User reviews

Where to begin? This is one of the greatest tv series ever made.

It has everything. Brotherhood, strife, politics, morality and ethics, courage, ambiguity, everything. You have to see this movie as part of the time it was made. In 1987, there was no real visual example of what the war in Vietnam was really all about. Vietnam during the seventies and sixties was something people protested against. It was the longest war the United States had ever fought. It split a nation, between people who wanted to make a stand against communism and for conservatism, and people who couldn't see how a war more than a thousand miles away could possibly affect the USA. The seventies was also an era during which many former colonies (like Vietnam) were trying to become independent, like Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia/Southwest Africa. During the eighties, there was a largely Republican leaning movement of movies tangentially about Vietnam (First Blood, about a vietnam veteran, but set in Colorado, not Vietnam), Chuck Norris' movies, even Magnum PI with Tom Selleck (1980 onwards) and later Miami Vice. The Vietnam theme was "in", but no real movies/series set in Vietnam or dealing with the real day-to-day of ordinary soldiers had been made. And then there was Tour Of Duty. Tour of Duty set out to describe the daily grind of a platoon of the 199th Light Infantry. This series is great. Yes, it may reflect earlier series like the WWII series "Combat", but it is still unique. Unlike most series in the eighties, it isn't afraid of featuring Black and Hispanic actors in major, leading roles - Stan Foster, Miguel Nunez and Ramon Franco, mainly. In no small measure reflecting that the Vietnam War was the first war during which the US military was fully integrated/desegregated. Meanwhile, the storylines are great. Most deal with the daily strain of patrols, the interaction with the Vietnamese population, and there is even a love interest thrown in, in the form of female reporter Alex Devlin (Kim Delaney, based on the real-life reporter and war casualty Dicky Chapelle). Lots of themes are explored, from the stresses of combat, to the attitude to the war, to the situation of the people of Vietnam, the psychological damage (as through psychiatrist Betsy Brantley), etc. The second part of the series has the squad enlisted as Special Forces, under Colonel Brewster (Carl Weathers), highlighting the strains and tensions between Special Forces and regular army on the one side and the CIA (Patrick Kilpatrick as Duke Fontaine) on the other. This is a great series, see it if you can.

It has been a really long time since I have seen an episode of TOD. I think the last time was when it last originally aired. Unfortunately, I have never come across it in re-runs, as it was a great show.

It's been almost 20 years, but what I remember most is that this was a show that me & my new husband could agree on watching together - which was rare! But we both loved this show and rarely missed it when possible. It was very well done and had interesting characters. I think they did a great job of casting. I especially liked Terence Knox. I also loved the opening sequence with the helicopters flying through the smoke and causing the smoke to spiral - all to the tune of "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones.

I was very young when seeing this, and not having lived through the Vietnam era myself, I couldn't attest to the accuracy of the depictions. I'm sure it was somewhat glossed over and not as realistic as the truth of war. But then I'm not sure people would have turned in week after week to see a gut wrenching depiction of war.

My husband and I had several family members who were in Vietnam, but they would never talk about their experiences. I know one of them was horribly treated when he returned - by complete strangers even. It always touched me what these veterans went through. And the fact that as draftees, they had NO CHOICE in serving. And yet the public still took their anger out on them. How absurd - shame on you of that generation that mistreated our Vets. They were only doing what they were told - it was kill or be killed. No matter what your views of that war - and yes, it was a STUPID war and we shouldn't have been there. But our Vets aren't the ones that sent us, it was the politicians - they were to blame.

God bless our Veterans who served over there. I am forever grateful for your sacrifices! And thank you to the writers and producers of this show for giving us a glimpse of what some of these Vets went through.

Having served two tours of duty in Vietnam, I can say without hesitation that "Tour Of Duty" is the most realistic of any movies/programs that have been made about the war, excuse me, conflict, and what went on there. Zeke Anderson is the epitome of a good platoon sergeant, and Lieutenant Goldman shows wisdom in taking advice from such an experienced Non-Commissioned Officer at Zeke Anderson. A rare quality in an officer.

Not too "Hollywood", great production values except for overuse of stock chopper footage in 2nd series; only spotted one major whopper in the whole series (missed the helmet one though); McCay chucks a grenade of of the Huey then the long shot shows a totally different make of helicopter firing a rocket.

Not being a Yank, this show goes a long way to helping me understand what went on and why it left such scars on the American people.

It's a pity they haven't learnt a lesson from it though (Iraq)

They don't make them like this any more.

( Big Brothers Celebrety Get My Out of This Love Island Apprentice )

Watched every episode when it first aired and again over the last two weeks. Think I appreciate it even more now, as I'm a lot wiser (and unfortunately a lot older too -grin. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun!), so I have a better understanding of the impact of this war, the different points of view, the psychological impact etc.

What I did notice now, and can't remember noticing back then, are the flaws. For instance blowing up a bridge, placing the explosives just above the waterline, then the bridge blows way up top? A mite odd I say. Ruiz firing the M60, never hitting anything. Well, not really a surprise cos he doesn't seem to be aiming at anything either. At some point he was firing direction sky? Maybe he been smoking something weird. Grenades explode meters from the targets, yet the enemy dies each time.

Biggest bummer is that they left the fans of the show -which must have been a vast amount- hanging after season 3. Least thing they could've done was give us 1 or 2 more eps to wrap it up.

Anyhow, in spite of that, I think it's a brilliant series, must see. One of a kind. To this day. Cast is great. The insight, depth of emotions and issues addressed are great. The way Sgt. Anderson holds the whole lot together, brilliantly done! Terence Knox was definitely an excellent choice. So I'm giving it a big 10.

I'll admit, I found this show a little boring at first, but within the first couple of episodes I was hooked on it. This is one of those shows that teaches life lessons, that leaves a lasting impression, that has characters that feel real, the kind of show you'd want to pass down to your kids. If we don't learn from the past we'll be doomed to repeat it, and this show portrays the futility of war and the strength of friendship during an exciting and frightening time in history. The bright green of the jungles and vegetation was captured on film, something that digital cameras often can't capture properly. The soundtrack fits every scene perfectly. And don't even get me started on the acting, this show has some outstanding performances. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it's definitely a show worth watching!

We (America) left Vietnam in 1975 as North Vietnam took over the country. Although I was a kid, I recall the evening news with Walter Conkrite providing such vivid imagery as did the coverage of the protests and riots against the war. Our country was almost torn apart by the contrasting opinions about the war and the loss of so many Americans and Vietnamese. Our healing process was very slow and continues even now. The Tour of Duty TOD - show was the first TV show that took on the war. TOD was developed and aired at a point in the healing process were the show was more acceptable than one or two years earlier. TOD had a good cast and the writing was very good. The TOD sound track was fabulous and to this day when I hear "Paint It Black" I usually think about TOD. I'm surprised that no station or network has thought to rerun the series. TOD is more than worthy of your time to watch it. CWO, USMC, Retired

I remember this show from early 90s and rediscovered it a couple of weeks ago. Have almost seen all episodes from season 1-3 now and it's is one of the best war-series there is!!!!!! >=) A total must see if you are in to war movies etc!

You really get to know the characters. You feel with them, you laugh with them and sometimes cry with them. I tell you, if you miss this one you have missed out on a lot.

I'm only sorry that it is 3 seasons and not more of them.

In season 2 they did not have info about the war as they have in season 1 and 3. Don't know why, but I did miss that during season 2. The statistics that you learn about are horrific and I'm glad I wasn't young back in the late 60s, early 70s and born as an American.

a great show. in many aspect show what life was like in the army of the day. Clearly they had talked with vets with experience when they made this show.. As in real life some of the stars were killed. The show never one glorfy the war in anyway. It show that many of the men did not wish to be there. But for most part they did their duty the best they could..

If you enjoy following stories of the American soldiers who were enlisted for tours of duties in the Vietnam War, then the TV series "Tour of Duty" is definitely a TV series that you should take the time to sit down and watch.

Of course this is as much pro-American as you would expect it to be, given the concept and the production. But being able to put that in the background will help you to appreciate the TV series even more.

Following a platoon of US soldiers participating in the Vietnam War, "Tour of Duty" is a nice combination of action, character development, drama and war. And what makes "Tour of Duty" work is especially the character gallery, because the characters in the series are detailed, well-fleshed out on the screen and they are characters that you can identify with, one or more of them. And the characters are nicely portrayed by a cast of talented actors.

Death is a part of every war, and so it is a part of the series. And there will be deaths of characters that will leave you thinking 'what? seriously?'. But on the fact that they do kill off important characters in the story just adds a very realistic and believable aspect to the series, as it is following a 'heroes never die' recipe.

The drama in the series kicks in when there are internal feuds and tensions between the American soldiers, and it adds an element of facing an enemy on two fronts, in a way; the Vietcong and themselves.

The camera crew did manage to capture the essence of the jungle warfare, and it feels like the audience is right there alongside with the American soldiers, fighting a losing battle. That was a great accomplishment which really added a solid layer to the TV series.

"Tour of Duty" is a series that instantly grows on you and wants you to stick around to watch more, because you want to see how the soldiers manage to cope with the tasks givens, the assignments and the Vietnam War as a whole. As such then the creators L. Travis Clark and Steve Duncan managed to put together a very enjoyable TV series.

I can warmly recommend "Tour of Duty" if you haven't watched it already.

I lived in Saigon in the 1960's and found this show very realistic and it totally held my attention. I wish it would be shown again -- at least the repeats. I always wondered if Terence Knox is the same Terry Knox who lived in Saigon and was evacuated with our family in Feb 1965. Terry had a twin brother named Randy. I tried to google them just now, but didn't come up with anything. Is it the same Terry? I'd love to know and get back in touch with you guys. My maiden name was Kotzebue and we lived in Carmel and had Easter together the spring after the evacuation. It would be very cool if you are the same Terry . . . Anyway, I don't really watch much TV any more -- I don't find much that I care to watch. If shows like Tour of Duty came on again it would be another story. Recently we had an amazing Viet Nam experience. My cousin was shot down over Laos right before the end of the war 35 years ago. His body was not recovered,but the government kept looking for him and brought his remains home this fall -- We had an incredibly moving burial at the Air Force Academy in Nov and it was amazing how many of his comrades from Laos and classmates from the academy came out to pay him tribute. That was the worse of times and the best of times . . .

It's 1967 Vietnam. Sgt. Zeke Anderson (Terence Knox) is a veteran on his third tour. After an attack on Firebase Ladybird, he replaces the casualties with new troops. The Bravo company's second platoon gets new leader Lt. Goldman (Stephen Caffrey). After the success of Platoon, a new wave of Vietnam war dramas washed over the TV and big screen landscape. The first season has the platoon operating out of a forward base. It has plenty of explosions while tackling some tough issues. It's never quite cinematic enough although they blow up a lot of stuff in episode 14 Under Siege. It could have gone darker but it's plenty hard-hitting for a network show back in the day. I still remember the tunnel second episode. It misses a good opportunity connecting to the show's title. The show should use a 365 days countdown clock for one of the green new kids.

The second season starts with the impending Tet offensive. The platoon is relocated near Saigon and the cast is joined by hot-shot helicopter pilot Lt. John McKay. Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Seymour and crusading reporter Alex Devlin would come and go. The production moves from the Hawaiian tropics to California. The addition of female main characters seems to be an attempt to attract a more diverse network audience with some romancing. The attempt at going mainstream would extend into a cliffhanger season ending. The effect is to water down the main appeal of the show which is a gritty no-holds-barred vision of war on network TV. The sprinkling of romantic melodrama muddies the brand. Other shows do that aspect better. The base and jungle settings remain relatively good. The back-lot sets representing Saigon fall far short and detract from the show. The second season is a step down into mediocrity. The third season attempts to cleanse the show of romantic entanglements by killing off Alex. It never fully recovers in its third and year but it is overall a compelling network attempt.

I am a Vietnam veteran and fought there 1971 to 1972 the worst fighting of the war and this POS series is in no way represents the war that we fought , the spring offensive by the NVA or as we called it the Easter offensive was harrowing to say the least I was 18 at the time but started my tour when I was 17 , I actually ran into Terrance Knox the star of the show and conveyed that message to him , we talked a lot about vietnam , full metal jacket was the real experience not Baffoon as I like to call it . This show was a thing but real , nothing in it was even close just a bad work of fiction !!!

I am now watching Tour of Duty for the third time and still find it enjoyable. I would like to know what some of the actors are doing now. I absolutely loved Terrence Knox and his twinkling eyes. I also liked Carl Weathers and although we don't see him often on TV I have always enjoyed him whenever I do. He did a series called, I think, Street Justice and it was also good. The situation between the Lieutenant and his father was, I thought, played out extremely well. The Danny Purcell heroin addiction was also very realistic. This time around, I am watching it at 12 midnight on the History Channel.The Vietnam Vets got a bad go of it when they came back. I think it's only in the last maybe ten years that people appreciate that as in Iraq, they might not approve of the war but support the troops. I also thought the Vietnam War was the most terrible war of all and this was depicted so well in the tunnel series, the bamboo spikes in holes covered over with leaves, the trap that took soldiers up in a tree with spikes through them. I would sure love to see a sequel but please, can we have some personal info on the stars--Are they married, have children, involved in charity work etc. When I was working shifts we watched Tour of Duty at 0300 hrs whenever we were able. Why is it the good ones always seem to last a short while, and this one was a terrific series. Marilyn Rowe, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

The best with the TOD series is actually not the level of realism...it is the acting one should appreciate. Small and grand scenes, both those with a high degree of realism ( like most combat scenes ) or those being grossly unrealistic ( like the knife killings of sentries, on both sides ) are excellently acted. The characters are highly credible, even in the most incredible scenes. Language, behaviour and mimics are simply top class. I would imagine that the acting could be enjoyed even if you are not interested in military history or war movies.

The one completely unrealistic feature of TOR is the actual numbers of "contacts" and the wide variety of events that the group gets into. Capturing high ranking NVA officers and female soldiers of the NVA, clearing out tunnel complexes and recapturing POWS, civic actions in Montagnard villages may all have happened during the war, but all those events with a single regular army unit? No way... As to the saving of Baker by his brother, apparently there was not one single POW with the Viet Cong or NVA saved by American forces in the entire war. The Baker saving was thus a fairy tale by all standards.

Again though, the performance of the actors, and with few exceptions, also the "makeup" and clothing/equipment in the scenes, is close to superb. The characters are dirty, torn and bloody when they should, clean, shaved and reasonably well patched when they reasonably should. The jungle can obviously not be mimicked perfectly, unless filming on the actual location, but is realistic enough.

The acting and realism in details by far outweighs some of the larger less logical or unrealistic scenes.

I like the theme song. I don't remember much else except for one episode where they blew something up

Tour of Duty, Combat and the Rat Patrol have something in common where the main characters are not killed off. There were some exceptions. The pacifist kid on Tour of Duty was wounded in action near the end of the first or second season and was send back home due to his wound. You didn't see that in the other two TV shows. The characters in the TV show Combat were wounded but were never send home let alone killed in action.

However, there were big differences between Tour of Duty and the two other shows.

In the Rat Patrol and Combat, you see German soldiers getting killed in wholesale numbers without inflicting heavy casualties on the Americans. In Tour of Duty, the North Vietnamese gave as good as they got. In the Rat Patrol and Combat, you had German soldiers being killed by bayonets, strangle to death, or in some cases being drown. You did not see that in Tour of Duty.

In the TV show Combat, you did not see the show address issues of war crimes committed by Allied soldiers, racist attitudes toward the Afro-Americans, Hispances, Asian Americans, other white Americans of different ethnic groups and to Allied soldiers of different nations like the British and French. The show did not address the military inequalities that exists between the enlisted men and the officer corps. The World War II American officer corp live high off the hog like the American officers of Vietnam. The show did not address the tensions between the regular Army, Army Reserve, and the National Guard. The show also did not address about the situation on the home front both good and bad such as the women and minorities working in the factories, labor unions pushing for higher wages and corporations trying to overcharge the government and Vice-President Truman trying to put a stop to the corporate malfeasance.

Finally, in Tour of Duty, you have special effects of soldiers being wounded in action and blood spurting all over the place. You do not see that in the Rat Patrol or Combat.

P. S. I am agree with one person who stated about capturing NVA general. In Combat, they always seem to have episodes about capturing an important German officer or destroying a target that was not within their skills.

Being from Denmark, I had never heard of this series before I was about 20 years old. In 2006 I was deployed to Iraq with the Danish Army, and I found the TOur of Duty complete series DVD in a store on base. I bought it and I am so glad I did. As I watched it on my own "Tour of Duty" it really made me care a lot about the people in the show. I even recognized a few of the issues the soldiers in the series faced. Further more I was really impressed with the military accuracy the series had. Of course some things were a bit far fetched, but generally it is very realistic. One negative thing about the show is probably what they used too many "redshirt" characters.

What an absolutely horrible show. Good old Hollywood can't make a story about anything without injecting their ultra liberal views. Better military shows to view rather than this...

Tour of Duty is one of the best series I have ever seen. It has great performances from the entire cast, a wonderfull human story about an inhuman war and the story-telling is perfectly paced.

Sadly, it didn't get the ratings it deserved back in the states, though it was a big hit over here (and several other countries, I've learned). If you get the chance, watch it (like I'm doing now as it's being re-run on SBS-6). I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Good series, just watching it again from the start and noticed on S1 E1 the helmet covers are US woodland cameo, these were not issued until 1981 as to the Mitchell cameo helmet covers that were actually used in the Vietnam war era.

From memory the Tour of Duty is somewhat accurate regarding clothing etc I will be paying more attention to detail now. Otherwise for this small flaw that I've noticed so far, it is a great show and really goes into depths of this war that otherwise to date still has not fully been addressed in movies from the same eta.

Correct me if I am wrong about Woodland vs Mitchell