The Plot Against America (2020)

The series is the most artful recent depiction of rising fascism, focusing on characters' slow-building anxieties rather than cheap shocks or torture porn. It portrays a nuanced Jewish American experience and the emotional toll of isolation and fear on families.

The six-episode run is completely absorbing, building a tangible sense of mounting anxieties and helplessness in an increasingly rancid country. It has superb production values and powerful imagery without sacrificing substance, making compelling historical drama with clear parallels to today.

The miniseries is a superb, devastating alt-history drama that resonates with contemporary events while staying true to its source. Strong performances, especially from Zoe Kazan and Anthony Boyle, ground the personal impact of political upheaval.

The critic praises the expert adaptation by David Simon and Ed Burns of Philip Roth’s novel, highlighting its intimate sense of foreboding as a Jewish family in New Jersey experiences the gradual rise of fascism under President Lindbergh. The review singles out the slow-burn accumulation of political danger and the cast’s performances for effectively conveying how such threats can take hold.

The premiere episode delivers a gorgeous, understated adaptation of Philip Roth's novel that feels eerily prescient. It establishes the Levin family's world with care before the alternate-history shifts begin to unsettle it.

David Simon and Ed Burns deliver a flawed but finely crafted and chillingly timely adaptation. These six hours should freak you out; if they don’t, that demands introspection too.

The series is a disturbing evocation of an America superficially unchanged but horribly transformed by fascism under Lindbergh. It faithfully recreates pre-war Newark and derives plausibility from meticulous period detail while showing how political passions tear families apart.

The critic notes the series manages not to be too obvious in its Trump analogies while building a sick feeling of unease as antisemitism takes hold in 1940s America. It singles out the chilling depiction of bigotry coalescing against the Levin family for its relevance and tension.

The series insists its characters are history’s protagonists rather than ordinary people lost in the tide, flattening performances and making for a fairly unpleasant watch. It fails to capture the probing curiosity of the children or the uncertainty of the source novel.

The limited series masterfully and sensitively renders an alternate history through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in Newark. It excels in its subtle unspooling of events and deep emotional investment in the Levins.

The review calls it an admittedly fantastic HBO miniseries that feels all too plausible and relevant, with stark realism and a lived-in world. It singles out the phenomenal cast, especially the standouts in the Levin family, for anchoring the engrossing craft amid growing darkness.

The critic finds the series a saddening, maddening, and brilliantly made drama that chillingly shows fascism creeping in through small acts. It praises the smart writing that trusts viewers to draw parallels without overdoing them and the exquisite character work across the Levin family.

The review deems it a riveting, relevant ride down bigotry’s slippery slope and a deft period piece with quick-paced drama and provoking parallels. It highlights the immaculate craft, beautiful cinematography, realistic scripting, and power as a waking nightmare from the Wire team.

The critic praises the series for its plausibility and focused narrative, with harmony between acting, cinematography, and structure carrying virtuosic weight. It singles out the compassionate portrayal of characters and how politics affect individuals and family relationships as a grounded wake-up call.

The critic views the HBO miniseries as a strong David Simon adaptation that honors Philip Roth’s alternate-history vision of creeping fascism while emphasizing intimate family perspectives on eroding democracy. It singles out the character work, particularly Winona Ryder as a collaborationist aunt, and the show’s timely but organic exploration of American identity and prejudice.

The critic views it as top-shelf prestige television with gripping drama and outstanding performances but questions its point in 2020, as real events have already mirrored the depicted rise of racist nationalism. It praises the character work and tension but finds the ending ludicrous and the warning too late.