Bochco was right when he said his show would be non political, but he didn't say it would be accurate in portraying the military. During war time, especially when we were attacked on our homeland, it's not a smart move to mock the military and it's brave soldiers who are risking their lives to make sure Steven Bitchco and creative team has the freedom produce crap.
Btw, does anyone know the ratings for the third showing of Over There? I can't seem to find it.
I wouldn't be surprized if most of the negative comments on this show came from the enlisted. They recognize BS when they see it!!
"hired several consultants"
That covers a lot of ground on military operations. There are experts on this and experts on that but very few experts on most things. And no experts on everything.
I can't remember the last time I heard the term "ack ack" used. It brought back many memories.
If you consider our troops a bunch of "DEAD FAILURES", you will love 'Over There'.
If I ever I feel like urinating and defecating on troops, I'll tune in.
Until then, I will avoid it.
In fact, one might even get the appalling idea that brave American servicemen and women are doing some good in Iraq. Of course, that possibility is too infuriating for the Times to sit idle. Hence the "expose" of the plot details of a cable t.v. show.
There are some moments to recommend this show. The episodes with the suicide bombers who get shot at the checkpoint and the questioning of the terrorist is a good example (although I thought the ending where the barn was bombed was not believable).
The problem with the show is two fold:
1) It uses unrealistic situations to create a phony drama. Doing portrays servicemen as "alone out there", sent by an uncaring administration and uninvolved commanders. Servicemen are right when they feel that such phony drama is unnecessary. They face plenty of real danger all the time. And such a portrayal
2) Waaaaaay to much time spent on the wounded soldier (not that his would not have made a good show separately on its own). Why does Bochco do it? For the same reason the comic strip "Doonesbury" does it, and it is *not* unpolitical.
Bochco should have picked: Either produce a genuine tribute to the troops serving in Iraq, or story about a wounded soldier struggling back to his feet, or an anti-war movie that portrays the Iraq operations as illegal and the actors as loveable thugs...sort of a Sopranos in Iraq.
He tried to do all that at the same time with some phony drama thrown in and got an unwatchable show.