A series better than band of brothers

I actually prefer Combat



Combat was an hour-long drama series that ran on ABC from 1962-7. It's sort of the original Band of Brothers. Created by screenwriter and war film specialist Robert Pirosh (Oscar winner for Battleground), Combat follows an infantry squad after D-Day as they go through France.



Top-notch writing and innovative production, including frequent use of handheld cameras to simulate actual battle footage, give it a grittiness seldom seen in network TV before or since. The late, great Vic Morrow stars as the tough, no-nonsense Sergeant Saunders.



A few notable episodes:

"The Glory Among Men" -- One of my favorite episodes. The most hated member of the squad is wounded and trapped out in the open. But the Germans don't finish him off -- instead they leave him alive, hoping to draw out the Americans to rescue him. Should the squad risk their lives for someone they despise?

"Anatomy of a Patrol" -- Trying to get a wounded pilot and valuable reconnaissance film back to HQ, Saunders must match wits with a German sergeant every bit as shrewd as he is. The sergeant is played by a very young James Caan, who speaks some rather impressive German.



"The Bridge At Chalons" -- The squad must guard a surly demolitions expert while he blows a key bridge. The guest star is no less than the great Lee Marvin.

"The Enemy" w/guest star Robert Duvall. Duvall's German accent isn't so hot (though it's better than his English one in The 7% Solution) but otherwise he gives a subtle performance as a demolitions expert who has booby-trapped an entire town in advance of the American army taking it. He is captured by Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) and forced to defuse the bombs he's planted, resulting in a nerve-racking game of cat and mouse, with script and direction taking every possible advantage of the suspenseful premise.



"Survival" -- Directed by Robert Altman, and another of my favorites. Wounded in a fire and separated from the squad, Saunders wanders through enemy territory in a daze. Virtually half the footage has no dialogue, and Altman employs some unorthodox camera angles (shooting into the sun) previously unheard of in TV.

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Jonny Quest

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Bandit keeps it out of the #1 spot

Thanks for sharing. Have never heard of it. Is it streaming anywhere? Worth watching all the way through or just select episodes?

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A series better than band of brothers

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The original Planet Earth for me. It's my #1. It just hit me at the right time and not long after I got my first huge HDTV (55" Sony). I was blown away.

BoB is my #2 though.

And there will never be a better series.

From The Earth To the Moon

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I actually prefer Combat

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That brought back some memories. Don't think I've thought about this since I was a kid. I wanna say this would play on Sunday afternoons in the football offseason on our local CBS station.

Can't argue with anyone that has that #1.

Chernobyl and True Detective S1 give it a run for it's money as far a quality.

If I could only watch one for the rest of my life, I'd probably take The Leftovers over it just because of the three full seasons.

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Chernobyl and True Detective S1 give it a run for it's money as far a quality.

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Great picks. Honestly, I'd go:

True Detective S1
Chernobyl
Band of Brothers

With not much separating them. If anybody wants a different order I won't argue.