Over There (Season One) (2005)

"Top Tier...Brilliant...Four Stars!  David Biancelli, New York Daily News

Editor's Note Steven Bocho, the Emmy-winning producer responsible for such gritty television programming as NYPD BLUE and HILL STREET BLUES, turns his attentions to the conflict in Iraq for his series OVER THERE. A nonpartisan view of the experience of war, the show follows a team of seven American soldiers stationed in Iraq, all of whom are on their first tour of duty, and are reporting to Sergeant Scream (Eric Palladino, ER). The show also examines the effects of war on the families the soldiers have left behind. Avoiding politics in favor of an honest portrait of the war itself, the series is a first in that it addresses a conflict in which the U.S. was still engaged at the time of airing. Newcomer Luke MacFarlane (KINSEY) shines as Private "Dim" Murphy, while the two female soldiers, Esmeralda "Doublewide" Del Rio (Lizette Carrion) and Brenda "Mrs. B." Mitchell (Nicki Lynn Aycox) draw attention to a side of war that is often overlooked, than on the home front.

	Josh Henderson
	Keith Robinson
	Lizette Carrion
	Luke MacFarlane
	Chris Gerolmo - Director
	Chris Gerolmo - Original Music By
	Edward Rogers - Original Music By
	Jonathan Chibnall - Editor
	Ken Blackwell - Editor
	Kramer Morgenthau - Cinematographer
	Peter Egan - Writer
	Rick Bota - Cinematographer
	Steven Bochco - Executive Producer
	Steven Brown - Producer

Variety.com 7 of 10
Inevitably, some Bush administration guard dogs will dub the series a liberal broadside, but there are too many shades of gray here for such labels to stick easily. Take the third hour, where an intelligence officer harshly interrogates a prisoner, and the unit can't decide if the tactics qualify as excessive. "All I'm sure of is I don't know," Dim says. Much like the war in Iraq, it's debatable whether "Over There" was a battle worth fighting, given the criticism it will surely engender. Once committed to the adventure, however, those responsible have, indeed, acquitted themselves with honor. - Brian Lowry

Reflections on Film & Television 8 of 10
What originality the show adds to the history of war drama on TV comes in one form, primarily: a total and utter lack of decorum. One character is attacked while pulling down her pants to take a shit. That's precisely the sort of thing programming of an earlier age would have forbidden. People will complain, of course, but such moments are there for an important reason in Over There. War isn't just hell; it's damn unpredictable and random. Over There captures this feeling of constant danger and cruel fate all too well. It may offend the sensibilities, but again, our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers are facing this kind of life every day that our presence in Iraq continues. It would be wrong, and worse - dishonest - to present the war in any light that didn't reflect this reality. - John Kenneth Muir