Oppenheimer (TV series)

Oppenheimer is a biographical drama television miniseries based on the life and career of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Written by Peter Prince and directed by Barry Davis, the series is a co-production between the BBC and WGBH. It stars Sam Waterston in the title role, with Jana Shelden, Christopher Muncke, Edward Hardwicke, and David Suchet in supporting roles, and is narrated by John Carson.

Oppenheimer
GenreBiographical drama
Written byPeter Prince
Directed byBarry Davis
Starring
Narrated byJohn Carson
ComposerCarl Davis
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producerPeter Goodchild
CinematographyRodney Taylor
EditorTariq Anwar
Running time57–68 minutes[1]
Production companies
Budget$1.5 million[2]
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release29 October (1980-10-29) –
10 December 1980 (1980-12-10)

Oppenheimer premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 29 October 1980, and concluded on 10 December 1980, consisting of seven episodes.[1] The series won three BAFTA TV Awards, including Best Drama Series or Serial, from seven nominations. It received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special for Prince. For his portrayal of Oppenheimer, Waterston was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Plot synopsis

The series depicts Oppenheimer's wartime role as head of the weapons laboratory of the Manhattan Project, during which he was under constant surveillance by the US federal government because of his association with communists. It culminates in a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission hearing in 1954, in which Oppenheimer is stripped of his security clearance.

Cast

Production

Oppenheimer is a co-production between the BBC and Boston's WGBH, which contributed 15 percent of the project's $1.5 million costs.[2][3] The series was executive produced by the BBC's Peter Goodchild, who conceived the idea in 1975.[3] After producing a series on physicist and chemist Marie Curie, he set his sights on Oppenheimer.[2]

Release

Oppenheimer was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 29 October to 10 December 1980, and in the United States on PBS from 11 May to 22 June 1982, as episodes of the first season of American Playhouse.[4][5] More than 40 years after its release, the series became available on BBC iPlayer following the success of Christopher Nolan's 2023 film of the same name, which also chronicles the career of Oppenheimer.[6][7][8]

Reception

Critical response

John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote that J. Robert Oppenheimer was "persuasively" played by Sam Waterston and the series "is primarily interested in telling, quite absorbingly, one of the more puzzling and indeed astonishing stories of contemporary American history".[9] Bill Carter of The Baltimore Sun called it "never less than a fascinating portrait of a truly fascinating man" while criticizing a "choppy production technique that makes much of the film seem rather raw".[10]

Major General Kenneth Nichols disputed his portrayal in the series, saying that it "portrayed me serving as a personal aide to Groves on frequent visits to Los Alamos", when he did so only once.[11]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
1981 British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Peter Goodchild
Barry Davis		 Won [12]
Best Actor Sam Waterston Nominated
Best Original Music Carl Davis Won
Best Film Editor Tariq Anwar Won
Best Television Cameraman Rodney Taylor Nominated
Best Television Lighting Clive Thomas Nominated
Best Film Sound Peter Edwards Nominated
1982 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Limited Series Peter Goodchild
Lindsay Law		 Nominated [13]
Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special Peter Prince ("Part V") Nominated
1983 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film Sam Waterston Nominated [14]

See also

References
  1. "Oppenheimer". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  2. Ravindran, Manori (22 July 2023). "The Original 'Oppenheimer': How the BBC Brought the Father of the Atom Bomb to Life Long Before Christopher Nolan". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  3. Billington, Michael (9 May 1982). "'OPPENHEIMER'--EXAMINING THE SCIENTIST'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SOCIETY". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  4. "Television". New York Magazine. 24 May 1982. p. 131. Retrieved 27 July 2023 – via Google Books.
  5. O'Connor, John J. (11 May 1982). "TV: 7-PART SERIES ON OPPENHEIMER BEGINS ON PBS". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  6. "BBC iPlayer adds classic 1980 series Oppenheimer". BBC Online. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  7. Ravindran, Manori (1 August 2023). "BBC's BAFTA-Winning 'Oppenheimer' Series Heads to iPlayer Following Movie's Success". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  8. Goldbart, Max (1 August 2023). "BBC 'Oppenheimer' Series Returns To IPlayer 40 Years After Launch". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  9. O'Connor, John J. (13 May 1984). "CRITICS' CHOICES". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  10. Carter, Bill (11 May 1982). "Intriguing PBS Look at 'Oppenheimer'". The Baltimore Sun. pp. C4. Retrieved 25 January 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Kenneth D. Nichols (1987). The Road to Trinity: A Personal Account of How America’s Nuclear Policies Were Made. New York: Morrow. ISBN 068806910X.
  12. "Television in 1981 | BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  13. "Oppenheimer American Playhouse". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  14. "Oppenheimer". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
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