The TV Column

New series is an informative blast set in the past

Manhattan, a new drama from WGN America set in the 1940s, stars Ashley Zukerman and Rachel Brosnahan. The series debuts at 8 p.m. today.
Manhattan, a new drama from WGN America set in the 1940s, stars Ashley Zukerman and Rachel Brosnahan. The series debuts at 8 p.m. today.

I love it when television entertains and is educational.

Sometimes TV can educate with scripted drama set against a relatively obscure historical background. Other times, TV can shine a light on something that's all around us, but we don't have a grasp on the Big Picture.

That's what's happening today on WGN and AETN.

Manhattan. The tense new hour drama is set against the backdrop of the Manhattan Project, the race to develop the first atomic bomb. It debuts at 8 p.m. today on WGN America.

In addition to being visually appealing with its retro setting and stunning New Mexico landscape, the series has a number of fascinating characters who represent the brilliant but flawed scientists who gathered in Los Alamos, N.M., in the 1940s.

Los Alamos was a "non-existent" community -- a town not on any map, that happened to have the world's highest concentration of geniuses.

The drama depicts the secret lives in a secret town "where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives." After all, the Germans and Russians were also working on bombs. Stakes could not have been higher.

Secrets? Husbands and wives conceal the truth from each other; the military keeps secrets from the scientists they oversee; and the scientists keep secrets from one another.

In the drama, Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey, The Good Wife) and his team have been recruited to work on a project even they knew nothing about until their arrival.

Once inside the barbed wire surrounding "The Hill," a drab clutch of buildings on a windswept foothill in the desert, they begin to realize that this is no ordinary assignment.

Manhattan depicts the wonder, danger and deceit of the project, but also demonstrates the moral dilemmas faced by the scientists once they realized what it was they were creating.

Olivia Williams (Rushmore) portrays Winter's wife, Liza Winter, a botanist who makes a disturbing discovery about the local environment. Callie, their rebellious 17-year-old daughter (is that redundant?), is played by Alexia Fast.

Daniel Stern (Home Alone) plays senior scientist Glen Babbit, a mentor to the younger team members.

Ashley Zukerman (Rush) plays Charlie Isaacs, a brilliant young scientist who becomes adept at playing the politics of Los Alamos. Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) is his wife, Abby, who is shocked at the conditions of the camp but eventually becomes the leader of the wives.

The impressive supporting cast includes Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones); Katja Herbers (De Storm); Michael Chernus (Orange Is the New Black); and Eddie Shin (Men of a Certain Age).

Manhattan was created and written by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) and directed by Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing).

The story may be set in the 1940s, but it resonates to this day, and the dilemmas faced by the characters are timeless.

Agri Arkansas. AETN starts an ambitious new monthly series at 1 p.m. today. Agri Arkansas will "seek to celebrate Arkansas' successes and illuminate issues important to both farmers and consumers."

Hosted by former news anchor and reporter Tony Brooks, AETN's deputy director, each episode will feature segments designed to educate, enlighten and entertain Arkansans about the important role of agriculture in their everyday lives.

And you don't have to live on a farm for it to affect your life.

AETN informs us, "Agriculture in Arkansas is a study of contrasts on every level, from the sterilized lab settings that advance the science, to the soil in the fields."

The Natural State is divided into several distinct geographic areas. They include mountains, valleys, delta and coastal plains. Within our borders, the agriculture industry consists of some extremely large operations as well as some quite small.

They range from sprawling corporate-owned outfits to family backyard chicken coops.

Economic importance? Arkansas is No. 1 in the nation in the production of rice and baitfish, No. 2 in broilers, No. 3 in turkeys and No. 8 in eggs.

The series, which will air at the same time the last Sunday of each month, will profile individuals, families, businesses, places and technological advances important to agriculture.

And if it's important to agriculture, it's important to all Arkansans.

TNT renewals. TNT has passed out the rewards for jobs well done. Falling Skies, The Last Ship and Major Crimes have all been tapped for another season.

It'll be the fifth and final season for the Steven Spielberg-produced Falling Skies.

The Last Ship is a hit, with 7.2 million viewers on Sunday nights. The first season has 10 episodes through Aug. 24; the order for Season 2 has been upped to 13.

Major Crimes, a spinoff from The Closer, is in its third season and averaging 7 million viewers. Season 4 will have 15 episodes.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 07/27/2014

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