With so many narrative balls in the air, one might think American Odyssey would go immediately belly-up, losing itself in an unwieldly mess of complex plot threads and characters too underdeveloped to compell. To its credit, that’s not the case thus far. The creators, including writer director Peter Horton and writers Adam Armus and Kay Foster, smartly keep the emotion high throughout, never forgetting that, no matter how much conspiracy Odelle has to wade through, she’s still a loving mother tormented by the knowledge that her family still believes her dead. The characters, and their stakes, feel genuine.
American Odyssey is also striking in its structure. Set to run just 13 episodes, the series is telling a huge story about topics that couldn’t be more relevant, like American interests in the Middle East, the military industrial complex, the global economy, the wealth divide, mass communications and the new face of terror, to name a few. Whether it will end up saying anything truly interesting about those topics remains to be seen, but that a network program would set its goals so high is on its own admirable and certainly deserving of audiences’ attention. Additionally, as directed by Horton, the series looks uncommonly cinematic, with some shots almost reminiscent of Middle Eastern epics like Laurence of Arabia. The production values extend from the desert scenes all the way back to New York City, where the furor of constant crowds is fully emphasized.
Any way you look at it, from globe-spanning story to high budget, American Odyssey is a big gamble for NBC. The last-minute title change (from plain old Odyssey) indicates that the network is trying to tap into the same patriotic viewer base that made American Sniper such a hit, though only time will tell whether that strategy will pay off. Either way, American Odyssey appears to have its head in the right place, and that in of itself is refreshing.
NBC has an unfortunate history of launching buzzy, serialized series and never following through on the payoff (see: The Event, Persons Unknown, Believe), but this one seems secure in its story and primed to move along at breakneck pace toward an already set conclusion. And though audiences can be fickle, particularly with network shows, American Odyssey is thrilling, dramatic and ambitious enough that more than enough viewers should be perfectly willing to climb aboard for the ride.
