We are all waiting with bated breath for the new Christopher Nolan drama Oppenheimer to hit theaters on July 21 of this year. The story of the father of the atomic bomb stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as his wife Kitty, Matt Damon as Lt. General Leslie Groves, and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. If you're as excited as we are, we thought you might like to give the TV shows that touch on a similar theme a quick view in preparation for the summer blockbuster.
Manhhattan (2014-2015)
This story about the creation of the atomic bomb is better known as 'The Manhattan Project.' The show, Manhattan was initially shown on WGN America back in 2014-2015. It stars Rachel Brosnahan, Micheal Chernus, Christopher Denham, and Alexia Fast. Though not intended to be a historically accurate re-telling of the project, some of the actual players who participated in the production of the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" bombs are portrayed in the show. Set in 1943 and 1944, Manhattan was met with rave reviews, but not enough people found it in order to secure more than 23 episodes before not being picked up for a third season.
Chernobyl (2019)
The HBO limited series, Chernobyl, was a fantastically accurate telling of the events that surrounded the meltdown of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April of 1986. It received the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series in 2019, and boasts an outstanding ensemble cast that includes Jared Harris as scientist Valery Legasov, Stellan Skarsgård as Deputy Chairman Boris Scherbina, and Emily Watson as nuclear physicist, Ulana Khomyuk. Its portrayal of the dire nature of the meltdown and the efforts to cover it up is both sobering and frightening.
Atomic Train (1999)
A train carrying a nuclear device is out of control and headed for Denver in this made for television miniseries starring Rob Lowe, Kristen Davis, Esai Morales, and Mena Suvari. Lowe plays National Transportation Safety Board inspector John Seger, who is tasked with boarding the runaway train and deactivating the device before it reaches the Denver station killing tens of thousands of residents who are already panicking and looting. If he isn't successful, his wife Megan (Davis) and daughter Grace (Suvari) could also be among the casualties of the blast and the nuclear fallout.
The Saboteurs (The Heavy Water War) (2015)
This Norwegian produced series is based on the real life events surrounding the Nazis' attempt to create the nuclear bomb during World War II. Espen Kloman Hoiner plays Norwegian scientist, Leif Tronstad, who becomes aware of the Nazis' attempt to build a devastating nuclear device and makes a harried attempt to warn the Allied Forces. Anna Friel also stars as Captain Julia Schmit in this drama about the Norwegian attempt to thwart Germany and Adolph Hitler's plans.
Race for the Bomb (1986)
Airing in 1987 as a three-part miniseries, The Race for the Bomb, along with Manhattan are probably the two shows that most resemble many of the same elements and critical players that we'll see when Oppenheimer hits theaters this summer. It is the story of the Manhattan Project and tells the story from the discovery of the possible science necessary to create an atomic bomb through the entire production of thermonuclear devices, leading up to the advent of the arms race and subsequent Cold War. Tom Rack plays Dr. Robert Oppenheimer and Maury Chaykin is Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, who works on behalf of the U.S. military on the project.
Nuclear Secrets (2007)
Nuclear Secrets is a BBC production starring Shannon Whirry and Mark Bonnar as a Soviet intelligence officer, and is set in the three years surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis from 1960-1962. It is a broad detailing of the race for atomic weapons between the United States and Russia during the Cold War that focuses primarily on the Russian attempt to send nuclear weapons to Cuba and one man's attempt to stop it them from launching them on the U.S.