American Odyssey Explained

Alt Name:Odyssey
Composer:John Debney
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:13
Runtime:45 minutes
Company:Universal Television
Network:NBC

American Odyssey (known in the UK under its original title Odyssey) is an American action thriller television series which aired on NBC from April 5 to June 28, 2015.[1] Created by Peter Horton, Adam Armus and Kay Foster, the series revolves around the discovery by a U.S. Army team on a secret mission in Mali, that a major U.S. company has been funding Islamist terror groups, and the subsequent cover-up of this revelation, which involves the attack and killing of the team of U.S. soldiers by private military contractors dispatched by the same company.

The series stars Anna Friel, Peter Facinelli, Jake Robinson, Jim True-Frost, Treat Williams, Nate Mooney, Elena Kampouris, Daniella Pineda, Sadie Sink, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Omar Ghazaoui. It is envisioned by the creators as a modern-day take on Homer's Odyssey.[2]

On June 30, 2015, NBC cancelled the series after one season.[3]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Production and release

NBC commissioned the series in May 2014 under the title Odyssey,[4] but only three weeks before the premiere, the network decided to change the title to American Odyssey, stating that this "better reflects the journey undertaken by lead character Odelle".[5] However, many commentators regarded as an attempt by NBC to piggyback on the box office success of American Sniper and ABC's success with American Crime.[5] [6] [7] According to TV Insider, the main reason for the surprising last minute name change was that the awareness of the upcoming series was low, and that the retitling would offer "the opportunity to better market the show to middle-American audiences."[8]

A teaser trailer was released on March 6, 2015, which revealed an April 5 release date and featured the tagline, "A soldier. A mother. Betrayed. Her odyssey begins."

The first two episodes were shown as a double bill when BBC Two premiered the series in the United Kingdom on Sunday June 28, 2015, under its original name.[9]

The series was originally set to premiere in Australia on the Seven Network in 2015[10] but did not premiere until March 20, 2016 in a late night timeslot.[11]

Reception

The series has received mixed or average reviews from U.S. critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 54% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads "With a been-there-seen-that premise and multiple muddled plots, American Odyssey can't escape the shadows of its superior predecessors in an age of solid spy/action television."[12] On Metacritic, the show has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".[13]

The initial reaction from British reviewers was also fairly negative. Michael Hogan in The Daily Telegraph wrote after the first two episodes had aired that "The programme wasn't without tense moments but the trouble was its scattergun plotting. It was like someone had cut up broadsheet newspapers from recent years and glued bits randomly to the script, making the whole thing lack cohesion. Homeland it certainly isn't."[14] Ellen E. Jones of The Independent was less harsh, writing that "This new series starring Anna Friel as an American special-ops soldier really is global conflict for dummies, but that doesn't necessarily make for bad television. It's nonsense, but it's glossy, well-executed nonsense."[15] David Butcher in Radio Times commented that "Parts of Odyssey may remind you dimly of Homeland. Its American network NBC probably hoped to create a down-and-dirty version of the Claire Danes thriller, but what we end up with is more Poundland than Homeland. It's perfectly serviceable, undemanding drama, with a bit of (not nearly enough) action here and there. But Homeland it ain’t."[16]

Notes and References

  1. News: Official network site . . May 11, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518090442/http://www.nbcumv.com/news/nbc-sets-debuts-new-dramas-%E2%80%98allegiance-%E2%80%98ad%E2%80%99-and-%E2%80%98odyssey%E2%80%99-event-series-%E2%80%98-slap%E2%80%99-and-new-comedy-?show=3823376&network=33129 . May 18, 2015 . mdy .
  2. News: American Odyssey: Cast and Creators Tease NBC's New Conspiracy Thriller. Collider. April 10, 2015.
  3. Web site: 'American Odyssey' Cancelled by NBC After One Season. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline. June 30, 2015. June 30, 2015.
  4. Web site: NBC Orders Action Drama 'Odyssey' to Series . Variety . Alex . Stedman . May 6, 2014 . June 30, 2015.
  5. Web site: NBC Drama 'Odyssey' Changes Title to 'American Odyssey' . Variety . Rick . Kissell . March 12, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  6. Web site: NBC's Odyssey Retitled American Odyssey On Eve Of Debut . We Got This Covered . Isaac . Feldberg . March 14, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  7. Web site: NBC Renames Upcoming Odyssey Series to American Odyssey . Collider . Allison . Keene . March 12, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  8. Web site: Why NBC's American Odyssey Got a Patriotic Makeover Before Its Premiere . TV Insider . Michael . Schneider . April 2, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  9. Web site: BBC Two: Odyssey - episodes by date . BBC . June 30, 2015.
  10. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven 2015 highlights: House Rules x 2, Restaurant Revolution, Gibney / Thomson dramas. 29 October 2014. 19 July 2015.
  11. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Airdate: Odyssey . 3 March 2016. 3 March 2016.
  12. Web site: American Odyssey: Season 1 . . Fandango Media . 2020-11-07 .
  13. Web site: American Odyssey: Season 1 . . CBS Interactive .
  14. Web site: Odyssey, episodes 1 and 2, review: It's no Homeland . The Telegraph . June 28, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  15. Web site: Odyssey, review: Anna Friel on a mission to redeem the soul of US democracy . https://web.archive.org/web/20150629222805/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/odyssey-bbc2-tv-review-anna-friel-on-a-mission-to-redeem-the-soul-of-us-democracy-10351053.html . 2015-06-29 . limited . live . The Independent . June 28, 2015 . June 30, 2015.
  16. Web site: BBC2 conspiracy thriller Odyssey: "More Poundland than Homeland . Radio Times . June 28, 2015 . June 30, 2015.

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