cities of Europe, but also the most remote rural communities. Set in Cheshire, the series follows the efforts and trials of the determined women of the Women's Institute as the war takes its toll on their community.