Matt, sorry to hear Over ...
Question: Matt, sorry to hear
Over There has been cut. I guess the families of deployed soldiers might have had something to do with its ratings. I, for one, enjoyed the show, having been deployed to Iraq in the early '90s. When my son asks how it was for me, I have him watch the show. During this past run, I found myself armchair-editing the special effects, i.e., shooting the enemy with an "M2 .50 cal" is not likely. Shooting a guy with a M203 25 feet away and blowing him in half — not likely. I could go on and on, and the interaction between the chain of command and the squad members sure brought back some fond memories. I'll be the first to buy this once it's out on DVD.
Answer: I'm still getting quite a bit of mail about FX's hardly unexpected decision not to renew
Over There. Frustrated e-mails like this from Jan K., who wrote: "It's a shame that more folks haven't tuned in to this incredible show. The acting is some of the best work I've ever seen, and the scripts show the reality our soldiers are facing in the Iraq war. Is the problem with advertisers who don't want to support a show with true-life moral dilemmas, or have they given in to political pressure? I know you'll say that enough people simply didn't watch, but there's got to be some way to keep this fine show on the air."
Sadly, the situation is that if more people had watched, FX very likely would have continued with a second season (this not being a network that is known for caving in to criticism from the standards/practices police or from politically motivated critics). I believe this was more a business than a creative decision, and given the turbulent climate in which we live, it's amazing a show this grim and topical ever saw the light of day, even for one season.
