Five acclaimed contemporary directors—Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Greengrass, Lawrence Kasdan and Steven Spielberg—tell the story of five legendary Hollywood filmmakers—Frank Capra, John Ford, John Houston, George Stevens, and William Wyler—who enlisted in the armed forces to document World War II.

Based on the nonfiction book Five Came Back by Mark Harris, and directed by Steven Spielberg's longtime documentarian Laurent Bouzereau, the series’ narration was performed by Meryl Streep (The Post), who won an Emmy for her work.