TV series
With firsthand accounts and access to prominent figures around the world, this comprehensive docuseries explores the Cold War and its aftermath.
Availability
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War premiered March 12, 2024. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
With firsthand accounts and access to prominent figures around the world, this comprehensive docuseries explores the Cold War and its aftermath.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
During World War II, the US begins to work on a top-secret project that results in the atomic bombings on Japan — and a global conflict lasting decades.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Joseph Stalin, Tom Nichols, Garrett M. Graff, Mary Elise Sarotte
Episode 2
As communism takes off in Russia and China, Joseph Stalin begins his ruthless reign and the Soviet Union enters an era of terror.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, Tom Nichols, Garrett M. Graff, Mary Elise Sarotte, Giorgi Kandelaki, Rose Gottemoeller, Kaja Kallas
Episode 3
Preparing for war against the Soviet Union, the US starts to test thermonuclear weapons. The CIA forms and interferes with global politics.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Harry S. Truman, Albert Einstein, Joseph Stalin, Tom Nichols, Garrett M. Graff, Tim Naftali, Audra J. Wolfe, Stephen Kinzer
Episode 4
The US and Soviet Union get caught in a nuclear arms race. A wall divides Berlin. John F. Kennedy looks for a peaceful solution after a crisis in Cuba.
Directed by Brian Knappenberger
Episode 5
With both sides planning for the worst-case scenario, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev find common ground. Tragedy strikes after a nuclear disaster.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Yuri Andropov
Episode 6
The USSR's grasp on Eastern Europe weakens as the Berlin Wall comes down and the Communist Party mounts a coup against a prominent Soviet Union leader.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Egon Krenz, Günter Schabowski
Episode 7
A new Russian leader emerges, and the republics seek independence. As the Soviet Union dissolves, several powers sign a landmark treaty on nuclear arms.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush
Episode 8
Russia struggles to find a national identity as Vladimir Putin comes to power. With the Cold War in the rearview, a war on terror begins.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, Viktor Yushchenko
Episode 9
Russia invades Georgia and Ukraine, putting Putin under intense scrutiny. While disinformation thrives, threats of nuclear war persist.
Directed by Brian KnappenbergerGuest stars Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026
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Aylam OrianSelf - Vladimir Putin
Harry S. TrumanSelf - President of the United States 1945 - 1953 (archive footage)
Albert EinsteinSelf - Physicist (archive footage)
Joseph StalinSelf - Leader of the Soviet Union 1924 - 1953 (archive footage)
Hillary ClintonSelf (archive footage)
Boris YeltsinSelf (archive footage)
Bill ClintonSelf (archive footage)
Condoleezza RiceSelf
Netflix