In honor of Memorial Day, the Vidgo Stream Team salutes the men and women in the armed forces and their families with our top picks for military-themed shows and movies. Ranging from hilarious and heartfelt to informative and action-packed, these shows, documentaries, and movies are available live and on-demand:
- M*A*S*H | TV Land | Weekdays 9am/8c | TV-PG
Set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, M*A*S*H has been hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the best shows in the history of television. When it debuted in 1972, the show was the first of its kind, and after the first season, the landmark dramedy from CBS captured the hearts of millions of viewers in the refreshingly honest way it portrayed war.
Always hilarious thanks to nonstop wisecracks and shenanigans of ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce (Alan Alda) along with an all-star ensemble cast, M*A*S*H broke the mold with seriocomic vignettes of universal truths about the human condition. After 11 seasons, it was hard to say goodbye and consequently, pop culture had a pivotal bittersweet moment in 1983 when 106 million viewers tuned in for the 2-hour series finale.
We wanted to reflect the lives of those people who lived through an experience that would rattle anybody. There never was a situation like that on television before.
Alan Alda from Hollywood Reporter
- 68 Whiskey | Paramount Network | Season 1 On Demand | TV-MA
Created by Roberto Benabib and executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, 68 Whiskey has been praised by critics as the most confident, charismatic new show of 2020. Based on the Israeli series Charlie Golf One, this dark military comedy has been compared to M*A*S*H but sets its own course with a rich coterie of oddball medics stationed in Afghanistan.
A relatively new show with only one season, critics are predicting that this binge-worthy military series will be the next breakout show from Paramount Network. As Josh Sorokach from Decider explains, “The series is anchored by Sam Keeley’s Cooper Roback, a character who embodies the mischievous insouciance of Hawkeye Pierce…through the first three episodes, Roback’s unflinching loyalty, irreverent disposition, and borderline delusional optimism make him a magnetic guide into this captivating new world.”
- Bullet Points | American Heroes Channel | 1 Season | Wednesdays 10am/9c | TV-PG
For all the history buffs, Bullet Points on American Heroes Channel hits all the targets of great entertainment thanks to a detailed breakdown of major 20th-century military conflicts in each episode. Ranging from Pearl Harbor and Vietnam to the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm, the series takes an in-depth look into the turning points and key battles in military operations and analyzes how wars were won throughout history.
- Combat Countdown | American Heroes Channel | Season 1 On Demand | TV-PG
This top-rated documentary series takes viewers to military posts around the world and showcases the most powerful war machines and the soldiers that operate them. Each episode counts down 10 different types of elite technology used on the ground, the air, and the water. From long-range strikers and heavy haulers to weapons of fear and speed, the military equipment featured on Combat Countdown are game-changers in the world of modern warfare.
- Rogue | R | On Demand
If the hit Netflix documentary Tiger King had you championing the big cat cause, here’s the animal rights-respecting action-thriller you should watch next.
Ellen E. Jones from The Guardian
Girl power meets action-packed combat in Rogue, a military thriller starring Megan Fox as Samantha O’Hara, a former Marine on a mercenary mission in South Africa. Gender stereotypes get a shakeup with O’Hara leading a ragtag group of mercenaries on a dangerous rescue operation against Islamic extremists. The cynical and jaded O’Hara ruefully claims she’s only risking her life for the money, but her Rambo-style special ops also inadvertently help protect an endangered pride of lions from enemy kidnappers moonlighting as poachers.
Looking for more content? Check out more watch guides on the Vidgo blog The Stream. Along with these popular military shows and movies, Vidgo subscribers can also enjoy the best in live sports, local programming, 110+ channels, and thousands of on-demand titles!
