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Season 1 – World War II With Tom Hanks

Play trailer 1:43 Poster for Season 1 – World War II With Tom Hanks Next Ep Jun 1 Documentary History War Play Trailer Watchlist
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Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war.
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World War II With Tom Hanks — Season 1

Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal 2d
This highly ambitious, informative and entertaining series takes the most analyzed, scrutinized, dramatized and idealized event of the 20th century and makes it feel like something you never learned about in school. Go to Full Review Jack Seale Guardian 4d
3/5
If your knowledge is sketchy, a 20-hour investment in this programme will provide you with the basics. It does feel basic, though: the war is too big for it. Go to Full Review Joel Keller Decider 2d
As comprehensive as World War II With Tom Hanks seems it will be, even people who consider themselves experts in World War II might learn some new information about the massive conflagaration during the show’s 20 episode. Go to Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 6d
4.5/5
Based on the first three episodes, World War II With Tom Hanks is shaping up to be one of the more ambitious and accessible World War II documentary series produced for television in recent years. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dean R @RT77430474 1d Episode 1 starts with Hanks, for some reason sat in the shadows, dressed like he's either going to rob a house or go on stage to present a new Apple product. Weirdly giving us a side eye whilst talking out the corner of his mouth like a 1920's New York gangster, now I'm not saying he's over done the botox, but I saw more movement in Han Solo's face in the carbonite slab then I did during Hank's piece to camera. The biggest shock of all is Tommy boy says that the war 'raged for 6 years'.... at that point you could just feel the millions of confused Americans counting back from 45 to 41 scratching the tops of their heads. Hanks inability to say the word 'Adolf' instead saying 'A-Dolph' is irritating. This show is not fit to tie the laces of the brilliant 'World at War'. Educate yourself by watching this instead of this paint by No’s dross. I will leave you with this final thought.... The World at War was narrated by the late, great Sir Laurence Olivier, and not Woody from Toy Story. See more William R. P @Ogn_Dulk 4d Same ol', same ol', and we never learn a damn thing See more MarGaret W @QuarterOranageMar-Garet 5d No Bad, Not great but not Bad.....and I'm sure all the myriad of thousands of Historical Combat & Intrigue Events happened exactly as Mr. Hanks & Co. has described & Framed them. "The TRUTH Is So Precious A Thing: That It Must Be Protected By A Bodyguard Of LlES. " ~ Winston Churchill (c. 1943) I think the real question is: WHO, especially under the current Circumstances, is still willing to believe "The NOBEL LlE" now in 2026? See more Read all reviews
World War II With Tom Hanks — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Tom Hanks

Narrator

Mary Donahue

Director

Eli Lehrer

Director

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 25, 2026 The Beginning In September 1939, Germany invades Poland, setting the stage for the most destructive war in history. Details Episode 2 Aired May 25, 2026 Blitz After toppling the Netherlands and Belgium, Nazi Germany pushes further west; the Allies scramble to support France as Churchill is forced to defend Britain from the skies and FDR rushes to mobilize wartime production. Details Episode 3 Aired May 25, 2026 Barbarossa Examine the story of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the largest and costliest land offensive in human history. Details Episode 4 Airs Jun 1 Pearl Harbor Japan escalates their war in China, drawing increasing US sanctions and widespread outrage; driven by resource shortages and military ideology, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in a move that will reshape the course of World War II. Details Episode 5 Airs Jun 1 The War at Sea The story of how America's battle to control the seas against the terrifying German U-boats in the Atlantic and Japan's fearsome Navy in the Pacific ultimately turns the tide of the war. Details Episode 6 Airs Jun 8 Guadalcanal After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces sweep across Southeast Asia; on Guadalcanal, United States Marines are given the bloody task of stopping their relentless advance. Details Episode 7 Airs Jun 8 Darkness Falls As Hitler's reach extends beyond Germany and darkness descends on Europe, his hateful rhetoric leads to anti-Jewish persecution and ultimately, genocide. Details Episode 8 Airs Jun 8 Operation Torch In Operation Torch, the first joint U.S.-British offensive of the war, thousands of inexperienced U.S. troops, and their untested leader Eisenhower, face off against the hardened German Afrika Korps and the infamous Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Details Episode 9 Airs Jun 15 Secrets and Lies Behind the fierce frontline clashes of WWII, a hidden battle rages - one of espionage, deception, and codebreaking. In rural England, a group of brilliant academics work to crack Germany's unbreakable Enigma Code and change the course of the war. Details Episode 10 Airs Jun 15 Stalingrad Operation Blue: the German Army fights to take Soviet oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, becoming one of the deadliest battles ever fought and a major turning point on the Eastern Front. Details Episode 11 Airs Jun 29 Italy The Allies hope to quickly penetrate the Nazi Reich via Italy but instead endure a months-long slog with devastating results. Details Episode 12 Airs Jun 29 Battle for the Skies Allied air forces engage in a fierce and costly battle with the German Luftwaffe over the skies of Europe. Details Episode 13 Airs Jun 22 Overlord Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war. Details Episode 14 Airs Jul 6 Long Road to Tokyo The Allies and Japan clash in the jungles and plains of Asia, the "forgotten theater" of World War II, as America struggles to bring the fight to Tokyo's door. Details Episode 15 Airs Jul 6 Home Front Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war. Details Episode 16 Airs Jul 13 Resistance Resistance to Nazi occupation and oppression is a constant throughout the war, with results both triumphant and devastating. Details Episode 17 Airs Jul 13 No Surrender Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war. Details Episode 18 Airs Jul 20 Last Days of the Reich The war in Europe reaches a climax as Allied armies advance towards Berlin, and Hitler orders his people to fight to the last man. Details Episode 19 Airs Jul 20 Endgame Exploring WWII from Germany's invasion of Poland through the atomic age and examining pivotal battles, wartime leaders like Churchill and Roosevelt and the human cost of total war. Details Episode 20 Airs Jul 27 Fall Out The end of the second world war and the dawn of the nuclear age see its two great victors go from allies to adversaries. Details
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World War II With Tom Hanks — Season 1

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World War II With Tom Hanks — Season 1

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Season Info

Director
Mary Donahue, Eli Lehrer
Network
History
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Documentary, History, War
Original Language
English
Release Date
May 25, 2026