X
- 2019
- TV-14
- PBS
- 2019
- TV-14
- PBS
Summary Set during World War II, the drama written by Peter Bowker follows the lives of British Army translator Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King); his Polish lover Kasia (Zofia Wichłacz;, Lois (Julia Brown), his girlfriend in Manchester; American journalist Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt); American surgeon Webster O’Connor (Brian J. Smith) and his love...
Created By: Peter Bowker
- 2019
- TV-14
- PBS
- 2019
- TV-14
- PBS
World On Fire
Season 1 Premiere: Sep 29, 2019
73
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary Set during World War II, the drama written by Peter Bowker follows the lives of British Army translator Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King); his Polish lover Kasia (Zofia Wichłacz;, Lois (Julia Brown), his girlfriend in Manchester; American journalist Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt); American surgeon Webster O’Connor (Brian J. Smith) and his love...
Created By: Peter Bowker
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
73
78% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
22% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
73
78% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
22% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
If not a light escape, it makes for a beautifully made, extremely soapy "Masterpiece" series.
Like Season 1, there are a few times when the coincidences that put everyone in the right place at the right time can strain credibility. But somehow, the series never feels like it's trying to do too much, even when it is obviously straining VFX budgets to the limit.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 26 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
12% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 26 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
12% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Historical dramas are always my favorite ones but World On Fire has a different perspective about WWII which makes the show more interesting. I do like the idea of having ordinary people in front during these dark period of history because it shows the effects on these people. We get used to see the war strategies, politics in these kind of period dramas. However while watching World On Fire you see how it becomes difficult to survive and/or think of simple daily decisions in your life. Yes it might be a little bit soapy because of the love storylines but even in the war this is part of the life. I am really looking forward to see the next chapter of these characters' lives!
Report
It’s true that not every story line gets equal attention or succeeds equally well, and it does take a little while for authentic characters to emerge from artificial scene-setting. But emerge they do, and my growing desire to peek at the end — as a TV critic, I have that power — was a sign that I had become deeply invested in their fates.
The themes and outlines of “World on Fire” are firmly middle of the road — you imagine a good share of the audience watching it over tea and a biscuit — but Bowker has worked conscientiously to make the manifold subplots a little different from the norm for World War II dramas.
It’s an ambitious and broad look at the onslaught of war and the ugliness — as well as the occasional heroism, but mostly the ugliness — that it ushered in.
I'm not sure how many viewers will stick it through six episodes, which is a shame, because it gets better as the series progresses, the finale making a clear nod to another series. Luckily the performances of Wichlacz, Manville and Jonah Hauer-King as Harry are enough of an incentive to keep watching for now. And here's another: Mark Bonnar will be in it soon.
The ambitious seven-part Masterpiece series World on Fire covers a lot of ground in its first season, but it still can't help feeling like every World War II drama you've ever seen. [30 Mar - 12 Apr 2020, p.8]
Production Company:
- Mammoth Screen
Initial Release Date: Sep 29, 2019
Number of seasons: 2 Seasons
Rating: TV-14
Awards
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards
• 2 Nominations
Royal Television Society, UK
• 2 Nominations
Shanghai International TV Festival
• 1 Nomination
