The Plot Against America (New David Simon drama)

[Jeff Robinson]

In a first, he's doing an adaptation:

 

[Badgers]

*Watches thread

 

[CNT36]

In a first, he's doing an adaptation:

A second after Generation Kill I think.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

A second after Generation Kill I think.

Adapting your own stuff for TV surely counts too. Different medium and all that.

 

[krtek a houby]

Very timely. Enjoyed the book & always fascinating to see these alternative histories.

 

[Badgers]

Is this out? Delayed?

 

[Reno]

No idea when this is out in the UK, but I wrote about it a while ago on the DVD/Video thread. It's worth sticking with it but I didn't think it was entirely successful:

I watched the first two episodes of The Plot Against America, the new HBO drama by David Simon, based of the Philip Roth novel. It takes place in an alternate 1940s where Charles Lindbergh becomes president and then takes the US to the far right and into anti-semitism, all from the POV of a Jewish family. Considering Simon's Twitter activity, its obvious why he was attracted to this. The series looks lavish, a lot of money has been thrown at it, though I'm not yet sold. Dramatically its a little underpowered so far, with characters mostly discussing possible political repercussions but it's supposed to get better. At least it's not as clunky as The Man in the High Castle series and the premise is interesting enough to stick with it.

I watched the rest of The Plot Against America. Dramatically it just about comes together by the end but as political commentary it feels redundant. Current political reality in the US has overtaken it. Donald Trump is worse than the fictional president Charles Lindbergh in the show. Also, why have a fictional political threat to Jews in the US in the 40s when there have been a gazillion films/tv shows of the same thing happening during the third reich in Germany ? The show changes the ending of the novel to a cliff hanger, so I assume Simon wants this to become a continuous series. If that happens I may stick with it because it has potential, it's just not all there yet. The best thing about the show is Zoe Kazan who plays a character who is the moral center of the story. I wished she'd has more scenes with Winona Rider, who plays her sister. Their increasingly complicated relationship is the most interesting aspect of the show.

 

[rutabowa]

I just got the book out the library at random, and it is absolutely brilliant. Never heard of the tv series