40 Years Since 'The Day After': Reflecting on the Impact of the Most-Watched TV Movie

The film, which depicted a nuclear war, influenced policy and remains relevant amid ongoing global tensions.

The ABC made-for-television movie 'The Day After' premiered 40 years ago, changing the way many Americans thought about nuclear war.
The film depicted a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union, and was watched by roughly 100 million people, making it the most-watched made-for-television movie in history.
The film was intended to force Americans to grapple with what nuclear war would mean, and it was met with significant controversy and debate, including from the Reagan administration.
Despite initial criticism, Ronald Reagan acknowledged in his autobiography that the film put him on the path to cooperation with Mikhail Gorbachev that resulted in them signing the Intermediate-Range and Nuclear Forces Treaty several years later.
Today, the nuclear threat remains, with many more nations armed with nuclear weapons, the threat of loose nukes, and recent threats from Russia due to the ongoing ground war in Ukraine.