Jeff Daniels plays John O’Neill, a tough yet genial New York FBI agent who leads the I-49 squad, a team of agents tracking threats from Islamic extremists. It’s mildly ironic that such a smooth synthesis depicts a tale of bitter turf wars, messy investigations, and clashing agendas. It’s been streamlined but not drained of moral or political complexity. Though a chyron at the start of each episode reminds viewers that the tale and people in it have been “composited,” the story does not seem to be unduly watered down. The series briskly blends the best of each of these storytelling styles: There’s no air of triumphalism informing the story, characters are treated with both skepticism and a dash of compassion, and there are efforts to make victims of terrorism more than props for the protagonists to mourn. The three collaborators come from different worlds: Futterman made his mark in scripted entertainment (“Capote”), Wright has written a great deal of serious nonfiction (“The Looming Tower” won a Pulitzer Prize), and Gibney is best known for his string of award-winning documentaries. The show’s core creative team is composed of “Looming Tower” author Lawrence Wright and executive producers Dan Futterman and Alex Gibney.
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