CHATSWORTH, Calif. — "Over There" isn't the first TV show about war, but it is the first about a war that will air while that war is still being fought.
The FX series, which premieres Wednesday at 11 p.m., is one of the year's finest dramas. The first episode is good; the second is better; the third better yet.
The story of a bunch of Americans in their late teens and early 20s thrust into combat on the other side of the world is beyond compelling.
"I believe that we're telling these stories about these six or eight young people on the ground in Iraq and their loved ones at home," said Chris Gerolmo, the show's co-executive producer who co-created the series with legendary TV producer Steven Bochco. "And I find that to be the stuff of really compelling drama.
"I believe that war is a natural subject for television — that it has all the drama of 'Law & Order' and all the action of '24' and all the blood, for better or worse, of 'CSI.' "
Not that it's an easy show to watch. It is extremely violent, with the sort of gore you'd never see on network TV. And the language makes anything on "NYPD Blue" seem tame. The f-word isn't heard, but just about every other expletive is. It deserves the TV-MA rating FX has affixed to it — the TV equivalent of an R-rating at the movies.
The lack of restriction imposed by FX "obviously makes for a stronger, more realistic show," Bochco said.
It's not the violence, gore and language that make "Over There" so compelling, however. It's the same stuff that makes every good TV drama work.
"Whether it's urban crime or a conflict in Iraq, it always comes down to characters," Bochco said.
Characters are well-played by a cast that includes Josh Henderson, Luke MacFarlane, Erik Palladino, Keith Robinson, Kirk "Sticky" Jones, Lizette Carrion, Nicki Aycox, David Abtahi, Sprague Grayden, Lombardo Boyar, Brigid Brannagh, Jimm "Jax" Pinchak and Juan Pope.
"It always comes down to individual stories about courage, failure of courage, about making decisions, right decisions, wrong decisions," Bochco said. "It's stories about the way in which what you're doing has emotional, physical, psychological, economic impact on your family at home."
And "Over There" isn't just about the soldiers who are over there in Iraq, it's about the families they left behind in the United States, who are also an integral part of the show.
What "Over There" is not is a political show. It's about the young people fighting the battle and their families; it's not about any of the politics that got them there or keep them there.
Asked how he feels about the war, Bochco refused to answer the question "because I don't want to politicize the show in any way."
"I think the moment you take a political position, you're not doing what art is supposed to do, which is to ask provocative questions," Bochco said. "The moment you take a political position, you're providing answers. And, inevitably, when you provide answers, half the people say, 'Well, gee, that's the wrong answer.' And, suddenly, you're involved in a debate . . . and nobody is paying attention to the fundamental drama of this situation."
Which would be a waste of a show that shows signs of greatness.
Certainly, there will be those on one side of the political spectrum who will see parts of "Over There" as an anti-war statement; some on the other side will see it as a recruiting film. But that's because of what they bring to the show, not what they take from it.
While far from being a show for the entire family, it is high-quality drama. Something we've not seen before because of the timing alone.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com