Top 250 Tv Shows Like They Were Expendable
A Tribute to Those Who Did So Much... With So Little!
A list of the best tv shows similar to They Were Expendable. If you liked They Were Expendable then you may also like: Band of Brothers, NCIS, Masters of the Air, 12 O'Clock High, Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days and many more great tv shows featured on this list.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor, a squadron of PT-boat crews in the Philippines must battle the Navy brass between skirmishes with the Japanese. The title says it all about the Navy's attitude towards the PT-boats and their crews.
They Were Expendable
Masters of the Air
During World War II, airmen risk their lives with the 100th Bomb Group, a brotherhood forged by courage, loss, and triumph.
12 O'Clock High
This series chronicles the adventures--in the air and on the ground--of the men of the 918th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force. First commanded by irascible General Frank Savage--and later by Colonel Joe Gallagher, the son of a Pentagon General--the Group is stationed in England, and flies long-range bombing missions into German-held Europe.
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
The dramatized World War II adventures of US Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his Marine Attack Squadron 214, AKA The Black Sheep Squadron.
Below Deck
The upstairs and downstairs worlds collide when this young and single crew of "yachties" live, love and work together onboard a luxurious mega yacht while tending to the ever-changing needs of their wealthy, demanding charter guests.
The Buccaneers
The adventures of privateer Captain Dan Tempest and his crew of former pirates as they make their way across the seven seas in The Sultana.
The Love Boat
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.
Combat!
Combat! is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American soldiers fighting the Germans in France during World War II. The program starred Rick Jason as platoon leader Second Lieutenant Gil Hanley and Vic Morrow as Sergeant "Chip" Saunders.
Deadliest Catch
Forty-foot waves, 700 pound crab pots, freezing temperatures and your mortality staring you in the face…it's all in a day's work for these modern day prospectors. During each episode we will watch crews race to meet their quota and make it home safely.
Everybody Hates Chris
Chris is a teenager growing up as the eldest of three children in Brooklyn, New York during the early 1980s. Uprooted to a new neighborhood and bused to a predominantly white middle school two-hours away by his strict, hard-working parents, Chris struggles to find his place while keeping his siblings in line at home and surmounting the challenges of junior high.
Flight 29 Down
Some teenagers are stranded on a desert island in Micronesia. Their plane crashed and led them into a one-in-a-lifetime eco-adventure. They will have to learn to navigate the challenges that come before them in the tropical paradise in Hawaii using intelligence, wit, and instincts. They also have to learn to live with each other.
Foyle's War
As WW2 rages around the world, DCS Foyle fights his own war on the home-front as he investigates crimes on the south coast of England. Foyle's War opens in southern England in the year 1940. Later series sees the retired detective working as an MI5 agent operating in the aftermath of the war.
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to July 4, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Bob Crane starred as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, coordinating an international crew of Allied prisoners running a Special Operations group from the camp. Werner Klemperer played Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the commandant of the camp, and John Banner was the inept sergeant-of-the-guard, Hans Schultz. The series was popular during its six-season run. In 2013, creators Bernard Fein through his estate and Albert S. Ruddy acquired the sequel and other separate rights to Hogan's Heroes from Mark Cuban through arbitration and a movie based on the show has been planned.
Homefront
Homefront is an American television drama series created and produced by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick in association with Warner Bros. Television for ABC. The show was set in the fictional city of River Run, Ohio in 1945, 1946, and 1947. The show's theme song, "Accentuate the Positive", was written by Johnny Mercer and performed by Jack Sheldon. Forty-two episodes were broadcast in the United States over two seasons from 1991 to 1993. TV Guide, Abigail Van Buren, and fans showed determination in getting ABC to continue the show for a third season before it was cancelled.
Magnum P.I.
Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL, returns home from Afghanistan and applies his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii taking jobs no one else will—with the help of fellow vets T.C. Calvin and Rick Wright, and former MI:6 agent, Juliet Higgins.
Manhattan
Set against the backdrop of the greatest clandestine race against time in the history of science with the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Flawed scientists and their families attempt to co-exist in a world where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives.
Siren
The coastal town of Bristol Cove is known for its legend of once being home to mermaids. When the arrival of a mysterious girl proves this folklore all too true, the battle between man and sea takes a very vicious turn as these predatory beings return to reclaim their right to the ocean.
The Terminal List
Navy SEAL Commander James Reece turns to vengeance as he investigates the mysterious forces behind the murder of his entire platoon. Free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons he’s learned from nearly two decades of warfare to hunt down the people responsible.
X Company
An emotionally-driven character drama, set in the thrilling and dangerous world of WWII espionage and covert operations. It follows the stories of five highly skilled young recruits - Canadian, American and British - torn from their ordinary lives to train as agents in an ultra-secret facility on the shores of Lake Ontario. These agents parachute behind enemy lines, where they're fair game for torture and execution. From elegant hotels to hellholes in the field, it's one risky operation after another, masterminded by the brains of Camp X.
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
The comic adventures of a group of misfits who form an extremely bad concert party touring the hot and steamy jungles of Burma entertaining the troops during World War II.
Dad's Army
Introducing the Walmington-On-Sea home guard. During WW2, in a fictional British seaside town, a ragtag group of Home Guard local defense volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion.
The World at War
A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.
The Adventures of Sinbad
The Adventures of Sinbad is a Canadian television series which aired from 1996 to 1998. It follows on the story from the pilot of the same name, and revolves around the series' protagonist, Sinbad. The series is a re-telling of the adventures of Sinbad from The Arabian Nights.
Shootout!
Shootout! was a documentary series featured on The History Channel and ran for two seasons from 2005 to 2006. It depicts actual firefights between United States military personnel and other combatants. There are also occasional episodes dedicated to police or S.W.A.T. team firefights, as well as Wild West shootouts. It also now has a feature of downloading and playing a first-person shooter detailing some of the battles. The battles include skirmishes from World War II, the Vietnam War, and the ongoing War on Terror in Afghanistan and during the 2003-2010 Iraq War. Season 1 was produced for The History Channel by Greystone Communications and Season 2 was produced by Flight 33 Productions. The series was created by Dolores Gavin and Louis Tarantino.
The Living Dead
This series investigated the way that history and memory have been used by politicians and others.
Love Boat: The Next Wave
In this updated version of the classic "The Love Boat" series, recently divorced former U.S. Navy captain Jim Kennedy III takes the helm of a Caribbean cruise ship - along with its crew mates - on adventuresome voyages that sometimes lead to romance. The series aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999.
McHale's Navy
An experienced South Pacific Sea Dog by the name of Quinton McHale, was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander into the U.S. Navy Reserve at the start of World War II. McHale was made the Skipper of the Torpedo Patrol (PT) Boat #73 stationed at the U.S. Naval Installation on the island of Taratupa in the Southwest Pacific. The 73 'Family' included, among others, a con man and amateur Magician, a womanizing hunk, a dedicated Family man, a guitar-playing, moonshine-making Tennessee good ol' boy, and even a deserter from the Japanese Navy, who was an excellent cook.
Hero Ships
From the ship nicknamed "Old Ironsides" to today's nuclear-powered marvels, these U.S. Navy legends and their crews have made a name for themselves as some of the most impressive fighting vessels in history. Admired at home and abroad, each has their own story to tell. Watch to find out why they're called Hero Ships.
The Diary of Anne Frank
Five-part adaptation of Anne Frank's famous wartime diaries in which a young teenager and her family go into hiding from the Nazis in wartime Amsterdam.
Land Girls
The lives, loves and highs and lows of four members of the Women's Land Army working at the Hoxley Estate during World War II.
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance is an American miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Herman Wouk. It is the sequel to highly successful The Winds of War.
Hawaii Five-0
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.
Casablanca
In this prequel to the movie, set from June 1940 to November 1941, American Rick Blaine runs the Cafe Americain in Casablanca and deals with Nazis, French, and locals in this center of World War II intrigue.
Unknown War
A documentary television series of the Nazi-Soviet War, edited from over 3.5 million feet of film taken by Soviet camera crews from the first day of the war, 22 June 1941, to the Soviet entry into Berlin in May 1945.
Mistral's Daughter
Beautiful and naïve Maggy Lunel arrives in Paris completely broke. She becomes an artist's model and the toast of Paris, attracting the attention of Picasso-like painter Julien Mistral, an arrogant and selfish man who places his work above everything. Their paths diverge as Mistral's art catches the eye of a rich American woman who becomes his patroness and eventually his wife. During the war years in France, Mistral collaborates with the Nazis in order to continue with his work, a decision that will come back to haunt him years later. In the meantime, Maggy has a daughter named Teddy who grows up and falls in love with Mistral with whom she has a child named Fauve. As Mistral ages, he comes to terms with his selfish past and wartime betrayal through his art, leaving a beautiful legacy for his daughter, Fauve.
The Third Reich: The Rise & Fall
An intimate, authentic portrait of Hitler's Germany as recorded by the people who lived it. Never-before-seen home movies, Nazi propaganda films and personal recollections culled from German's diaries, journals and letters provide a rare look inside the darker pages of world history.
The Sinking of the Laconia
The true story of the Allied ship Laconia, sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat, which then surfaced against orders to rescue the civilian crew
The Winds of War
Set against the backdrop of world events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Victor "Pug" Henry is a career naval officer who, along with his family, learns to navigate the waters of his dangerous times in the late 1930s.
Bomb Girls
Focusing on a group of women working in a munitions plant during World War II, this ensemble drama depicts the dangers and new experiences they face.
Small Island
Follow three intricately connected stories of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in World War Two. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as we trace the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.
Above and Beyond
Above and Beyond is a four-hour 2006 miniseries aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on October 29 and 30. The miniseries is about the Atlantic Ferry Organization, which was tasked with delivering aircraft from North America to Europe in the early years of the Second World War. It stars Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Scarfe, Liane Balaban, Allan Hawco, Kenneth Welsh, and Jason Priestley.
Convoy: War Of The Atlantic
The story of the Convoys is a tale of compelling drama, full of bravery and tragedy. It takes us into the lives of hundreds of thousands of unheralded men whose incredible everyday courage, played out in the cruel seas and cold skies of the North Atlantic changed the course of the war.
The Last Ship
Their mission is simple: Find a cure. Stop the virus. Save the world. When a global pandemic wipes out eighty percent of the planet's population, the crew of a lone naval destroyer must find a way to pull humanity from the brink of extinction.
World War II in HD Colour
World War II In HD Colour is a 13-episode television documentary miniseries recounting the events of World War II narrated by Robert Powell. The show covers the Western Front, Eastern Front, and the Pacific War. It is on syndication in America on the Military Channel. This series is in full color, combining both original and colorized footage.
World War 2: The Complete History
This exhaustive collection encompasses all the events that occurred during World War II. Covering an astonishing amount of ground, events in France, London, Munich, Stalingrad, the Pacific, and many others are all covered in intimate detail. Some of the stories offered by veterans create a startling portrait of the events as they unfolded, as well as adding a personal touch to this amazing program. In short, this is an insightful way to gather a welter of information on this important chapter in world history.
Battle of the Atlantic
Explores the desperate struggle for survival on a hostile ocean during the longest and bloodiest battle of the Second World War.
Battle Stations
Battle Stations is a documentary series of 1 hour episodes, which uses archive footage, re-enactments and first-hand accounts from the crews, to follow the machines and technology implemented from the Second World War to the Gulf War in the land, air and sea.
The Lost Evidence
The Lost Evidence is a television program on The History Channel which uses three-dimensional landscapes, reconnaissance photos, eyewitness testimony and documents to reevaluate and recreate key battles of World War II.
Murder or Mutiny
'Salty Sam' Stephenson, Pamela's great, great grandfather, family legend has it was the owner and captain of the sailing ship ROSALIE who was abandoned by his crew in the 1820s and never heard of again. A chance encounter with the descendant of another crew member who had a different story to tell prompted Pamela to discover the fate of her ancestor. Delving in maritime archives she begins to piece together his background. From Rotherhithe she retraces his journeys along the old spice route and hires a sailing boat with a heavily armed crew to continue her search in pirate-infested waters. A tale of genealogy, mystery and adventure.
Alaska: Battle on the Bay
In the desolate outreaches of Bristol Bay, Alaska, the most competitive fishing season on Earth takes place throughout four short weeks. 1,800 captains and their crews draw the battle lines to help save Alaska's ecosystem by reeling in a massive sockeye salmon payday. With potential fortune swimming just below the surface, five captains prepare to battle the unforgiving bay, the battering ram of boats jockeying for position and the law, which strictly monitors the season with recon choppers and police squads. On the bay, fishing for the nearly 44 million salmon is necessary for the environment, and arm of the law is long, tempers are short and every single decision is the difference between drawing a huge income and settling for pennies.
Home Fires
The story of a group of inspirational women in a rural Cheshire community with the shadow of World War II casting a dark cloud over their lives. As the conflict takes hold and separates the women from their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, the characters find themselves under increasing and extraordinary pressures in a rapidly fragmenting world. By banding together as the Great Paxford Women’s Institute, they help maintain the nation’s fabric in its darkest hour, and discover inner resources that will change their lives forever.
From Here to Eternity
The lives of the men and families of G Company, 24th Infantry Division, United States Army, on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Nutshack
Two cousins (Phil and Jack) from completely different worlds (the Philippines and the SF Bay Area) are forced to live together by their overly controlling uncle, Tito Dick.
My Mother and Other Strangers
Drama series set in 1943 following the Coyne family and their neighbours as they struggle to maintain a normal life after a US Army Air Force base is set up in the middle of their rural parish.
The Halcyon
The story of a bustling and glamorous five star hotel at the centre of London society and a world at war.
Tokyo Trial
In the wake of World War II, 11 Allied judges are tasked with weighing the fates of Japanese war criminals in a tense international trial.
Hitler's Circle of Evil
Surviving power struggles, betrayals and plots, Hitler's inner circle of Nazi leaders seizes control of Germany and designs its disastrous future.
Hitler's Last Stand
Nazi diehard and fanatics fight to the last man to stop Allied forces from freeing Europe, keeping an unrelenting grip on the naval bases, citadels and fortresses of occupied Europe.
The Pacific War in Color
Witness iconic assaults, intense battles, and intimate moments of the Pacific War, in color.
World War Two
Follow the deadliest conflict in human history in real time, week by week, blow by blow.
Warship: Life at Sea
Documentary series exploring everyday life on board various ships in the Royal Navy fleet.
Goliath Awaits
During World War II the passenger liner "Goliath" is sunk by a German submarine. Portions of the ship's hull remain airtight, and some of the passengers and crew survive. Over the decades they build a rigidly regulated society completely isolated from the surface world until, in contemporary times, a diving team begins to explore the wreck.
World on Fire
The story of World War II told through the intertwining fates of ordinary people from all sides of this global conflict as they grapple with the effect of the war on their everyday lives.
Greatest Events of World War II in Colour
Using highly advanced colourisation techniques, critical moments from World War II, from Stalingrad to The Battle of Britain, are shown in a whole new light.
Shadowplay
In 1946 Berlin, an American cop searches for his missing brother while helping a novice German policewoman fight the violent crimes engulfing the city.
Rise of the Nazis
How did 20th Century Europe's most liberal democracy fall into the hands of fascists? From Hitler's political scheming that turned Germany's parliament into a House of Cards, his War on Truth leading to book burning, and his scapegoating of minorities, this series explores in extraordinary detail the events leading up to the outbreak of World War II.
The Singapore Grip
In colonial Singapore during World War Two, this epic drama follows the schemes – both commercial and amorous – of a wealthy British family as they struggle to preserve their prosperous business amid cataclysmic world events.
Our Miracle Years
In a politically, morally and economically destroyed country, three sisters of an industrialist family in post-war Germany reinvent themselves and set the course for their future.
Secrets of the Third Reich
Little-known events that played a large role in determining the outcome of World War II are revealed in this documentary series.
The Battle of Britain: 3 Days That Saved the Nation
Dan Snow and Kate Humble present a three-part guide to the critical aerial battle that changed the course of the Second World War, featuring personal stories of pilots, ground crews and members of the public. The first episode tracks the first skirmishes of the three-day battle,as the Luftwaffe began an all-out assault to rid Britain of air power prior to a land invasion. The first skirmishes were being tracked by a 19-year-old WAAF member in a secret London bunker, and her secret diaries provide fresh insight into the strategies behind the aerial combat.
The Liberator
A diverse, dedicated, rough-and-tumble squad of soldiers spearheads the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II.
Islands of Wonder
Journey to three of the most exotic, mysterious and remote islands on the planet: Madagascar, Borneo and Hawaii. Isolated from the rest of the world, they harbor remarkable wildlife and pioneering human communities found nowhere else on Earth.
Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime
Michael Palin revisits his first four TV travel documentaries. He draws on his personal archive of audio recordings and diary notebooks, and reflects on how he became a seasoned global traveller. Featuring contributions from fans and friends, including David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Simon Reeve.
SAS: Rogue Heroes
The dramatised account of how the world’s greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.
NCIS: Hawai'i
Jane Tennant, the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor, and her unwavering team of specialists balance duty to family and country while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the sun-drenched island paradise itself.
I Heart Arlo
Arlo and his newfound crew set up shop in an abandoned seaside neighborhood and help bring it back to life.
World War 2 - The Call of Duty: A Complete Timeline
Track the main events of World War II with the help of remarkable archive footage and see exactly what happened, and when. Learn about Pearl Harbor, The Battle of Britain, D-Day, the dropping of the atomic bomb and more. From the early battles right through to the complexities of the endgame, this extensive 24 episode series shines a spotlight on a period of history that should never be forgotten.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: Minute by Minute
Covers the 1941 Japanese military strike on a Hawaiian naval base in never before seen detail.
A Small Light
Twentysomething Miep Gies didn't hesitate when her boss Otto Frank came to her and asked her to hide his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan, and the other helpers watched over the eight souls in hiding in the Secret Annex. And it was Miep who found Anne’s Diary and kept it safe so Otto, the only one of the eight who survived, could later share it with the world as one of the most powerful accounts of the Holocaust.
Ice Patrol
Built especially for the challenging conditions of Antarctica, HMS Endurance is the Royal Navy’s only ice patrol ship and its only one capable of breaking into the icy wastes of Antarctica. We join the elite, 140-person crew as they embark on a four-month expedition in perhaps the most extreme and hostile environment on the planet. Follow the extensive and diverse duties of the Royal Navy and the British Antarctic Survey, and the trials and tribulations that the frozen continent brings. In the first episode, Return to the Ice HMS Endurance prepares for another season in Antarctica. Captain Bob Tarrant has taken her there for the last two years but in 10 days time he must hand over to a new captain and is determined that the ship is ready for the ice before he leaves. Faced with a series of engine problems, can the crew get the vessel ready for both a long and dangerous journey and a new commander? Then bad news from home causes further problems as the ship leaves the Falklands.
NCIS: Sydney
The brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multi-national taskforce to keep naval crimes in check in the most contested patch of ocean on the planet.
U-Boat Wargamers
January 1943: Admiral Karl Dönitz, head of the Nazis’ U-boat fleet, has brought Britain to the brink of starvation by ruthlessly destroying close to a thousand of their merchant ships. If the transatlantic shipping route is cut off, the Allies will lose their last foothold in Western Europe. The Royal Navy turns to retired war gamer Gilbert Roberts. Roberts is to use war gaming to try to decipher and combat Dönitz’s tactics. To do this, he needs a team, but the Navy can’t spare any men. Instead, he risks the ridicule of high command by turning to the Women’s Royal Navy Service (WRNS) to war game the U-boats’ tactics. In partnership with Jean Laidlaw, one of Britain’s first female chartered accountants, and a small team of resourceful female mathematicians, Roberts acts out naval battles and games the U-boats’ moves on a linoleum floor, using chalk and wooden model ships.
Surf Girls Hawai'i
The next generation of Native Hawaiian female surfers compete at elite levels to earn a coveted spot on the World Tour of professional Surfing. This 4 part series offers behind the scenes access as they train, navigate family responsibilities and battle against the highest ranking surfers to get to the top of the podium.
World War II: From the Frontlines
Through vividly enhanced archival footage and voices from all sides of the conflict, this docuseries brings WWII to life like never before.
Il Duce Canadese
Based on real events, this dramatic mini-series follows the experiences of the fictional Alvaro family who are a part of a Canadian community during World War Two that attempts to come to terms with events over which they have no control.
Victory at Sea
Victory at Sea is a documentary television series about naval warfare during World War II that was originally broadcast by NBC in the USA in 1952–1953. It was condensed into a film in 1954. Excerpts from the music soundtrack, by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett, were re-recorded and sold as record albums. The original TV broadcasts comprised 26 half-hour segments—Sunday afternoons at 3pm in most markets—starting October 26, 1952 and ending May 3, 1953. The series, which won an Emmy award in 1954 as "best public affairs program", played an important part in establishing historic "compilation" documentaries as a viable television genre. Over 13,000 hours of footage gathered from US, British, German and Japanese navies during World War II were perused in the making of these compelling episodes.
Band of Brothers
Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.