Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
Now Showing

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War

7.9
Yr 2024
Status Ended
Your Verdict

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Series Brief

Overview

With firsthand accounts and access to prominent figures around the world, this comprehensive docuseries explores the Cold War and its aftermath.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 85 /100

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War is widely praised for its comprehensive approach and informative storytelling. Critics appreciate how the series balances historical breadth with emotional depth, contrasting its straightforward journalistic style with the dramatized narratives often seen in Hollywood portrayals of the era.

While the series is largely lauded for its thoroughness and accessibility for history buffs, some critics noted that its efforts to provide extensive context can occasionally bloat the narrative. Despite this, it is generally recommended as a high-production, essential watch for those interested in international politics and the Cold War aftermath.

“An informative and thought-provoking series that fans of historical and international politics will want to sink their teeth into.”

“Breadth does not come at the expense of analytical or emotive depth.”

“I can't recommend 'Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War' enough.”

“The series combines the veracity and thoroughness of a Frontline installment with the style of a major documentary release.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Netflix
US • CA • UK
Netflix Standard with Ads
US • UK • CA
Why fans love it

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War links the dawn of the atomic age to the current geopolitical reality between Russia and Ukraine. The series maps the rise of nuclear weapons through the lens of key global players, shifting away from standard textbook recaps to highlight the specific decisions that fueled decades of tension. By tracing the lineage of the Soviet Union through its modern consequences, the documentary provides a clear view of how Cold War strategies continue to dictate international relations.

The production relies on an expansive list of historical figures to frame its narrative, ranging from the scientific contributions of Albert Einstein to the leadership of various world heads of state. This approach centers the burden of atomic responsibility on the individuals who shaped the twentieth century. The structure refuses to treat the past as a disconnected era, instead treating the threat of the bomb as a persistent, evolving shadow over current policy.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 2
Longest run 9 eps
Show 67 more
Boris Yeltsin as Self (archive footage) 2 episodes George W. Bush as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Bill Clinton as Self (archive footage) 2 episodes Tony Blair as Self 1 episode Condoleezza Rice as Self 3 episodes Viktor Yushchenko as Self 1 episode Viktor Yanukovich as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Helmut Kohl as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Mikhail Gorbachev as Self (archive footage) 2 episodes George H. W. Bush as Self (archive footage) 2 episodes Ronald Reagan as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Pope John Paul II as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Egon Krenz as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Günter Schabowski as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Yuri Andropov as Self (archive footage) 1 episode Tom Nichols as Self - Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval War College 3 episodes Garrett M. Graff as Self - Author, Raven Rock 3 episodes Mary Elise Sarotte as Self - Author, Not One Inch 2 episodes Robert Gates as Self - U.S. Secretary of Defense 2006 - 2001 1 episode Giorgi Kandelaki as Self - Georgian Politician & Historian 2 episodes Garry Kasparov as Self - Russian Chess Grandmaster 1 episode Pavel Palazchenko as Self - Interpreter for Mikhail Gorbachev 1 episode Rose Gottemoeller as Self - NATO Deputy Secretary General 2016 - 2019 2 episodes Kaja Kallas as Self - Prime Minister of Estonia 2 episodes Tim Naftali as Self - Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University 3 episodes Audra J. Wolfe as Self - Author, Freedom's Laboratory 2 episodes Stephen Kinzer as Self - Author, Overthrow 2 episodes Vladimir Putin as Self (archive footage) 5 episodes Tom Z. Collina as Self - Co-Author, The Button 3 episodes Sam Nunn as Self - Co-Founder, Nuclear Threat Initiative 1 episode Lesley M.M. Blume as Self - Author, Fallout 1 episode Richard Rhodes as Self - Author, The Making of the Atomic Bomb 1 episode Gregg Herken as Self - Author, Brotherhood of the Bomb 3 episodes Akira Yamada as Self - Professor of History, Meiji University 1 episode Alex Wellerstein as Self - Author, Restricted Data 3 episodes J. Samuel Walker as Self - Author, Prompt and Utter Destruction 1 episode Kazuhiko Togo as Self - Grandson of Shigenori Tôgô 1 episode Ukeru Magosaki as Self - Head of Japan's Intelligence & Analysis Bureau 1997 - 1999 1 episode Howard Kakita as Self - Japanese-American 1 episode Gar Alperovitz as Self - Author, Atomic Diplomacy 1 episode Keiko Ogura as Self - Hiroshima Resident 1 episode Kunihiko Ida as Self - Hiroshima Resident 1 episode Teruko Yahata as Self - Hiroshima Resident 1 episode Kingo Kawahara as Self - Hiroshima Resident 1 episode Masaaki Takano as Self - Hiroshima Resident 1 episode James L. Nolan Jr. as Self - Author, Atomic Doctors 1 episode Kathleen Bailey as Self - U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 1985 - 1987 2 episodes Serhii Plokhy as Self - Author, Atoms and Ashes 3 episodes Joe Biden as Self - President of the United States (archive footage) 1 episode Eva Braun as Self - Wife of Adolf Hitler (archive footage) 1 episode Karma Deane as Self - Dance Instructor (archive footage) 1 episode Karl Dönitz as Self - German Grand Admiral (archive sound) 1 episode Leslie Groves as Self - Brigadier General, U.S. Army (archive footage) 1 episode Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Self 3 episodes Donald Trump as Self (archive footage) 2 episodes J. Robert Oppenheimer as Self - Physicist (archive footage) 2 episodes Masha Lipman as Self - Russian Journalist 2 episodes Tim Weiner as Self - Author, Legacy of Ashes 2 episodes Nina Khrushcheva as Self - Professor of International Affairs, The New School 2 episodes Scott Anderson as Self - Author, The Quiet Americans 2 episodes David Holloway as Self - Author, Stalin and the Bomb 3 episodes Winston Churchill as Self - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1940 - 1945 (archive footage) 3 episodes Anne Applebaum as Self - Author, Red Famine 2 episodes Pavel Litvinov as Self - Soviet Dissident 2 episodes Lori Clune as Self - Professor of History, CSU Fresno 2 episodes Daniel Ellsberg as Self - Anti-Nuclear Activist & Whistleblower 2 episodes Lavrentiy Beria as Self - Administrative Director, The Soviet Bomb Project (archive footage) 2 episodes
Production Board

Crew

Co-Executive Producer
Assistant Editor
Drone Operator
Researcher
Consulting Producer
Director of Photography
Assistant Camera
Production Coordinator
Additional Director of Photography
Production Accountant
Post Production Supervisor
Sound Recordist
Post Production Assistant
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

atomic bomb cold war soviet union miniseries nuclear weapons russia ukraine
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
March 12, 2024
Status
Ended
Origin
US
TMDB Votes
45