American Odyssey

The biggest problem of this show is that most of the characters are too trustworthy to the point of stupidity or just too plain stupid. In particular the activists who one could really nickname dumber&dumber, but also the corporate lawyer. Then again most people would probably behave the same.

Said that I really liked all the part in Africa involving Odelle, the main character, the diversity of characters albeit some unbelievable, like the publicly transgender uncle, their relationships and the fact that they spoke a mixture of English, French and Arabic. I quite liked also the way it ends, though that was meant to be only a mid-season finale and not a series finale.

This show was actually interesting. Yes it did have some slow moments, and sometimes it was a little all over. I was waiting to see what happened to Odelle as she was on her way back to the United States, as well as the Muslim boy who saved her. But NBC goes and cancels. The ratings seem high for all ages. NBC use to be number 1, but in the past years they seem to not care what the viewers like and/or watch - only if they really care for it. I also guess this is too close to home. Oh something the US couldn't do - lie. Loved how social media was able to aid (and hurt) in Odelle's hiding and return. NBC stop cancelling shows that viewers do indeed watch, because you think they don't. You must not have those ratings boxes in the right houses!

Ignore the negativity here at IMDb about this show. This is an interesting but complex mini-series that examines what happens when a monster corporation with good connections gets into political intrigue for the sake of profit, and tries to cover it up. We see the plot unfolding from three pairs of eyes: a young political activist (with a blue-blood background); a female soldier from an elite team who take down a wanted terrorist; and a lawyer who has signed on as an employee to defend a company that is in 'over their heads'. This show lacks the explicit language or sensual activity of series of this genre produced in Europe, although BBC (and, lately, the Danish) have certainly produced a bumper crop of hard-hitting (but adult-rated), exposé-type of shows, broadcast over 9-15 weeks. Nice to see an American show take up the challenge to produce a quality non-cheesy, but (PG-13) offering. My only complaint is that the remaining (6?) episodes of Season-1 are not yet available at Netflix - so, we will all have to wait for a final resolution. M Gull (May-2015)

I found this first episode quite entertaining. A special unit finds out they've killed a prize terrorist and can't believe their good luck. In addition, they discover a laptop full of arabic intel though one item is in English and appears to be a money transfer from an American firm. Soon this unit gets a call from the top commander ordering them to stand down, telling them that the Intel unit will be there to take care of bodies and all material. They find this order odd but are told it comes from the highest of all high. And with this, their troubles begin.

Meanwhile, back in the states, a former US attorney runs into an old friend who casually tells him of an investigation into a corporation that his legal team represents. That attorney informs his colleagues of the info and soon gets shut down completely when the Corporate Man shows up and says they are all clear.

Bring in the Occupy Movement who are protesting all kinds of corporate and govt malfeasance and you've got a brew all connected to this Corporate/Military/Govt Conspiracy.

I give the series a number of points for showcasing the Occupy Movement! I give it more points for highlighting a Syriana-type corporate/govt conspiracy. The remaining points go to the entertainment values. So, yes, I'd recommend you watch it and see some truth in it.

Critics have attacked this, but I found it just as credible as Homeland. We all know how deeply US corporations have been involved in war in Iraq, providing private security, and helping generate the misery that we see in the Middle East today. The bullying of Greece over its debt was also a nice realistic touch. OK, it is just a fictional story, but it is as credible as Homeland, which in later series became rather tedious and dragged out. It was also just as far fetched. The idea that the US would take any form of action against their ally Pakistan was utterly incredible. They allow this terrorist sponsoring state to have nuclear weapons without batting an eyelid, while threatening Iran. They need states such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as allies, even if they are the most extreme Islamic states in the world. As entertainment, I felt it kept the pace up well right until the last episode. Pity it has been dropped now, but I guess follow up series often tend to get weaker and weaker (except Breaking Bad, of course!).