Skip to content
MovieCove
Secret War

Secret War

2011–Ongoing1 season13 episodesMidcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

Profiles of secret operatives for the Allies in World War II.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Secret War?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Secret War streaming on Prime Video.

Subscription

Reception

Is Secret War worth watching?

Secret War's Midcredits score is the 72nd percentile of all shows, from 40 ratings across 2 sources (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 77% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

72nd percentile

Better received than 72% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

63rd percentile among Documentary70th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)74th
Approval (how many liked it)65th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

76 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

74th percentile of all shows

64th percentile among Documentary72nd percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

77% liked it

65th percentile of all shows

59th percentile among Documentary63rd percentile among 2010s
77% rated it 7–1023% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

2nd percentile

39 ratings across platforms

4th percentile among Documentary4th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 22 days to Oct 26Down 20% in 30 days

Watch experience

What is Secret War like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you thinking.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
ContemplativeTenseMelancholic
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Warm
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe documentary treats its subjects with respectful gravity and admiration for their courage, conveying the seriousness of their missions.
The rideThe series maintains a consistent tone of respectful gravity, punctuated by moments of tension and poignancy.
StructureEach episode is a self-contained profile of a different operative, with no overarching narrative device across the series.
Episode formatThe series is a docuseries, each episode a self-contained profile of a secret operative.
Season formatSeasons appear to be interchangeable batches of profiles; any season is an entry point.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Thought-provokingBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves you with a renewed respect for the individuals who risked everything, and a somber reflection on the human cost of war.
How it ends · evidence
Cyclical ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe series is a documentary profiling historical figures, not a narrative film with a plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfWarSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% (this title) · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% (this title) · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% · War 1% (this title) · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Survival

War · 1% of showsSacrifice · 2% of showsDuty · 2% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series examines the immense personal risks and sacrifices made by secret operatives during World War II, highlighting their courage and commitment to duty.
StanceThe series presents factual accounts of real individuals, neither glorifying nor condemning, but documenting their contributions.

The world

Mid 20th centuryUrbanRuralRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score
SettingWorld War II Europe, focusing on secret operations behind enemy lines

Cast and crew

Who is in Secret War?

Cast

Jon Wennington
as Charles Hambro
Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse
as Vera Atkins

Crew

More like this

What are shows like Secret War?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Secret War include The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), The Unit (2006) and The World at War (1973).

Like this, but

Explore by

What other shows share a tag with Secret War?

421 other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: docudrama. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.