Discovery Docuseries Taking Fire Follows U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

Screen grab/Discovery Channel

Tonight, Discovery Channel premieres the new docuseries Taking Fire, which seeks to, in the words of a Discovery release, “bring viewers into the hearts and minds of American soldiers.”

The series is the story of a group of soldiers deployed to defend the mouth of the Taliban-held Korengal Valley in northeast Afghanistan. The men tell the story of their lives there themselves, with the action punctuated by real combat footage shot on helmet cameras and handy cams. Discovery promises a “visceral experience not witnessed in news reports or traditional documentary portraits of war.”

Taking Fire offers our viewer an experience truly unlike anything they have seen anywhere before,” said Rich Ross, President of Discovery. “This is a visceral and literal peek behind a curtain that few of us will ever see again.” 

The series will showcase the renowned and highly regarded 101st Airborne Division, charting one year’s deployment on one base in Afghanistan. The network describes the program as a character-driven serial, showing the impact of war on a handful of men during the course of their year on the frontlines.

Taking Fire premieres Sept. 13 at 10pm ET on Discovery Channel. The five episodes will air weekly.