Manhattan (TV series)

Manhattan (TV series)
Title	Manhattan
Genre	Historical drama, Alternate history
Creator	Sam Shaw
Starring	John Benjamin Hickey, Olivia Williams, Daniel Stern, Ashley Zukerman, Rachel Brosnahan, Katja Herbers, Alexia Fast, Christopher Denham, Harry Lloyd, Michael Chernus
Country	United States
Language	English
Num episodes	23
Network	WGN America
First aired	July 27, 2014
Last aired	December 15, 2015

Manhattan (TV series) is an American historical drama television series that premiered on WGN America in 2014. Created by Sam Shaw, the series dramatizes the secret development of the first atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project. It explores the complex personal and professional lives of the scientists, their families, and the military personnel involved in the World War II race to build the weapon.

Plot

The series is set in 1943 at the clandestine military base in Los Alamos, New Mexico, known as The Hill. It follows two groups of scientists in a tense rivalry: theoretical team leader Frank Winter and his more pragmatic rival, Glen Babbit. Their work is overseen by the laboratory's director, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the military commander, Colonel Darrow. The narrative intertwines the scientific challenges of fission and implosion with intense personal dramas, including espionage, marital strife, and the moral quandaries of creating a weapon of mass destruction. Subplots involve security investigations by the Counterintelligence Corps, attempts by Soviet spies to infiltrate the project, and the looming threat of Nazi Germany developing its own bomb.

Cast and characters

The ensemble cast is led by John Benjamin Hickey as brilliant but troubled physicist Frank Winter, and Olivia Williams as his botanist wife, Liza Winter. Daniel Stern portrays the politically savvy senior scientist Glen Babbit, while Ashley Zukerman plays his ambitious protege, Charlie Isaacs. Rachel Brosnahan appears as Charlie's wife, Abby Isaacs, and Katja Herbers as Dutch physicist Helen Prins. Alexia Fast portrays the young secretary Callie Winter, and Christopher Denham is the troubled technician Jim Meeks. Harry Lloyd features as British scientist Paul Crosley, and Michael Chernus as the mathematician Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz. Recurring roles include David Harbour as Reed Akley, Mark Moses as Colonel Darrow, and William Petersen as the enigmatic Oppenheimer.

Production

The series was created by Sam Shaw and developed for television by Thomas Schlamme, who also directed the pilot. It was produced by Skydance Television and Tribune Studios for WGN America. Filming took place primarily in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and at the Cerrillos Hills to replicate the Los Alamos landscape. The writers conducted extensive research, consulting historians and declassified documents from the National Archives and Records Administration to balance dramatic storytelling with historical events. Notable directors across the series included Michael Engler, John Dahl, and Lesli Linka Glatter. The show's cancellation after two seasons was announced in 2015 as part of a strategic shift at WGN America.

Episodes

The series comprises 23 episodes over two seasons. The first season, consisting of 13 episodes, aired from July 27 to October 19, 2014, and chronicles the early struggles to achieve a sustained nuclear chain reaction and the Trinity test's initial planning. The second season, with 10 episodes, aired from October 13 to December 15, 2015, and focuses on the final push towards the Trinity test and the escalating espionage conflict. Notable episodes include the pilot, directed by Thomas Schlamme, and the season one finale, which features the death of a major character. The series finale depicts the immediate aftermath of the successful atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Reception

The series received critical acclaim for its writing, historical atmosphere, and ensemble performances, earning a Peabody Award in 2015. Reviewers from The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety praised its intelligent approach to the Manhattan Project's moral complexities and its character-driven narrative. It was compared favorably to other period dramas like Mad Men and The Americans. However, some historians noted dramatic liberties taken with timelines and characters. It holds high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. Despite the praise, viewership on WGN America was modest, contributing to its cancellation.

Release

The series originally aired on WGN America from 2014 to 2015. It was later made available for streaming on Hulu in the United States and on Amazon Prime Video in several international markets. The complete series was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Following its streaming release, the series found a wider audience and has been featured in academic discussions regarding the depiction of science and history in television.

Category:2010s American drama television series Category:Television series about the Manhattan Project Category:WGN America original programming