Oppenheimer

Miniseries

1980 · 7 episodes · 5h 50m in all

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.

Episodes

1. 

   1. Episode 1

   29 Oct 1980 · 50 min

   1938: Robert Oppenheimer meets and decides to marry the hard-drinking, much-divorced Kitty, although his friends and relatives dislike her.

2. 

   2. Episode 2

   3 Nov 1980 · 50 min

   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.

3. 

   3. Episode 3

   12 Nov 1980 · 50 min

   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.

4. 

   4. Episode 4

   19 Nov 1980 · 50 min

   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.

5. 

   5. Episode 5

   27 Nov 1980 · 50 min

   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.

6. 

   6. Episode 6

   3 Dec 1980 · 50 min

   1949: A few years after the war, Oppenheimer finds himself regarded as a security risk, and must face the HUAC committee.

7. 

   7. Episode 7

   10 Dec 1980 · 50 min

   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.