PASADENA, Calif. – A national rise in anti-Semitism, felt acutely in Pittsburgh with the shootings at Squirrel Hill’s Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018, makes its way into pop culture in two new TV programs.
In late February Amazon’s Prime Video debuted “Hunters,” an Al Pacino-starring pulp fiction about Nazi hunters in 1970s America. Criticized by some for its depiction of fictional atrocities, the show’s writer/creator, David Weil, was inspired by his grandmother, a survivor of the Nazi holocaust.
“It was a quest to don that vigilante cape in the face of rising antisemitism in the world, racism, xenophobia,” he said in January during the Television Critics Association winter 2020 press tour. “It was a desire to shed light on hidden crimes and hidden truths. And it was also kind of a desire to create a sense of catharsis and wish fulfillment for a young Jewish kid growing up on Long Island who wanted to see superheroes who looked like him on screen.”
Next week, HBO introduces “The Plot Against America” (9 p.m. Monday), a six-episode limited series adaptation of the 2004 Philip Roth novel from writers/producers Ed Burns and David Simon (“The Wire,” “Treme”). It’s an alternative history set in 1940 that finds anti-Semite Charles Lindbergh elected U.S. president and the impact on a New Jersey Jewish family.
At a January HBO news conference Simon said he was originally approached about adapting Roth’s novel after President Barack Obama’s re-election and rejected it as not of the political moment.
“How wrong was I?” Simon said. “The reason to do this is that — and not merely because of the current administration — but because of the forces that are now in play politically. The piece is incredibly relevant.”
In many ways “The Plot Against America” plays like an old-time broadcast network miniseries. That’s not a knock; it’s just rare to have an HBO series that’s not pushing the envelope with graphic language, sex or violence. And yet the reason this is on HBO, other than Mr. Simon’s pre-existing relationship with the premium cable channel, is that broadcast networks don’t really make miniseries anymore, let alone meaningful programming that stakes out a political position, albeit one that was once nearly universally held: Nazis are the bad guys.
At its heart, the story in “Plot Against America” is similar to portions of ABC’s “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” or even NBC’s 1980s miniseries “V,” which used aliens in an allegory for Nazi Germany. Many of the story beats in “Plot” are familiar: Citizens who resist, those who capitulate to fascism and a portrait of everyday life in a society with eroding civil rights. Of course, this time, the outcome is more uncertain and ultimately somewhat ambiguous.
An emotionally moving period drama that feels timely and recognizable in the present, “Plot” introduces Bess (Zoe Kazan, the series’ MVP) and Herman Levin (Morgan Spector, “Boardwalk Empire”), heads of a middle-class Jewish New Jersey family. He sells insurance; she’s a homemaker who watches over sons Sandy (Caleb Malis), an artistic teen, and Philip (Azhy Robertson), who finds his anxiety growing after Lindbergh’s election.
Bess’ sister, Evelyn (Winona Ryder, “Stranger Things”), finds love with conservative Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf (John Turturro, employing a thick Southern drawl), who serves as a defender of the cult-of-personality U.S. President.
“Plot” also follows Alvin (Anthony Boyle), Herman’s orphaned adult nephew who often butts heads with Herman over their political disagreements.
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between the ‘80s miniseries about World War II and “Plot” is that HBO’s new show favors smaller, more intimate depictions of the terrifying, creeping effect of anti-Semitic policies on the Levins (and all American Jews). “Plot” challenges viewers by making Lindbergh’s stated goal — he takes an isolationist stance to keep Americans out of harm’s way in World War II — one that on its face can seem reasonable to some of the characters — at least until he starts inviting Nazi leaders to state dinners.
“Plot” looks phenomenal, from the production design of the Levins’ neighborhood to the opening credits (newsreel footage set to a new recording of 1930s tune “The Road is Open Again”).
Ryder evinces occasional ferocity while Kazan delivers a heartbreaking performance as a woman who fears for the safety of her family, encouraging stubborn Herman to move to Canada, an idea he rebuffs until it’s too late.
That implies a direr outcome for the Levins than intended but the uncertainty of what the future holds ratchets up tension even as “Plot” ultimately opts for a focus on personal calamity over world-altering catastrophe.
“Plot” includes local ties in the series finale, which features a road trip that briefly runs through Pittsburgh as well as a front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
‘Westworld’ returns
HBO’s “Westworld,” back for its third season at 9 p.m. Sunday, is one of those series with a great premise — robots turn on their creators — that can never quite stick the landing.
While “Westworld” improved through its first season, the second season was a confounding mess.
Three episodes in, this season three reboot offers some hope but after what’s come before viewers may be understandably wary about diving in again only to find new layers of reality and/or artifice to be pulled back.
Set three months after the confusing end of season two, the first episode is mostly about robot Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) gallivanting around the world seeking revenge on humans who did her wrong before meeting up with what one presumes is a human (but it’s “Westworld,” so who knows), Caleb (Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”), a PTSD-stricken war vet who takes illegal jobs for hire. Meanwhile Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) is in hiding but tries to get back to Westworld — its location is finally confirmed — so he can stop Dolores.
Episode two catches up with Maeve (Thandie Newton) and reveals multiple characters to be in unexpected states of being, whether that’s dead or alive, human or robot.
And that’s the problem: when nothing in “Westworld” is reliably real, there’s little for viewers to cling to, which makes the entire enterprise more exasperating than cleverly twisty drama.
Kept/canceled/revived
Comedy Central renewed its “Crank Yankers” reboot for 20 more episodes.
Apple renewed “Truth Be Told” for a second season.
Netflix will bring back its “Lost in Space” remake for a third and final season in 2021.
Pop TV was supposed to debuted the second season of Anna Paquin’s “Flack” this week but last week opted to cancel the series and rescind its second-season order for “Florida Girls.” The shows will be shopped to other outlets.
Starz canceled “The Rook” after one season; Netflix did the same to RuPaul’s “AJ and the Queen.”
YouTube canceled drama “Impulse” after two seasons.
Amazon’s Prime Video ordered eight new episodes of Canadian sketch comedy “The Kids in the Hall” (1988-94) featuring the entire original cast.
Disney+ is developing a six-episode musical prequel series to the 2017 live-action film “Beauty and the Beast” that will feature Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad, who is also a writer on the limited series).
Tuned In online
Today's TV Q&A column on the blog responds to questions about “Vikings,” “Seinfeld,” “MacGyver” and local TV news. This week's Tuned In Journal includes posts on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds.” Read online-only TV content at http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in.
TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2582. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook for breaking TV news.
First Published: March 12, 2020, 12:00 p.m.