In 2001, director Ridley Scott released Black Hawk Down, a gritty war film depicting the events of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. Featuring a star-studded cast, the unflinching portrait of the realities of war went on to earn critical acclaim and two Academy Awards. In his adaptation of Mark Bowden’s 1999 book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, Scott took the testimonials of a vast number of US troops who lived through the battle and compressed them into a storyline suited for the length of a cinematic release.

Now, the new docuseries Surviving Black Hawk Down turns the camera on the actual soldiers — and the Somali people — who survived the Battle of Mogadishu, allowing them to tell audiences exactly what happened in their own words. Produced by Ridley Scott Associates and directed by Jack MacInnes, the series features interviews, reenactments,...