NationStates Jolt Archive


## Hollywood goes to war in Iraq, New war TV-drama "Over There"

OceanDrive2
30-07-2005, 20:47
TV goes to war in Iraq
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — The darkened adobe hut offers relief from July's searing heat, but there's nothing cool about what's happening inside. As a U.S. Army unit grills an Iraqi family while searching for an American hostage, a soldier gets his feet tangled in wires connected to what could be a bomb.

"What do I do?" the private, known as Smoke, nervously asks his sergeant.

Is it a bomb? What is the Arabic-speaking family saying? Are they lying? The tense scene, from an upcoming episode of FX's new war drama Over There (premieres July 27, 10 p.m. ET/PT), depicts the life-or-death uncertainty the young troops face in Iraq.

Uncertainty — ratcheted down several notches — is a watchword for Over There itself, the first TV series to depict a war while fighting goes on. The drama is tangled up in potentially explosive questions: Is it too soon or too much? Is it believable? How will it be received by a divided public?

©2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
OceanDrive2
30-07-2005, 20:58
FX's Over There Lands in Top 10 Basic-Cable Series Debuts
July 29, 2005
By Anthony Crupi

The premiere of the Steven Bochco Iraq War drama Over There continued FX’s original drama hot streak, delivering 4.1 million viewers, enough to land the show in the ranks of the top 10 basic-cable series debuts of all time.

Scoring a 3.2 household rating, Wednesday’s premiere also drew 2.4 million people in the key adults 18-49 demo.

“This is a fantastic series premiere number and we’re grateful to [series creators] Steven Bochco and Chris Gerolmo for delivering an extraordinary show,” said John Landgraf, FX Networks president and general manager. “To have our fourth consecutive drama series launch so successfully is another big step in the growth of FX.”

Over There’s numbers put it in a tie for eighth on the all-time list. FX has two other debuts in the top 10 basic cable list, with The Shield (4.8 million viewers for its 2002 launch) and Rescue Me (4.1 million viewers in 2004).

© 2005 VNU eMedia Inc.
Leonstein
31-07-2005, 01:50
Maybe it'll be easier for the average American to deal with it if there's ads in between.