7 Things You Forgot About ‘China Beach’: Dana Delany’s Acclaimed Vietnam Drama is Finally Streaming
China Beach, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning drama about the experiences of a female U.S. Army Nurse during the Vietnam War, has long topped lists of beloved shows unavailable on streaming. But finally, the wait has ended: for the first time ever, the show will stream on the Roku Channel, as part of the platform’s subscriber-only offerings.
The show has not only never been available on streaming; after reruns aired on Lifetime in the 1990s, the show was out of syndication, and could only be seen by fans who bought the DVD box set.
As old fans get ready to revisit and a new generation of viewers learn about the story of First Lieutenant Colleen McMurphy, here are few refreshers about the forgotten drama.
1It was based on a true story — a few of them, actually
China Beach co-creator William Broyles was a Vietnam veteran; his fellow co-creator, John Sacret Young, lost a cousin in Vietnam. Together, the two men decided they wanted to tell what they felt were the lesser-known stories from the conflict. As Young told Los Angeles Times in 2013, “We discussed, is there a way to tell a story that hasn’t been told? That is when we came to think about the role of women. Many of them volunteered. It seemed crucial, interesting and relevant.”
The show then zeroed in on the experiences of female nurses, USO entertainers, Red Cross workers, and civilian volunteers — using the experience of one real-life Army nurse as inspiration. U.S. Army Nurse Lynda Van Devanter’s 1983 memoir Home Before Morning recounted her own experiences during her Vietnam deployment, as well as her struggles with PTSD once she returned home. Van Devanter was one of several Vietnam nurses whose experiences provided the basis for Dana Delany‘s Colleen McMurphy.
2It made Dana Delany a star
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The actress, who is known for roles in films like Tombstone and Fly Away Home, and TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Sylvester Stallone’s Tulsa King, had her first big breakthrough on the show. Prior to China Beach, she has worked primarily as a guest star on shows like thirtysomething and Moonlighting.
3… But it almost starred Helen Hunt instead
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Delany revealed that the role of Nurse McMurphy came down to her and a young Helen Hunt, who at that point was known primarily as a teen actress. “The two of us tested for it, and I really don’t know why they chose me,” Delaney recalled. “I know there was a lot of consternation at the time; a lot of people didn’t think I was right for the role. One thing I heard was that I wasn’t pretty enough … And I don’t know why they finally chose me.”
Hunt did eventually guest star on the show — placing her among a group of future all-stars who also guested on the show, including Don Cheadle, Thomas Haden Church, Megan Mullally and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
4A 2000s TV icon got her start on the show
If you spent any time flipping through the channels in the ’00s, you definitely caught a glimpse of Marg Helgenberger, who spent 12 seasons starring as Catherine Willow on the original CSI. But long before she ever dusted a crime scene for prints, Helgenberger was China Beach‘s K.C. Koloski, a civilian volunteer who has gone to Vietnam for her own reasons.
Helgenberger had already been on TV since the early ’80s, appearing as Siobhan Ryan on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. But China Beach was her primetime breakthrough, and earned her her first and only Emmy.
5It brought Ricki Lake to TV
China Beach can’t be called Ricki Lake’s breakthrough — that honor would go to 1988’s Hairspray, where she played peppy Baltimore dance maven Tracy Turblad. However, when Lake joined the cast of China Beach in its third season as Red Cross volunteer Holly Pelegrino, it marked the actress’s first recurring role on TV — a place where she soon became a familiar face as the host of Ricki Lake, a talk show that ran from 1993 to 2004.
6It brought Nancy Sinatra back to Vietnam
A large part of the show included the goings-on among the USO crew. And in the season one finale, it recreated a real-life Vietnam USO moment, when Nancy Sinatra performed for the troops in 1966 and 1967.
7It was an awards juggernaut
China Beach only lasted for four seasons and 62 episodes total — and struggled in ratings for that entire time. But in that brief wondow, the show racked up an incredible amount of awards wins — 29 Emmy nominations and five wins, including two Best Actress statues for Delany and a Best Supporting Actress win for Marg Helgenberger in 1990. The show also got five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Actress honors for Delany and Best Supporting Actress for Helgenberger, and took home the 1990 Golden Globe for Best Drama. The show also honored with a Peabody Award in 1990.
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