Jason Momoa Unleashes Warrior Spirit in ‘Chief of War’ — A 9-Episode Apple TV+ Powerhouse You Can’t Miss!
Apple TV+ has been quietly building a fortress in the streaming arena since its debut in late 2019—snagging some of the buzziest and downright unique shows on television. From the mind-bending hook of Severance to the gripping hard sci-fi worlds of Foundation and Silo, not to mention the addictive drama of The Morning Show, the cunning spy intrigue of Slow Horses, and a slew of comedies that just get you (Ted Lasso, anyone?), Apple’s got a serious lineup. But here’s the kicker: despite all this success, it’s only now stepping into the colossal arena of the action epic, the kind that makes you wonder—can it capture the magic spark of giants like Game of Thrones? Enter Chief of War, co-created by and starring Jason Momoa, bringing an epic tale from Hawaiian history with enough fire (literally, with erupting volcanoes on set!) to shake the streaming landscape. If you thought Apple TV+ was just about sleek tech and quiet triumphs, think again—it’s ready to go all in with this blazing saga that’s as visually stunning as it is ambitiously told. Curious how Jason Momoa’s latest venture is rewriting the story of epic TV? Dive in and let’s unpack this fiery new frontier together. LEARN MORE
APPLE TV+ HAS been in the streaming game since late 2019, and in that time it’s accumulated some major hits in the TV space. It’s got one of TV’s most talked-about and unique shows (Severance), along with much-loved hard sci-fi (Foundation, Silo), melodramatic TV soap (The Morning Show), a spy smash (Slow Horses), and a whole bunch of great comedies (The Studio, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, and more). And those are just its very biggest shows.
One space it hasn’t fully found it’s place in—yet—is the major television action epic. For a few years, every channel and streamer was looking to find the next Game of Thrones; Prime Video had The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, for instance. And while Apple TV+ has certainly pulled some epics out (Pachinko spans multiple generations and is much-acclaimed, and Monarch brings some of the biggest scale monsters in film/television history to the screen), it’s making its biggest bet yet with Chief of War, co-created by and starring Jason Momoa.
The show tells a true story set roughly between 1782 and 1810, before the state of Hawaii was even known as the Kingdom of Hawaii, when the lands were in conflict. Think the epic historical fiction of Shōgun alongside the hunt for power present in Game of Thrones; Momoa plays Kaʻiana (aka Keawe-Kaʻiana-a-ʻAhuʻula), a nobleman from the island of Hawai’i who seeks to lead the land.
The show doesn’t just have big ambitions—it looks and feels great too. In fact, while filming the show’s first season finale, Momoa (who directs the episode) caught the volcanos Mauna Loa and Kilauea erupting together for the first time in about 40 years. “We shot it all at dusk and at night with four units,” Momoa explained in a 2023 Men’s Health cover story. “It’s crazy to think that two volcanoes went off while we shot a story about two volcanoes going off. Wow! It’s probably the highlight of my career.”
Chief of War is a legitimate television epic, with production value that matches its surely-lofty budget. You won’t want to miss an episode of this one, so keep reading below and you’ll be sure not to.
When is the next episode of Chief of War coming out?
The next episode of Chief of War is officially scheduled to release on Friday, August 8th. But every Apple TV+ show (semi-secretly!) releases the night before a bit early. So keep an eye out for the next episode of Chief of War on Thursday, August 7th, at 8:00 PM EST.
How many episodes of Chief of War are left?
The first season of Chief of War will be 9 episodes in its entirety, the first two of which have already debuted on Apple TV+. That means there are seven weeks—and seven more episodes of Jason Momoa’s Hawaiian epic—remaining in the first season of Chief of War.
Here’s the complete release schedule for Apple TV+’s Stick:
Episode 1, “The Chief of War” – Now streaming as of August 1
Episode 2, “Changing Tides” – Now streaming as of August 1
Episode 3, “City of Flowers” – Streaming on August 8
Episode 4, “Ciudad De Flores, Part II” – Streaming on August 15
Episode 5, “The Race of the Gods” – Streaming on August 22
Episode 6, “The Splintered Paddle” – Streaming on August 29
Episode 7, “Day of Spilled Brains” – Streaming on September 5
Episode 8, “The Sacred Niu Grove” – Streaming on September 12
Episode 9 ,”The Black Desert” – Streaming on September 19
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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