Manhattan

Set against the backdrop of the greatest clandestine race against time in the history of science with the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Flawed scientists and their families attempt to co-exist in a world where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives.

Manhattan (2014-2015) is an American period drama series created by Sam Shaw for WGN America. Set in wartime Los Alamos, New Mexico during World War II, it follows flawed scientists and their families who are racing to build the world's first atomic bomb. John Benjamin Hickey plays Frank Winter, a physicist whose household is pulled into the project's secrecy, alongside Olivia Williams as his wife Liza Winter, Ashley Zukerman as physicist Charlie Isaacs, and Rachel Brosnahan as Abby Isaacs. The engine of the series is the tension between the clandestine mission and the private lives around it: marriages strain, loyalties shift, and every household must hide what it knows from neighbors and from each other. Across two seasons and twenty-three episodes, the story unfolds as one continuing thread in a military base where surveillance and restriction shape everyday life. The tone is tense and contemplative, with a mood of paranoia and quiet dread beneath the domestic scenes. Its focus on ordinary people living beside extraordinary secrets gives it a grounded, character-driven feel. Fans of The Americans and Turn: Washington's Spies will find resonance in its espionage-tinged family drama and its period atmosphere. The series was canceled after its second season, leaving its story unfinished.

Audiences rated the series positively, praising its tense period drama about the Los Alamos scientists and their families.

• Turn: Washington's Spiesperiod wartime drama, secrets and moral compromise, serialized historical tension
• The Americansensemble drama about high-stakes secret work and family strain under pressure
• Oppenheimerhistorical drama about scientists and wartime secrecy, prestige period tone

Created by

Sam Shaw

Release Date

2014-07-27

Episode runtime

43 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (142)

What is Manhattan about?

Scientists and their families in wartime Los Alamos struggle to keep the secret of the atomic bomb from consuming their private lives.

What is Manhattan like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Manhattan as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Manhattan violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Manhattan as mild.

What did critics think of Manhattan?

Audiences rated the series positively, praising its tense period drama about the Los Alamos scientists and their families.

Which shows are like Manhattan?

Shows with a similar feel include Turn: Washington's Spies, The Americans, and Oppenheimer.

How long is Manhattan?

Manhattan: 2 seasons, 23 episodes.

Is Manhattan still running?

No, Manhattan was canceled.

Where can I watch Manhattan?

In United States, Manhattan streams on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+ Amazon Channel, The Roku Channel, Plex, Plex Player, Plex Channel, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Fawesome, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV, Howdy Amazon Channel, Amazon MX Player.