ed-scherer This superbly crafted drama was too good for American television, and even though highly rated at 8.2, was prematurely ended. It amazes me that dreck like Grey's Anatomy drags on and on (for the life of me I can't figure that out and having worked at one of the nations top medical centers for years can attest it is rife with inaccuracies) with its sophomoric "office romances." The problem with that show is not the actors who are a talented bunch - it is the writing. China Beach was just one of those shows you awaited with anticipation because the character development was so good and the material was universal regardless of whether it was a Nam drama or medical series - it was just beautifully done. Oh well, mediocrity prevails and excellence is shunned.

killerquean I just purchased the first two seasons on DVD. While some of the production values are dated, the character development and acting have stood the test of time. I grew up watching the Vietnam War (at least what we were allowed to see) on television. I've worked and been friends with several Vietnam era veterans and the stories they told, when they would talk about it, are similar to the plot lines in this series. The nurses who served there spoke and the writers and actors took their stories to heart.True to war, the characters are all casualties, emotionally/physically, coming to grips with violence. I cried when Cherry's character spoke out at the sumptuous banquet about how a few hours earlier, the soldiers she visited at a fire camp dined on C rations and had to dig a hole because there were no latrines.A decade after Saigon was evacuated, this show honored the men and women who lost their innocence 10 thousand miles from home. War is inherently evil, but these teen-aged warriors who were drafted to fight deserve to be honored for their sacrifices. China Beach does that without become preachy.For a network series to broach subjects such as drug addiction, PTSD &C. at the time this show first aired was remarkable. With the glut of "reality" programming on TV these days, shows like this make me nostalgic for China Beach, Homicide and other programs where character/plot development made for must-see TV. Buy this series on DVD!

hobbyguy While Dana was awesome in this series the best moment of China Beach was the opening credits. It's overlay of characters, footage and "the" song expressed so much of the emotion that the show tried to portray. I've also got to say that Picardo's character was so memorable that it was about five seasons into Voyager before I could think of him as that Doc and not the one from China Beach. Many episodes were just beautifully written about "people" rather than "characters."Unlike so many of the Vietnam shows and films of the time it wasn't ( for the most part) about rescuing a few guys that were abandoned out in the bush. It covered both the complexities of life in Vietnam and life in general. Watching it could alternately make you feel homesick for the voices of your family, even when they were just upstairs, or angry at the unfairness of life, despite the fact that you weren't getting half the bad deal that some of the characters got.One of the great classic dramas of the eighties!

Sundown305 I didn't pay attention to this show when it first ran on ABC (or its second run when it came on Lifetime), but when I learned that it was about the Vietnam Conflict, I tuned in to the 48-Hour Crash-Course Marathon on TV Land. I was so impressed by watching only a couple of episodes that I ran out and bought enough tapes to record all of 'em. Though TV Land only ran the first season, our local WB affiliate carried the remaining seasons, and I have all but seven episodes and the movie pilot...Dana Delany was completely awesome in her role. Even in the less-critically acclaimed seasons (the ones that talked about the characters once they left Vietnam), she was into her role and made the viewers feel her emotions.And goodness, the cameos! It seems like damn-near everyone from "Full Metal Jacket" made a cameo in this series! R. Lee Ermey and Dorian Harewood (GySgt Hartman and Eightball) come to mind. Vivica Fox, Judge Reinhold, Tim Ryan, Kim Wayans, and Kathy Bates also come to mind...This show ruled! Still does! **** out of ****