About the Show

BG_AboutTheShowSet during World War II, Bomb Girls tells the remarkable stories of women who risked their lives in a munitions factory, building bombs for the European front. Liberated from social and cultural restrictions, they embrace their newfound freedom, changing their lives — and the world around them — forever.

You know how it is. Canada’s youth party down every weeknight and go crazy at underground clubs every weekend. The government is fractured. Canada’s servicemen are dying overseas. More and more women are their families’ top earners. We’re seeing major medical advances, especially in cosmetic surgery. There are rampant STDs and everybody drinks too much. The pecking order is crumbling, sex is a bargaining chip, and our economic future is completely uncertain, except this time… it’s the 1940’s. Like our fledgling country, which was swiftly discovering its value and power, one segment of Canada was profoundly transformed by the war years – the women.

With men seduced away to serve their country, women are enticed to serve their men. They work in munitions factories, building the arms that keep their overseas husbands, lovers, brothers and sons alive and fighting. For these women, the freedoms they’re fighting for… come to include their own.

While they’re building bombs, women also find themselves flourishing with newfound freedom, discovering strengths they never before imagined. At the same time they’re often woefully under- equipped for the new challenges they face. Amid propaganda and sexual harassment, crossing social and cultural boundaries, these remarkable women form a kind of sisterhood never before experienced.

Bomb Girls delves into the lives of exceptional women — peers, friends and rivals. There’s the fiery rich girl Gladys looking to escape her crushing social expectations. There’s gentle, honey-voiced Kate who lands in Toronto on a raft of secrets. There’s tough-talking Betty who’s finally found a place where she belongs. And there’s the gritty matron Lorna, whose heart blossoms through the power of work and unexpected romance. The women form an unexpected kinship, while contending with the fathers, brothers, coworkers and suitors who are also facing various struggles (and advantages) of staying home.

While set on North American soil, Bomb Girls looks at the wars fought on every front. Whether it’s Hitler or a handsy foreman, whether the Western Front is Dieppe or your bra-clip, whether the changing boundaries are in Alsace-Lorraine or on the factory floor… World War II had its shares of invasions and battles — and so do our women. They’re fighting the Battle of the Bulge in its every guise. While their newfound freedom offers thrills, it comes with conditions and a greater chance of mistakes, responsibility — even danger. But as they come to learn on every level… such is the price of freedom. And once they enjoy the new terrain they’ve fought to gain… they won’t ever give it up without a fight.

As the war goes on and the Axis Powers are still winning every major battle, it seems the bad guys may actually win. The women and men of Victory Munitions feel deeply the price of combat. There are casualty lists, rationing, foreigners and hidden foes, unholy alliances, and the ever-present danger of explosives.  And for the first time, they directly confront the war, as wounded soldiers return along with the toll (both physical and emotional) those survivors pay.

Bomb Girls draws viewers deep into the thick of the war with its music, fashion, romance and the thrill of being alive in dangerous times. While each character goes through personal trials, they know that the steadfast friendships forged on the frontlines of Victory Munitions means someone always has their back.

The series was created by Michael MacLennan and Adrienne Mitchell and based on a concept by Debi Drennan and Maureen Jennings. It was filmed in Toronto with a converted furniture factory in Etobicoke standing for the Victory Munitions Factory.

Bomb Girls debuted in Canada on January 4, 2012 on Global TV. Originally intended to be a six-part drama mini-series, Global renewed the series for a second, 12-episode season in early 2012. Two seasons and a wrap-up TV movie have aired. Global will not be producing a third season or any further Bomb Girls movies.

Outside of Canada, the show began airing in the United States in September 2012 and has also been broadcast in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Finland.