The program was directed by American filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, written by Geoffrey Ward, and narrated primarily by Keith David.

The documentary was provided to PBS affiliates in two versions: One with profanity generally prohibited by FCC regulations (including explanations of the acronyms FUBAR and SNAFU) and one without the expletives.

This is the story of four American towns and how their citizens experienced that war.In some countries, notably Australia, Switzerland, Austria, France and Germany, The War was released as a 14-episode series.

"[6] Brian Lowry, writing for Variety, praised the miniseries as "a major victory for PBS", stating that it is "[a] monumental undertaking filled with moments of tremendous poignancy", though he noted that "The most significant quibble here is structural.... just when some stories begin to get interesting, that character is left, only to be returned to hours (and given the broadcast pattern, nights) later.

[20] News outlets began to report as of July 11 that the additional content had not been included in materials made available for preview by television writers and critics, prompting renewed discussion and speculation as to the eventual outcome of the debate.