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Poster for China Beach

China Beach

Seen it?

1988 | 4 seasons | 42 min | Drama, War & Politics

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It won 4 Emmys and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for history buffs. If you loved Band of Brothers or Lioness, start here.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
4 seasons: a few months of evenings, episodes of about 42 minutes, about 45 hours in all.
What might put you off
Nothing much for most grown-ups.

Dateline: November 1967. Within klicks of Danang, Vietnam, sits a U.S. Army base, bar and hospital on China Beach filled with wounded soldiers and one very lovely but damaged Army Nurse Colleen McMurphy. Many heroes, dead and alive, try to make sense of life and death in between bourbon, bullets and battles.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsVery strong

    Won 4 Emmys: Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Costuming for a Series, Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Won 2 Golden Globes: Golden Globe Award: Best Television Series – Drama, Golden Globe Award: Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Won 1 WGA Award: Writers Guild of America Award: Episodic Drama. Won 1 Peabody Award: Peabody Award: Best Sound Editing Television Pilots and Specials. Also nominated for 6 more Emmys, 1 more Golden Globe and 1 DGA Award. Plus 8 other awards.

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Ran for 4 seasons and reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 183K people sought it out in the past year

Season by season

The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up; Season 1 is the high point.

  1. Friday Night Flick
    Season 11988 · 8 episodes · 10.0 out of 10
    Friday
  2. Season 21988 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet
  3. Season 31989 · 22 episodes
    Not rated yet
  4. Season 41990 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Created by John Wells, John Sacret Young

  • Dana DelanyColleen McMurphy
  • Marg HelgenbergerKC Koloski
  • Michael BoatmanSamuel Beckett
  • Troy EvansBob Pepper
  • Nancy GilesFrankie Bunsen
  • Jeff KoberDodger Winslow
  • Robert PicardoDick Richard
  • Concetta TomeiLila Garreau
  • Brian WimmerBoonie Lanier