
Miniseries · HBO
The Pacific
Hell was an ocean away.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Pacific actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Pacific reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Serialized.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Track the intertwined real-life stories of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. A companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

S01E06
Peleliu Airfield
Despite the suffocating 115-degree heat and a lack of clean drinking water, Sledge, Leckie and the other Marines confront the highly-fortified enemy as they attempt to capture the Peleliu airfield. After seeing his comrades badly injured, Leckie himself is wounded and evacuated from the island. Sledge witnesses the shocking truth about what is sometimes required to survive and fight another day.
- Directed by Tony To
- Written by Robert Schenkkan, Laurence Andries

S01E07
Peleliu Hills
The Marines, including the newly christened “Sledgehammer,” continue the battle of Peleliu against an enemy determined to fight to the last man. Devastated by the loss of a revered leader, and witnessing unimaginable barbarity on both sides, Sledge veers to the very edge of moral collapse. Their objective finally secured, the Marines return to Pavuvu fundamentally changed by their experience on Peleliu.
- Directed by Tim Van Patten
- Written by Bruce C. McKenna

S01E09
Okinawa
After battling across the island of Okinawa for more than a month, Sledge and the rest of the 1st Marine Division are ordered to relieve an Army division that has been in combat against the most strongly defended Japanese position on the island. The primordial conditions and the moral dilemma posed by the presence of civilians put tremendous strain on the physical and psychological endurance of Sledge and the other Marines.
- Directed by Tim Van Patten
- Written by Bruce C. McKenna

S01E10
Home
After the Japanese surrender, Leckie, healed from his wounds, leaves the hospital and returns home, while Sledge heads back to Alabama to be reunited with his family and Sid Phillips. Lena visits Basilone’s home and has an emotional meeting with his family. Leckie adjusts to post-war life by resuming his old job and starting a new relationship, but for Sledge, unsure why he survived the war seemingly unscathed, adjustment will require more time.
- Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
- Written by Robert Schenkkan, Bruce C. McKenna

S01E02
Basilone
Basilone and the 7th Marines arrive on Guadalcanal to reinforce Leckie and the rest of the 1st Marine Division as they continue to defend the crucial airstrip. Basilone plays a key role in repelling a nighttime Japanese attack, but suffers a frightful personal loss. After four months of continuous action, the exhausted and disease-ridden members of the 1st Marine Division are evacuated off the island.
- Directed by David Nutter
- Written by Bruce C. McKenna

S01E01
Guadalcanal/Leckie
In the immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Marine Sgt. John Basilone prepares to ship out and confront the enemy somewhere in the Pacific, while budding journalist Robert Leckie enlists in the Marine Corps. Eugene Sledge, unable to enlist because of a heart murmur, says farewell to his best friend, Sidney Phillips, who is about to leave for boot camp. Exactly eight months after Pearl Harbor, the 1st Marine Division, including Leckie and Phillips, lands on Guadalcanal in order to secure its strategically vital airfield and prepare for the inevitable counterattack.
- Directed by Tim Van Patten
- Written by Bruce C. McKenna
Recently aired
Latest Episodes

S00E01
Profiles of the Pacific

S01E10
Home
- Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
- Written by Robert Schenkkan, Bruce C. McKenna


S01E08
Iwo Jima
- Directed by David Nutter, Jeremy Podeswa
- Written by Robert Schenkkan, Michelle Ashford

S01E07
Peleliu Hills
- Directed by Tim Van Patten
- Written by Bruce C. McKenna

S01E06
Peleliu Airfield
- Directed by Tony To
- Written by Robert Schenkkan, Laurence Andries
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Tom HanksExecutive Producer
- Todd LondonProducer
- Steven SpielbergExecutive Producer
- Cherylanne MartinProducer
- Steven ShareshianProducer
- Gary GoetzmanExecutive Producer
Writing
- George PelecanosWriter
- Robert SchenkkanWriter
- Laurence AndriesWriter
- Michelle AshfordWriter
- Graham YostWriter
- Bruce C. McKennaWriter
Direction
- David NutterDirector
- Jeremy PodeswaDirector
- Carl FranklinDirector
- Tony ToDirector
- Graham YostDirector
- Tim Van PattenDirector
Cinematography
- Stephen F. WindonDirector of Photography
- Remi AdefarasinDirector of Photography
Music
- Blake NeelyOriginal Music Composer
- Geoff ZanelliOriginal Music Composer
- Hans ZimmerOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation







































































