July TV Preview: What to Watch

Image credit: Paul Schiraldi

GENERATION KILL
MINISERIES · HBO · July 13 · 9 PM · Number of episodes: 7

THE SCOOP Wire producers David Simon and Ed Burns turn their attention from the war on drugs to an even more polarizing topic — the current Iraq war. Based on Evan Wright's best-selling novel, Generation Kill follows a group of Marines who were the first to be deployed to Iraq. ''They are mentally tough, physically tough, technologically smart, and extraordinarily proficient in what they do,'' says Burns, a Vietnam vet. ''And yet they're human beings. And for many of them this was their first combat situation. Just seeing them in harm's way and how they respond is very powerful.'' Kill's intense, seven-month shoot in Namibia, Africa, bonded the young cast of mostly newcomers, who also endured a 10-day boot camp prior to shooting. ''When I see these guys now, we have so much affection for each other and so much love,'' says Alexander Skarsgard, who plays team leader Sgt. Brad Colbert. ''We spent seven months in the desert and there was nothing else to do. People hung out all the time.''

THE BATTLE FOR VIEWERS While recent Iraq-themed movies like Stop-Loss and In the Valley of Elah, as well as Steven Bochco's FX series Over There, all failed to find audiences, Burns isn't worried about viewers tuning in to Kill. ''This is a look at a culture,'' says Burns. ''It is of our own making and these kids are of our own world. Much like The Wire, you're gonna get into it if you give it a chance. Once you get inside that first Humvee, it's pretty compelling.'' —Tim Stack