15 years have passed since The Pacific aired on HBO, following in the footsteps of Band of Brothers nine years before it. Produced by the same A-list duo of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, The Pacific and Band of Brothers narrate true stories from World War II’s Pacific and European theaters, respectively. The Pacific follows several real-life United States Marines, while Band of Brothers focuses on the paratroopers of Easy Company. Both comprised of 10 episodes, the pair of limited series garnered vast critical acclaim in the wake of their releases on HBO. The Pacific won eight Emmy Awards, surpassing Band of Brothers‘ haul of seven. Following their previous successful collaborations, Spielberg and Hanks teamed-up for a third time on 2024’s Masters of the Air for Apple TV+, and that miniseries was equally outstanding.
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Most TV critics and fans rank Band of Brothers higher, but The Pacific fares better in crafting personal storylines around its central characters, taking more time to spotlight their lives away from the battlefield. That, combined with The Pacific’s higher level of intensity and grit, elevates its excellence just beyond Band of Brothers. The Pacific and Band of Brothers stand in a league of their own when it comes to scripted war productions, but the former has a slight edge.
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How The Pacific Improved the Band of Brothers Formula
The Pacific replicates Band of Brothers‘ formula of fixating on a set of soldiers and depicting their experiences during the war, but the series noticeably improves upon its predecessor’s style. First of all, The Pacific features a broader lineup of characters, whereas Band of Brothers‘ subjects spent most of show together. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), and John Basilone (Jon Seda) serve as The Pacific‘s three main story arcs, and each of their perspectives brings a unique element to the overarching narrative.
Complementing the Pacific‘s lead individuals is a fantastic group of real-life supporting characters. The dry humor and unshakable composure of Merriell “Snafu” Shelton (Rami Malek) define The Pacific’s most compelling personality, while Sidney Philips (Ashton Holmes) and Wilbur “Runner” Conley also act as valuable additions to the bunch. Outside of its spectacular action sequences, The Pacific‘s greatest strength involves a strong emphasis on the Marines’ lives away from the frontlines. Leckie and co. embark on some fun adventures while relieved in Australia, and Basilone meets, falls in love, and marries is wife Lena (Annie Parisse) after earning the Medal of Honor. The Pacific also paints a detailed portrait of the down time soldiers had while injured, as well as their experiences adapting to civilian life after returning home — which is particularly poignant after seeing the horrific events they endured.
The Pacific is also far more graphic than Band of Brothers. The jungles and rough terrain of World War II’s Pacific Theater generate a harsher atmosphere than the ruined cities and snowy forests in Band of Brothers, and The Pacific‘s gruesome imagery similarly prevails in intensity. Depicting the battles of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guadalcanal and more with harrowing explosions, gunfire, and gore, The Pacific doesn’t shy away from the vicious bloodshed typical of war – which arguably reached the technological zenith of brutality during WWII. Dialing up the violence isn’t always a good thing, but The Pacific succeeds in making its story more impactful through grisly battles and agonizing death scenes without glorifying war. The horrors of war for soldiers and civilians lie at the heart of both HBO miniseries, and The Pacific‘s increased brutality only serves to underline the grim nature of armed conflict – arguably one of the best deterrents to battlefied fantasy.
The Pacific Proves It Has Stood the Test of Time After 15 Years
When watching both The Pacific and Band of Brothers in 2025, it remains clear that the 2010 miniseries retains its crown as the better of the duo. Band of Brothers is brilliant in its own right, but The Pacific packs an extra punch of intensity, emotion, and character development. While at times Band of Brothers looks dated, The Pacific‘s visual effects and sound mixing easily stack up to the best war projects released in recent years. The Pacific‘s outstanding cast features multiple stars who subsequently landed big movie and TV roles, including Malek, Jon Bernthal, and Ashley Zukerman. All lovers of history and the war genre need to watch both Band of Brothers and The Pacific, as both series will forever change the way viewers think about the Pacific and European theaters of World War II. But The Pacific‘s greater triumph in telling a gripping and moving story with numerous moving parts continues to achieve perfection after many years and many rewatches.
The Pacific and Band of Brothers are available to stream on Max and Netflix.
