Six

Films and TV shows about Navy Seals or other special forces personnel is the current rage. Some have not done so well (e.g., "Shooter") but this series really delivers. They manage to move seamlessly between the personal lives and the military assignments, and this type of insight has rarely been seen before, although the last year of the "The Unit" did deal with some of these issues.

I also enjoy the interactions between the men, and how what they experience at home and in the field comes back to alter their interactions.

The acting here is excellent and it often looks more like a docudrama rather than a TV show. The principal team members (Barry Sloane, Alex Caulder, Ricky Ortiz) are two dimensional people and the conflicts within and between are portrayed very well. It's good to see that these characters have their own identities.

I'm a big fan of Walton Goggins, having appreciated him in "The Shield" and later enjoyed his robust performance in "Justified". He doesn't disappoint and delivers a nuanced piece of work - probably his best and he gets better as the series progresses.

I especially appreciate that at the end of each episode there are highlights from actual combat veterans.

I'm not a former Seal so I can't begin to say whether or not this is true to life. I can say that it is entertaining.

I'm kind of disappointed in all the bad reviews. I don't think a lot of the people watching are even giving this show a chance. Hearing the people who were involved with this show talk about it - its obvious they took special pains to make it authentic. I think they're trying to show both sides of the coin, their family life and the life they lead on the battle field. I think it has enough testosterone to keep men watching it and enough attention to the trials of family life that women will watch. I'm enjoying the crisis of conscience they show in the characters. The show brings light to the fact that no decision these men make is ever easy in the heat of the moment, nothing is ever black or just white.

I plan to keep watching it and believe it can only get better with each episode. Give it a chance!

Six is at once an action-packed drama and a fresh look at many realities of war, even those which some viewers may not want to see or actually believe take place. But perhaps even better, the show does an earnest and honest job at demonstrating the human side of the modern warfighter, and the double lives they live. From Vikings to Six, History is telling some great stories via the medium of great drama. With Six they made a solid decision in their choice of writers and producers with proved talent who are veterans in the military genre, as well as actual war veterans, lending credibility to the scripts and production. And the show hit the jackpot with the leads they cast in actors who are able to convincingly play the roles of the nations most elite, in all their grime and glory.

So I have a family member who is a retired SEAL officer. And the only insight I get from him is this. Real SEALS do not talk about or brag about their accomplishments. And they are real people with real life issues. What they do for a living can magnify these real life issues. Six does a great job of capturing what they do on and off the field of engagement.

I suggest you watch the entire season before you decide what you think of this show. It builds and the payoff is worth it. I was frankly shocked by the graphic nature - not of the battle scenes which ought to be graphic, but the raw language, emotion, sexual scenes, etc. Perhaps my shock was that this was the History Channel, but I think it is not gratuitous in this instance. It is appropriate, given who these characters are - highly trained tactical warriors. It's what they do and therefore, it identifies them because you can't be one than the other, no matter how hard you try to assimilate into our cushy society.

I reserved my review until I saw the last episode of Season 1 (which was nothing short of tremendous). The body of work so far is top notch. The characters are totally believable to me and the directing, cinematography and story line are excellent. If you like Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, and the rest of that genre, you will not be disappointed.

This went from a 7 for the first season to a 6 for the second season. It went from a good solid entertaining show about the Navy Seals, to trying to be another Homeland. It's not Homeland. Not even close. I wish they just stuck to being what they were good at in the first season.