Tour of Duty put American soldiers in combat in Vietnam, and it did so before anyone else on television dared. The show ran three seasons, 58 episodes, from September 24, 1987, to April 28, 1990, on CBS. Created by Steve Duncan and L. Travis Clark, it followed a U.S. Army platoon through search-and-destroy missions, racism, fragging, and death. It was the first regular series to show Americans fighting in South Vietnam, and it borrowed heavily from the success of Oliver Stone’s Platoon.
Bravo Company’s Second Platoon
The show centers on Bravo Company’s second platoon, led by Staff Sergeant Clayton ‘Zeke’ Anderson, played by Terence Knox, and 2nd Lieutenant Myron Goldman, played by Stephen Caffrey. The first season was shot at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Later seasons moved to Indian Dunes/Newhall Orchards in California, where China Beach and Baa Baa Black Sheep were also filmed.
The move to Saigon changed everything. CBS wanted female characters after ABC’s China Beach drew female viewers. That shift, plus the platoon’s transfer to a SOG unit at Camp Barnett, changed the show’s direction. Critics said the change in premise doomed it, turning a realistic chronicle into an action/romantic/drama show.
The Issues Covered
Tour of Duty covered politics, faith, teamwork, racism, suicide, fragging, terrorism, civilian deaths, sexuality, drug abuse, and the lasting harm done to soldiers and civilians. It treated war as a permanent wound, not a clean fight.
The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing in 1988 and was nominated again in 1989 and 1990. That technical praise sits alongside the show’s ambition.
The Numbers
- Premiere: September 24, 1987
- Finale: April 28, 1990
- Episodes: 58
- Seasons: 3
- Network: CBS
- Creator: Steve Duncan, L. Travis Clark
- Location: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (season 1); Indian Dunes/Newhall Orchards, California (seasons 2 and 3)
| Season | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schofield Barracks, Hawaii | Standard infantry platoon |
| 2 | Indian Dunes/Newhall Orchards, California | Platoon near Saigon |
| 3 | Indian Dunes/Newhall Orchards, California | SOG unit at Camp Barnett |
The show’s early seasons stand apart from its later ones. The first two years grounded the platoon in the mud and heat of Vietnam. The third season, with its romantic detour and the death of its remaining female character, lost some of that weight.
Tour of Duty is best remembered for what it tried to do first: show the soldier’s life in full, warts and all. Its later moves away from that ground weakened it, but the ambition remains visible in every episode.
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