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Over There (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Over There is an action
/ drama / war
television series
that aired on FX. It premiered in the United States
on July 27, 2005 and premiered in Canada
on September 6, 2005 on the History Television
channel. The series was presented in 16:9
widescreen
format in the U.S. and UK, and mastered in high definition.
The series followed a unit of the United States Army
's Third Infantry Division on its first tour of duty in Iraq, and chronicled the war's effects on the soldiers' families in the United States. The Iraq sequences were filmed in the California
desert, while the homefront scenes are shot in and around the Greater Los Angeles
area.
The pilot
was developed by Steven Bochco
(who also created such acclaimed series as NYPD Blue
, L.A. Law
, and Hill Street Blues
). Originally, the show was to be produced by UPN
, who subsequently decided that the prospects for international sales were not good and withdrew from the project. The series is, however, (according to Reuters
) seen around the world on pay cable channels in about 100 territories.
The title of the series echoes "Over There
," George M. Cohan
's 1917 song
about U.S. soldiers serving abroad during World War I
. The show (Bochco's first for basic cable) was the first scripted television series set in a current, ongoing military action involving the United States. In another unusual move, the pilot episode was released on DVD
on August 2, 2005, less than a week after the show's premiere.
FX formally announced on November 1, 2005 that the show would not be returning due to declining ratings. The 13th and last episode of the series, "Follow the Money," first aired in the U.S. on October 26, 2005.
The complete series was released on DVD in the United States and Canada on March 21, 2006.
The theme used for the series is Chris Gerolmo's 'Over There'.
TV-MA for language and violence, and warning notices such as "VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED." FX advertised the show as being "...TV's most controversial series".
Action genre
The word action has more than one meaning in fiction. Action is one of the fiction-writing modes authors use to present fiction. The term is also used to describe an exiting event or circumstance.-Action as a fiction-writing mode:...
/ drama / war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that aired on FX. It premiered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on July 27, 2005 and premiered in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on September 6, 2005 on the History Television
History Television
History Television is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that presents programming about history and some non-historical programming of military, science and technology interest. It is owned by Shaw Media. Its French language counterpart is Historia.The channel operates two...
channel. The series was presented in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
format in the U.S. and UK, and mastered in high definition.
The series followed a unit of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's Third Infantry Division on its first tour of duty in Iraq, and chronicled the war's effects on the soldiers' families in the United States. The Iraq sequences were filmed in the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
desert, while the homefront scenes are shot in and around the Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area.
The pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
was developed by Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
(who also created such acclaimed series as NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, and Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
). Originally, the show was to be produced by UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
, who subsequently decided that the prospects for international sales were not good and withdrew from the project. The series is, however, (according to Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
) seen around the world on pay cable channels in about 100 territories.
The title of the series echoes "Over There
Over There
"Over There" is a 1917 song popular with United States soldiers in both world wars.It was written by George M. Cohan during World War I. Notable early recordings include versions by Nora Bayes, Enrico Caruso, Billy Murray, and Charles King....
," George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's 1917 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
about U.S. soldiers serving abroad during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The show (Bochco's first for basic cable) was the first scripted television series set in a current, ongoing military action involving the United States. In another unusual move, the pilot episode was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on August 2, 2005, less than a week after the show's premiere.
FX formally announced on November 1, 2005 that the show would not be returning due to declining ratings. The 13th and last episode of the series, "Follow the Money," first aired in the U.S. on October 26, 2005.
The complete series was released on DVD in the United States and Canada on March 21, 2006.
The theme used for the series is Chris Gerolmo's 'Over There'.
Praise and criticism
The show's critics complained that the show "bends over backward not to express any opinion whatsoever about the conflict." Also, given the show's subject matter, it is not surprising that some criticized it as one of the most graphically–violent television programs ever. Accordingly, the program was tagged with the television ratingTelevision rating system
Television content rating systems give viewers an idea of the suitability of a television program for children or adults. Many countries have their own television rating system and each country's rating process may differ due to local priorities...
TV-MA for language and violence, and warning notices such as "VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED." FX advertised the show as being "...TV's most controversial series".
- TV series Over There dramatizes Iraq war article from the July 22, 2005 edition of the Christian Science Monitor.
- "Fighting the Good fight" article from the July 25, 2005 edition of NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. - "Over There brings the Iraq war home" article from the July 26, 2005 issue of USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. - "Over There – Hollywood Joins the War Party" article edited on July 29, 2005 by Antiwar.comAntiwar.comAntiwar.com is a website devoted to opposing aggressive war, imperialism, and assaults on freedom associated with both. The editors describe their politics as libertarian. Their stated motiviation is, "to show how the imperialistic tendencies of the American government lead to a loss of civil...
. - "There's Over There — and there's the real thing" article from the August 30, 2005 issue of the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
.
Main cast and characters
- PFC Bo "Texas" Rider, Jr. (Josh HendersonJosh HendersonJoshua Baret "Josh" Henderson is an American actor and singer. He rose to fame as one of the male members of Scene 23, a pop singing group that were selected as the winners of The WB's singing competition Popstars 2. After the group disbanded, he began focusing on an acting career...
) — a 20–year–old star quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who was awarded a partial scholarship to Texas A&MTexas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, but could not make up the financial shortfall and joined the Army so he could take advantage of the G.I. Bill once his enlistment is up. He was fixated on the nicknames all of his squad mates have and the stories behind them as he did not have his own nickname. He had a wife and young son whom he loved very much. At the end of the first episode, a truck containing Bo and PV2 Dumphy drove over a landmine. Bo received terrible injuries to his leg and it was amputated shortly afterwards. He later became determined to return to his unit to stop feeling helpless. - PV2 Frank "Dim" Dumphy (Luke MacfarlaneLuke MacFarlaneThomas Luke Macfarlane , better known as Luke Macfarlane, is a Canadian actor and musician.-Early life:Macfarlane was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Thomas , was the Director of Student Health Services at the University of Western Ontario, and his mother, Penny, is a mental health...
) — in spite of (or, more likely, in reaction against) his well-to-do upbringing and Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
education, this 22-year-old CornellCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
graduate deliberately chose a blue-collar, lower-class lifestyle. He was tormented by intellectual conflicts over the actions he is ordered to carry out, and maddened with worry over his pregnant, alcoholic wife and emotionally disturbed 7-year-old stepson. He has never pursued a commission because he does not want to adopt a leadership role. His perspective serves as a contrast to emphasize the truly underprivileged roots of his squad mates. Probably the most sensitive character in the series, he was deeply disturbed when he learned that a particular insurgent sacrificed several men and a little girl in order to get past a check point. He lacked a degree of street smarts which "Smoke" possessed as he has shown on some occasions, and does not operate prudently under pressure. It is unclear as to why he is a Private when his B.S. gives him an automatic promotion to SpecialistSpecialist (rank)Specialist is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and equivalent in pay grade to Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers...
. He carries an M4 carbineM4 carbineThe M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
like his squad-mates, although his is fitted with an M203 grenade launcherM203 grenade launcherThe M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...
. - SSG Chris "Scream" Silas (Erik PalladinoErik PalladinoErik Palladino is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Dave Malucci in the NBC drama series ER. He was also a series regular on the critically praised FX Television series Over There.-Early life:...
) — the battle-hardened veteran from Long Island, New York who was given charge of a group of new recruits who has no problem speaking his mind to his superiors. He was not happy about having been handed 90 days additional duty on the eve of returning home, but begins to like his squad more as his 90 days winds down. His nickname, "Scream", stems from the loud manner in which he gives orders. - PV2 Avery "Angel" King (Keith RobinsonKeith Robinson (actor)Keith Robinson is an American actor and R&B singer.-Early life:Robinson was born in Louisville, Kentucky and later moved to Atlanta...
) — a gifted singer hailing from a small town in ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, enlisted in a fit of anger at not making a competitive choir, a decision the 20–year–old devout Christian comes to regret. "Angel's" exceptional marksmanship skills made him the unit's sharpshooter and his M4 having an ACOGAdvanced Combat Optical GunsightAdvanced Combat Optical Gunsights are a series of telescopic sights manufactured by Trijicon. The ACOG is designed to be used on the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, but Trijicon has developed ACOG accessories for certain other firearms...
mounted on it. - PV2 Maurice "Smoke" Williams (Kirk "Sticky" JonesKirk JonesKirk Jones also referred to as Sticky Fingaz or Sticky, is an American rapper, actor, and a member of the hip-hop group Onyx...
) — a native of Compton, CaliforniaCompton, CaliforniaCompton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
was high during most of his twenty years. Although he was arguably the best in his squad, as evidenced by his street smarts, he had a strictly "us-or-them" attitude towards his white squad mates, but this attitude was lessened each time a white squad mate saves his life. He is irreligious as a rebellion against his mother, and much of his contempt directed toward "Angel". He serves as the squad's SAW gunner, carrying a compact version of the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. - PFC Tariq Nassiri (Omid AbtahiOmid AbtahiOmid Abtahi is an American actor of Iranian origin.- Biography :Before moving to the United States, Abtahi and his family lived in Europe and the Middle East.He grew up in Orange County, California, and graduated from University High School in Irvine....
) — is an Arab-American from Detroit who was assigned as a replacement for Bo. His extensive knowledge of Arabic and Middle Eastern customs saved the squad multiple times, acting as a middleman between the American soldiers and the local people. Tariq is college educated and sensitive to all involved. Like Dim, Tariq has a bachelors degree, yet only held the rank of PFC. - PFC Esmeralda "Doublewide" Del Rio (Lizette CarriónLizette CarriónLizette Carrión is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Pfc. Esmeralda "Doublewide" Del Rio in the 2005 FX network television series Over There....
) — a happily–married new mother, was also a resourceful, no-nonsense soldier. The 20–year–old displayed her whenever the subject of her "ample figure" comes up. She and "Mrs. B" are part of a logistics unit that supports the squad on their missions, be it providing resupply or transport via their M939M939 TruckThe M939 series 5-ton 6x6 truck is a family of United States military logistical transportation trucks which was designed in the late 1980s and has been in service ever since. About 32,000 M939 series trucks are in service...
'deuce and a half' trucks, and also carries an M16A2 rifle instead of an M4 carbine like most of her comrades. - PV2 Brenda "Mrs. B" Mitchell (Nicki Lynn Aycox) — was a "pig-headed" and obstinate 18 year old, who was more of a liability than an asset to the squad, and to her partner, "Doublewide." She took great umbrage at the fact that her nickname is short for "Mrs. Bitch." As a teen, she was raped and later gave birth to an autistic child who was put into the custody of his grandparents. Hardships in life made her significantly more willing to risk her life under fire since she seemed to have nothing to lose. She is one of the few characters to carry an M16A2M16 rifleThe M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
rifle instead of an M4 carbine, due to her job as part of a support unit instead of a front-line combat unit like her comrades. - Terry Rider (Sprague GraydenSprague GraydenSprague Grayden is an American television, film and theater actress. She appeared in the television drama Jericho, playing schoolteacher Heather Lisinski.-Early life:Grayden was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts...
) — Bo's wife who wanted her husband to stay at home after he lost his leg. - Vanessa Dumphy (Brigid BrannaghBrigid BrannaghBrigid Brannagh is an American actress. She has been credited as Brigid Brannagh, Brigid Walsh, and Brigid Conley Walsh.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Brannagh is of Irish ancestry...
) — Frank's wife who ends up cheating on him in the first episode. Throughout the series she has displayed more and more dysfunction for the stability of their marital status. However, in the last few episodes of the series she attempts to get the marriage back on its feet. - Sergio Del Rio (Lombardo BoyarLombardo BoyarLombardo Boyar is an American character actor and has been active in television, animation, cinema, and video games since 1996. Some of Boyar's notable performances include a brief part as convenience-store robber Ramon Garcia on Fox's 24 and a starring role as burglar Eddie Tesoro in the movie P.S...
) — Esmeralda's husband who throughout the series comes close to cheating on his wife who is overseas while he is also taking care of their son. - Eddy Dumphy (Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak) — Frank's stepson who simply tried to survive life with his dysfunctional familyDysfunctional familyA dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
.
Recurring characters
- Ana OrtizAna OrtizAna Ortíz is an American actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a regular cast-member on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in which she plays the title character's older sister, Hilda Suarez...
- Anna - Adam StorkeAdam StorkeAdam J. Storke is an American actor who has starred in television and film. He is best known for playing Julia Roberts' love interest in the 1988 hit film Mystic Pizza and as Larry Underwood in the 1994 hit Stephen King mini series The Stand.-Biography:Storke was born in New York City, New York,...
— CPT John "Duke" Baron, the team's company commander - J. Lamont Pope — LT "Mad Cow" Taylor (episodes 1–6), the team's first platoon leader
- Josh StambergJosh StambergJoshua Collins "Josh" Stamberg is an American actor.Stamberg was born in Washington, D.C., the son of journalist Susan Stamberg and Louis C. Stamberg, a retired State Department employee...
— LT Alexander "Underpants" Hunter (episodes 7–13), the team's second platoon leader - Lilly McDowell — Krista
- Kirk B.R. Woller — Dr. Muecke
- Rami MalekRami MalekRami Said Malek is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the gay teenage next-door-neighbor, "Kenny" on the FOX comedy series The War at Home; for his role as Merriell "Snafu" Shelton in the HBO miniseries The Pacific; and for his role as the pharaoh Ahkmenrah in the feature films...
— Hassan, an Iraqi insurgent - Mark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
— John Moffet, an American reporter - Wade WilliamsWade WilliamsWade Andrew Williams is an American actor who is best known for his starring role as Brad Bellick on Fox's television series Prison Break.-Personal life:...
— Bo Rider Sr., Bo's estranged father - David SullivanDavid Sullivan (actor)David "Sully" Sullivan is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Sullivan was born in Tyler, Texas and grew up in Longview, and attended Spring Hill Schools where he graduated in 1996. He went on to attend Baylor University and majored in marketing and corporate communications,...
— Dr. McGlaglen - Earl Poitier — Reggie
Other guest appearances
- Michael CudlitzMichael CudlitzMichael Cudlitz is an American actor. He can be seen in the TNT drama Southland, starring as John Cooper, and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers as Sgt. Denver "Bull" Randleman.-Life and career:...
— COLColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Ryan, an unconventional Army Special Forces officer - Currie GrahamCurrie GrahamCurrie Graham is a Canadian stage, film and television actor. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City....
— CPLCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Shaver, a burned-out medic with a death wish - Matt BarrMatt BarrMatthew Jerome "Matt" Barr is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike Fleming in Commander in Chief, Ian Banks in One Tree Hill, Christopher Sullivan in the mystery horror series Harper's Island, and Dan Patch in The CW series Hellcats.-Early life:Matthew...
as Cracker - Michael Patrick McGill — Father Feeney
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
External links
- Over There at TV IV
- "Over There is here as series for FX, Bochco" article from the November 2, 2004 issue of the Hollywood Reporter.
- "Britain's Sky One Nabs Bochco War Drama" article from the April 12, 2005 issue of the Hollywood Reporter.
- "Provocative 'Over There' didn't go over big here" article by Bill Keveney in the October 26, 2005 issue of USA TODAYUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. - " 'Over There' still top rank" article by David Bianculli in the October 26, 2005 issue of the New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
. - "FX Withdraws from Over There" as reported on November 1, 2005 by Zap2it.com.
- "FX network ends Iraq war drama Over There" as reported on November 2, 2005 by ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
.