8 War Shows That Redefined the Genre

The war genre has shaped film and television since the dawn of filmmaking, evolving across decades and finding a lasting home on the small screen. Television has produced everything from intimate miniseries to long-running dramas that aim to capture the visceral experience of combat.

Early efforts pushed for realism: Combat! (1962–1967) depicted a U.S. Army squad in Europe without glamour, while Shaka Zulu (1986) delivered a lavish miniseries about the rise of King Shaka. HBO’s The Pacific (2010) followed three soldiers through the brutalities of the Pacific Theater, and Generation Kill (2008) adapted Evan Wright’s account of embedded reporting during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

More recent and influential entries include FX’s Shōgun (2024–Present), a sprawling 17th-century drama that shattered Emmy nomination records in its debut season; Rome (2005–2007), which dramatized the Republic-to-Empire transition; and M*A*S*H (1972–1983), the long-running comedy-drama set at a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War.

United States, Europe

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