You Have To Watch Hulu’s Gripping 88% RT Drama Miniseries That’s Even Better Than ‘Homeland’

There's been no shortage of recent shows about international espionage, as contemporary news events have made it an endlessly relevant topic of interest. While few would watch Lioness: Special Ops or The Terminal List expecting them to be realistic, shows like Homeland, which draw heavily from facts, might be more easily misinterpreted as authentic. It may be in the best interest to incorporate some aspects of reality for the sake of dramatic tension, but The Looming Tower is a breathtaking miniseries that was based on real events in America’s espionage agencies in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. While Homeland may have turned away viewers who were upset by the show’s political perspective, The Looming Tower depicted history in a truthful manner.

Based on the non-fiction novel of the same name by Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower examines the evolution of both the CIA and the FBI during the search for international terrorism cells during the tail end of Bill Clinton’s presidency. Although the title directly refers to 9/11 and the consequences it had on international policy, the series shows how the competition between America’s top agencies created a situation in which the federal government was at war with itself. It’s a dark series that is unsparing in its criticisms of the way that international crises were handled, but The Looming Tower presented bleak, brutal realities that are important to remember so that they are not repeated.

‘The Looming Tower’ Offers a Scathing Look at U.S. Intelligence Agencies

The intention of The Looming Tower may have been to chastize the overall effectiveness of counterterrorism units, but the show is relatively balanced in showing the perspectives of both the FBI and CIA. Jeff Daniels gives one of the most underrated performances of his career as John P. O'Neill, a senior FBI official who began looking into terrorism plots after the tragic World Trade Center bombing in 1993. O’Neill’s unflinching belief was that religious animosity had fueled hatred for the U.S. among Islamic extremists, and the possibility of a more significant attack could push the nation to the brink of war. While those with a basic knowledge of contemporary U.S. history may have been aware of O’Neill’s departure from the FBI and involvement in events surrounding 9/11, The Looming Tower sheds more insight into the internal pressures that made him such a divisive figure within the espionage community. If anything, the fact that the show is based on real events gave it more room to create dramatic tension surrounding what O’Neill could have accomplished had he been treated with the respect he had deserved.

Daniels was also finally given a dramatic television role that suited his strengths as an actor, as he had previously only been able to elevate the weak writing on The Newsroom. However, The Looming Tower was among the first streaming shows that attracted the involvement of major talent, resulting in an impressive ensemble cast. Peter Sarsgaard has always been able to authentically play shady, despicable characters, and he's particularly memorable in the role of Martin Schmidt, a chief of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center who frequently impedes O’Neill’s investigations by denying him access to critical information. However, the true breakout star of the series is Tahar Rahim as Ali Soufan, a Lebanese-American FBI agent who went undercover to infiltrate al-Qaeda’s network. While shows like Homeland have frequently been criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Islam by exclusively depicting characters with ties to terrorism, Rahim did an excellent job of portraying a Muslim character who takes an active role in dismantling the extremist factions within his religion.

‘The Looming Tower’ Is Terrifying and Thought-Provoking

The Looming Tower is impressively able to incorporate years' worth of history into just eight episodes, which certainly proves that its story could never have been condensed into a single film. However, The Looming Tower also examines the unglamorous side of spycraft, with firefights and interrogations only representing a small portion of the series. Much of the focus is centered on the exchange of information within meetings and briefings, with O’Neill trapped in a war where both the CIA and FBI are competing to be the first organization to stop potential terrorist attacks. While this easily could have been dull, especially for those without a vested interest in the way that intelligence organizations operate, The Looming Tower effectively shows why this process should be so infuriating, and what the consequences were in lives lost. The show was co-created by Alex Gibney, a legendary documentarian, and includes the type of insights that would have only been incorporated if someone with firsthand knowledge of both the CIA and the FBI were involved. The show was also granted dramatic intrigue by the involvement of director John Dahl, an underrated filmmaker whose credits include the neo-noir cult classics The Last Seduction and Red Rock West.

The Looming Tower can be a very heavy watch considering that its thrills often lead to tragic outcomes, but the series paints an effective portrayal of what operational disarray looks like. In fact, the series was so acclaimed for its narrow focus on an underdiscussed segment of American history that there have been rumors about a potential continuation that would encapsulate the trajectory of both the FBI and CIA during the administration of President George W. Bush, in which the manipulation of information was even more hotly contested. The Looming Tower is a unique project because its factual basis does not prevent it from being an entertaining drama, especially when actors like Bill Camp and Michael Stuhlbarg are giving such powerful, emotional performances. While it’s easy to be swayed by more dramatic depictions of military intelligence and contemporary warfare, The Looming Tower offers a grim dose of reality that may help viewers to put other series of its kind into perspective.