Hell Below (2016)

TV ShowWar, History4 seasons, 24 episodes
Hell Below posterReview score: 67%

Plot

Some of the most dramatic and pivotal missions of World War II happened beneath the waves, carried out by stealth vessels manned by skippers and crews with nerves of steel. Journey to the Pacific, where USS Silversides and USS Barb became legendary submarines and to the African Gold Coast, where U-boat ace Werner Henke was put to the ultimate test. From a blind battle beneath icy Norwegian waters to a near nuclear disaster in Cold War Cuba, these are the white-knuckle patrols that changed subsea warfare forever.

Email me when Hell Below premieres

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Hell Below S01E01America Fights BackS01E01 · 8.0It's January 1943 in the Pacific and American submarine skipper Dudley Morton is just 10 days into his first patrol aboard USS Wahoo. His mission: to sink Japanese ships and disrupt supply lines. This aggressive strategy is a radically new tactic for the U.S. Navy, and Morton is just the man to carry it out. See these water wars up close and witness Morton take on entire Japanese convoys above and below the Pacific in this thrilling exploration.
  2. 02Hell Below S01E02Fatal VoyageS01E02 · 8.0Submarine commander Dick O'Kane participated in the most successful attacks on Japanese ships during World War II, until his luck, and the last torpedo he fired, took a dramatic turn. We track O'Kane's successful career, first as a protege aboard the legendary USS Wahoo, and then as Commander of the short-lived but lethal USS Tang. Through expert testimony, we relive O'Kane's seminal triumphs, and the tragic path of his last warhead.
  3. 03Hell Below S01E03Destroyer KillerS01E03 · 8.0The USS Harder, led by Commander Sam Dealey, sank multiple Japanese destroyers, rescued Allied operatives from capture in Borneo, and outmatched many rival ships and aircraft to return home. And that was during just one patrol. Take a deep dive aboard this submarine as we relive this incredible war patrol in the spring of 1944, and witness the events that accelerated the campaign against the Japanese and earned Dealey the Medal of Honor.

Episodes by season

Season01Best seasonEpisode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes2016Aired 8.0Season avg
  1. S01E01Hell Below S01E01Season's bestAmerica Fights BackApril 5, 2016 8.0It's January 1943 in the Pacific and American submarine skipper Dudley Morton is just 10 days into his first patrol aboard USS Wahoo. His mi
  2. S01E02Hell Below S01E02Fatal VoyageApril 12, 2016 8.0Submarine commander Dick O'Kane participated in the most successful attacks on Japanese ships during World War II, until his luck, and the l
  3. S01E03Hell Below S01E03Destroyer KillerApril 19, 2016 8.0The USS Harder, led by Commander Sam Dealey, sank multiple Japanese destroyers, rescued Allied operatives from capture in Borneo, and outmat
  4. S01E04Hell Below S01E04The WolfpackApril 26, 2016 8.0The wolfpack tactic was made famous by Admiral Karl Donitz, Hitler's mastermind of submariners. His strategy: to send teams of U-boats to
  5. S01E05Hell Below S01E05Hitler's RevengeMay 3, 2016 8.0Just one month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, another enemy brought World War II to American shores, not through the air but ben
  6. S01E06Hell Below S01E06Atlantic ShowdownMay 10, 2016 8.0A Nazi U-boat heading back for repairs unintentionally cruises right into the middle of a large Allied convoy on March 16, 1943. It is a luc

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season02Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes2018Aired 8.0Season avg
  1. S02E01Hell Below S02E01Season's bestWounder Warrior aka In Enemy WatersJune 7, 2018 8.0USS Silversides and its swashbuckling skipper, Creed Burlingame, saw their first action in the Pacific in May 1942. More than a dozen patrol
  2. S02E02Hell Below S02E02Submarine Raiders aka Submarine SabotageJune 14, 2018 8.0Decorated American submarine commander Eugene Fluckey, determined to go out with a bang, defies expectations and returns to USS Barb for one
  3. S02E03Hell Below S02E03Relentless Pursuit aka U-Boat KillersJune 21, 2018 8.0German U-515 departs from France in 1944, bound for the African Gold Coast to hunt Allied ships. One thousand miles to the south, the U.S. N
  4. S02E04Hell Below S02E04Defying RommelJune 28, 2018 8.0It's 1941 and Erwin Rommel and his armies hope to take Egypt, gain control of the Suez Canal, and prevent Britain from receiving vital suppl
  5. S02E05Hell Below S02E05North Sea Showdown aka Sub vs. SubJuly 5, 2018 8.0In the icy waters off of Norway in 1945, a U-boat embarks on a mission to bring top-secret German technology to Japan, unaware that a Royal
  6. S02E06Hell Below S02E06Cold War Crisis aka Cuban CrisisJuly 12, 2018 8.0It was the most frightening moment of the Cold War: a crisis in Cuba in 1962 that brought the world to the brink of disaster. At the center

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

Season036Episodes2020Aired—Season avg
  1. S03E01Hell Below S03E01Enigma CaptureJuly 26, 2020—The life of German U-Boat commander Fritz Julius Lemp, who accidentally sinks the passenger liner SS Athenia, takes a series of dramatic tur
  2. S03E02Hell Below S03E02Commander DownAugust 2, 2020—After a violent collision, an American submarine crew begins a desperate bid for survival.
  3. S03E03Hell Below S03E03Killer StrikeAugust 9, 2020—A German U-boat commander launches a shocking attack at the heart of the Royal Navy.
  4. S03E04Hell Below S03E04Torpedo RampageAugust 16, 2020—An American submarine commander risks everything in a fight from within an enemy convoy.
  5. S03E05Hell Below S03E05The Longest JourneyAugust 23, 2020—A German U-Boat Commander makes an unprecedented voyage to attack Allied shipping off the coast of Australia on Christmas morning.
  6. S03E06Hell Below S03E06Iwo Jima Pilot RescueAugust 30, 2020—American submarines risk everything to surface in enemy waters and rescue downed aviators.

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

Season046Episodes2024Aired—Season avg
  1. S04E01Hell Below S04E01Fight for the FjordsJuly 12, 2024—April 1940. When Hitler dispatches the U-Boat arm to protect troops invading Norway, a German submarine rushes towards the deep fjords leadi
  2. S04E02Hell Below S04E02SubversionJuly 19, 2024—The career of a bright, young U-Boat officer begins with promise when he is awarded command of his own submarine. But during their first two
  3. S04E03Hell Below S04E03The HuntedJuly 26, 2024—A German U-Boat, desperately low on supplies and with the crew suffering from scurvy, must be re-fueled from a supply submarine to make it b
  4. S04E04Hell Below S04E04Edge of SurvivalAugust 2, 2024—After an enemy attack forces an American submarine into a disastrous dive, the crew struggles to regain control while battling a deadly chem
  5. S04E05Hell Below S04E05Chaos in CommandAugust 9, 2024—October 1943. After their first war patrol ends in conflict and disappointment, a new submarine Commander must overcome dissent despite his
  6. S04E06Hell Below S04E06The InterceptorAugust 16, 2024—In February 1945, an American submarine Commander receives an order to hunt Japanese submarines assigned to secretly evacuating VIPs from th

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

Photos

View all
1 / 12

Hell Below

Poster · 1 of 12

Trailers & Videos

View all
TrailerNat Geo HD: WW2 Hell Under the Sea

Shows like Hell Below all similar shows

The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.

  1. 01War·History·DramaSAS: Rogue Heroes2022–present·BBC iPlayerAlso on fuboTVWho dares wins. The adrenaline-fuelled origins of the fearless, reckless Special Forces unit, its legend forged among the mayhem of WWII.7.8Compare
  2. 02War·History·DramaMasters of the Air2024–2024Streaming on Apple TVMasters of the Air follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the "Bloody Hundredth") as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of…7.7Compare
  3. 03War·HistoryThe American Revolution2025–2025Streaming on PBSThe American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a war of conquest, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away.7.2Compare
  4. 04War·History·DramaWorld on Fire2019–2023·BBC iPlayerStreaming on PBSThree young people are in the eye of the storm as World War II explodes around them.7.5Compare
  5. 05War·History·DramaA Small Light2023–2023Same network — National Geographic·Streaming on Amazon Prime Video7.9Compare
  6. 06War·History·DramaRise of Empires: Ottoman2020–2022Streaming on NetflixUsing a blend of scripted and documentary elements, Ottoman tells the story of Mehmed II, aka Mehmed the Conqueror, 15th century reign of Ottoman ruler.6.8Compare

Head-to-head pick any opponent

Stack Hell Below's full episode-rating history against a rival, on one chart.

Hell Below vs SAS: Rogue HeroesFull episode chartHell Below vs Masters of the AirFull episode chartHell Below vs The American RevolutionFull episode chart

Keep exploring top shows

ShortcutThe essential episodes

Short on time? The pilot-to-finale shortcut, only the episodes that matter.

MatchupCompare with another show

Two shows' episode ratings on one chart — settle it.

NetworkBest National Geographic shows

More from the same network, ranked by rating.

GenreBest war shows & films

The top of the war pile, across both mediums.

GenreBest history shows & films

The top of the history pile, across both mediums.