I watched the first episode of Over There last night, and thought it was really good. Sky should waste no time in getting on in the UK.
The obvious difficulty of producing a series set in the current climate, is that you might have to take sides – especially with a conflict that as sensitive as this with large sections of the population completely against it. So rather than polarise one part of the audience or another, on the evidence of one programme, it carefully steers a route away from the rights and wrongs of actually taking part in the war (although that may have to come). Instead, it examines the conflict from the point of view of privates on the frontline.
A brief sequence at the start performs some brush stroke characterisation of the people we then go on to follow. But quickly, the troops are under fire and having to follow difficult and at times, pointless orders from above. We don’t know who’s going to live and who’s going to die or be injured, and the scenes of the troops walking out in the open with their night-vision goggles is chillingly scary.
You walk away from this feeling very lucky that you don’t have to be in their position. Exceptionally good drama.
Media Guardian has a summary of what various US critics have said about the programme.