Rating: 4 (out of 5). WGN America’s “Manh(at)tan” takes us inside the Manhattan Project. The show is set in 1943, and focuses on a set of scientists who are working on the project as they create an atomic weapon that will end World War II. Mostly positive reviews for this series. Variety says ” Despite boasting some fine actors, without a central lead, the project tends to careen around like loose ions, lacking a stabilizing core.” The Washington Post tells us “From the writing to the performances to some overly artistic visuals and camera cuts, the first episode could not be more crammed with self-seriousness if it tried. ” They say “There can be no mistaking that this is a serious show about serious men and the women who are fated to wonder what their super-smart husbands are so desperately doing.” The New York Times says “The show is paced like a thriller, and people, not physics, are in the foreground. But personal lives play out against a backdrop of war, secrecy and also paranoia.” The Chicago Tribune thinks “The script can seem both a little precious and a little obvious at times, dropping references to Pandora’s box, the golem, Einstein’s definition of insanity and Schrödinger’s cat. But all in all, it works.” The Wall Street Journal likes “the enormous care devoted to the look of the ’40s, to the primitive living quarters. We get an immediate sense, as well, of the characters likely to command attention, a list that should begin with scientist Frank Winter, played to chilling perfection by John Benjamin Hickey.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says “Manhattan” is “as exciting as the history that inspired it. Smartly, Shaw opts to focus not just on the scientists (director J. Robert Oppenheimer is barely seen in the first episode) but also on their families, bringing the world of Los Alamos to life.” The Hollywood Reporter calls it a “compelling slice of shadowy American history that should help WGN America win new viewers.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says “Manhattan” clearly seems to “be positioned as a serious cable show, and although it lacks the psychological depth of “Mad Men” or the edgy vibe of “Breaking Bad,” this new drama is easily one of the best new summer series.” The Santa Fe New Mexican says the show “uses accurate wardrobe choices and plenty of ’40s-specific accoutrements, but it lacks the subtle, almost ineffable touch that separates a period drama from a costume party.” They also think there are “Some strong performances peek through anyhow, especially from Manhattan star John Benjamin Hickey” The Charlotte Observer thinks that “Manhattan” has some flaws, but it “might find it’s formula.” They think “The second episode is already brisker and more subtly intriguing in places than the first – it’s exciting, even.” The Kansas City Star lets us know that the series “wanders between fact and fiction, mixing real people with created characters while keeping history’s timeline more or less intact.” The Los Angeles Times says “Manhattan” is a “solid, involving big-canvas drama that plausibly re-creates a time and place and fills it with some original characters.” TV Guide thinks “Manhattan instantly qualifies WGN America as a significant new player in the increasingly crowded arena of top-tier content producers, adding to this summer’s already overwhelming volume of new series worth watching.” The New York Daily News says it “dramatizes with a little extra dab of soap, but generally quite engagingly life in the secret World War II compound where the country’s most brilliant scientists were tasked with creating a superbomb before the bad guy could.” The Los Angeles Daily News thinks “Schlamme’s direction is atmospheric, giving the sense of claustrophobia even in the barren openness of the desert. Shaw’s writing is sharp, capturing the highs and lows of the ever-shifting emotions. A particularly poignant moment early on is when Frank confesses his feelings to a worker at the base, who can’t understand a word he says.” The Columbus Dispatch tells us creator Sam Shaw “produced a character-based drama about men and women whose lives were indelibly altered because of the years they spent in the New Mexico desert. The characters are fictitious, but some are based on real people.” - hereistv/?p=40892
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 07:02:57 +0000
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