World On Fire has its strengths and weaknesses. That's true of any show, but it's more difficult to overlook the (numerous and glaring) weaknesses if you have knowledge about World War II and the legitimate history.
The positive is that there is a large focus on Poland, something which is so frequently overlooked when in comes to WW II history in Britain and America. The writers have some big plot holes, from the story of the young refugee - somehow his rescuer is able to keep it a secret & say next to nothing to anyone. Frankly, he does that throughout the series to the point that it gets stupid.
I do like the idea of the way they're using characters in different countries and then tying them together as the series goes on. The biggest drawback is that you get the idea that writers have forgotten about or have too many characters of whom to keep track and in turn, parts where they come together can feel forced and there isn't the character development one would hope to see.
The biggest flaw in this series is the way the writers appear to re-write large parts of history to make it more palatable for the Gen Z crowd. Unlike true period dramas like SAS Rogue Heroes and Call The Midwife, World On Fire is lost between its desire to engage in a show about the war and a desire to combine it with a heavier dose of views you'd see in 2019 rather than 1939. Rather than staying true to the time, the writers stray and in turn, parts veer in to melodrama. They produce big, explosive war scenes, but only some of them feel appropriate. A storyline with a German child takes a turn that doesn't feel at all in character for what we've seen thus far.
The women, save for the main character's mother, are straight out of this decade & it can be almost distracting. You also very much get the idea that they're trying to hit a diversity quota without actually tackling the biggest population that was destroyed at the hands of the Nazis: Jewish people.
On one hand, it's yes, it's fiction, however, the number of Polish and French Jews who lost their lives are almost a side note. They show them, but most don't have any real story focused on them. For such a major historic event that nearly wiped out a population, it's almost a crime not to have a strong main character that is Jewish.
In a bizarre way, World On Fire is what I can imagine the outcome should someone who loved Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries come up with if they chose to make a current period drama about World War II. This show isn't terrible, but the lack of accuracy when it's trying to be so serious can make for an unsettling watch.
If you have little or no knowledge of history, you'll probably enjoy World On Fire. If you were born in 1999 or later, this was probably written for you. On the whole I recommend it so long as you understand & don't mind the above caveats.
