“Inspired by true events … But be aware … This is NOT a history lesson.”

So begins each episode of the second season of “SAS: Rogue Heroes,” which aired earlier this year. The British series, which aired as “Rogue Heroes” in the United States, is an ambitious retelling of the creation and legacy of the British Army’s elite Special Air Service during World War II, and it may just be the best military series available right now due to its electrifying take on history, raucous soundtrack and frank depiction of warfare. The critics appear to agree: “Rogue Heroes” currently boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and stellar reviews.

Unless you’re a voracious consumer of war and military media, however, you’ve probably never heard of it. That’s because, here in the United States, the only way to watch “Rogue Heroes” is with a subscription to MGM+ (a streaming service you’ve also probably never heard of).

But “Rogue Heroes” isn’t just a fantastically entertaining show; it’s also one of the most thoughtful and nuanced depictions of war depicted on the small screen in recent years — and it’s worth checking out, even if that means signing up for MGM+.

“Rogue Heroes” stars Connor Swindells as Lt. David Stirling, a Scottish officer in the British Army stuck in a losing campaign. The year is 1941, and the German military is advancing across North Africa. So Stirling, along with a few fellow soldiers, comes up with a daring idea: parachute behind enemy lines and attack German convoys. After some early challenges, the plan works, and so the SAS is born.

Throughout the rest of Season 1, we see Stirling and his compatriots Paddy Mayne (Jack O’Connell) and Jock Lewes (Alfie Allen) assemble a ragtag group of soldiers into a formidable fighting force. In Season 2, Stirling is captured, and Mayne takes command. Meanwhile, the SAS leaves Africa and arrives in Italy, spearheading the Allied invasion of Europe and establishing itself as a terrifying military force. Throughout each bloody battle, it’s the fellowship of the SAS — and its unadulterated hatred of Nazis — that keeps them moving forward against impossible odds.

In typical British TV tradition, each season of “Rogue Heroes” is just six episodes long. And yet, despite needing to cram in all that story and action, the series can be surprisingly slow-paced, taking ample time to establish minor characters and locations. Much of Season 2 takes place in a coastal Italian town where the SAS quarrels with a local priest and makes friends with the family that runs a laundry shop. While this choice slows down the action somewhat, once warfare and violence break out, it makes the impact all the more powerful. “Rogue Heroes” isn’t afraid to show the horrors of war and the reality of collateral damage.

While there are moments of true sadness interspersed between the action, “Rogue Heroes” is also genuinely funny thanks to the camaraderie, and sometimes debauchery, of the SAS. For showrunner Steven Knight, best known for creating the beloved series “Peaky Blinders,” that was always the intention.

“I have been told many times that war is a combination of boredom, horror and outrageous humor,” Knight tells Military.com. “Of course, the horror leaves deep scars and I hope we portray it with sufficient respect, but the fun and the camaraderie are an essential part, too.”

Indeed, “Rogue Heroes” takes particularly great pains to portray how post-traumatic stress disorder can take root during combat operations. At the start of Season 2, the SAS is ordered to infiltrate and attack an Axis base by boat, which requires paddling through a crash site where their fellow Allied soldiers cry out for help while drowning. The SAS is instructed to ignore those cries and focus on the mission. Throughout the rest of the season, our heroes are weighed down by guilt over their actions, wracked by insomnia and struggling to reintegrate into the civilian world. The message seems clear: There’s no easy fix for PTSD.

“Rogue Heroes” also stands out stylistically, borrowing other filmmaking influences freely to create something unique. While the show is mostly filmed with a realistic lens, Knight and his directors use still frames and on-screen text to emphasize key moments. At one point in Season 2, Stirling attempts to escape from an Italian prison but ultimately plummets from a high window and injures himself. The fall is depicted in a series of still images, with his rapidly decreasing distance from the ground written out in big block letters. This turns what might otherwise be a painful failure into a Looney Tunes-esque gag, offering comic relief where it’s needed the most.

The music adds to the show’s unique style with a mix of rock songs, both classic and punk, that emphasizes the SAS’s frenzied approach to warfare. The soundtrack includes everything from Black Sabbath and The Clash to the New York Dolls and The Cure, plus a lot of AC/DC. Whether Knight’s choice of ’60s and ’70s bangers is meant to suggest that the SAS was ahead of its time or he simply wanted to rock out ultimately doesn’t matter when the music is this much fun to listen to.

All told, “Rogues Heroes” sometimes feels closest to Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds” in terms of tone and flair, although Knight rejects the comparison.

“I love [“Inglorious Basterds”], but I hope, with this being British, we create our own style,” Knight says.

It’s safe to say that with “Rogue Heroes,” Knight has done just that, telling a distinctly British war story with universal appeal. I just wish it was easier to watch it here in the U.S.

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