TV series

Oppenheimer

Name: Oppenheimer
Released: 1980
Cast: Sam Waterston, John Carson

1980· 1 season· 50 min episodes★ 6.7Ended

On BBC Two — From BBC · GBH

Create a free account to save & share

Create a free account to see where Oppenheimer is streaming, with prices and your services first.

Where to watch

Not available to stream in US

🔔 Notify me about new seasons

Synopsis

Spanning 1938 to 1953, theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer leads the effort to develop the atom bomb during the Second World War. When revealed, his work initially makes him a hero in the United States, but an ever-changing world soon sees him recast as a security risk.

Themes

atomic bomb biography miniseries period drama historical drama 1940s 1950s 1930s manhattan project hiroshima and nagasaki bombings based on real person robert oppenheimer biographical drama

Episodes

Create a free account to track the episodes you’ve watched.

E1 Episode 1Next upOct 29, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
1938: Robert Oppenheimer meets and decides to marry the hard-drinking, much-divorced Kitty, although his friends and relatives dislike her.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Harrison), Peter Whitman (Robert Serber), John Morton (Robert Wilson), Bob Sherman (Ernest Lawrence), Garrick Hagon (Frank Oppenheimer), Liza Ross (Jacky Oppenheimer), Kate Harper (Jean Tatlock), Erica Stevens (Charlotte Serber)
E2 Episode 2Nov 3, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
1942: America is at war. Now in charge of the top-secret Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer's left-wing politics mean that he's constantly under surveillance by the FBI and others.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Oppenheimer), Christopher Muncke (Colonel Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Peter Whitman (Robert Serber), Manning Redwood (General Leslie Groves), Matthew Guinness (Hans Bethe), Bob Sherman (Ernest Lawrence)
E3 Episode 3Nov 12, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
1943: Oppenheimer is appointed director of Los Alamos, but his past Communist associations alert the FBI. Meanwhile, his extramarital relationship with the neurotic Jean Tatlock comes to a tragic end.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Oppenheimer), Christopher Muncke (Colonel Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Peter Whitman (Robert Serber), Manning Redwood (General Leslie Groves), Matthew Guinness (Hans Bethe), John Morton (Robert Wilson)
E4 Episode 4Nov 19, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
Summer 1944: With the death of President Roosevelt, the future of the Manhattan Project seems doubtful. Oppenheimer finds himself more and more at loggerheads with Teller.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Oppenheimer), Christopher Muncke (Colonel Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Peter Whitman (Robert Serber), Manning Redwood (General Leslie Groves), Matthew Guinness (Hans Bethe), John Morton (Robert Wilson)
E5 Episode 5Nov 27, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
May 1945: The European war is over but the conflict with Japan rages on. Oppenheimer discusses the almost completed atomic bomb with the Secretary of War. However, his colleagues have misgivings.
Guest stars: Christopher Muncke (Colonel Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Peter Whitman (Robert Serber), Manning Redwood (General Leslie Groves), Matthew Guinness (Hans Bethe), John Morton (Robert Wilson), Bob Sherman (Ernest Lawrence)
E6 Episode 6Dec 3, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
1949: A few years after the war, Oppenheimer finds himself regarded as a security risk, and must face the HUAC committee.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Oppenheimer), Christopher Muncke (General Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Garrick Hagon (Frank Oppenheimer), Liza Ross (Jacky Oppenheimer), Peter Marinker (Haakon Chevalier), Ron Berglas (John Manley)
E7 Episode 7Dec 10, 1980 · 50 min
Synopsis
December 1953: Oppenheimer's examination by the committee proves disastrous and his career with the AEC is finished, whilst that of his rival Teller flourishes.
Guest stars: Jana Shelden (Kitty Oppenheimer), Christopher Muncke (General Kenneth Nichols), Edward Hardwicke (Enrico Fermi), David Suchet (Edward Teller), Manning Redwood (General Leslie Groves), Matthew Guinness (Hans Bethe), David Baxt (Colonel John Lansdale), Barry Dennen (Isidor Rabi)